AUTHENTIC EARLY 1960S US NAVY POLARIS MISSILE BATTERY ASSEMBLY

Rare, early 1960s, original Polaris Missile battery assembly manufactured by Lockheed Missile Systems for the U.S. Navy Bureau of Ordnance.  According to the Smithsonian Institution web site:    "Polaris was the first U.S. Navy ballistic missile system—a nuclear-powered submarine with 16 guided missiles, each armed with a nuclear warhead many times more powerful than those used in World War II. The first model of the missile, Polaris A-1, went to sea in late 1960. Polaris A-2 became operational in 1962, A-3 in 1964." The nameplate on the battery assembly indicates that it was made for “US NAVY BU OF ORD” an abbreviation for the Bureau of Ordnance, the part of the Navy responsible for the design of the Polaris missile. Bureau of Ordnance was disbanded in 1959, when it was merged with Bureau of Aeronautics into the new Bureau of Naval Weapons.  The nameplate indicates Part# 2345787, Serial Number 451217. There are numerous Lockheed quality assurance stamps on the housing, inside the uni