The USS Nautilus Crosses Under the North Pole
The USS Nautilus made history on August 1, 1958, by becoming the first submarine to successfully navigate beneath the North Pole. This groundbreaking voyage began off the northern coast of Alaska and was completed on August 3, after covering a distance of 1,830 miles under the Arctic ice cap. The Nautilus, a nuclear-powered submarine, operated at depths of approximately 400 feet, maneuvering through ice that ranged from 10 to 80 feet thick. Launched in 1954 and commissioned in 1955, the submarine was capable of indefinite underwater travel at speeds exceeding 20 knots.
Commanded by Captain William R. Anderson, the mission, known as Operation Northwest Passage, remained classified until its successful conclusion was publicly announced on August 8, 1958, by President Dwight D. Eisenhower's administration. During the crossing, the crew conducted various scientific research activities, measuring water salinity and temperature, and mapping ocean depths that reached over 13,000 feet. The voyage not only marked a significant achievement for naval exploration but also contributed valuable data about the Arctic environment and underwater geography.
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The USS Nautilus Crosses Under the North Pole
The USS Nautilus Crosses Under the North Pole
The first voyage beneath the North Pole began on August 1, 1958, off the northern coast of Alaska near Point Barrow, and was completed on August 3 at 11:15 p.m. by the nuclear submarine USS Nautilus. It was the first time that a ship had reached the North Pole, the northernmost point on the globe, and is located on a massive icecap floating on the Arctic Ocean. (The ice at the North Pole, unlike that at the South Pole, does not rest on any land mass.) The vessel resurfaced on August 5 in the Arctic Ocean between Greenland and Spitsbergen. For 96 hours the Nautilus had cruised under the polar ice cap, covering a distance of 1,830 miles. At times the ice above was 80 feet thick. The thinnest layer was 10 feet thick. The submarine traveled at a depth of approximately 400 feet beneath the ice cap.
The Nautilus was the first submarine in the world to be propelled by nuclear power. Launched at Groton, Connecticut, in 1954 and commissioned in January 1955, the ship was capable of cruising underwater indefinitely at a speed of more than 20 knots. It was refueled with a new reactor core for the first time in March 1957 after cruising over 60,000 miles. In September 1957, on one of three secret trial runs in preparation for the major task that lay ahead of it, the ship spent five and a half days cruising 1,383 miles under the Arctic ice. By the end of October 1957, it had logged a total of more than 100,000 miles.
A transpolar crossing was first attempted by the Nautilus in June 1958, but at the time the ice in an area north of the Bering Strait had not yet melted sufficiently to allow passage beneath it. The vessel returned to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and left on July 23, 1958, for its subsequent successful crossing under the North Pole. The captain of the Nautilus was Commander William R. Anderson. The mission, code named Operation Northwest Passage, was shrouded in secrecy by the United States Navy. The public knew nothing of the history-making voyage until August 8, 1958, when its success was disclosed by the administration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
During the Nautilus's journey beneath the polar ice, various scientific tests and measurements were made. The salinity and temperature of the water were measured and ocean depths of up to 13,410 feet were determined by means of over 11,000 soundings. In addition, a number of underwater mountain ranges were discovered.