USS Nautilus Under the North Pole (Operation Sunshine) (1958)
In August 1958 the world’s first nuclear-powered submarine, USS Nautilus, crossed the Arctic Ocean beneath the ice from the Pacific to the Atlantic. Leaving Pearl Harbor in secret, she dived near Point Barrow and at 11:15 p.m. on 3 August passed under the North Pole, the first vessel ever to reach it, before surfacing in the Greenland Sea 96 hours later.
13,269 km mapped7 stops20 days
Route Map of Operation Sunshine
- Route from recorded positions
- 1Numbered stop (see the itinerary)
- Ship on the map: steamship (20th century)
Lines are drawn by YearMaps between the recorded stops, kept at sea around Natural Earth coastlines. They show the order and general track of the voyage, not the exact course steered. How the maps are made.
About Operation Sunshine
USS Nautilus (SSN-571) was the world's first nuclear-powered boat, nuclear-powered submarine, and the first submarine to complete a submerged transit of the North Pole on 3 August 1958. Her initial commanding officer was Eugene "Dennis" Wilkinson, a widely respected naval officer who set the stage for many of the protocols of today's Nuclear Navy in the US and who had a storied career during military service and afterwards.
Nautilus shares the name of the fictional submarine in Jules Verne's classic 1870 science fiction novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas and the USS Nautilus (SS-168) that served with distinction in World War II.
The Nautilus was authorized in 1951. Construction began in 1952, and it was launched in January 1954, sponsored by Mamie Eisenhower, wife of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. It was commissioned the following September into the United States Navy and was delivered to the Navy in 1955.
From Wikipedia: USS Nautilus (SSN-571) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Itinerary: 7 Stops
In order of the voyage. Numbers match the map; select a stop to show it there.
Pearl Harbor
DepartureThe Nautilus sails in secret, officially for Panama.
Bering Strait
PassageThe submarine passes into the shallow Chukchi Sea.
Dive near Point Barrow
EventThe Nautilus dives into the Barrow Sea Valley to go under the ice.
North Pole
EventAt 11:15 p.m. the Nautilus passes under the geographic North Pole at a depth of about 120 m. Anderson reports "Nautilus 90 North".
Surfaces in the Greenland Sea
EventAfter 96 hours and 2,945 km under the ice.
Off Reykjavík
EventA helicopter takes Anderson off to Washington, where President Eisenhower announces the voyage.
Portland, England
ArrivalA welcome in Britain; the submarine returned to New York on 25 August.
Sources: Wikipedia: USS Nautilus (SSN-571); Anderson’s Nautilus 90 North.
USS Nautilus Under the North Pole (Operation Sunshine) in Depth
Operation Sunshine – under the North Pole
President Eisenhower ordered the U.S. Navy to attempt a submarine transit of the North Pole as a technological showpiece following the Soviet Union's successful launch of Sputnik. On 25 April 1958, Nautilus was underway again for the West Coast under Commander William R. Anderson. She stopped at San Diego, San Francisco, and Seattle, then began her history-making polar transit under "Operation Sunshine", leaving Seattle on 9 June. On 19 June, she entered the Chukchi Sea but was turned back by deep drift ice in those shallow waters. On 28 June, she arrived at Pearl Harbor to await better ice conditions.
By 23 July, she set a course northward. She submerged in the Barrow Sea Valley on 1 August, and she became the first watercraft to reach the geographic North Pole on 3 August at 2315 EDT. The ability to navigate at extreme latitudes without surfacing was enabled by the technology of the North American Aviation N6A-1 Inertial Navigation System, a naval modification of the N6A used in the Navaho cruise missile; it had been installed on Nautilus and Skate after initial sea trials on USS Compass Island in 1957. She continued on from the North Pole and surfaced northeast of Greenland after 96 hours and 1,590 nmi (2,940 km; 1,830 mi) under the ice, having completed the first successful submerged voyage around the North Pole. The technical details of this mission were planned by scientists from the Naval Electronics Laboratory, including Dr. Waldo Lyon who accompanied Nautilus as chief scientist and ice pilot.
Navigation was difficult beneath the arctic ice sheet. Both magnetic compasses and normal gyrocompasses become inaccurate above 85°N. A special gyrocompass built by Sperry Rand was installed shortly before the journey. There was a risk that the submarine would become disoriented beneath the ice and that the crew would have to play "longitude roulette". Commander Anderson had considered using torpedoes to blow a hole in the ice if the submarine needed to surface.
The most difficult part of the journey was in the Bering Strait. The ice extended as much as 60 ft (18 m) below sea level. During the initial attempt to go through the Bering Strait, there was insufficient room between the ice and the sea bottom. During the second attempt, the submarine passed through a known channel close to Alaska.
During the address announcing the journey, the president mentioned that one day nuclear cargo submarines might use that route for trade.
As Nautilus proceeded south from Greenland, a helicopter airlifted Commander Anderson to connect with transport to Washington, D.C. At a White House ceremony on 8 August, President Eisenhower presented him with the Legion of Merit and announced that the crew had earned a Presidential Unit Citation.
Her next port of call was the Isle of Portland, England where she received the Unit Citation from American Ambassador J.H. Whitney, the first ever issued in peace time. She then crossed the Atlantic reaching New London, Connecticut on 29 October. For the remainder of the year, Nautilus operated from her home port of New London.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: USS Nautilus (SSN-571) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Pictures of Operation Sunshine
23 images from Wikimedia Commons. Select one to enlarge it.
Temporary research station on the arctic ice pack at the Geographic North Pole. Drillings of ice thickness showed an average ice thickness of 2.5 metres on April 16, 1990, Photo: Lorenz.King@geogr.uni-giessen.deMatti&Keti · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons The Geographic North Pole. The constantly shifting sea ice creates impressive ice pressure ridges more than a kilometer long. April 17, 1990, Lorenz.King@geogr.uni-giessen.deMatti&Keti Lorenz King, uni-giessen.de · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons Rear Admiral Hyman G. RickoverUnknown authorUnknown author · Public domain · Commons 330-PS-2848 (USN 706636) (17597790501)National Museum of the U.S. Navy · Public domain · Commons 330-PS-7557 (USN 681182): Captain E.W. Parish, Jr., being transferred from USS Nautilus (SSN 571) to USS Leyte (CVS 32) by highline, August 1, 1955. (2/25/2015).National Museum of the U.S. Navy · Public domain · Commons 330-ps-7557-usn-681184 16635872786 oNational Museum of the U.S. Navy · Public domain · Commons 330-PS-7557 (USN 681188): Helicopter makes passenger transfer to USS Nautilus while in the company with USS Leyte (CVS 32). USS Sarsfield (DD 837) is in the foreground. Photograph received June 15, 1955. (2/25/2015).National Museum of the U.S. Navy · Public domain · Commons 330-PS-8316 (USN 709366): USS Nautilus (SSN 571) on sea trials. Photograph was released to celebrate the 57th anniversary of the submarine force. Photograph released April 10, 1957. (1/29/2015).National Museum of the U.S. Navy · Public domain · Commons 330-ps-8455-usn-709907 15986664040 oNational Museum of the U.S. Navy · Public domain · Commons U.S.S. NAUTILUS (submarine)Vonsky87 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons Map that shows the Arctic trip of the American submarine NautilusRobert M. Chapin · Public domain · Commons The original finding aid described this photograph as: State: Canal Zone Country: Panama (PAN) Scene Camera Operator: PH2 Carl Duvall Release Status: Released to PublicDepartment of Defense. American Forces Information Service. Defense Visual Information Center. 1994 · Public domain · Commons The original finding aid described this photograph as: Base: San Francisco State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA) Scene Camera Operator: PH2 Steve Miller Release Status: Released to PublicDepartment of Defense. American Forces Information Service. Defense Visual Information Center. 1994 · Public domain · Commons The original finding aid described this photograph as: Base: San Francisco State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA) Scene Camera Operator: PHC John Kristoffersen Release Status: Released to PublicDepartment of Defense. American Forces Information Service. Defense Visual Information Center. 1994 · Public domain · Commons The original finding aid described this photograph as: State: Canal Zone Country: Panama (PAN) Scene Camera Operator: PH3 Joan Zopf Release Status: Released to PublicDepartment of Defense. American Forces Information Service. Defense Visual Information Center. 1994 · Public domain · Commons US Postage stamp, 1959 issue, 4c, Arctic Exploration commemorativeU.S. Post Office · Public domain · Commons Argonaute exhibition in la Villette (Paris, France) : model of the first nuclear US submarine Nautilus.Tangopaso · Public domain · Commons Battery well of USS Nautilus, the first nuclear-powered submarine. The batteries are for emergency use if the reactors shut down.Z22 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons The original finding aid described this photograph as: Base: San Pablo Bay State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA) Scene Camera Operator: PH2 Steve Miller Release Status: Released to PublicDepartment of Defense. American Forces Information Service. Defense Visual Information Center. 1994 · Public domain · Commons The original finding aid described this photograph as: Base: Thames River State: Connecticut (CT) Country: United States Of America (USA) Scene Camera Operator: PH2 Carl Duvall, USN Release Status: Released to PublicDepartment of Defense. American Forces Information Service. Defense Visual Information Center. 1994 · Public domain · Commons Ebersole-NautilusU.S. Navy photographer · Public domain · Commons Eugene P WilkinsonUnknown author · Public domain · Commons w:USS Nautilus passing under w:George Washington Bridge as part of an Armed Forces Week visit to New York harbor. Note that GW bridge was single deck at that time.ArnoldReinhold · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
Frequently Asked Questions
How long did Operation Sunshine take?
It lasted 20 days, from 23 July 1958 to 12 August 1958.
How far did Operation Sunshine travel?
The route as mapped here, through all 7 stops, is about 13,269 km (7,165 nautical miles). It follows the recorded stops at sea and is a reconstruction, so the true distance sailed was longer.
Who led Operation Sunshine?
Commander William R. Anderson, sponsored by United States Navy.
What ship was used on Operation Sunshine?
USS Nautilus (SSN-571).
Where did Operation Sunshine start and end?
It started at Pearl Harbor (23 July 1958) and ended at Portland, England (12 August 1958).
What did Operation Sunshine achieve?
First vessel to reach the geographic North Pole and first submerged crossing of the Arctic Ocean.