Nautilus (submarine, 1917)
 The Nautilus in Bergen (1931)
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The Nautilus was an American submarine that became famous in 1931 for a polar expedition. She ran on 29 September 1917 as military submarine USS O-12 (SS-73) of the O class of the United States Navy from the deck.
USS O-12 (SS-73)
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The O-12 was built by Lake Torpedo Boat in Bridgeport, Connecticut , as the second in a series of six boats . It was commissioned on March 3, 1916 and laid down three days later. On September 29, 1917, O-12 was launched . Godmother was the wife of the future US Attorney General Homer S. Cummings . On October 19, 1918, the boat was put into service and incorporated into Submarine Division 1 on the Coco Solo submarine base ( Panama Canal Zone ). Decommissioned on June 17, 1924, it was incorporated into the reserve at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard . After the deletion from the register of ships on May 29, 1930, the boat was converted into the research submarine Nautilus .
nautilus
The US Navy rented the boat for an annual rent of one dollar to Lake and Danenhower , who were allowed to make it available to the Briton Hubert Wilkins for a polar expedition. Lake and Danenhower, the successor company of the shipyard, converted the submarine for a crossing under the North Pole .
After removing all military equipment, the boat received a new hull contour. A structure was installed over the entire length, but for weight reasons it had to be planked with wood. A steel rail at the top should allow the boat to slide along an ice sheet. The entire bow has been reinforced to break ice. A diving lock in the former torpedo room could be used for dives and taking water samples. An iron staircase for the heavy helmet diver was attached to the outer skin and additional portholes were cut into the fuselage. An ice auger on the top should make it possible to get out from under pack ice in an emergency and also provide fresh air.
For reasons of cost, the machines, control systems and electrical systems could not be replaced.
The former O-12 was christened on March 24, 1931 by Wilkins' wife, actress Suzanne Bennett (1893–1974), with a bucket of chunks of ice. The prohibition at that time did not Schiffstaufe to the usual champagne. Based on Jules Verne's novel 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea , the boat was named Nautilus , and a grandson of Verne was also present at the ceremony.
Trans-Arctic Submarine Expedition 1931
Due to numerous delays, failures of the old propulsion system and storms, the Nautilus arrived much too late to cross the Arctic pole . On August 28, 1931, the 82nd degree north latitude was reached, at that time the northernmost point that a ship could reach freely navigating. In addition, the depth control was defective. After trying to dive under the edge of the pack ice with the help of the ballast tanks, the boat returned to Bergen.
After repeated storm damage, the boat was abandoned and formally returned to the US Navy. Under the terms of the loan agreement, the Nautilus was sunk on November 20, 1931 over a depth of 1200 feet (370 m) in the Bufjorden near Lillesand .
literature
- Robert Gardiner: Conway's all the world's fighting ships 1906-1921. Conway Maritime Press 1985. ISBN 0-85177-245-5 . P. 129.
- Lowell Thomas: Sir Hubert Wilkins. His World of Adventure , McGraw-Hill 1961.
Movie
- With the submarine in the Arctic? Sir Hubert's journey to the North Pole. Documentary film, Germany, 2011, 52 min., Directors: Hans Fricke, Sebastian Fricke, production: FrickeFilmproduktion, NDR , arte , first broadcast: October 8, 2011, film information from ARD .