Commissioning of the Submarine USS Growler (SSG-577)

The submarine USS Growler (SSG-577) was commissioned on August 30, 1958, at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. Growler carried the Regulus I nuclear missile, a guided missile with a range of 500 nautical miles (926 km) at subsonic speeds. Carrying four of these missiles, Growler patrolled from its home port, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, to the coast of the Soviet Union.

The missile shown in this photograph is not Regulus I. For the commissioning ceremony, a Regulus II missile was displayed on the launcher. The U.S. Navy had planned for Growler to carry Regulus II missiles, an improved version of Regulus I. Regulus II was designed to fly faster and travel farther than the earlier version. However, the Navy canceled the Regulus II program just three months after Growler’s commissioning, so Growler carried out its patrols with Regulus I.