41 FOR FREEDOM PART 3

focal point of these preparations is the missile within this launch tube as it strikes its Target with pinpoint accuracy that moment signals the climax of the most intensive weapons development program in our nation's history this 16 away all missile sated away second condition 2sq Char super second to rescue within hours this ship the ussw Rogers will have proven her Readiness to share with her sister ships the responsibility of nuclear deterrents the fleet of 41 ballistic missile firing submarines will then be complete Admiral Smith over the years since U 1956 you've been able to monitor closely the progress of our fbm program just what is it about this nuclear powered submarine and its 16 Polaris missiles that makes it so important to our National Defense well of greatest importance is the Dependable capability of these 41 Polaris submarines to assure destruction of a nuclear aggressor as a world power it is on this that we are depending that the world will never see new nuclear war the whole concept of nuclear deterrence is based on our conviction that faced with the assurance that his own Nation would be destroyed no other than an insane man would start a nuclear war we believe that the leaders of the nations of the world are not insane Admiral every place we look on the submarine seems to be crammed with p of blinking lights and gauges and dials and circuits uh doesn't all this equipment provide ample opportunity for breakdown well it could the characteristics which give it the Dependable capability for assured destruction do lead to complexity however we have been able to design the system so as to be simple to operate furthermore we have demonstrated not only in ex exercises such as this but also in exercises on some 420 patrols to date that the complexity which you have seen does not lead to unreliability the system is very dependable then essentially do we know that a potential aggressor uh does appreciate the awesome capabilities of this Fleet ballistic missile system of ours we have very good reason for believing that he understands and knows he is able to observe the operations that we conduct here he is able to attempt to locate the submarines at Sea we know that he is not able to locate them at Sea and when chairman kushav reported to the Supreme Soviet following the Cuban confrontation he acknowledged that the deployment of the Polaris submarines was a significant factor in the total us Force arrayed against him that influenced him to remove Russian missiles from Cuban soil at dawn on 31 July 1967 in accordance with schedules set months before the Will Rogers accompanied by the Destroyer gearing steamed out of Port Canaveral to fulfill her final predeployment performance demonstration from Cape Kennedy to Ascension Island Eastern test range tracking and Telemetry equipment was tuning up theile is completely ready at this time shortly after 11:00 a.m. the last seconds of the countdown were being marked off 5 4 3 2 1 fire [Music] there as those of us aboard this support ship have just seen and as Missile Range instruments will verify the years of development the months of training and weeks of preparation have paid off the Will Rogers and her crew can now look forward to their next Milestone deterrent patrols and their mission of peace [Music] take it up 200 ft 200 ft I take it up 200 ft 10° down bubble 200 ft sir 10° down bubble I sir the bubble is at 10° down sir get your bubble 5 down he five down [Music] I 200 ft sir all right the fleet ballistic missile submarine is a new breed of Naval Weapon never before has the potential of sea power been so strongly exemplified as in the 41 submarines of the fleet ballistic missile weapon system the USS George Washington the first of the 41 put to seea on her maiden Patrol in the fall of 1960 the USS Will Rogers completes the list heading for her initial Patrol in the summer of [Music] 1967 the blue and gold Crews of the 41 also are of a new breed representing a resource of over 10,000 men they are the most highly qualified and thoroughly trained of any men in uniform today their dedication is total their responsibility awesome now attention all hands we are just about to enter the patrol Zone it's mandatory that you maintain the ship in an extremely quiet condition from now until we come out of the patrol Zone rig ship for patrol quiet the fleet ballistic missile weapon system 41 for Freedom a product of our nation's resolve to thwart aggression a free world guarantee against the destructive use of nuclear power e