Finally found a submarine that looks weirder than the British WW1 Kalamity-class.

Before the advent of SSGNs and SSBNs, you had *this*. USS Grayback (foreground, SSG-574) and Growler (background, SSG-577) were purpose-built to launch the nuclear-capable Regulus cruise missile, a positively ginormous thing compared to today's cruise missiles.

bagd said:

Before the advent of SSGNs and SSBNs, you had *this*. USS Grayback (foreground, SSG-574) and Growler (background, SSG-577) were purpose-built to launch the nuclear-capable Regulus cruise missile, a positively ginormous thing compared to today's cruise missiles.

Actually, this picture goes a bit further than that. The five active Regulus boats usually had SSM-N-8 Regulus I missiles, which were basically further-developed, nuclear V-1s. What *these* two are equipped with here are the SSM-N-9 Regulus II, an absurdly large (longer than the contemporary F-8 Crusader carrier fighter, for perspective) and expensive thing that ended up getting canned after about two years in favor of more Regulus Is and, later, the Polaris.