Operational History
In January 1958, the Strategic Air Command began accepting delivery of Snark missiles at Patrick Air Force Base for training, and in 1959, the 702d Strategic Missile Wing was formed. Multiple launch failures led to the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Canaveral's being described as "Snark infested waters."
On 27 May 1959, Presque Isle Air Force Base, the only Snark missile base, received its first missile. Ten months later, on 18 March 1960, a Snark missile went on alert status. A total of 30 Snarks are known to have been deployed."
The 702nd Wing was not declared to be fully operational until February 1961. In March 1961, President John F. Kennedy declared the Snark to be "obsolete and of marginal military value", and on 25 June 1961, the 702nd Wing was deactivated.
Kennedy made the right decision, and many in the US Military were surprised the Snark, due to its dubious guidance system, was ever operational. In flight tests many were lost. A missile launched on 1956 went so far off course that it landed in North-Eastern Brazil, where it was found in 1983. Many of those connected with the program commented in jest "That the Caribbean was full of 'Snark infested waters'."
Read more about this topic: SM-62 Snark
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