In a 1981 Department of Defense report a short, seven sentence paragraph revealed a previously unacknowledged event that had occurred near the tiny town of Vale, South Dakota, seventeen years earlier. If nothing else, that time when the warhead fell off a Minuteman nuclear missile reminds us why it is important to use the correct tool for the job.
The first class of nuclear submarines were a learning experience for the Soviet Navy. The November class boats experienced numerous difficulties and accidents, culminating in what has been described as a potential “Underwater Chernobyl."