Nope, they're launched from just a bit below the surface to make it harder to spot and chase the sub via aircraft/helicopter. Here's footage: https://www.youtub

Nope, they're launched from just a bit below the surface to make it harder to spot and chase the sub via aircraft/helicopter. Here's footage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppz_jj2uw7k&t=25s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppz_jj2uw7k&t=25s Pre GPS navigation methods include sextants, celestial navigation, and LORAN (navigation via bearings to multiple radio towers). Sub launch ballistic missiles actually have an automated version of celestial navigation: there's a star spotting camera that compares what it sees to a reference database of the couple hundred brightest stars. So even if the missile starts out with a lot of ambiguity about where it's launched from, by the time it gets above the clouds it can correct this.