Published in the same January 1960 issue that announced the Polaris program’s readiness, this two-page cutaway spread revealed the internal arrangement of the nuclear-powered Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarine. The detailed diagram labeled each major compartment — missile tubes, reactor plant, torpedo room, crew spaces, and control room — giving readers their first comprehensive look at the vessel that would put submarine-launched ballistic missiles at the heart of America’s strategic deterrent. USS George Washington (SSBN-598), the first boat of the class, had been commissioned in December 1959.
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