Have you ever wondered about the missile that sits in Veterans’ Park across the street from The Maple Pig Restaurant on Main Street?
Well, it is a Hound Dog missile and, yes, it was named after the 1956 Elvis Presley song. The missile on display here was assembled at Loring Air Force Base in Limestone.
The Hound Dog missile program began on March 15, 1956, when the U.S. Air Force was looking for an air-to-surface missile to be carried on the B-52 bomber. The Hound Dog missile was designed by North American Aviation. North American won the contract in October 1958, and delivered the first production model to General Thomas S. Power, commander in chief of the Strategic Air Command, on Dec. 21, 1959, in a ceremony at North American’s Downey, California, plant.
During this time in our history, the United States was involved in the Cold War. The Cold War was a political struggle for global supremacy between the United States and the Soviet Union that started shortly after the end of World War II and lasted until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. The two superpowers engaged heavily in the buildup of nuclear armaments and many around the world feared a nuclear World War III.
The missile was supersonic, jet-propelled, and had a nuclear warhead. Its primary purpose was to be able to attack Soviet ground defense sites prior to a potential air attack by our B-52 long-range bombers should the need arise.
The missile could be carried on specially modified B-52 aircraft, one beneath each wing. The navigation systems of the B-52 and the missile were integrated so that the B-52 navigator could cross-check data with the automated system in the Hound Dogs.
The missile was first launched from a B-52 in April of 1959. Fortunately, none were ever used in combat. The last Hound Dogs were removed from service in 1975 and the program was scrapped three years later.
Kimberly R. Smith is the secretary/treasurer of the Presque Isle Historical Society.
