On this day in 1960, the first Polaris missile was launched from a submerged submarine.
USS George Washington (SSBN598) was the first nuclear-powered fleet ballistic missile submarine, designed and built by Electric Boat and delivered to the U.S. Navy on December 30, 1959. Her keel was originally laid down as the attack submarine USS Scorpion, but she was renamed George Washington after being lengthened with a ballistic missile section during construction.
In June of 1960, George Washington left Groton and headed to Cape Canaveral, Florida, where she loaded two Polaris missiles. She made history on July 20, 1960, also known as “P-Day”, after successfully completing the first Polaris missile launch from a submerged submarine.
July 20, 1960 at 12:39 PM: “Polaris from out of the deep to target. Perfect.”
– George Washington’s commanding officer to President Dwight D. Eisenhower
USS George Washington completed her first patrol on January 21, 1961. In 1983, her missiles were removed after 55 strategic deterrence patrols over 25 years of service. She continued service as an attack submarine (SSN598) until being decommissioned on January 24, 1985.
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