USS Growler (SSG-577)

The USS Growler is the only American guided missile submarine open to the public. During the Cold War, this vessel functioned as a silent deterrent, patrolling the freezing waters off the coast of the Soviet Union with a crew of ninety men who lived in cramped conditions for months at a time. The submarine was designed to carry the Regulus I, a nuclear-armed cruise missile that functioned essentially like a remotely piloted jet. Because these missiles had to be launched from the surface, the crew lived with the constant, high-stakes reality that firing their weapons would immediately reveal their position to enemy forces.