Operation Sunshine (USS Nautilus)
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Operation Sunshine was a scientific expedition conducted by the United States Navy in the summer of 1958. A crew of just over 100 sailors piloted USS Nautilus (SSN-571) under the North Pole. Nautilus was chosen for the mission because her nuclear reactor allowed her to remain submerged longer than a conventional submarine. The mission was completed successfully on August 3, 1958, when Nautilus and crew crossed under the North Pole.[1]
Vanguard
One of the "fronts" of the
Soviet researchers were ahead of their U.S. counterparts in rocket technology, and the American public was aware of this technology gap. There was concern that the Soviet government would be able to use the same rockets that had propelled Sputnik to launch nuclear-armed missiles at targets within the United States.
Nautilus
USS Nautilus was the first nuclear submarine built for the U.S. armed forces. She was designed by Admiral
Mission
It was not enough that the United States had just built a nuclear submarine, Nautilus had to be tested to show how much more advanced the technology was. Ideas were bounced around including for Nautilus and USS Skate (SSN-578) to complete a submerged lap around the Earth. Until Nautilus commander, William Anderson, suggested the submerged trip under the North Pole, it had not even been considered.[1]
Nautilus departed from Groton on 19 August 1957 for the first attempt at sailing under the Pole, but was unsuccessful because of the ice being too deep.
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 testing ground not only for the sub, but as an opportunity for the Navy to experiment with different types of navigational equipment.
An example of such research related to navigation by compass. 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]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Anderson, W. R., & Keith, D. (2008). The Ice Diaries: The Untold Story of the Cold War's Most Daring Mission. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.
- ^ a b Griffin, C. G. (2013). “Operation Sunshine”: The Rhetoric of a Cold War Technological Spectacle. Rhetoric & Public Affairs, 16(3), 521–542.,