Project Nobska

Project Nobska
Date18 June – 15 September 1956 (1956-06-18 – 1956-09-15)
LocationWoods Hole, Massachusetts
Coordinates41°31′00″N 70°39′20″W / 41.51667°N 70.65556°W / 41.51667; -70.65556
Also known asNobska study
TypeUS Navy and interagency conference/summer study
ThemeSubmarine and antisubmarine warfare
CauseIntroduction of nuclear-powered submarines
Patron(s)Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Arleigh Burke
Organised byCommittee on Undersea Warfare of the National Academy of Sciences
Participants73 representatives from US government organizations concerned with submarine warfare
Outcome
  • Approval of new submarine arrangement for better sonar capability
  • New anti-submarine torpedoes (Mark 46 and Mark 48)
  • Submarine tactical nuclear weapons (Mark 45 torpedo and SUBROC)
  • Concentration on Polaris missile program as US Navy strategic deterrent

Project Nobska was a 1956 summer study on anti-submarine warfare (ASW) for the United States Navy ordered by Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Arleigh Burke. It is also referred to as the Nobska Study, named for its location on Nobska Point near the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The focus was on the ASW implications of nuclear submarines, particularly on new technologies to defend against them. The study was coordinated by the Committee on Undersea Warfare (CUW) of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). It was notable for including 73 representatives from numerous organizations involved in submarine design, submarine-related fields, and weapons design, including senior scientists from the Atomic Energy Commission's nuclear weapons laboratories. Among the participants were Nobel laureate Isidor Rabi, Paul Nitze, and Edward Teller. The study's recommendations influenced all subsequent US Navy submarine designs, as well as submarine-launched ASW tactical nuclear weapons until this weapon type was phased out in the late 1980s. New lightweight (Mark 46) and heavyweight (Mark 48) anti-submarine torpedo programs were approved. Although not on the initial agenda, the Polaris submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) was determined to be capable of implementation at this conference. Within five years Polaris would dramatically improve the US Navy's strategic nuclear deterrent capability.[1]: 109–114 [2]

  1. ^ Friedman, Norman (1994). U.S. Submarines Since 1945: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-260-9.
  2. ^ Weir, Gary E. (2001). An Ocean in Common: American Naval Officers, Scientists, and the Ocean Environment. College Station: Texas A&M University Press. pp. 274–290. ISBN 1-58544-114-7.