Strategic Systems Marks 50 Years As Soviet Nuclear Deterrent

By DAVID F. WINKLER

Last November, a significant milestone in Cold War naval history was reached: the 50th anniversary of the creation of the Special Projects Office (SP), which today is known as Strategic Systems Programs (SSP).

During the mid-1950s, the Soviet Union solidified its empire behind the Iron Curtain in Europe, worked to spread its ideology to other continents and posed itself as a direct threat to the United States through detonation of first an atomic and then a hydrogen bomb. The American response was to build an alliance system to contain Soviet expansionism. To deter any offensive use of Soviet nuclear weaponry, the United States increased its atomic weapons stockpile and ability to deliver warheads.

Though manned aircraft served as the primary delivery system during this era, both sides reaped technology from Germany’s V-2 rocket program that rained explosives down on London toward the end of World War II. During September 1955, after a review of current technological advances, President Dwight D. Eisenhower approved a National Security Council recommendation to develop a 1,500-mile ballistic missile system, “with consideration for both land and sea basing.”

A Joint Army-Navy Ballistic Missile Committee was formed Nov. 8, 1955, to develop the Jupiter missile system. Whereas the Army would focus on building the missile, the Navy would concentrate on developing the ship-based launching system. Secretary of the Navy Charles S. Thomas established the SP on Nov. 17, 1955, for this purpose.

Early on, it became obvious that the Jupiter missile, with its liquid propellant, would be difficult to place in a submarine. However, because the prospect of deploying Jupiter on surface warships or converted merchant hulls was realistic, the Navy remained committed to the joint effort. Following the appointment of Rear Adm. William F. (Red) Raborn to head the SP, the Navy obtained Office of the Secretary of Defense support to pursue solid-propellant development. In April 1956, Lockheed Aircraft Corp. was awarded a contract to determine the feasibility of placing missiles in submarines.

Led by Raborn and Technical Director Capt. Levering Smith, the SP worked rapidly through the remainder of the year on a solid-propellant missile design. On Nov. 9, Thomas proposed the Polaris program to Secretary of Defense Charles E. Wilson. A month later, Wilson authorized the Navy to pursue the Polaris program and terminate its participation in Jupiter.

Able to act independently, the Navy accelerated its pace. On Feb. 8, 1957, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Arleigh Burke issued a requirement of being able to launch a 1,500-nautical-mile solid-propellant ballistic missile from a submerged submarine by 1963. Following the launching of Sputnik by the Soviet Union, this deadline was advanced for the SP to December 1960. Concurrent advancements in solid propellant, warhead miniaturization, inertial guidance and ship navigation systems, hypersonic aerodynamics and compressed-air launcher design made making the deadline possible.

As numerous subcontractors and government agencies worked on these critical components, construction began on USS George Washington in January 1958. Originally laid down as the fast-attack submarine Scorpion, the hull was split amidships and a 130-foot missile compartment was inserted.

On Dec. 5, 1958, the Navy placed USS Observation Island into commission as a test bed for the missile system and a training platform for the crew that would go to sea in George Washington. Meanwhile, test Polaris launches from Cape Canaveral, Fla., failed until the sixth try in late April 1959. Four months later, Observation Island successfully launched a similar test missile.

The Navy commissioned USS George Washington at Groton, Conn., on Dec. 30, 1959. On July 20, 1960, George Washington successfully launched two Polaris missiles from below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Canaveral. Four months later, the submarine commenced its first operational patrol.

However, Raborn and his successors did not have the opportunity to relax. Eventually, 41 Polaris/Poseidon fleet ballistic-missile submarines, each carrying 16 missiles, would deploy to form an invulnerable leg in a triad that included land-based missiles and bombers to keep the peace during the Cold War. SSP eventually developed the more capable Trident submarine fleet to replace this force.

Source: Facts/Chronology: Polaris-Poseidon-Trident Strategic Systems Programs, 2005; Peter Boyne, “In the Beginning … There Was Special Projects!” Naval Submarine League Review (April 2002). Vice Adm. Kenneth Malley and Rear Adm. Jerry Holland assisted with this article.

Dr. David F. Winkler is a historian with the Naval Historical Foundation.