View source for RUR-5 ASROC

==History==
ASROC started development as the Rocket Assisted Torpedo (RAT) program by [[Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake]] in the early 1950s to develop a surface warship [[anti-submarine warfare]] (ASW) weapon to counter the new post-World War II submarines which ran quieter, at much higher speed and could attack from much longer range with high speed homing torpedoes. In addition, the goal was to take advantage of modern sonars with a much larger detection range. An extended range torpedo delivered by parachute from the air would allow warships the stand-off capability to attack hostile submarines with very little advance notice to the hostile submarine.

The RAT program came in three phases:<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=5d0DAAAAMBAJ&dq=rocket+assisted+torpedo&pg=PA108 "Navy Homing Torpedoes Fights Subs."] ''Popular Mechanics'', April 1958, p. 108.</ref>  RAT-A, RAT-B and RAT-C. RAT-A and its follow-on, RAT-B, were compact and economical stand-off weapons for smaller warships, but were determined to be either unreliable or had too short a range. RAT-C was developed as a stand-off ASW weapon that used a nuclear depth charge. This required a range of at least {{convert|8,000|yd|m}} to escape potential damage from the underwater blast. The RAT-C was considerably larger than the previous RAT program rockets to accommodate the extended range needed and was for larger warships.

After the failure of both the RAT-A and RAT-B programs, RAT-C was redesigned to use not only a nuclear depth charge but also a homing ASW torpedo. To obtain the accuracy needed, the RAT-C rocket booster had to be redesigned with larger side fins. This program finally combined reliability and accuracy, along with the required stand-off range. Before RAT-C reached operational status in 1960, aboard the large US Navy [[destroyer leader]] {{USS|Norfolk|DL-1|6}}, its name was changed to ASROC.<ref>Bill Gunston ''Rocket & Missiles'', Salamander Books Ltd 1979, ISSB 0-517-26870-1</ref><ref name=Fried280-287>{{cite book | last = Friedman | first = Norman | author-link = Norman Friedman | title = US Destroyers: An Illustrated Design History | publisher = Naval Institute Press | year = 2004 | pages = 280–287 | location = Annapolis | isbn = 1-55750-442-3 | edition = Revised }}</ref> ASROC was deployed in 1961 and eventually made the majority of USN surface combatants nuclear-capable.