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Strike from the Sea the Development and Deployment of strategic cruise missiles since 1934
The cruise missile--also referred to as a guided missile--is a widely employed tactical and strategic weapon, capable of striking ground or ship targets with conventional or nuclear warheads. Before the development of ballistic missiles for attacking an enemy's territory, the U.S. and Soviet strategic arsenals had land-attack cruise missiles to deliver nuclear warheads. Subsequently, the U.S. and Soviet Navies, as well as other fleets, developed tactical anti-ship and anti-submarine cruise missiles.
Strike from the Sea addresses the U.S. Navy's Regulus missile program--the world's first submarine weapon for attacking an enemy homeland with a nuclear warhead--and the similar Soviet Navy's cruise missile efforts. Prior to Regulus a few of the world's submarines had deck guns that were employed for assaulting coastal targets; indeed, the British built a class of "submarine monitors" with large-caliber guns for attacking coastal targets.
The U.S. Navy's rapid and successful development of the Polaris Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) and budgetary constraints caused the cancellation of advanced submarine-launched cruise missiles--the Regulus II as well as the follow-on Rigel and Triton. Submarines armed with the Regulus I missile continued on patrols in the North Pacific until mid-1964, when they were replaced on the "deterrent" role by Polaris missile submarines. The Soviet Navy continued the development and deployment of anti-ship cruise missiles, which retained some land-attack capabilities.
Strike from the Sea addresses the U.S. Navy's Regulus missile program--the world's first submarine weapon for attacking an enemy homeland with a nuclear warhead--and the similar Soviet Navy's cruise missile efforts. Prior to Regulus a few of the world's submarines had deck guns that were employed for assaulting coastal targets; indeed, the British built a class of "submarine monitors" with large-caliber guns for attacking coastal targets.
The U.S. Navy's rapid and successful development of the Polaris Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) and budgetary constraints caused the cancellation of advanced submarine-launched cruise missiles--the Regulus II as well as the follow-on Rigel and Triton. Submarines armed with the Regulus I missile continued on patrols in the North Pacific until mid-1964, when they were replaced on the "deterrent" role by Polaris missile submarines. The Soviet Navy continued the development and deployment of anti-ship cruise missiles, which retained some land-attack capabilities.
217 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 2020
5 people want to read
About the author
Norman Polmar
75 books21 followersNorman Polmar is an author specializing in the naval, aviation, and intelligence areas.
He has led major projects for the United States Department of Defense and the United States Navy, and foreign governments. His professional expertise has served three Secretaries of the U.S. Navy and two Chiefs of Naval Operations. He is credited with 50 published books, including nine previous editions of Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet and four editions of Guide to the Soviet Navy. Polmar writes a column for Proceedings and was editor of the United States and several other sections of the annual publications of Janes Fighting Ships.
In 2019, the Naval Historical Foundation awarded Polmar the Commodore Dudley W. Knox Naval History Lifetime Achievement Award.
He has led major projects for the United States Department of Defense and the United States Navy, and foreign governments. His professional expertise has served three Secretaries of the U.S. Navy and two Chiefs of Naval Operations. He is credited with 50 published books, including nine previous editions of Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet and four editions of Guide to the Soviet Navy. Polmar writes a column for Proceedings and was editor of the United States and several other sections of the annual publications of Janes Fighting Ships.
In 2019, the Naval Historical Foundation awarded Polmar the Commodore Dudley W. Knox Naval History Lifetime Achievement Award.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
April 11, 2024
Strike from the Sea tells the story of land-attack cruise missiles, from their beginnings in the 1930s through to the present day. It strikes a good balance between technical detail and operational information, and also includes a few interesting anecdotes courtesy of one of the author’s experience aboard a Regulus boat. I found it a very interesting read, and as someone who up until now has almost entirely focussed on the WW2 and earlier period, still found it easy to read.
It starts in a slightly wobbly fashion, talking about the M class as land attack submarines without a reference to the fact they were completed as commerce raiders, with the 12in gun intended for use against ships, not land targets (and using a curiously dated source for its information on the class). There is no justification at all, though, for the inclusion of X-1, which was not even designed with that purpose in mind, and yet is implicitly presented as such (despite using a far more robust source for this vessel). Peculiarly, for all the discussion of submarine land bombardment, instances of the IJN actually carrying this out are not mentioned. It’s not all wobbly and contains some interesting information, but the section on land attack by submarines with guns is uneven and may have been better served with a broader focus.
Once onto the core of the book, though, the discussion is robust and well-balanced, although some of the Soviet and later American/Soviet information is more limited given the discussion is of recent or currently operational vessels and systems. The book takes the reader through Regulus and other American attempts at cruise missiles, and the similar developments in the USSR, discussing the missiles, the boats that carried them, and providing examples of their use where appropriate.
The writing is accessible and easy-to-follow, and the book contains a robust glossary and a section on missile designations at the front to aid the reader. It contains numerous relevant images, reproduced at a reasonable level of quality (although being printed on normal stock paper they’re not as sharp as similar reproductions on glossy paper). There are reference and further information notes, as well as a bibliography, and five appendices, on: USN land-attack cruise missiles; USN land-attack cruise missile nuclear warheads; Soviet/Russian Navy land-attack cruise missiles; US cruise missile submarines; and Soviet cruise missile submarines.
The only real downside to the book was the relatively high number editing slips/inconsistencies. A number of details in the appendices don’t match those given in the text, and there were a few obvious errors (not spelling/grammatical). It’s not worse than average, but there are some mistakes in years and references that mean some judgement is required on at least one occasion when reading, and it was a lower standard than other Naval Institute Press books I’ve read.
All up, I found it an interesting and engaging book on a topic that was both fascinating and chilling (reading about hundreds or thousands of nuclear missiles ready to launch at relatively short notice is bound to be that way!)
It starts in a slightly wobbly fashion, talking about the M class as land attack submarines without a reference to the fact they were completed as commerce raiders, with the 12in gun intended for use against ships, not land targets (and using a curiously dated source for its information on the class). There is no justification at all, though, for the inclusion of X-1, which was not even designed with that purpose in mind, and yet is implicitly presented as such (despite using a far more robust source for this vessel). Peculiarly, for all the discussion of submarine land bombardment, instances of the IJN actually carrying this out are not mentioned. It’s not all wobbly and contains some interesting information, but the section on land attack by submarines with guns is uneven and may have been better served with a broader focus.
Once onto the core of the book, though, the discussion is robust and well-balanced, although some of the Soviet and later American/Soviet information is more limited given the discussion is of recent or currently operational vessels and systems. The book takes the reader through Regulus and other American attempts at cruise missiles, and the similar developments in the USSR, discussing the missiles, the boats that carried them, and providing examples of their use where appropriate.
The writing is accessible and easy-to-follow, and the book contains a robust glossary and a section on missile designations at the front to aid the reader. It contains numerous relevant images, reproduced at a reasonable level of quality (although being printed on normal stock paper they’re not as sharp as similar reproductions on glossy paper). There are reference and further information notes, as well as a bibliography, and five appendices, on: USN land-attack cruise missiles; USN land-attack cruise missile nuclear warheads; Soviet/Russian Navy land-attack cruise missiles; US cruise missile submarines; and Soviet cruise missile submarines.
The only real downside to the book was the relatively high number editing slips/inconsistencies. A number of details in the appendices don’t match those given in the text, and there were a few obvious errors (not spelling/grammatical). It’s not worse than average, but there are some mistakes in years and references that mean some judgement is required on at least one occasion when reading, and it was a lower standard than other Naval Institute Press books I’ve read.
All up, I found it an interesting and engaging book on a topic that was both fascinating and chilling (reading about hundreds or thousands of nuclear missiles ready to launch at relatively short notice is bound to be that way!)
Displaying 1 of 1 review