Operation Sunshine (USS Nautilus)

Operation Sunshine was a scientific expedition conducted by the U.S. Navy in the summer of 1958. A crew of just over 100 sailors piloted the USS Nautilus (SSN-571) under the North Pole. The Nautilus was chosen for the mission because its nuclear reactor allowed it to remain submerged longer than a conventional submarine. The mission was completed successfully on August 3, 1958 when the Nautilus and her crew crossed under the North Pole.^[1]

Vanguard

One of the "fronts" of the Cold War was a technology race between the governments of the United States and the Soviet Union. There was tension between the two governments over nuclear weapons, and a "space race" developed during the late 1950s, in which each government aimed to demonstrate its superiority through demonstrations of scientific and technological advances. Russia celebrated the successful launch of their Sputnik I satellite into orbit in October 1957. Shortly after, the U.S. attempted to launch their Vanguard I satellite, which exploded before lifting off.^[2]

Soviet researchers were ahead of their U.S. counterparts in rocket technology, and the American public was aware of this "gap". There was concern that the Soviet government would be able to use the same rockets that propelled Sputnik to launch nuclear-armed missiles at targets within the U.S.. President Eisenhower's aim was to speed the development of U.S. rocketry to keep pace with the better the Soviets', but also he had the responsibility of maintaining stability with the people. Eisenhower needed something to show Americans and the rest of the world that the U.S. government was ahead of the Soviets technologically.^[2] The chosen solution was to combine submarine technology and nuclear reactor technology - two areas where U.S. science was ahead of the Soviets - in order to create a sort of technological showpiece and reinforce American public perception.

Nautilus

USS Nautilus was the first nuclear submarine built for the U.S. armed forces. It was designed by Admiral Hyman G. Rickover.^[1] Rickover ordered the hull of the boat built at Electric Boat Company in Groton, Connecticut, while the reactor was built and tested in Idaho.^[3] USS Nautilus departed from prior submarine design in that it was not designed to be a warship but rather as a symbol for peaceful nuclear energy.

The Mission

It was not enough that the U.S. had just built a nuclear submarine, the Nautilus had to be tested to show how much more advanced the technology was. Ideas were bounced around including the Nautilus and the Skate (SSN-578) to complete a submerged lap around the Earth. It wasn't until William Anderson (Captain of the Nautilus) suggested the submerged trip under the North Pole that it was even considered.^[1]

The Nautilus departed from Groton on August 19, 1957 for her first attempt at sailing under the Pole but it was unsuccessful because of the ice being too deep.^[1] Another attempt was not made until the next summer. On July 23, 1958, the Nautilus left the Pearl Harbor naval base heading north towards the Bering Straight.^[3] She and her crew crossed under the pole at 2315 on August 3 and continued on for four more days until exiting from under the polar ice (Naval History) where Captain Anderson radioed to the President “Nautilus 90 North”.^[1]

Even the second attempt did not go without issues, the crew having to deal with large amounts of ice blockage as well as mechanical failures aboard the sub.^[1] The hope was that the mission was timed to where the ice levels in the Arctic would be at their lowest making it easier to navigate through the waters under the pole without hitting the bottom or the top with the periscope. The expedition was also used as a sort of testing ground for not only the sub but it was an opportunity for the Navy to experiment with different types of navigational equipment.

Normally a ship or small craft relies on a magnetic compass which works by comparing your position to magnetic north. One major flaw with magnetic compasses is that magnetic north is not exactly on the North Pole but south of it so the crew was experimenting with a new design of the gyro-compass. As they inched farther north, the gyro-compass was much more reliable than the magnetic which pointed in nearly the opposite direction.^[1]

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