The early Whiskey missile conversions had to surface and know where their target was, making them poor candidates for long-range attacks on moving ships. Fixed harbours were more credible targets because their locations were known and their infrastructure could not sail away. Even a submarine carrying only two missiles forced an opponent to consider protecting every port it might reach. Nuclear warheads magnified the threat, while conventional missiles could also devastate vulnerable fuel or industrial facilities. The strategic effect resembled guerrilla warfare at sea because it dispersed an opponent's resources without requiring a fleet action. The weapon's limitations therefore pointed toward harbour coercion rather than the anti-ship mission often assigned to it.
Notable Point · 1:25:08-1:29:31
Whiskey SSGNs turned harbour defence into a resource trap
Early cruise-missile submarines were better suited to threatening fixed ports and dispersing enemy defences than to hunting moving warships at sea.