A family walks down the pathway toward the USS Yorktown aircraft carrier at Patriots Point, surrounded by American flags and calm waters.
A family walks down the pathway toward the USS Yorktown aircraft carrier at Patriots Point, surrounded by American flags and calm waters.
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First Regulus Missile Launched From A Submarine 1953

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On 15 July 1953, the USS Tunny SS-282 would become the first submarine to launch a Regulus cruise missile. The Regulus cruise missile development began in 1947  and it was built by the Chance Vought Aircraft company.  The unmanned turbojet powered Regulus system was capable of delivering a thermonuclear warhead, either the 3000 pound (40-50 kiloton yield) W5 or the 2800 pound (1-2 megaton yield) W27 within a range of 500 nautical miles. Regulus would be carried as a nuclear deterrent aboard submarines in the United States Navy from 1953 to 1964. Watch the launch  below...