 USS Nautilus Sneaks Under North Pole The world's first nuclear submarine, the USS Nautilus, made the first trip to the geographic North Pole by traversing the Arctic Ocean - under the Arctic ice cap! Commanded by Captain W. R. Anderson, the sub left Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in the Pacific Ocean, travelled through the Bering Strait to the Arctic Ocean - and reached the North Pole on August 3, 1958.
This may sound like an easy undertaking, but it was the third attempt for the Nautilus. In 1957 a gyrocompass failure forced the mission to end before the sub was able to reach the Pole. Captain Anderson made another attempt in 1958, but again had to turn back due to heavy ice in the Bering Strait. The third attempt that same year was finally successful. There have been many submarine trips under the ice since then.
Click pictures for more information and credits. News Story: British and Americans Rendezvous at Pole Library: Arctic, Exploration Boats/Ships/Subs Links: Arctic, Boats & Ships Maps: Exploration Map Arctic Maps & Weather Reports |
|
DICTIONARY: Just "double-click" any unlinked word on this page for the definition from Merriam-Webster's Student Electronic Dictionary at Word Central. |
|
ARCTIC LIBRARY & GLOSSARY: Check this section for an index of the rest of the things you really need to know about the Arctic. |
|
ARCTIC MAPS & WEATHER REPORTS: Maps of the Northwest Passage, explorers' routes, iceberg sources, Nunavut, the Arctic by treeline, temperature... |
|
ARCTIC LINKS: Even more information! Links to sites related to the Arctic and "Iceberg: the Story of the Throps and the Squallhoots". |
|
GUIDE TO ARCTIC SUNRISE & SUNSET: How much sunlight or darkness is there in the Arctic on each day of the year? |
to is the property of their respective owners, and Athropolis is not responsible for their content.