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KOREA TO VIETNAM
Figure 5-19.Women in warmemorial

Basic Military Requirements (BMR) Revised Edition
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On August 12, 1958, the USS Nautilus completed a history-making transpolar voyage from Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, to Portland, England. After diving under the ice near Point Barrow, Alaska, on August 1, 1958, it became the first submarine to reach the geographic North Pole. Nuclear  submarines  produced  after  the  USS Nautilus continued to pioneer new areas of submarine operations.  The  USS  Seawolf,  the  Navy’s  second nuclear-powered submarine, operated as an active unit of the Atlantic Fleet. On October 6, 1958, it completed a record-breaking  60-day  run,  traveling  a  distance  of 13,761 miles submerged. While  the  USS  Nautilus  was  still  undergoing operational  testing,  the  Navy  began  development  of  a ballistic  missile  of  intermediate  range.  Brought  from conception to initial operation in 5 years’time, the Polaris fleet ballistic missile (FBM) weapons system was mated with nuclear propulsion. That development produced a virtually  invulnerable  missile-firing  submarine.  Today, the  missile-firing  submarine  constitutes  one  of  the highest priority elements of the United States’ deterrent capability; that is, a deterrent to nuclear conflict. Each Polaris submarine could launch 16 two-stage ballistic missiles powered by solid-fuel rocket motors, containing  a  self-contained  inertial  guidance  system. The  Polaris  provided  a  combined  explosive  power greater than the total of all the bombs dropped by all aircraft  during  World  War  II.  Nuclear  propulsion enabled these Polaris submarines to remain on patrol for extended periods, hidden beneath the surface of the sea, ready to launch their missiles. On  station,  a  Polaris  submarine  maintained complete radio silence, receiving radio messages while submerged, but not transmitting to prevent giving away its location. Each ship had two complete crews, the Blue and  the  Gold,  of  about  130  people  each.  The  Polaris operated on a system that reflected a major change in the Navy’s  traditional  ship-manning  methods.  The  crews alternated   on   approximately   3-month-long deployments, providing maximum on-station time for the submarine. Its endurance was limited only by the limitations of its personnel. Submarines  were  followed  by  the  world’s  first nuclear-powered  surface  warships.  They  were  the guided-missile  cruiser  USS  Bainbridge,  launched April 15, 1961; the guided-missile cruiser USS Long Beach,  commissioned  September  9,  1961;  and  the carrier USS Enterprise, commissioned November 25, 1961.  On  October  3,  1964,  those  three  ships  ended Operation Sea Orbit, a 64-day long, around-the-world, unreplenished cruise. It  was  during  this  time  that  space  exploration (fig. 5-15) began. The Vanguard, a 3 1/2-pound payload, was developed by the Naval Research Laboratory. On March 17, 1958, it was placed into orbit to test a system designed   to   launch   earth   satellites   during   the international  geophysical  year  (IGY).  Now  the  oldest man-made satellite in orbit, it is expected to remain aloft for 2,000 years. Naval officers also participated in space exploration. On May 5, 1961, Commander Alan B. Shepard, Jr., made America’s first suborbital flight. The 15-minute shot in Freedom 7 went 116.5 miles into space. VIETNAM Although the United States was at peace following the  Korean  Conflict,  events  were  building  that  would plunge the country into another conflict. Since 1959, the French had been involved in fighting in a country most Americans had never heard of—Vietnam. 5-22 Student Notes: Figure 5-15.—Seven original NASA astronauts.







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