Auckland's Nuclear Missile

[Bruce]

I Have just been doing some random internet trawling through some interesting spaceflight sites, but in the course of it I came across some info on early surface to surface missile programmes. One programme that rang some bells was the "Corporal" artillery rocket, mainly because I recall seeing one at Motat as a child. The interesting thing in todays political climate is that the Corporal rockets were short range NUCLEAR missiles (although notoriously unreliable and innacurate - but with a nuke, who cares...).
Motat has had its Corporal rocket for many many years, sitting out of the way in a small courtyard betwen the pioneers of Aviation pavillion and the large tin shed that previously held some aviation exhibits. The rocket is a landmark for the museum, visible from the road, although often mistaken for a Chimney!. Although it has been associated with the space displays (which were fairly basic after the Gemini 8 capsule was returned to the US) it has very little direct relevance to anything else on display, and now is largely overlooked. Does anyone know anything about where it came from, why it was donated etc? Is it still there? unless it was a test item, it would have at some stage carried a small nuclear warhead - which would certainly raise eyebrows if it was more widely known. Would be interested in knowing more.

[Dave Homewood]

Interesting. I never knew about this being a missile. I have seen the rocket but always assumed it was part of the space programme, for firing off satellites or something.

I wonder if it had anything to do with William Pickering, maybe that's why it's there. Is it on loan or permanently owned by Motat?

[Richard Wesley]

Yes, it is still there at Motat I, now displayed lying down slightly under cover from the central science center building. Like several other exhibits at Motat it certainly is an interesting over looked item.

I understand that it is on long term loan from the USA, though just what the details are I don't know. The tail fins are pretty much directly copied from the German V-2 rocket if you compare photos of the two. Although it really does have little relevance to New Zealand history it would be great to have it displayed alongside the V-1 as examples of early rocket engineering.

(The V-1 by the way is also on long term loan to Motat and displayed at Motat II. In excellent condition it is unfortunately almost unviewable since the mezzanine floor was closed due to the stairway not meeting new building regulations)
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"This was the United States first venture into liquid propellant space rockets. Used for the first space probes and as the front line US Army ballistic missile from 1954. This rocket design dates from the late 1940's and is on long term loan to MOTAT from the Smithsoian Institute in Washington.

Known as the embryo of the Army missile programs the Corporal Rocket was a surface-to-surface guided missile which could deliver either a nuclear or high-explosive warhead up to a range of 75 nautical miles. The first Corporal battalion was deployed in Europe in 1955. This system remained in the field until 1962-63 when it was replaced by the Sergeant missile system.

The Corporal was basically an artillery round launched vertically and guided in part of its flight by radar. Prior to launch, the radar at the launch site established the target and a beam-rider guidance system was activated and set the missile's ballistic trajectory. Minor course corrections were made by radar which actuated the gyro-controlled refractory graphite exhaust vanes. (The feature of the graphite exhaust vanes were borrowed from World War II V-2 rocket technology.)"