Coliseum Central in Hampton, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

A-2 Polaris

Navy • SLBM

— Air Power Park Tour —

A-2 Polaris Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, May 28, 2017

1. A-2 Polaris Marker

Inscription. Polaris was a deterrent and retaliatory missile specifically designed for launch from a ballistic missile submarine while submerged (or surfaced) to strike a target some 1,500 miles away. A typical submarine carried 16 of these missiles which could all be launched within 15 minutes with target information programmed in as little as 30 seconds. The missile would be launched vertically from below the surface of the sea by a charge of compressed air from its launch tube.

Polaris was powered by solid-fuel rocket engine and solid-fuel booster with a thrust of 100,000 lbs. After being fired from the submerged submarine, the missile would leap into the air where its inertial guidance system would take over. It carried a nuclear warhead.

Erected by Air Power Park. (Marker Number 018.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • War, Cold • Waterways & Vessels.

Location. 37° 2.592′ N, 76° 21.954′ W. Marker is in Hampton, Virginia. It is in Coliseum Central. It can be reached from West Mercury Boulevard (U.S. 258) west of LaSalle

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Avenue (Virginia Route 167), on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 413 W Mercury Blvd, Hampton VA 23666, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Virginia’s Peninsula

and in Coastal Virginia.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in the Tidewater,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Nike-Ajax (a few steps from this marker); F-89 / J Scorpion / F-101F Voodoo (within shouting distance of this marker); F-105D Thunderchief / SM-78 Jupiter (within shouting distance of this marker); RF-4C Phantom II / M-2 (MGM-5) Corporal (within shouting distance of this marker); F-100D Super Saber • Mercury/Little Joe Booster

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, May 28, 2017

2. A-2 Polaris Marker

(within shouting distance of this marker); MIM-3 Nike-Ajax/XV-6A Kestrel (within shouting distance of this marker); NASA Space History (within shouting distance of this marker); NACA (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hampton.

Other markers no longer nearby. Ajax (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); M-2 Corporal (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); F-101F Voodoo (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); RF-4C Phantom II (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); F-105D Thunderchief (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); F-89J Scorpion (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed); A-7E Corsair II (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed).

Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on May 31, 2017, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 421 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 31, 2017, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.