Soviet Cruise Missile Submarines of the Cold WarThe Soviet Union's cruise missile submarines, from the modified Whiskey to the Oscar II classes, were among the most formidable vessels of the Cold War. They were initially designed to carry land attack nuclear tipped cruise missiles aimed at striking targets on the eastern coast of the United States. By the late 1960s, however, submarine launched ballistic missiles made the nuclear land attack mission unnecessary, so existing classes were converted