Navy Honors Sperry Contribution On 25th Anniversary Of FBM Program

The U.S. Navy has presented the Sperry division of Sperry Corporation with a special flag honoring the company's contribution to the Fleet B a l l i s t i c Missile (FBM) program, and commemorating the 25th anniversary of the beginning of the program that led to the development of the strategic nuclear-powered submarine fleet.

Sperry has served as the systems manager of the navigation systems for the FBM program since the program began. In addition, Sperry also provides key pieces of hardware for the navigation system, including the navigation control console, which is the central control and monitor station for operation of the system.

Sperry has developed nine generations of navigation systems for the Polaris, Poseidon, and Trident submarines to meet the increasing needs for higher accuracy and longer periods of submerged operation between navigational fixes.

"We are honored by this presentation, and are extremely proud of it," said Robert L. Wendt, president of the Sperry division.

"We take great satisfaction from the fact that, despite more than 1,500 operational patrols by this submarine fleet, no patrol has ever been aborted because of a navigation system failure. We are also pleased that, in part because of Sperry's contributions, the FBM submarines remain the least vulnerable part of the strategic triad." The FBM program was begun on November 17, 1955 with the establishment of the Special Projects Office of the U.S. Navy, after authorization of the development program in September by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

The first FBM submarine, the USS George Washington, was launched less than four years lat- er, on June 9, 1959, and the first successful submerged test firing of the Polaris missile was made from the submarine off Cape Canaveral on July 20, 1960. The USS George Washington began its first operational patrol on November 15, 1960, carrying 16 Polaris missiles, each with a range of 1,200 nautical miles.

The Sperry division, one of five divisions of Sperry Corporation, is a leading developer of systems and hardware for defense and the maritime industry, and is the corporation's principal contributor of new technologies for land, sea and missile applications.

Maritime Reporter Magazine, page 19, Feb 1981

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