Norton Sound (AVM 1) - Naval Cruise Book

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In Her new mission, She served and continues to serve as a floating laboratory and laun- ching platform for an incredible number of high priority projects and programsg including many of prime historical significance. To name the most important of these: Operation Nanook lArtic exploration and researchlg Projects SKYHDOK lfree balloonl, AERDBEE lRocketl, REACH lVlKlNG Rocketl, ARGUS iX17A three stage rockets fitted with low yield nuclear devices and P060 sounding rocketsl, NIKE-HYDAK, HYDRA-IRIS and HYDRA-SANDHANK, lcosmlc ray and upper atmosphere researchl: Operations REDNING, DOMINIC and others lAtmo- spheric testing of nuclear weaponsl: LODN, LARK, REGULUS l, TERRIER, TARTAR, TALDS, SEASPARRDH QBPDSMSJ, Navy REDEYE, STANDARD QMRJ, and TOMAHAHK surface launched guided missile development projects and entire programs: SN 54 Caliber Gun Mount Mk 45 Mod 0: Rocket and Guided missile launchers lGMLl and launching systems lGMLSl including TERRIERITARTAR experimental GNL X-5 and GML MK 5, SEASPARROH Prototype launcher and GMLS Mk 25, prototype CHAFFROC Launcher, the mixed missile capability systems GMLS Mk 26 and the current Vertical Launching System GMLS EX-413 Weapon and fire control systems and auxiliary equipments associated with these and other weapons and systems up to today's AEGIS Combat system, which is light years ahead of the jury-rigged modification of the Gun Fire Control System Mk 37's Mk 25 Mod 2 Radar, used in the early days of the LARKILOON Programs, and the SPO-2 and -5 used in the TERRIERITARTAR Programs. ln fact, She has had some level of participation in virtually every surface launched guided missile development program of the US Navy, from the first experiments and launches of guided missiles lwhlch now seem quite primitive,. but were then on the leading edge of the state of the artl. She logged the first launch of a tactical guided missile from the deck of any ship in the world on 26 January 1949, when an engineering model LTV-N-2 LO0N Guided Missile was laun- ched off the coast of Point Mugu, California. There has also been involvement in the RDTSE of any number of minor systems and equipments development programs: which perhaps. if not spectacular in their contribution to fleet readiness, provide an essential contribution to the fundamental strength of the more glamorous systems. Her RDTXE career ln the late 405 and through the 50s and early 60s was primarily, but Cefidlflll' D0t 9XCUSiVGly. involved with the development and refinement of the TERRIER. TARTARuand TALDS Guided Missile Systems, which resulted in the 3T Surface Missile Systems 'Fleet - ,The SDUJS C0mPf'1SlDQ.thls fleet have been a major component ln the defensive 3uiEldUwhlC? has increasingly guarded our fleet and helped to protect our Nation, starting ie ' ID PGUUCUOD lvecommigssionlngl of USS BOSTON CAG-1 1 N b 1955 d U55 GYATT KDDG-ll on 31 December i956g a period of 31 years. J on Ovem er an

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iW WW Among the several scientific projects She engaged ln the late 40s and 50s, probably the most important, lf one project can be singled out, was Project ARGUS, which was actually the culminatlon of effort expended ln Projects SKYHOOK lfree balloon capable of reaching 85,000 feetl, AERODEE lRocket capable of reaching 71 mlles of altltudel. and REACH lvlklhb Rocket No. A launched on 12 May 1950 from NORTON SOUND reached an altitude of 106.4 miles: a world recordl. As part of the US Navy's contrlbutlon to the International Geophysical Year and as flagship for Task Force 88, NORTON SOUND led a group of US Navy shlps to a point south of the Falkland Islands and on 27 and 30 August and 6 September 1958 She laun- ched three X-17A Rockets bearing low yield explosive nuclear devices to an altitude of 300 miles. At altitude they were detonated. Among other thlngs, these tests demonstrated that a belt of radlatlon, which had been theorized, actually existed: it was named after Or. James A. Van Allen, who led the scientific party onboard NORTON SOUND as he had during previous experiments. lt also created an lmpresslve lman lnducedl aurora borealls Tnorthern llghtsl, and provlded worldwide condltlons whlch were monitored and measured all around the world by sclentlsts partlclpatlng in geophysical year activities. Project Argus was therefore a sclentlflc achievement of a high order of magnitude. This cruise involved the clrcumnavigatlon of the South American Continent, which is not often accomplished by US Navy ships. Having been homeported at Port Hueneme, Callfornla since 30 November 1948: NORTON SOUND stood out to sea ln June of 1962 bound for Norfolk, Vlrglnla and ultimately to Baltimore, Maryland. She arrived at Norfolk, Virginia and was decommissioned on 10 August 1962: and was later towed to Baltimore to enter the Maryland Shipbuilding and Drydock Co. shipyard for installation of major portions of the prototype TYPHON weapons System, which consisted of the ANISPG-59 Radar and its associated control system. TYPHON was a radlcal step ln the evolution of naval surface weapons systems, being the first system capable of simul- taneously taking multiple targets under fire and tracking many more. Unfortunately, the electronic state of the art at that time was not capable of providing the necessary com- ponents in the size required to build a system deployable ln a destroyer. The TYPHON Program was cancelled on 7 January 1964 by Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara. There- fore. it was decided that the installation ln NORTON SOUND would be used to gather data which would help advance the state of the art, and prepare the way for development of a serviceable small ship system at a later date. Completing the conversion, USS NORTON SOUND CAVM-11 was re-commissioned on 20 June 1964, and homeported in Baltimore to conduct tests of the system in and around the Chesapeake Bay. Her homeport was again COHOQGU to Port Hueneme, California: She arrived there on 7 July 1965. Testing of the TYPHON System was continued out of Port Hueneme for a time and then most of the system was removed, including the 190 ton radar tower, at Long Beach Naval Shipyard, with work being completed on 30 September 1966. Although TYPHON did not survive to serve in the fleet, many of the lessons learned were applied to the development of the AEGIS weapon System, which would later make the grade - - - ln a big way, with NORTON SOUND's help.