August 3 - First Watercraft to Reach North Pole

    Posted on August 3, 2022     

This is an update of my post published on August 3, 2011:

The USS Nautilus was the world's first operational nuclear-powered submarine. Because of her nuclear propulsion, she was able to remain submerged much longer than diesel-electric submarines, and so she was able to break many records and establish many firsts. One of her most famous exploits was achieved on this day in 1958, as the submarine reached the geographical North Pole.

The submarine began this West Coast voyage, called Operation Sunshine, in April of that year, and she tried to enter the Arctic Ocean in mid-June. However, there was deep draft ice that made it too dangerous. The Nautilus went all the way to Pearl Harbor in Hawaii to wait for better ice conditions. In late July, it was deemed safe to try again, so the Nautilus traveled north again and submerged in the Barrow Sea Valley on August 1. The submarine reached the North Pole on August 3 and continued on another 96 hours (4 days) until she could surface northeast of Greenland.

This is the USS Providence celebrating
the 50th anniversary of the Nautilus's
polar crossing--in the Arctic Ocean, of
course!

What is the geographical North Pole?

It is the point in the northern half of Earth where the planet's axis of rotation meets its surface.

On a globe, it is the spot where the upper portion of the metal rod around which the globe spins emerges from the Earth's sphere and attaches to the globe's stand.

The South Pole, of course, is the point in the southern half of Earth where the axis of rotation meets the surface. And on a globe it is the spot where the lower portion of the rod emerges.

Did you know...?

• The North Pole is defined as the northernmost point on Earth. It lies exactly opposite the South Pole, which is the southernmost point on Earth.

• The North Pole lies in the middle of the Arctic Ocean, although that ocean is sometimes covered in ice, and the South Pole is in the middle of the ice-covered land mass that is Antarctica.

• Earth has a slight wobble in its spin. For this reason, the North Pole isn't in one fixed location—but instead it ranges around a few meters.

• 
  The Magnetic North Pole is the point on Earth's Northern Hemisphere at which Earth's magnetic field points downwards. It is not the same spot as the Geographic North Pole, and it slowly changes over time. The Magnetic North Pole was in Canada in 2001, and it has been moving toward Russia more than 30 miles (more than 55 kilometers) per year! (Learn more here.)

• There are even more “if's, and's, and but's” to discuss about the North and South Poles. Check out Geomagnetic Reversal and Axial Precession! 

Also on this date:

Independence Day in Niger 

Watermelon Day

Anniversary of a Messianic figure rejecting the role

National Flag Day in Venezuela

Esther Day

Martyrs' Day in Guinea-Bissau

Anniversary of the first recorded European sighting of the La Brea Tarpits 

Anniversary of the discovery of a nearly complete Neanderthal skeleton

Plan ahead:

Check out my Pinterest boards for:

• August holidays
• August birthdays
• Historical anniversaries in August

And here are my Pinterest boards for:

• September holidays
• September birthdays
• Historical anniversaries in September

September 30, 2011 - World's First Nuclear Submarine

-- 1954

It could dive longer, faster, and deeper than any submarine before it.

The USS Nautilus, commissioned on this day in 1954, wasn't limited in range and speed by the diesel engines of previous submarines. Also, with a nuclear reactor, there was no need to surface to recharge batteries.

Because of the new-found larger range, the Nautilus was the first submarine to travel under the Arctic ice and cross the North Pole. As a matter of fact, in her first years of operation, the Nautilus broke many records. There were also a few shortcomings in design that engineers eagerly learned from; the later generations of nuclear submarines were improved versions.

She was retired in 1980 and now serves as a museum of submarine history in Groton, Connecti-cut.

Watch a video to learn about nuclear power. This one is for older students, 

and younger kids might prefer this one. 

Find out more about nuclear submarines at How Stuff Works.

I found this short video odd because there is no narrator—just a musical sound track—and because, once in a while, someone is on-camera, talking—but we don't hear what he is saying! Still, the video does give you a great idea of the tight quarters and some of the “bustle” of living on a nuclear submarine! 

August 3, 2011 - First Watercraft to Reach North Pole

– 1958

The USS Nautilus was the world's first operational nuclear-powered submarine. Because of her nuclear propulsion, she was able to remain submerged much longer than diesel-electric submarines, and so she was able to break many records and establish many firsts. One of her most famous exploits was achieved on this day in 1958, as the submarine reached the geographical North Pole.

The submarine began this West Coast voyage, called Operation Sunshine, in April of that year, and she tried to enter the Arctic Ocean in mid-June. However, there was deep draft ice that made it too dangerous. The Nautilus went all the way to Pearl Harbor in Hawaii to wait for better ice conditions. In late July, it was deemed safe to try again, so the Nautilus traveled north again and submerged in the Barrow Sea Valley on August 1. The submarine reached the North Pole on August 3 and continued on another 96 hours (4 days) until she could surface northeast of Greenland.

This is the USS Providence celebrating the 50th anniversary
of the Nautilus's polar crossing--in the Arctic Ocean, of course!

What is the geographical North Pole?

It is the point in the northern half of Earth where the planet's axis of rotation meets its surface.

On a globe, it is the spot where the upper portion of the metal rod around which the globe spins emerges from the Earth's sphere and attaches to the globe's stand.

The South Pole, of course, is the point in the southern half of Earth where the axis of rotation meets the surface. And on a globe it is the spot where the lower portion of the rod emerges.

Did you know...?

• The North Pole is defined as the northernmost point on Earth. It lies exactly opposite the South Pole, which is the southernmost point on Earth.

• The North Pole lies in the middle of the Arctic Ocean, although that ocean is sometimes covered in ice, and the South Pole is in the middle of the ice-covered land mass that is Antarctica.

• Earth has a slight wobble in its spin. For this reason, the North Pole isn't in one fixed location—but instead it ranges around a few meters.

• 
  The Magnetic North Pole is the point on Earth's Northern Hemisphere at which Earth's magnetic field points downwards. It is not the same spot as the Geographic North Pole, and it slowly changes over time. The Magnetic North Pole was in Canada in 2001, and it has been moving toward Russia more than 30 miles (more than 55 kilometers) per year! (Learn more here and here.) 

• There are even more “if's, and's, and but's” to discuss about the North and South Poles. Check out Geomagnetic Reversal and Axial Precession!