"The Seasparrow system evolved after the US Navy recognised in the mid-1950s that traditional, gun-based, short-range defence against aircraft was no longer adequate and decided, in 1959, to meet the threat posed to smaller warships by adopting the US Army's RIM-64 Mauler man-portable surface-to-air missile. However, Mauler was a tail-chase missile, and most naval targets had to be engaged head-on, so alternatives were considered especially as the Mauler programme encountered difficulties. In March 1964, it was proposed to meet the requirement using the Raytheon Sparrow III air-to-air missile and, when Mauler was cancelled in December 1964, development began on Seasparrow..."
"From the mid-1950s the Navy recognized that traditional gun short-range defense against fixed-wing aircraft was no longer adequate. In 1959 the Navy considered using a version of the Army's RIM-46 Mauler, but this proved inadequate and in March 1964 a shorter-range system using the AIM-7 Sparrow air-to-air missile was considered. The cancellation of the Mauler program in 1965 led to the decision to develop Sea Sparrow..."
[SPEC 01/01/97 144 USCONMUN/SEA-LAUNCHED WEAPONS]
"The failure of the Mauler system (see Seasparrow entry) to meet the US Navy's point defence missile requirement led to a solution using the AIM-9D Sidewinder IC air-to-air missile. Evaluation of the concept, including some sea trials, took place in the last quarter of 1963 with four missiles on a machine gun mounting being carried by the LSD USS Fort Marion..."
