The Soviet Union launched its first nuclear sub armed with ballistic nuclear missiles in 1960, the same year that feat was accomplished by the U.S. Early Soviet subs, such as the K-19 (known as the "Widowmaker"), were plagued by problems and resulted in several fatal accidents. The development of a nuclear submarine took the Soviets about five years' time from drawing board to commissioning. The USSR didn't commission its first nuclear sub until 1958, and the submarine didn't cross the North Pole until 1962. Then, submarines were both powered by reactors and armed with ballistic nuclear weapons. The development of nuclear submarines followed a similar arch with both nations - first, submarines were developed that were powered by nuclear reactors but still used non-nuclear armaments. A few years after the Nautilus, an alarmed Soviet Union developed its own nuclear submarine capabilities. Over time, the submarines were armed with ballistic missiles capped with nuclear warheads. By this time, more advanced technologies were being developed and Nautilus functioned as a trainer sub after 1966.īeing able to travel the globe undetected meant that enemy military and commercial ships were exposed to submarine attack at any time and virtually any place on the Earth's oceans. Then it was assigned to the Sixth Fleet in 1960. After it reached the North Pole, the Nautilus was overhauled and had its reactor changed. Just a few years after being put to sea, the Nautilus became the first submarine to sail beneath the arctic ice, reaching the North Pole on Aug. While submarines previously were maintained for coastal defense, this new breed of submarine could - and did - travel the globe. Another bonus segment The Regulus Assault Mission, contains interviews with the Navy pilots tasked with flying the Regulus into harm's way and detonating its nuclear warhead – a probable one-way mission whose consequences few wished to contemplate.The incredible range and maneuverability of nuclear submarines radically altered naval strategy and tactics. This section features rare footage of the Regulus cruisers (which included USS Helena, USS Macon, USS Los Angeles, and USS Toledo). These include The Navy Gets the Bird, which documents the difficulties experienced by Navy personnel as they attempted to make the Regulus missile operational. It also includes nearly 20 minutes of additional footage in the form of bonus video segments. This special edition DVD also includes the original 50-minute long TV program featuring historian David Stumpf and numerous Cold War veterans including submarine commanders William Gunn and Robert Owens. They were the leading edge of America’s nuclear deterrent, and as one of the skippers of Growler recalls in the film, if the Cold War had become a hot one a Regulus warhead would have been the first one to detonate in a thermonuclear exchange! This is the story of the Regulus and the men who made the guided missile submarine a reality.įeaturing declassified digitally re-mastered footage, much of it seen here for the first time. Patrolling the stormy waters of the Northern Pacific, the Regulus submarine crews endured long patrols, often with the Soviet Navy in depth charge range. These subs would undertake the first missile deterrent patrols in the history of the Navy and the Cold War. Navy cruisers and five guided missile submarines ("SSGs") - USS Tunny, USS Halibut, USS Grayback, USS Barbero and USS Growler. The Regulus would eventually be deployed aboard U.S. Mugu, California, the Regulus represented an early cruise missile and, as the Cold War began, a strategic game-changer. Tested in secrecy at Edwards Air Force Base and Pt. The tests would lead to the development of the Regulus, a nuclear-capable, air-breathing cruise missile that flew like a jet aircraft. The goal was to develop a submarine-launched guided missile and, eventually, to develop a missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. Navy began top-secret tests with modified German V-1 "buzz bombs". Using never-before-seen footage, Regulus: The First Nuclear Missile Submarines takes the viewer back to the days just after WWII when the U.S. Navy history and the birth of a vital part of the nuclear triad – a submarine capable of launching a nuclear missile. Regulus: The First Nuclear Missile Submarines documents a nearly-forgotten era of U.S. As Seen On Discovery Channel Europe and History Channel Canada!
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