lasting world peace, and in solemn tribute to those who have pre- 

 ceded us, whether in victory or defeat." Silence. Then, "Stand by. 

 Ten . . . Eight . . . Six . . . Four . . . Three . . . Two . . . One. 

 MARK! August 3, 1958. Time 2315. For the United States and the 

 United States Navy, the North Pole." 



Cheers echoed throughout the ship. When Commander Ander- 

 son looked to the inertial navigator and its guide, Tom Curtis said: 

 "As a matter of fact, Captain, you might say we came so close we 

 pierced the Pole." 



Before joining the Polar party in the crew's mess, Anderson 

 reflected on their moment under the Pole: Nautilus had achieved 

 the long-sought Passage, a navigable route for merchant nuclear 

 submarines, a route that could save 4900 miles on a voyage from 

 Japan to Europe. The temperature of the water was 32.4°F. The 

 depth was 2235 fathoms, deeper than reported by Ivan Papanin in 

 1937 and by Admiral Peary in 1909. The ice directly beneath the 

 Pole extended twenty-five feet beneath the surface. 



In the mess a special North Pole cake had been prepared and 

 the winning name for the competition was "Panopo," standing for 

 "Pacific to the Atlantic via the North Pole." There was also a 

 costumed visit from Santa Claus, who berated Nautilus for invading 

 his domain out of season. 



The rest of the run — to complete the transpolar voyage into the 

 Atlantic — seemed easy. The next immediate job was to find a hole 

 in the ice to send the news to the world, the signal being "Nautilus 

 90 North." But the ice was too thick overhead. As they moved 

 into the area they had covered on their previous trip they found 

 the depth did not match, and a feeling of uneasiness flowed through 

 the ship. The fathometer was showing 2400 fathoms, much deeper 

 than they had expected, and a giant ice floe twelve miles across was 

 visible. They also discovered that the temperature was getting 

 colder, not warmer. Had they, at this crucial moment, fallen into 

 the terrible game of longitude roulette? And could they be heading 

 back toward the Pole? Just then they found themselves under a 

 patch of clear water. On surfacing there were tense moments before 

 the navigators were able to confirm from astronomical obser- 

 vations that they were where they thought they were — northeast of 

 Greenland. After a transit of 1830 miles and ninety-six hours under 

 the ice they were only a mile off' their dead reckoning course ! 



Nautilus now tried to send its news to Washington: "Any U.S. 

 Navy radio station. This is an unidentified station with two opera- 

 tional immediate messages." No reply. And then Japan answered 

 . . . and other stations. The three-word message "Nautilus 90 

 North" was sent and Nautilus moved on out into the ocean — 

 mission accomplished. 



At a secret rendezvous off" Reykjavik a helicopter momentarily 

 hovered over Nautilus then took Anderson to a waiting aircraft 

 which flew him to Washington, where the news of the history- 

 making voyage would be released to the world. Anderson was 

 greeted by President Eisenhower, was awarded the Legion of Merit, 

 and was given a Presidential Unit Citation - the first in peacetime - 

 for the Nautilus. But perhaps more dramatic, and more apt, was 

 Anderson's presentation of a chunk of Polar ice to Admiral Rick- 

 over, who made the voyage possible by his devotion to the idea 

 of nuclear submarines. 



75 



