The January 1960 All Hands devoted substantial coverage to the Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarine, the vessel class that transformed America’s nuclear deterrent strategy. These pages described the operational concept, the Polaris A-1 missile system, and the demands placed on crews of the George Washington-class SSBNs. The submarines were designed to patrol submerged for extended periods, ready to launch ballistic missiles from concealed positions beneath the ocean — a sea-based deterrent that no adversary could locate or pre-empt. USS George Washington (SSBN-598) had completed her first deterrent patrol in February 1961.
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