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The Museum’s Chance Vought Regulus I cruise missile has been completely refurbished and is back on display at the Intrepid Museum. It is once again whole, and will soon boast replica solid propellant booster rockets on its original launch rail system aboard the submarine Growler.
Conceived during World War II and built in the early 1950s, the Regulus I, designated SSM-N-8A, was the first weapon of its type in U.S. Navy service. The turbojet-powered Regulus I carried a 3,000 pound (1,400 kilograms) nuclear warhead, flew at subsonic speeds at an altitude of 30,000 feet (9,144 meters) and had a range of 500 miles (800 kilometers). Regulus I was deployed from 1955 to 1964 on several aircraft carriers, heavy cruisers and submarines like the Museum’s Growler. |
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| The refurbishment and preservation plan for the Regulus included the repair and replacement of badly deteriorated components. The main wings needed to be completely re-skinned. For this, the Museum contracted the Thomarios Company of Akron, Ohio. Thomarios is no stranger to restoration work at the Intrepid Museum. The company has refurbished many other spaces inside the ship itself. |
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The wings were removed several months ago and taken to the Thomarios facility in Ohio. The damage to the wings was isolated to the skins, an aluminum and balsa wood sandwich that was never meant to last 60 years. The new wing skins will easily last twice that long with the proper preservation procedures now in place.
The remainder of the missile has been treated with corrosion inhibitors and received a complete repainting. The Thomarios team is currently manufacturing a set of booster rockets that will be added to the Regulus, using the set on display at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center as a guide. |
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| The Intrepid Museum’s Regulus missile is now ready to withstand the worst conditions that New York City can throw at it. |