Regulus: The First Nuclear Missile Submarine

With once highly-classified military material now being made public, the full stories of the weapon systems we once depended on for protection during the coldest months of the Cold War are coming to light. Filmmaker Nick Spark's Regulus: The First Nuclear Missile Submarine chronicles the Navy's efforts immediately following WWII to demonstrate that its ships--and later, submarines--could deliver an effective defense against aerial bombardments (at a time when far more attention was paid to the Air Force). Initially cobbled together with remnants of the German V-1 "Buzz Bomb" beginning in 1946, the "Regulus" nuclear cruise missile (the precursor to today's powerful Trident missile) would eventually be launched some seven years later from the USS Tunny submarine. A straightforward presentation chronicling the herculean efforts of missile scientists to develop a weapon in just a few years that would forever change the course of our military defense system, Regulus is recommended for military collections as well as larger public libraries. Aud: C, P. (J. Carlson)