DEFENDERS OF AMERICA from National Biscuit Company: GUIDED MISSLE SUBMARINE POLARIS SSG(N)

Today's card is number 4 in the series of Defenders of America trading cards published by the National Biscuit Company in the late 1950s.

The first US Navy submarine capable of firing a strategic ballistic Polaris missile was the George Washington, a nuclear sub. Earlier submarines had carried strategic missiles, but the boats had been diesel powered, and the missiles required the boat to surface in order to fire. The missiles were also cruise missiles, which were vulnerable to the defenses of the day in a way that ballistic missiles were not.

George Washington's missiles could be fired while the boat was submerged, meaning that it was far less likely to be detected before firing. The nuclear power of the boat also meant that, like Nautilus, George Washington's patrol length was limited only by the amount of food the boat could carry. Ballistic missile submarines, carrying Polaris missiles, eventually superseded all other strategic nuclear systems in the USN. Deterrent patrols continue to this day, although now with Ohio-class submarines and Trident II missiles. (SOURCE: Wikiepdia)

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To see other cards in this trading card series click on the "Defenders of America" label below the post.

Next time...USAF IM-99 Bomarc Missile