Mail sent by missile was considered to be the future; a
practical method of delivering mail during the Cold War. In fact, Postmaster General Arthur E.
Summerfield remarked, "Before man reaches the moon, mail will be delivered
within hours from New York to California, to Britain, to India or Australia by
guided missiles." On June 8, 1959, an
unarmed Regulus I cruise missile was fired from the USS Barbero Navy submarine
near Norfolk, Virginia to a naval station in Mayport, Florida.
The United States Postal Service (USPS, at the time known as
the Post Office Department) established a branch post office on the USS
Barbero. The sub left Norfolk with about
3,000 pieces of mail consisting mainly of commemorative postal covers addressed
to President Dwight Eisenhower and other officials.
The mail was to be sent to Jacksonville via a Regulus cruise
missile. The missile's nuclear warhead
was replaced by two official mail containers.
A pair of Aerojet-General 3KS-33,000 solid-propellant boosters launched
the missile and a turbojet engine sustained the long-range cruise flight.
The missile was fired toward the Naval Auxiliary Air Station
in Mayport at around noon. It reached
its destination 22 minutes later. The
mail was then sorted and routed as usual.
It was the only time a missile was used to send USPS
mail. The Department of Defense
considered the exercise a demonstration of missile capabilities during the Cold
War. The expense could not be justified
as a practical method of delivering the mail.
View the canceled envelope and one of the
letters that was sent.
Resources:
Finding Dulcinea - On
This Day: US Postal Service Attempts "Missile Mail" for First and Last Time
Wikipedia - Rocket mail
Wikipedia - USS Barbero (SS-317) [image]
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Re: June 8, 1959: First and Only Delivery of USPS Mail by Missile
