Date of Award
6-3-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
History
First Advisor
Charles Romney
Abstract
The Mark 26 Guided Missile Launch System was an innovative and modular upgrade from previous systems for the United States Navy at a critical development point during the Cold War. Its incorporation into the Virginia-Class, especially the USS Arkansas, exemplified the rapidly evolving scope and demands of naval warfare in the modern era, and the requirements of individual vessels and component parts of the Navy to fulfill U.S. naval doctrine in this era. This same rapid evolution in technology and the global political landscape would ultimately seal the fate of the Mark 26 and USS Arkansas, with their designed innovations and operability dooming them to obsolescence and retirement in the closing days of the 20th century. The importance of this lesson and story ultimately drove the inspiration and construction of two informational posters and a mock-up 3D exhibition to encourage and support the installment of a refurbished launcher at the shoreline of the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum.
Recommended Citation
Cabico, Ryan Matthew, "Modeling the Mark 26 Guided Missile Launching System: Exploring Its Role in U.S. Naval Doctrine in the Late Cold War" (2025). Theses and Dissertations. 1274.
https://research.ualr.edu/etd/1274
