41 FOR FREEDOM: BALLISTIC MISSILE SUBMARINERS AND THE NUCLEAR DETERRENT SHIELD DURING THE COLD WAR

Ballistic missile “boomer” submarines were developed in the 1960s as a response to the Soviet launch of the Sputnik satellite which proved the Soviet Union could launch a missile targeting anywhere on Earth. They made use of new nuclear power technology which allowed submarines to stay underwater indefinitely, limited only by the food they could carry to feed their crews. Ballistic missile submarines have served continuously since 1960, patrolling the ocean as the second-strike capability that makes nuclear deterrence possible. The men who served aboard the “41 for Freedom” ballistic missile submarines made innumerable sacrifices and contributed greatly to national security during the Cold War, and current ballistic missile submariners continue in that mission today. Despite boomers being the lesser-known side of submarine service, oral histories preserved by the Library of Congress and others conducted by this paper’s author further the claim that the contribution of ballistic missile submarines was vital during a time of heightened tensions worldwide, and, in fact, these contributions are what made nuclear deterrence possible.

As nuclear deterrent strategy existed throughout the Cold War, the second-strike capability of ballistic missile submarines became increasingly more fundamental to national security and the men who operated those submarines prevented what would have been a catastrophic conflict. These sailors experienced the Cold War in the isolation of a submarine hundreds of feet underwater with little to no knowledge of the world outside. The rare lucky few submariners who got to see the world they protected saw it through a periscope. Medical emergencies were handled aboard the ship whenever possible with minimal equipment and supplies to ensure the ship could remain on station in support of the mission. They made sacrifices the world will never know about and braved dangers most people could not imagine in order to complete their mission, and their service requires recognition from a grateful world.