File:USS Halibut SS(G)N 587 as built draft workbook B (17852569785).png

Here's a plan view, a rare treat in USS Halibut documentation. There's a copyrighted plan in one of the existing US Subs / Regulus books, but I don't entirely trust it, and I can't post it anyway, so I've assembled this plan view from free sources. The primary inputs are my traced image from near PSNS, the cutaway drawing from the Mare Island poster presentation, and a 3 view of the USS SKATE.

USS HALIBUT SSGN 587, was a guided missile submarine which served in the US Navy's nuclear deterrent force from 1960 to 1964. With 4 other Diesel -electric boats, these Pacific Fleet boats patrolled submerged, ready to surface and launch a retaliatory strike on the USSR. Regulus 1 was a middling turbojet cruise missile, more accurate with additional submarines or airplanes able to provide guidance beacons. But it kept Kamchatka island and the Soviet Far East at risk until Polaris submarines arrived in 1964. Each Regulus I was armed with an atomic bomb more powerful than either of those used during WWII.

The U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet always kept at least 4 Regulus I missiles at sea, location unknown, at any time. Halibut carried 5, Grayback and other new-build SSG carried 4 each, and the two converted GUPPY fleet boats carried 2 each. The well-publicized Polaris program had Blue and Gold crews sharing a single submarine, and announced proudly that their submerged patrols were to the limits of human endurance. More in keeping with the somewhat aloof traditions of the Silent Service, Regulus boats had little publicity and only a single crew. They ironically described this as the "Black and Blue" system. Halibut, with nuclear power, had been at sea longer than the USS George Washington when the Washington completed its first "limits of human endurance" length patrol...

After the regular patrols were established, someone realized that a highly classified deterrent force that came and went with little fanfare was operationally sound but sub-optimal as a deterrent. So the next National Geographic article about the Navy included a map with a single note about Regulus subs on patrol in the North Pacific. The various Soviet Intelligence services were presumed to be able to take it from there.

Regulus II, as shown in this drawing, was twice as big, with twice the range, supersonic speed and a thermonuclear weapon in the megaton range. It completed development and was in production when it was cancelled, because Polaris was appearing to be successful. Compared to Regulus, Polaris could be launched while submerged, had longer range, better accuracy and would be carried in larger numbers per purpose made submarine.

SSG 587 Halibut was conceived as a Diesel-electric boat and then upgraded to nuclear propulsion, thus SSGN. She was built at Mare Island Naval Shipyard. Admiral Galatan, decorated skipper of the WWII Halibut and author of "Clear The Bridge!" played a role in her design and construction. She had the same powerplant, screws, etc, as the Skate class. She's not precisely a Skate from sail, aft, but she's similar, and the 25 foot width of a Skate boat is only 4 feed shy of the 29 feet listed as the maximum width for Halibut. (Not including diving planes I'll hazard....)

So I created a skeleton Halibut by stretching the forward hull of a Skate. Then I traced on what I could from the profile I'd created, and from the cut-away. I tried a number of ways to get the main deck shape, finally taking a well known picture of Halibut with 3 Regulus Is and the whole crew conducting a ceremony. I deskewed the oblique photo by projecting what should have been lines across the width and then slicing the deck into narrow pieces along the long axis. Lining up the cross-width points gave an "As viewed form above" version.

Having taking out the skew of oblique camera angle, I took out the perspective effect where pilings along the wharf started at 3 pixel spacing furthest away and expanded to 23 pixel spacing closer in. I marked the deskewed image with 3 pixel, 4 pixel, 5 pixel, 6 pixel, etc, steps, then gang - stretched each swath of same number of pixels to around 23 pixels ala the largest one. .The deck outline is the red mark clearly passing around the sail and including all 4 hatches. Its red at the moment.

I've improved the cutaway drawing I traced earlier, moving the pressure hull off the keel and centering it in the outer hull. I've also moved the reactor and engine rooms aft far enough to keep all of the sail ahead of the forward bulkhead of the reactor, for clear access in maintenance and refueling. I've got the correct number (4) of hatches to the main deck. I also slid around the missile hanger and forward compartments to make the result match the nice profile I'd traced from Halibut near PSNS in the SSGN days.

In later years, SSGN Halibut was reclassified as SSN, without missiles, and had an exciting and even more classified life as an intelligence gathering platform of great ability. The big hatch into the missile storage / forward torpedo room area was and remained a unique asset. The compartment itself became known as "The Bat Cave", perhaps a nod to the Adam West "Batman" TV show that was running at that time. It was a place that 'normal' nuclear submarine crew and even nuclear weapons rated specialists were not welcome to visit.