Snark (SM-62) Deployment
In March 1957 SAC's Missile Site Selection Panel recommended that the command establish its first Snark operational base at Presque Isle, Maine. Located in the north- eastern corner of the state, Presque Isle was the site of an Air Force Air Defense Command (ADC) base slated for closure. Operating under the Secretary of the Air Force's orders that it use existing government property wherever possible, SAC agreed to use the installation as a Snark site, although it noted that many of the buildings were in poor condition and would require extensive renovation. The key factor in SAC's decision to base the Snark at Presque Isle, however, was the base's location. Positioned at the very northeastern corner of the nation, Presque Isle brought the Snark within range of its anticipated targets in the Soviet Union.
Despite the poor test results, and much to the dismay of its critics, the Snark program survived. The missile program endured because of the rapidly escalating tensions of the Cold War, the fierce support of the aircraft industry, and the Air Force's desire to see a tangible return on its $650 million investment. In March 1957 the Air Force selected Presque Isle, Maine to be the site of its first, and ultimately only, Snark operational base.
In January 1959 the Air Force activated the 702nd Strategic Missile Wing to man the new facility. SAC put its first Snark on alert in March 1960. Indicative of the problems inherent with Snark, and also the unforeseen difficulties in making the missile base operational, the 702nd did not become fully operational until February 1961.
The Snark, however, was obsolete well before the last of the 702nd's missiles was ready. In September 1959 the Air Force placed its first three Atlas ICBM's on alert at Vandenberg Air Force Base, and had three full Atlas squadrons scheduled to become operational the following year. With the Titan and Minuteman programs also scheduled to become operational in the early 1960s there was no compelling reason to retain Snark. In March 1961 President Kennedy ordered Snark withdrawn from service, noting that the missile was obsolete and of little military value. Subsequently the Air Force deactivated the 702nd Strategic Missile Wing at the end of June 1961. Fifteen years in the making, Snark was fully operational for a brief 6 months.
| Unit | Base | Operational |
| 702 SMW | Presque Isle AFB, Maine | 1960-1961 |