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VQLUMNV NUMBER 3, 18 JANUARY, I960
FIRST MISSILE SUB LAUNCHED
\ An awesome > weapon, linking a l,20p?-mile ballistic missile with the near - un
limited -undersea cruising range e-f a nuclear-powered submarine, was added to the
arsenal of the United States with the commissioning of the-George Washington on
December 30th at Groton, Conn* . - ' ;
Forerunner of an entirely new class
of Navy ships, the 5,400 -ton submer
sible has vertical launching tubes for'
the ballistic missiles. .She will carry
16: of the Navyts Polaris missiles, in
addition to a torpedo-firing system for
attacking enemy surface ships*
. First commanding officer of the George
Washington is Cmdr.. James B. Osborn.
Previously the Navy had announced that'
the Polaris-firing, submarines will have
two separate loo - man .crews, taking
turhs in order to, keep . the subs almost
continuously "on Station*"
Principal speaker at the commission
ing ceremonies was Dr. Geprge B* Kis-;
ftiakowsky, Special Assistant to, the
President for Science and Technology,
He stressed the "new capability" of
the George Washington, pointing out
that ^detection of the new ship,- along
with that of her sisters still under
construction, "will be will nigh im*»
possible and yet lier targets fox* re
taliation will be continually within
13 ND-6244
reach."
Vice Adm. Thomas S. Combs, Eastern Sea
Frontier Commander, accepted the ship
for the Navy for commissioning from its
builders, the Electric *Boat Division of
General Dynamics Corp* '
Re. declared in his acceptance address
that Wwe are opening the door on a new
era in national power, national power
for peqpe.”
Also illustrating the difficulty of
enemy ; location of the neW weapon, he
said* "there are no fixed ’addresses at
sea and there are no addresses at all
beneath the surface, of the sea."
There are fhre submarines of: the class,
each 380 feet long. Their 5,400 - ton
weight is- surface displacement; sub
merged displacement is 6,700 tons*,,'
All are named for an outstarxfag Amer
ican. In.addition to George Washington,
they are the Patrick Henry, the Theodore
Roosevelt, the Robert E. Lee and the
Abraham Lincoln.
> As large as a light cruiser, the Geo.
Washington has four interior decks.
Navy-PEPO 18ND Bremerton, Wash.