Alexander Hamilton (SSBN 517) - Naval Cruise Book

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NORWICI-I f 12 Nonvvicn autumn, Tuesday July 2 1953 25 on Board New men on ub Hamilton England news media representa- tives took part in a one- day cruise Monday aboard the fleet ballistic missle submarine, Alex- ander Hamilton, CSSBN 6177. Among them was Robert Benoit, a member of the Bulletin's Grot- on Staff. A The press cruise, sponsored by the First Naval district, Boston, departed from the Electric Boat shipyard here shortly after 8 a.m. Cdr. Norman B. Bessac, USN, skipper, tblue crewl, briefed the newspaper, radio and television representatives before the ship got underway. The newsmen were divided in- to six groups for guided tours conducted by other ship's of- ficers. The Hamilton is the 12th nuc- lear powered Polaris sub to join the .fleet and was commissioned at EB last Thursday. t Her keel was laid June 26, 1961, and she was launched Aug. 13, 1962. The 425-foot craft displaces 7,000 tons and is the second of the Lafeyette class fleet ballistic missle submarines. ' She is armed with 16 of the latest solid fuel Polaris missles with' an increased range of 2,500 miles. The Hamilton can travel more than,20 knots submerged and can dive more than 400 feet. Newsmen got a complete tour of the craft from the forward torpedo room to the rear engine compartment. Crew members explained 'th e boat's vast network of highly classified electronic systems which allow the boat to remain ifndeiected beneath the seas. The algal: Quit-Sl?-Tl ii? the sur- face until it reached deep 'Water where diving and maneurriigg demonstratione held, 0-Tewsmen irere ittads -fir . of the ship? L .

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PAGE SIX . TI-EE DAY, NEW LONDON, CONN., TUIESDAY, JULY 2, 1963 Reporter AII Seeing Subs By EVELYN ARCHER Day Stall Writer Larvlluhbors' known to be lack- at Sea at Work Lhe Iact It can get away Imm ll aLl weatherwise, and alter the Hamilton submerxed only A lm: Sea l0:x can nde suhviglnnce thmuzh the perisoope marines quite comfortably but Icould convince the passenger: lt anftluhhers ht-kin ruzzed lenywas not 1 comfonable dehumidi- l J . Z musrleq had lx-st have the Jim- mvm rvariy tl planning 3 day-long Iird 68411-znre day. Lt. James P. Kelly, Blue Crew gum. award ons- nl lhe v0sels,,vv1gincering olftccr and Luldealnr- MM! ol the mvmhvri ol IM tyhmbir-il hut happy crvw of nday, lold hu group Lha :hip traveled lo an operalini :ru about 311 rvprvstrntatnr-4 nl nr-wvpasl Montauk Potnl. but you mwlia from lhroulhout New En!- lanfl multi att:-et to that last nigh! as thi-y mnntully - and woman- lully Nlroftu flown the uznitvay nf Sui:m:irin.- .ilcxnnrlcr llamllton at Ct-rin-ral Dyn:imic,fElfrrtrm Boal. Gumli for the day-long cruise. arxnnud by lhe Fin! Naval U.Ntri.l with headquarters in Bos- grn, rondvzvoumd in the log out- 5.il.: EB's mam pate at 5 30 am, and relumcd there shortly all'-'Y 8 p.m.-1 long day even lor A rvportcr. Bur n mos! enloyable and rv- veahn: one. All agreed. A brit-ling by the personlblf Capt. Nonnan B, Besxac, Blue Crew cnmmandin: Officer, set the mlorrnal tcnnr nl the day and the elim-rs assumed ai zutdfi for tha small Eroupi into which thc guocti vtcrn dmdcd continued the pleasanl, courteous and infnrma- ute example set by their skipper. So did all the operating crew- men who performed as thourh in bothered mem not ln um mn to have inquisitive pruesu under loot ull day. The ships cooks and stewards took tn all in stride. R00- Alter ull, whars another JO pea ple lor dinner and supper when you're serving some 130 delicious meals utyhow. Women Go tn Bridge The courtesy ol the bridge was extended to the two women passengers by Bessac on the nul- gomg Iez and unttl lho wind and log overpowered her, rine was mos! pleased to make like Co- lumbus looking lor n new world. Other vantage points lor peerv Inz into the log bank a thousand yards distant were the two talnng plane: on ellher side ul the sall. lluvcnng over the ship much ol the way out to New lnndon Ledge Light was a nosy heli- copter Irom the Quonsc! Point 1R. IJ Naval Alr Station, tts passenzcrs takin: picturus through Un- wide-open cargo door, , Il had to be wavcd ol! by thei 5hip's captain because the noise, ol tts propeller: could havei drowned uul 1 Io: sixrnal from an Invisible slup ahead or behind - Iorcvrard or lil, that is. I Just one ci! the many mee lhlngsl about A submarine, however, is The Home Owners Policy Covers- FIRE LIABILITY and THEFTS INSURANCE All In One Policy lllurlnto - R ll llllll APYRIIS KIS I1 Yvlru In Hnllnnl M MIRTDI KN STREET NEW LONDON. CONN. Tvlovh GI I-:ui Ask ARTHUR H. SHURTS cirr or mm' LOSDON. NOTICE I ::1-i-- tl mi-my gill-ft mu ine- rould have fooled any ol hu charger I ll'x dilllcult lor many repre- sentatives ol the prefix to pinpoint lhcir geographical locations Irom .123 Ieet below the ocearfs sur- Ian-. I To many. sho, it pmtiously ina: dilhcult to comprchend the length md depth ol a Polaris Isubmanne. An exterulve tour ol lthe ladder-studded vessel from 'the torpedo room forward to the ,engine room nh and Imm the 'htghvflylng Ialring plane: lo lhe Ideepell compartment made IBessac's capital ships ol the INnry dcscnpllon appear mon apt. Much ol KeIly's explanation UI lhe complex automatic equip- mcnl wen! over lho head: nl his ILM.-ncrx bu! his slalcmvnl that the ever-increasing automation iaboanl lhe who requires more and more intelligent personnel was not disputed. The maze ol wires, cables and tubes, the thousands oI valves uid push-buttons, the scores of cunLml panel: with their blinking llnht, all of which mean some- thing to the operator, are com- pletely IIIDDEFKIS-I.I'II in their complexity. The nuclear reactor, which was seen through A glas-covend hatdn with the Ltd of A mirror which can be operated Irvm outside the sealed compartment, appeared the lens! complicated mechanism on the ship by comparison, Despite the Iac! many have not joined wholeheartedly l.n Presi- dent Kennedy's phydcnl fitness pmgnm, the fair weather sailors were in accord-Irom 0630 to 2030, lt was A delightful day. Driver Ends In Hospital, Faces Charge Nichols s llalorano, 51, of Orchard St. was charged with reckless dnving and wound up in a hospital bed after a one-car accident nt 1:40 p.m. yesterday on Mohenan Ave. Police said Caioram was driving a pick-up truck south. A: he nl- tempted lo drive his vehicle around another tmck. two wheels we-ut up on the divider strip. 'he Malorano vehicle traveled for 55 Ieet In this- manner then CBRTHCO In Rn IPC lCl'0Sl Ihe street for 107 feet. lt finally smashed a traffic sign and ended up against a tree, Patrolman Emes! G I r d ne r praised Dr. Thomas A, Copplnxer and Corpsman Garry Walker, both lrom the nearby Coast Guard Academy. for Iirst lld ld!'K1I!lIS' lervd the victim. Malrrrano was taken to the Lawrence Memorial Hocpital with a right shoulder fracture. Youth Given ru-tm --r .tr-ann prmifn-fi rf-r hplsuspended 'rel-rn in-1 il.ld.r': Zone nr-tirunrq or lm- Cu .rf Kr-.x lfmiilvt l'or'rto'lt. ' - ' r- i A n it 5g...::aICrr'm..:,fl'mQy.1i0r1 TWO Counts muff. :lu sive fir'--: .mx twqn-i Cn-rw-fit.-my nn Tnumuy, Jiiy tl, th! A' to A N tli D. Tb on WI If-Iillclllvt Inf n:vI'r 'X'AIf1I if-Av!-ww im my-:-it-an: for Limnr-4 R-nt:-ru trfi--Q rind' N JN --rw A, rnifzp nr :at Sprir-3 1.-:vu-1 Annu' N'-amen. Cf-nnw. I 'lf n'9 'X F'lr1l:'1l Slltfvvw- ll '-- rfrw :N-rf-1 nt :m Hmm iw-1 i-1 uid hw et Sn' if--my-ri Cr---f -ur My-1 r--.- sin mi Fo'-:u--' f-! Bm :rv Eu: Hurt. if--1 vw-------i:, u f--t-- Iullv n-1 f r'H in uit r-:ill-vw-I -hir-H it R.. -rr in in MU- of in Clay Ml'l1r'lrt uid Ow- ?-- p-rv---I n:-:v-verve or tr-r lr:'1'1-L or his rrprnenuuvu u rv-gitrv-1 . 'inn- tw TY1 BOARD Of APPEAL! EASTERN 'LICENSED CONTRACTORS' O Almnlnum Sldhg O Mbflim SH!!! O Rnnllnl O Pnrrh Dklmnrn O .Uumlmnn Wlndovi ld Dv-nn O Hauv Pllhllul TIL. 443-3656 un: nrnrrm rm. A Gales Ferry youth whose parvnu purposely lrft him ln jail dlmnz the week end to teach hmm n lrsfon now rather than later. WM Klvm I mrperxied Uday jail if-nn and in-if-d nm when pn,- srnted yvsu-:day before Judge Douzlns Wright ln Circuit Court. Norwtvh. I Amos R. Brumble, 3rd, 18, was charxul Friday njdn with drunken md recklesx dnt-ing. lla pan-rm said mry fell the W0 li-Wx ln llll would act u 1 :ruler Amn deterrent than ny- blll-vg they could my or do to the w-nrnnz hx ru hm! by Stale 'Prwpr-r Room Pnpp who pir- nzd Lhe boy, first by car And lhm on IooL A ily:-.ar old nilnr. Acunni ol wr-vlrwrz I-L1 if-wwe' wmp-mm -fzn irrr, vu Iirvd BO la- drliwry ol kqufx to mmfxw. llxrry C B-'vanm vu eh:-:rd xl:-r rr-zxhtnrx in the Eu: Grnt Pura v-cum of Nrrnch oim- phrwi Bro-rn. Arvalhv-r ugh' vri rio :uh wr-rw d. :.k1.'.i but and xlooflng a. siding ce' KWH' 'L' GNN W ' emu-I A d:.1:u.-bare. RELAX THIS SUMMER VV I I I I I I I I i I 1-x ' x,. I I XNQ- v TG 'Dlxg I in Twn Imnortanl: Items-Captain and PIIFISCOIIU W -O ,...- 2 1-vi 1- nf A f T. i I I I 7 X ' 1 I 1 I ... -an-v' ' ,uu,,, . J 4 ... ll ' ' Sli -III -4 H, I ....... P , W , - h ' x , -. JUv5 -jr-:E ' -'-.f-.fl-I-v -.L ,X - -I , J .,. - . I L .--:gi I '- .L I I I' ' 'I T -...1 Capt. Norman B. Bessac Conducts Boot Camp Ior Neirsniv' 4 Union Lines Hold in Bloody Fight in Hills Continued Inrm Page l Corps said: To move down and support them was out el the ques- chargcd. The Maine llne bent, then counlercharged. We struck tlhe n-hcl: with A It-arful shock, said 'Dicodore Ger- rixh oI the 20th Maine. 'I'hr'y re- ooilod, staggcrcd, broke and ran, and like avenging demons our men pursued. I -'The mlm nithf-ii toward I don' for this would be to do uwslone wall but, to their surprise Sickleg dzd-relinquish a good pos- ition and advance to a bad one. There Wu no olhcr allernativn- the 3rd Corps mils! fight Itself oul OI it., position of destruction. Meanwhile, Iongstmez saw that Little Round Top. which domin- ales the Union left, had been ig- nored by both sides. He dis- iand ouix. two scorn ol rilli- ban Ircls :lc-anml Ovtrr thc roclu, and ,a murderous volley wa.: pouml in upon lhcm at close quartnn. This unlocked-tor rt-tnlorrc-A mcnl wrre ou.r skimibhors. who we supposed had all hucn cap lured. I Atnut 6 pm., on the opposite lend ol :he ljnion line, an attack patched me 1511, ,uabama undo,-,hy the Confcdcmte corps ot l.t. Col. William C. Oates to occupy it I About the same Lime, Maj, Gen. Gouwmeur K. Warren, Mc-adc's :hid engineer. nolicai the omis- sion Imm the Icderal side. iGun. Richard S. Ewell was hurled hack Irom Comclcry lltll and rwaoe dcscvndod on the bat 'th-held. I Meade nporu-dly expects lhs- IConIcdPralt2 attack on the :vnu-r I rode dovm t.he hill. he said,IoI the L'nion line tomorrow, and fortunately met my old Eng. Gi-n. John Gibbon, tho Iwi- bfixtade. I took the rcsp9rmbil1!yI4-ral rrmmandvr the-rw, quntrvl lo detach the Iini rezimenl I struck, whose colonel, on heannxz my Iew word.: ol explanation about the position, moved az once to the hilltop, Xlvadz- as sayin: II Luc atiafki itnmnrrnw, it will bv an your front bcrauw hc has made ann:-les on hoLh our Ilanlu and failed, and 'il he convludm-s to my ll again it The Union reglmz-nt, the 20th will be on our comer, Maine under Col. Jmhua L. Cham- Thui Ilr only om- Conlcdvrate berlatn, rcadwd the lov of lhcIdit'Luon han failed lo sw- ndlnn hill about 10 mlnulm be-lore the Confeda-rates. The Alabamnns at Gvtlyslmrg, lt is mmmzendvd by Maj. Geny G1-orgn li. Ihckvtt, I CITY OF NEW LONDON NOTICE There will bo no collection of onlin and ralun on THURSDAY JULY 4 H63. Col- mado on M0 DAY JULY 8 lVb3. SICNHD: CHARLES P. 'DelIASl Director ol Public Work: llcvlon ngulorr? mad: on lhls 'day will be INSTANT RELIEF for E E .GN WY OAK or SUMAC. New xcienlific, Ianni:-acid heaimanl xlops ilch, dries up blixlerx - ollcn within n day. Genilu and xafu for children and Adulll. lvrclvlatlon IVY-Dlvtulm IVY SuaarDlY 792 1.1! AI YOUR DRUGGIST You and 113,000 Others Are Reading This Issue Of Your Local Daily 113,000 Others Are Reading The Day! on AS MUCH AS '7.00 ON EVERY IAndIubberS ot Lnokvout Dtlly , 100 GALLONS OF OIL YOU USE! You Can Always Rely on Our Source of Supply INSTALL OR REPLACE NOW! Your Oil Burner, Oil Burning Furnace or Boiler. Your Choice of FORCED WARM AIR, STEAM, HOT WATER, BASE RAY or RADIANT HEAT. I IIITEIWT i - E' 4' I t IC 5- 1-E I mal-t -I If My I I way zu 'Ixji-,,.1 E.L, ff ' y it . -dlzwv ., 11- I I I I'-,ti H ,. fw xii. I fn if X np!-.ft ' ' .I xhii i I I 9-. x.,: 0 36 MONTHS TO PAY 0 IIISTALLATIONS COSTING '600 OR MORE MAY IE FINANCED FOR 5 YEARS

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Editorial Theaters Financial Claslfled The lllatftiofh nufzml i D ' nside a olaris Sub: Atomic-Powered Al xander Hamilton Heads for Duty By JOHN I. MAASARO Mah Editor Th Omnnfa data editor was among In aewmsoa invited aboard he Hamilton for an nnnsnal press prevlef' of the submarine. Here ta Isla graphic aocoons of the crnlae: GROTON - All Polaris skippers are cowards. sand the skipper. He smiled. lt was unusually ooiet in the subma- rine compartment, My job is to stay hidden, he said. 'Tre gn: to kno-v where l am at all times-and 1 mean within feet-so that these missiles can be delivered right on the button, The skipper. Cmdr. Norman B. Bes- sac. turned to receive a message from a crenman. lt concerned the subma- rine's position. Beading for the Cape ' The suis. the sntda-nosed Alt-sander Hamilton, had been underway for some time. The Navy had just accepted her. And shr- was out of Groton for a short cmise l-rrfore heading to the Cape Ca- naveral range to spew her first rcal missiles on a six-week shakedoun, The S110 million sub, dubbed The Monster by her crew, was still on the surface. Thick btllows of log swirled oter hong Island Sound. She was head- ing to sea. The water raced up over her dull gray hull. Somewhere ahead, under the turbulence of froth and bub- bles. was the bow. ' She's inefficient on the surface, said 3 sailor. Like an iceberg, she's mostly under water. The analogy was muddy, but the point was clear: The Hamilton, like other atomic-powered submarines, is at her best submerged. The whole range of new American subs are, for the first time, true submarines, They can operate under water indef- initely The only limitations: human en- durance and food. We make nur own tlresh water! and oxygen and get rid of our own car- hon monoxide. said Bessac. a veteran submariner. We can truly operate in- dependentlyf' Aboard the -t25foot sub, second ot the super-Polaris class to join the fleet, are fresh water showers and automatic washing machines. !'You know what wa- ter masters they are, said another ol- lv-er. j'But there's no prohlem. We can convert more than 20,000 gallons of sea water a day, Even with the water-cool- ed reactor, that's more than we can Ura Landlubhers Hang On Tonside. the distinctive fog horn win-ted an authoritative blast, Several landltbbers tnewsmenl clung to the tcmporary cable railings along the edge nl the fairing plancs. high above the hull on each strlc of tho sail. A lonz. squat British tankcr loomed out of the fog. FZ-e was at anchor. lxirz lv-fore she x-as -:stole the radar- man had a sornnd-hy-second fix on l-rr 'lf-re fog horn hlasts. Then anoth- 0 si H. off to port. Same fix: no proh- L... fl X -rid a hclicnptcr from the 011-ww Point. R l. Naval Air Station hm f- rd nnisily. A photographer was squa't:n: just Inside the doorless cargo ha'ch, The 'coptcr skidded away typi- cally. hut uas back in moments. Away and then back again. Get that 'coptcr out of here. came the s k i p p e r's command over the speaker, He was afraid that the roar of the rotors would drown out the fog sig- nals of smaller boats. Despite all the electronic gear, Bcssac wasn't taking any chances. l'd hate to bag a pleasure craft mth you gentlemen aboard. said Cmdr. Bcssac to a rcportcr. He had d-'layed the departure from the dock of the builder, Electric Boat General Dynamss. until thc lo: cond:- ttnru had rmprotcd But e'-rn nm it nas still qu.tc loam' We could get out of here if ue had to, he said. hu: t don't see any pf-un: in taking chances unless it's necessary, There're a lot of pleasure craft out there in the Mind. The chopper huucd olf Nea lmrtdon Ledge Lgh: ass just oarciy visible to , IIIDUI snoiur soon Html' 'OOM W o .--Q, .:, new IUCN Nl ..Qf.'t'f omcns' smnooat I roanno loo! Q T , E , - - .. f , lg ,-,., 3 p . '....ll:Els!1'r11etrms.t:e,. i T T i - - is-snroans' -5 .--. geese- ' f . .e-. -. . , - s' .- - E33 T 1 i . ' ,..oti'2!f 'LEiE-Z.'-:Ein ' I .L.J.i - 1 - wr?--fall:ItP B'! mssltccontsot ' oattsr aovouaatsas omclwttvmosracs 'om :mrs nm cuw-s ounms starboard. it's exciting, said a news- man. But below it's a routine ol four-hour duty watches. drills and an incredible amount olordinary equipment and su- per-sophisticated electronic devices. There's enough piping and joints to make a steamfitter beam. The wiring would drive an electrician wild. Spread over six watertight compart- ments on four levels and three decks, the Monsters cold steel, plastic and paint reacted delicately to the human directions. The specialists, working in the cool comfort ol' green-walled com- partments, made it seem easy. The Skipper Won The captain was speaking to a re- porter: l have one philosophy on color. I told them tthe builders! 'You can use any color you want, as long as it's greenf None of this futuristic stuff- looking like a hotel bar. Powder blue and pink may be fine when you walk into a room, but it can be pretty wear- ing after a while. l'm what's known as a green man. I won nut in all compartments but one, the missile control center. He swung the smaller of two peri- scopes around for a visual check. He'd clone this a hundred times as the for- mer skipper of the nuclear sub Scor- pion, which joined the fleet three years ago. At 39, Bessac has come a long way from his home town of Vallejo, Calif. He'd decided on suhs after graduating from Annapolis in the Class of 14. Now the suh was some 50 miles off Itlontadt Point in a Navy operating BIPS. The captain switched to the.larger scope, That's better. he said. The reporter was impressed. Any- one ever toll you you look like'Cary Grant in one of those late-late shows? Bessac s miled. Then laughed. The thin weather lines. born at the corners ol his eyes, deepened. They reached the gray tufted bristles that are his sideburns. Let's take 'er down, he said. Dive, dive. came the command. Dive, dive. echoed a control officer. Then the ahh-oohh-guh blast on the klaxon. Crewmen were busy with the some E5 individual operational and equip- ment checks which rig a sub for div- ing. A few fcet away from the sktpper's raised platform is ship control. Two enlisted mcn sat in rather plush seats. They wore headsets and microphones juttcd from their chests. Their hands rested lightly on half-moon steering wheels. They looked like airplane pi- lots, pilots flying blind. The maze of instruments tell just what the sub is doing. Behind, on a chair-stool. is a petty officer. He is giving and echoing orders. Fifty and holding, he said. almost mechanically. The lullmg buu of a small motor is the only noise, The heaty thump. thump of the conventional st2J's engines is missing - the silent service has become just that. A feta feet auay a sailor peers into a radar screen. Contact, he says, without looking up. Range t5,t-EA, bearing 195. Re- quest this contact be designated Qur- becf' His eyes follow the illuminated biue arm as it rotates around the INSIDE 'THE MONSTER' . t CIIVI1 LOUNOI . . for the first time, true submarines MISSILE ROOM . . . 'Sherwood Forest' screen. He marks another' contact on the glass surface with a yellow cray- on. He rubs out a previous contact. The navigation officer ploLs the course on a chart. Another sailor dou- ble checks the position fixes. The quiet is broken by a wishing sound. Just trimming up. explains a sailor. We're taking in and releasing tons of water to get her in trim. We've got extra people aboard and only some of the missile tubes have ballast. How Fast? The sub glided suiftly. How fast? More than 20 knots. said an officer with a smile. How deep? More than WJ feel. he said, t.he smile holding. The estimates are low. The Hamilton was at 125 feet now. Ashore it was a sweltering Snplus de- gree day. But the sub's man-made at- mosphere stayed at a comfortable 68 degrees, lts dehumtdified air was pleas- ant, It is constantly monitored lor im- puritiu and :Ls precise gaseous make- up. A couple of ueeks of this and there's no trouble with colds, or anything. said a sailor a-ho'd been on long A- sub patrols before. He reached for a coffee cup in a rack next to his sta- tion. The cup racks and butt cans are everywhere. Foro-vard and below, in the missile control center, the surface of a cup of hot. black coffee reflects the myriad lights of computers. The banks of digr- tal computers-enough to make an IBM salesman winco-blink their red, blue, green and yellow eyes. It's like a par- ody of a pinball machine factory. in this section alone there are 27 comput- ers. Q The scene. with minor variations, is repeated in the navigation center. Here banks of digital computers are linked with the ship's inertial navigation sys- tcm 'SINSL 'l nrv.-e of these big SINS. hanging overhead, constantly check each other. Each is trying to prove the other a liar by constantly plotting the suh's position. Inside SINS is a secret collection of spinning gyroscopes and devices which detect the most minute variation in the craft's movement. All of this movement. in terms of drilt, turn and dip, is fed into computers which plot the sub's ex- act location on graphs. The information is also being led into the computers which make up the brains of the missile system - the reason for the Polaris sub's existence. But SINS isn't the only navigational systcm in operation. Beside the conten- tional things such as radar. magnetic compass, gyro compass, dead reckoning tr a cera and sonar, the Hamilton is e q u i p p e d to receive directions from the Transit satellites, The unique marriage of outcr and in- ner space will allow the submartne to pinpoint its position below the ocean depths alter receiving beeps from the moonlets whirling in orbit 600 milea above the earth. And if that weren't enough: Hamilton also has a star - tracking periscope and a backup battery of computers with phe- nominal memories. One of them. for ex- ample. knows where 160 stars are now and where they will be each minute for the next t.hree months. All of this so that the Hamilton. and any individual Polaris sub. can unleash an atomic striking power of more than all the bombs d r o p p e d during World War ll. including the two A-bomb blasts over Japan. It would be foolish to have these weapons and not be able to deliver them, said 2 navigation aide. Thnt'a why we have to know the ship'a loca- tion, local vertical, true north heading. target location and the trajectory of the missile at all times. When the Hamilton goes on patrol soon she'll always be in a position to fire her Stlffoot, solid fuel Polaris mis- siles from beneath the surface. Two Crews One crew. blue, will take her on pa- trol for 60 days, while the second crew, gold. trains. The system keeps the subs on constant patrol. The sub and two-stage rockets. pro- pelling a nuclear-tipped internally guid- ed missile, present a striking capability without parallel in the history of war- fare. lt's almost invulnerable to count- CFYYIEBSUYBS. But it's a belt and suspenders sys- tem. said the skipper. We have two nf everything which is deemed vital: air systems, turbo - generators, main tu r h i n e s and two men in sensitive areas. No rash act can send a missile into space, said the captain. the man who has the heavy responsibility for control of The Button. Should a missile-firing coded message con-ie through, the skipper would have to call the executive officer, Each has a key to the safe - and both are need- ed to open it. ln the presence of a third officer they would open the sale to get at specific orders. 'l'hen the captain would unlock the red fire control button lhe's the only one with the combina- tiont and activate the control panels at his command station and at the fire control center. Even then the fail-sale precautions continue. lt takes the efforts,of a doz- en key crewmen to fire a rocket. And there's a stay button which can hold a missile for 15 minutes even after the many complicated arming steps have been taken. This in case Washington changes its mind. Heart of the Hamilton. the third gen- eration of FBM tfleet ballistic missile! subs, is Sherwood Forrest : the two banks of missile tubes. eight on each side, which mn from deck to keel. From an array of instruments at three deck levels missilemen can monitor the con- dition of each ol the new AJ missiles which have a range of 2,500 nautical miles 12,875 statute milest. A shapely pinup photograph watches the scene from a bulkhead. To Archie. says the autograph. from Mom There are more digital computers among the missile silos, One had I small hand-lettered sign: The Mad Computer or The Tin Can Utopia A technician was working on a wired panel tn the radio room. We stock limo line items - replace- ment parts of all kinds, said an of- ficer. A staff of radtomen aere handling theconxtantflowofmdedmeaaageaoa several frequencies. Banks of radlo, tele- phone and teletypo equipment lhsod all our walls. The center la dealgnod to handle tremendous volumes of vital messages and just plain junk. The junk will come In deliberately when till sub ls on secret patrol. She'll be N- celvlng messages but won't be able to reply. The constant volume of junk la to offset any message flow increase ln a tnie emergency. Elsewhere. the c h a c k s and double checks continued. ln a small tunnel through tha reactor compartment a aallv- or secured a watertight door. He was standing directly over the atomic ptle. I heavy lead shield below the floor pso- tected htm. Radtatlon Checked He glanced into one of four oblong port holes at the compartment's aides. Tltl'0USh the pale green glass he could ace a mirror which reflected gauges showing the water level in the suaebefl cooling system. The sailor, as everyone aboard, wal wearing a small film badge which do- tects and measures radlatlon. They all constantly checked. Radiation area, read a slgn. No Bunkingf' The radiation level in here la a llltla higher, said another sailor, but lt'a safe. The aallor was going off watch. Ha headed forward to the crew's quarters. By old pig-boat standards, the Polar- is sub's accommodations are plush. The missile subs have the biggest hunks ln the undersea navy: 315 tnches deeper than other subs, Over each foam-mbher padded bunk are individual reading lights, ventilators and lockers. More room in that bunk than In mine. said an officer. On the deck above is the crew'a mess. Chow is served restaurant style, tn booths. Curtains at one end can partl- tion a 9 x I2 foot aectlon for privacy. Movies are shown here. Gym equip- ment is also stowed here. I was on a big aircraft carrier, sald a seaman. lt was like a city - 4.000. Hera you know everybody, everybody la like part of a family. To combat boredom among the dosen officers and tl0 enlisted men the Hamil- ton has a separate reading - study area, fully equipped with technical booka and novels. The tape recording library has a full range of pop and classical music and technical courses. There's bn lce cream freeur which dispenses softte cones tn the meal. The food is tops. What'a lor chow. asked a newa- man. took for yourself. said a cook. Ha opened an oven door. Roast beef-just ready to serve. A hundred and alxty pounds of it. He was delighted. But the doctor on board waa con- cerned, . Each crew member gatns about fiva pounds on long patrols, ha said. tn the aft torpedo room a aallor munched a sandwich. Ha sat on one of the Navy's conventional torpedoes. Oth- ers were atovted along the sides. Hero Polaris resembles the conventional subs: lt's crowded, The tnrpedoes are considered a strlct defensive weapon, We'll turn and nm before going altzr enemy ships. aald an officer. Our job ls to stay hidden until we deliver our missiles. Now the Hamilton, bigger than a world War It cruiser tn displacement 11.0111 tons surfaced, Um tons sub- mergedl. was ready to head had to port. A sonar ut ptnged on key. Surface, surface. came the order. Then the klaxon's ahhoohlrguh. 'Thirty-four le-rt and holding. sal! the diving officer. Take 'er up. said the skipper. Answering all stops, and tho of- freer, Another otficer and three men raced up the long ladder to the tiny bridge atop the sail. Ona carried the sult- case. the portable controls which would he plugged tn topside. Ready to aaauma em, eansa tha voice from the bridge. Hamilton beaded for Groton. fs O X us..- i',pAf S a .Q ,M ,.,..,.,....s..---,, .. t 1'1!,'t'. 's s V - 1132-a- - 4 ,' IIE,-tDl.N'G T0 SEA . . . 'shin illtffitlflll on lhe surface'