USS Nautilus

I was lucky to inherit my father's stamp collection. He was the Curator of Rare Books at the Cincinnati Public Library for over thirty years. In that capacity, he received mail from all over the world. This was back in the day when people wrote letters and used postage stamps. I think stamps are not only pretty, many have fascinating stories behind the image. I'm going to tell you the story of a stamp which was issued in 1959 to commemorate the voyage of a very special vessel.

The USS Nautilus was the first operational nuclear-powered submarine. She was launched in 1954. Because she used nuclear propulsion, she could stay submerged much longer then diesel-electric submarines. Nautilus set her first record in 1955. When submerged, she traveled 1,100 nautical miles from Connecticut to Puerto Rico. This was the longest any vessel had ever traveled under water.

During the Cold War, President Eisenhower ordered the U.S. Navy to attempt a submarine voyage around the North Pole. On April 25, 1958, The Nautilus was commanded by Commander William R. Anderson and began her polar trip -- operation "Sunshine." After being turned back by deep ice and shallow water, finally on August 3 she became the first watercraft to reach the North Pole.

Now, here is where the story gets interesting. As the sub was going under the pole, the crew was surprised by the appearance of an unexpected visitor. That visitor was none other than Santa Claus himself. Apparently Santa was not happy about all the noise and commotion generated by Nautilus. He was right to be annoyed because the hull and superstructure of the vessel vibrated and made so much noise that even the sonar didn't work. If Santa could hear them, then so could the Russians. Santa let them pass through his yard with a warning. The vessel continued on to Greenland, having made the first successful submerged voyage around the North Pole.

This same postage stamp also commemorates the 50th anniversary of  Robert Peary's 1909 North Pole expedition.   

--Lynn Conaway