View source for USS Nautilus (SSN-571)

{{Short description|First nuclear-powered submarine of the US Navy, in service from 1954 to 1980}}
{{other ships|USS Nautilus|Ships named Nautilus}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=[[File:Nautilus (SSN 571) Groton CT 2002 May 08.jpg|border|300px]]
|Ship caption=The retired USS ''Nautilus'' heads home on 8 May 2002, after preservation by the [[General Dynamics Electric Boat|Electric Boat Division]]
}}
{{Infobox ship class overview
|Builders=[[General Dynamics]]
|Operators={{naval|United States}}
|Class before={{sclass|Tang|submarine|4}}
|Class after={{USS|Seawolf|SSN-575|6}}
|Subclasses=
|Built range=1952
|In commission range=1954–1980
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|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|United States|naval}}
|Ship name=''Nautilus''
|Ship namesake=[[Jules Verne]]'s "[[Nautilus (fictional submarine)|Nautilus]]" submarine<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/n/nautilus-ssn-571-iv.html |title=Nautilus IV (SSN-571)}}</ref>
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|Ship awarded=2 August 1951
|Ship builder=[[General Dynamics]]
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|Ship laid down=14 June 1952
|Ship launched=21 January 1954
|Ship sponsor=[[Mamie Eisenhower]] ([[First Lady of the United States]])
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|Ship completed=22 April 1955
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|Ship commissioned=30 September 1954
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|Ship decommissioned=3 March 1980
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|Ship type=[[Nuclear submarine]]
|Ship displacement=*{{cvt|3533|LT|t|lk=on}} (surface)
*{{cvt|4092|LT|t}} (submerged)<ref name = DANFS />
|Ship length={{cvt|320|ft|abbr=on|1}}
|Ship beam={{cvt|28|ft|abbr=on|1}}
|Ship draft={{cvt|26|ft|abbr=on|1}}
|Ship power={{cvt|13400|hp|kW|lk=on}}<ref>{{cite book |title=Cold War submarines: the design and construction of US and Soviet submarines |first1=Norman |last1=Polmar |first2=Kenneth J |last2=Moore |publisher=Brassey's}}</ref>
|Ship propulsion=STR nuclear reactor (later redesignated [[S2W reactor|S2W]]), geared [[steam turbine]]s, two shafts
|Ship speed={{cvt|23|kn|lk=in}}<ref>{{cite book |title=US Nuclear Submarines: The Fast Attack |first1=Jim |last1=Christley |first2=Tony |last2=Bryan |publisher=Osprey}}</ref>
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{{Infobox NRHP
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|name=''U.S.S. Nautilus'' (Nuclear Submarine)
|nrhp_type=nhl
|image=USS Nautilus SSN571.JPG
|image_size=300
|caption=USS ''Nautilus'' docked at the [[Submarine Force Library and Museum]]
|location=[[Groton, Connecticut]]
|locmapin=Connecticut
|map_width=300
|area=
|built=1952-1955, (commissioned 1954)
|architect=[[General Dynamics Corporation]]
|architecture=
|designated_nrhp_type=20 May 1982<ref name = "nhlsum">{{cite web |url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1810&ResourceType=Structure |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021128055320/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1810&ResourceType=Structure |archive-date=28 November 2002 |title=Nautilus (Nuclear Submarine) |access-date=3 October 2007 |work=National Historic Landmark summary listing |publisher=[[National Park Service]]}}</ref>
|added=16 May 1979<ref name="nris">{{NRISref |2007a}}</ref>
|refnum=79002653
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|}

'''USS ''Nautilus'' (SSN-571)''' was the world's first [[nuclear-powered ship|nuclear-powered boat]], [[nuclear-powered submarine]], and the first submarine to complete a submerged transit of the [[North Pole]] on 3 August 1958.  Her initial commanding officer was [[Eugene Parks Wilkinson|Eugene "Dennis" Wilkinson]], a widely respected naval officer who set the stage for many of the protocols of today's Nuclear Navy in the US, and who had a storied career during military service and afterwards.<ref>Winters, Ann (28 March 2017). "Underway on Nuclear Power" -- The Man Behind the Words: Eugene P. "Dennis" Wilkinson, Vice Admiral USN. The American Nuclear Society.</ref>

''Nautilus'' shares the name of the [[Nautilus (fictional submarine)|fictional submarine]] in [[Jules Verne]]'s classic 1870 science fiction novel ''[[Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea]]''<ref name="20,000 Leagues Under the Seas">{{cite wikisource |last=Verne |first=Jules |translator=Frederick Paul Walter |title=20,000 Leagues Under the Seas |wslink=20,000 Leagues Under the Seas (Walter) |orig-date=1870 |noicon=yes}}</ref> and the {{USS|Nautilus|SS-168}} that served with distinction in [[World War II]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nautilus III (SS-168) |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/n/nautilus-ss-168-iii.html |access-date=2021-01-17 |website=NHHC |language=en-US }}</ref> 

The ''Nautilus'' was authorized in 1951. Construction began in 1952, and it was launched in January 1954, sponsored by [[Mamie Eisenhower]], wife of President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]. It was commissioned the following September into the [[United States Navy]] and was delivered to the Navy in 1955.

Her [[nuclear propulsion]] allowed her to remain submerged far longer than diesel-electric submarines, and she broke many records in her first years of operation and traveled to locations previously beyond the limits of submarines. In operation, she revealed a number of limitations in her design and construction, and this information was used to improve subsequent submarines.

''Nautilus'' was decommissioned in 1980 and designated a [[National Historic Landmark]] in 1982. She has been preserved as a museum ship at the [[Submarine Force Library and Museum]] in [[Groton, Connecticut]], where she receives around 250,000 visitors per year.

==Planning and construction==
[[File:Hyman Rickover inspecting USS Nautilus.jpg|thumb|Admiral [[Hyman G. Rickover]] aboard the ''Nautilus'']]
[[File:nautiluscore.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Launching ''Nautilus'']]

The conceptual design of the first nuclear submarine began in March 1950 as project [[Ship Characteristics Board|SCB 64]].<ref>Friedman, Submarines, pp 182</ref><ref>Hewlett & Duncan, Nuclear Navy, pp. 162</ref> In July 1951, Congress authorized the construction of a nuclear-powered submarine for the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]], which was planned and personally supervised by Captain [[Hyman G. Rickover]], known as the "Father of the Nuclear Navy."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/bios/rickover.htm |publisher=[[Naval History & Heritage Command]] |title=Biography of Admiral Hyman G. Rickover|access-date=6 September 2012|archive-date=10 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120210172002/http://www.history.navy.mil/bios/rickover.htm}}</ref> On 12 December 1951, the Department of the Navy announced that the submarine would be called ''Nautilus'', the fourth U.S. Navy vessel to bear the name.  The boat carried the [[Hull classification symbol|hull number]] SSN-571.<ref name = DANFS>{{cite web |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/n/nautilus-ssn-571-iv.html |title=Nautilus IV (SSN-571) |work=[[Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships]] |year=1970 |publisher=[[Naval History & Heritage Command]]}}</ref>  

Designers drew inspiration from the advanced hydrodynamic hull design of the '''German Type XXI U-boat''' developed during World War II. The Type XXI U-boat featured a streamlined shape, which enabled greater underwater speed and efficiency compared to earlier submarine designs that were primarily optimized for surface travel. Its revolutionary approach to underwater performance influenced post-war submarine development worldwide, including the U.S. Navy's decision to focus on fully submerged operations. 

[[File:nautilus core.jpg|thumb|upright|left|''Nautilus''{{'}}s reactor core prototype at the S1W facility in Idaho]]

''Nautilus''{{'}}s keel was laid at [[General Dynamics]]' Electric Boat Division in [[Groton, Connecticut]] by [[Harry S. Truman]] on 14 June 1952.<ref>{{Cite AV media |year=1952 |title=Video: Atom Sub. President Officiates At Laying Of Keel, 1952/06/16 (1952) |url=https://archive.org/details/1952-06-16_Atom_Sub |publisher=Universal Newsreels}}</ref> She was christened on 21 January 1954 and launched into the [[Thames River (Connecticut)|Thames River]], sponsored by [[Mamie Eisenhower]]. ''Nautilus'' was [[ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 30 September 1954 under the command of Commander [[Eugene P. Wilkinson]].<ref name = DANFS/>

''Nautilus'' was powered by the Submarine Thermal Reactor (STR), later designated the [[S2W reactor]], a [[pressurized water reactor]] produced for the US Navy by [[Westinghouse Electric Corporation]]. [[Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory]] developed the basic reactor plant design used in ''Nautilus'' after being given the assignment on 31 December 1947 to design a nuclear power plant for a submarine.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.ne.anl.gov/About/hn/news960121.shtml |title=Lab's early submarine reactor program paved the way for modern nuclear power plants |work=Argonne's Nuclear Science and Technology Legacy |date=21 January 1996 |publisher=Argonne National Laboratory |access-date=6 September 2012}}</ref> Nuclear power had a crucial advantage in submarine propulsion because it is a zero-emission process that consumes no air. This design is the basis for nearly all of the US nuclear-powered submarines and surface combat ships, and was adapted by other countries for naval nuclear propulsion. The first actual prototype for ''Nautilus'' was constructed and tested by the [[Argonne National Laboratory]] in 1953 at [[S1W reactor|S1W]] at the [[Naval Reactors Facility]], part of the [[Idaho National Laboratory|National Reactor Testing Station]] in Idaho.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ne.anl.gov/About/hn/news960121.shtml |title=Argonne National Laboratory News Release, 21 January 1996, retrieved 31 December 2014 |access-date=3 May 2012 |archive-date=27 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170427064440/http://www.ne.anl.gov/About/hn/news960121.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ne.anl.gov/About/reactors/lwr3.shtml |title=Reactors designed by Argonne National Laboratory, retrieved 31 December 2014 |access-date=1 January 2015 |archive-date=22 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120622185310/http://www.ne.anl.gov/About/reactors/lwr3.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref>

=="Underway on nuclear power"==
''Nautilus'' remained dockside after her commissioning for further construction and testing. Commander Eugene P. Wilkinson ordered all lines to be cast off. At 11:00 a.m. January 17,1955, the crew dropped the mooring lines and Wilkinson, on the bridge with Rickover, gave the command to back. When the ship was scarcely clear of the pier, the engineering officer in the maneuvering room reported to Wilkinson on the bridge that there was a loud noise in the starboard reduction gear and that he had switched to electrical propulsion. Under normal circumstances Wilkinson would have returned at once to the dock, but in full view of the press boats and other small craft attracted to the scene,Rickover was determined not to terminate the trial unless it was necessary. While the ship proceeded down the river on the port propeller alone, Panoff and the engineering officer inspected the noisy gear. It took but a few minutes to replace a loose locking pin on a retaining nut, and Wilkinson shifted back to steam propulsion. As the Nautilus slipped down the Thames past the breakwater into Long Island Sound, a signalman on the submarine blinked to the escort tug Skylark: "Underway on nuclear power." <ref>{{cite web |last=Hewlett/Duncan |first=Richard/Francis |date=June 25, 1973 |title=Nuclear Navy 1946-1962. Richard G. Hewlett and Francis Duncan page 218 |url=https://www.energy.gov/lm/articles/hewlett-and-duncan-nuclear-navy-1946-1962 |access-date=July 22, 2025 |website=energy.gov}}</ref> On 10 May, she headed south for her [[shakedown cruise]]. She traveled {{cvt|1100|nmi|km smi|lk=on|sp=us}} from [[Naval Submarine Base New London|New London]] to [[San Juan, Puerto Rico]] and covered {{cvt|1200|nmi|km smi|sp=us}} in less than 90 hours,<!--(sources differ: 84 hours or 89.8 hours) (I am fact-checking this with USN historian at Groton's Submarine Force Library and Museum --[[User:Pedant]])--><!--Since this is a speed of advance of only 13.33 knots, it's entirely believable --[[User:RobDuch]]--> submerged the entire way. This was the longest submerged cruise by a submarine at the time and at the highest sustained speed ever recorded.{{Citation_needed|date=August 2019}}
[[File:SS-571-Nautilus-trials.gif|thumb|USS ''Nautilus'' during its initial sea trials, 20 January 1955]]

From 1955 to 1957, ''Nautilus'' continued to be used to investigate the effects of increased submerged speeds and endurance. These improvements rendered the progress made in [[anti-submarine warfare]] during [[World War II]] virtually obsolete. [[Radar]] and [[maritime patrol aircraft|anti-submarine aircraft]] had proved crucial in defeating submarines during the war, but they proved ineffective against a vessel able to move quickly out of an area, change depth quickly, and stay submerged for very long periods.<ref>Friedman, Submarines, pp 109</ref>

On 4 February 1957, ''Nautilus'' logged her 60,000th nautical mile ({{cvt|60000|nmi|disp=output only}}), matching the endurance of the fictional [[Nautilus (Verne)|''Nautilus'']] described in Jules Verne's novel ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/n/nautilus-ssn-571-iv.html |title=Nautilus IV (SSN-571) |publisher=[[Naval History & Heritage Command]] |work=[[Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships]] |quote=On 4 February 1957, ''Nautilus'' logged her 60,000th nautical mile to bring to reality the achievements of her fictitious namesake in Jules Verne's ''20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.'' |access-date=6 September 2012}}</ref> In May, she departed for the Pacific Coast to participate in coastal exercises and the fleet exercise operation "Home Run," which acquainted units of the Pacific Fleet with the capabilities of nuclear submarines.{{Citation_needed|date=August 2019}}

[[File:GWBridgeUSSNautilus.agr.jpg|thumb|''Nautilus'' passes under the [[George Washington Bridge]] during a visit to [[New York Harbor]] in 1956]]

''Nautilus'' returned to [[New London, Connecticut]] on 21 July and departed again on 19 August for her first voyage of {{cvt|1200|nmi|km smi|sp=us}} under the polar pack ice. She then headed for the Eastern Atlantic to participate in [[NATO]] [[Operation Strikeback|exercises]] and to conduct a tour of various British and French ports where she was inspected by defense personnel of those countries. She arrived back at New London on 28 October, underwent upkeep, and then conducted coastal operations until the spring.{{Citation_needed|date=August 2019}}

===Operation Sunshine&nbsp;– under the North Pole===
{{see also|Operation Sunshine (USS Nautilus)|label 1=Operation Sunshine}}
President Eisenhower ordered the U.S. Navy to attempt a submarine transit of the North Pole as a technological showpiece following the Soviet Union's successful launch of [[Sputnik]].<ref name= IceDiariesFactSheet>{{cite web |url=http://ct.arrl.org/IceDiariesFactSheet.pdf |title=Fact Sheet&nbsp;– USS Nautilus and Voyage to North Pole, August 1958 |last=Anderson |first=William R |access-date=6 September 2012 |archive-date=30 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120330182429/http://ct.arrl.org/IceDiariesFactSheet.pdf }}</ref> On 25 April 1958, ''Nautilus'' was underway again for the West Coast under Commander [[William Anderson (naval officer)|William R. Anderson]]. She stopped at [[San Diego]], San Francisco, and [[Seattle]], then began her history-making polar transit under "[[Operation Sunshine (USS Nautilus)|Operation Sunshine]]", leaving Seattle on 9 June. On 19 June, she entered the [[Chukchi Sea]] but was turned back by deep [[drift ice]] in those shallow waters. On 28 June, she arrived at [[Pearl Harbor]] to await better ice conditions.{{Citation_needed|date=August 2019}}

By 23 July, she set a course northward.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.submarinemuseum.org/nautilus/index.shtml |title=Submarine Force Museum, History of USS NAUTILUS (SSN 571) |access-date=10 June 2016 |archive-date=19 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160619060331/http://www.submarinemuseum.org/nautilus/index.shtml }}</ref> She submerged in the Barrow Sea Valley on 1 August, and she became the first watercraft to reach the geographic [[North Pole]] on 3 August at 2315 [[Eastern Time Zone|EDT]].<ref name="nautilus.org" /> The ability to navigate at extreme latitudes without surfacing was enabled by the technology of the North American Aviation N6A-1 [[Inertial Navigation System]], a naval modification of the N6A used in the [[SM-64 Navaho|Navaho]] cruise missile; it had been installed on ''Nautilus'' and {{USS|Skate|SSN-578|2}} after initial sea trials on {{USS|Compass Island|AG-153|6}} in 1957.<ref name="Autonetics INS">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1T0NbffwteoC&pg=PA71 |title=Steel Boats, Iron Men: History of the US Submarine Force |publisher=Turner |page=71 |isbn=978-1-56311-081-8 |year=1994 |access-date=6 September 2012}}</ref> She continued on from the North Pole and surfaced northeast of [[Greenland]] after 96 hours and {{cvt|1590|nmi|sp=us}} under the ice, having completed the first successful submerged voyage around the North Pole. The technical details of this mission were planned by scientists from the [[Naval Electronics Laboratory]], including Dr. [[Waldo Lyon]] who accompanied ''Nautilus'' as chief scientist and ice pilot.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Under Ice: Waldo Lyon and the Development of the Arctic Submarine |first=William M. |last=Leary |location=College Station, TX |publisher=Texas A&M University Press |year=1999}}</ref>

[[File:Nautilus 90N Record.png|thumb|Navigator's report: ''Nautilus'', 90°N, 19:15U, 3 August 1958, zero to North Pole]]

Navigation was difficult beneath the arctic ice sheet. Both magnetic compasses and normal [[gyrocompass]]es become inaccurate above 85°N. A special gyrocompass built by [[Sperry Rand]] was installed shortly before the journey. There was a risk that the submarine would become disoriented beneath the ice and that the crew would have to play "longitude roulette". Commander Anderson had considered using [[torpedo]]es to blow a hole in the ice if the submarine needed to surface.<ref>{{cite book |last=Konstam |first=Angus |title=Naval Miscellany |orig-date=2008 |date=May 2010 |publisher=Oxprey |isbn=978-1-84603-989-8 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/navalmiscellany0000kons}}</ref>

The most difficult part of the journey was in the [[Bering Strait]]. The ice extended as much as {{cvt|60|ft|m}} below sea level. During the initial attempt to go through the Bering Strait, there was insufficient room between the ice and the sea bottom. During the second attempt, the submarine passed through a known channel close to Alaska.{{Citation_needed|date=August 2019}}

The trip beneath the ice cap was an important boost for America, as the Soviets had recently launched Sputnik but had no nuclear submarine of their own. During the address announcing the journey, the president mentioned that one day nuclear cargo submarines might use that route for trade.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Anderson |first1=William R |author-link=William Anderson (naval officer) |last2=Blair |first2=Clay |title=Nautilus 90 North |orig-date=1959 |date=May 1989 |publisher=McGraw-Hill |isbn=0-8306-4005-3}}</ref>

As ''Nautilus'' proceeded south from Greenland, a helicopter airlifted Commander Anderson to connect with transport to Washington, D.C.  At a White House ceremony on 8 August, President Eisenhower presented him with the [[Legion of Merit]] and announced that the crew had earned a [[Presidential Unit Citation (United States)|Presidential Unit Citation]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/richmond-times-dispatch-atomic-sub-cross/145509360/ |title=Atomic Sub Crosses North Pole |newspaper=[[Richmond Times-Dispatch]] |place=Washington |agency=AP |pages=1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/richmond-times-dispatch-atomic-sub-cross/145509583/ 7] |date=1958-08-08 |publication-date=9 August 1958 |access-date=2024-04-16 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

Her next port of call was the [[Isle of Portland]], England where she received the Unit Citation from American Ambassador J.H. Whitney, the first ever issued in peace time. She then crossed the Atlantic reaching [[New London, Connecticut]] on 29 October. For the remainder of the year, ''Nautilus'' operated from her home port of New London.{{Citation needed|date=August 2019}}

===Operational history===
{{More citations needed section|date=July 2025}}
[[File:USS Nautilus SSN-571 - 0857101.jpg|thumb|USS ''Nautilus'', {{circa|lk=no|1965}}]]
[[File:SSN571_damage.jpg|thumb|USS ''Nautilus'' after collision with ''Essex'']]
[[File:SSN571.svg|thumb|USS ''Nautilus'' profile]]
''Nautilus'' entered the [[Portsmouth Naval Shipyard]] in [[Kittery, Maine]] for her first complete overhaul from 28 May 1959 to 15 August 1960. Overhaul was followed by refresher training. She departed New London on 24 October for her first deployment with the [[U.S. 6th Fleet|Sixth Fleet]] in the [[Mediterranean Sea]], returning to her home-port on 16 December.{{Citation_needed|date=August 2019}}

''Nautilus'' spent most of her career assigned to [[Submarine Squadron 10]] (SUBRON 10) at State Pier in [[New London, Connecticut]].  She and other submarines in the squadron made their home tied up alongside submarine tender [[USS Fulton (AS-11)|USS ''Fulton'' (AS-11)]], where they received preventive maintenance and repairs from the crew of machinists, millwrights, and other craftsmen.

''Nautilus'' operated in the Atlantic, conducting evaluation tests for ASW improvements and participating in [[NATO]] exercises. During October 1962, she participated in the naval blockade of [[Cuba]] until she headed east again for a two-month Mediterranean tour in August 1963. On her return, she joined in fleet exercises until entering the [[Portsmouth Naval Shipyard]] for her second overhaul on 17 January 1964.

On 2 May 1966, ''Nautilus ''returned to her homeport to resume operations with the Atlantic Fleet, and she logged her 300,000th nautical mile ({{cvt|300000|nmi|km mi|disp=output only}}) underway that month. She next conducted special operations for [[ComSubLant]] and then returned to Portsmouth in August 1967 for another year's stay. During an exercise in 1966, she collided with the aircraft carrier {{USS|Essex|CV-9|6}} on 10 November while at shallow depth.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.submarinesailor.com/bbs2/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=3713&start=1 |title=Viewing a thread}}</ref> Following repairs in Portsmouth, she conducted exercises off the southeastern seaboard. She returned to New London in December 1968 and operated as a unit of [[Submarine Squadron 10]] for most of the remainder of her career.

<!-- 11 years of history missing. -->
On 9 April 1979, ''Nautilus'' set out from [[Groton, Connecticut]] on her final voyage<ref>{{cite web |title=Nautilus (SSN-571) |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/ships/submarines/uss-nautilus.html |website=history.navy.mil |access-date=19 May 2023}}</ref> under the command of Richard A. Riddell.<ref>{{cite web |title=Book Talk with Dick Riddell |url=https://thekensingtonfallschurch.com/events/book-talk-signing-dick-riddell/ |website=thekensingtonfallschurch.com |publisher=KENSINGTON SENIOR LIVING |access-date=2 June 2023}}</ref> She reached [[Mare Island Naval Shipyard]] of [[Vallejo, California]] on 26 May 1979, her last day underway. She was decommissioned and stricken from the [[Naval Vessel Register]] on 3 March 1980.<ref name=ergnret>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=aQtWAAAAIBAJ&pg=6820%2C1031573 |newspaper=Eugene Register-Guard |agency=Associated Press |title=Navy retires Nautilus sub after 25 years |date=4 March 1980 |page=7B |place=Mare Island, California |access-date=2024-04-16 |via=Google News Archive}}</ref>

===Noise===
Toward the end of her service, the hull and sail of ''Nautilus'' vibrated such that sonar became ineffective at more than {{cvt|4|kn}} speed,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ussnautilus.org/events/2004Nov17goldenyear/Riddell_lecture.shtml |title=Riddell lecture 2004 |access-date=21 December 2014 |archive-date=3 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190703190926/http://www.ussnautilus.org/events/2004Nov17goldenyear/Riddell_lecture.shtml }}</ref> making the vessel vulnerable to sonar detection. Lessons learned from this problem were applied to later nuclear submarines.<ref>{{cite book |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p8WkkBIeKR4C&q=noise+nautilus&pg=PT161 |author=Norman Polmar and Kenneth J. Moore |title=Cold War Submarines. The Design and Construction of U.S. and Soviet Submarines. |publisher=Potomac Books, 2004 |chapter=Chapter 4 |date=14 May 2014 |isbn=978-1-57488-530-9}}</ref>

==Awards and commendations==
{| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Puc-nautilus1.JPG|width=103}}
| 
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=National Defense Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=103}}
|-
|[[Presidential Unit Citation (United States)|Presidential Unit Citation]]<br />with [[Operation Sunshine (USS Nautilus)|Operation Sunshine]] clasp
|
|[[National Defense Service Medal|National Defense<br />Service Medal]]
|}

===Presidential Unit Citation===
{{Blockquote|For outstanding achievement in completing the first voyage in history across the top of the world, by cruising under the Arctic ice cap from the Bering Strait to the Greenland Sea.

During the period 22 July 1958 to 5 August 1958, USS ''Nautilus'', the world's first nuclear powered ship, added to her list of historic achievements by crossing the Arctic Ocean from the Bering Sea to the Greenland Sea, passing submerged beneath the geographic North Pole. This voyage opens the possibility of a new commercial seaway, a Northwest Passage, between the major oceans of the world. Nuclear-powered cargo submarines may, in the future, use this route to the advantage of world trade.

The skill, professional competency and courage of the officers and crew of Nautilus were in keeping with the highest traditions of the Armed Forces of the United States and the pioneering spirit which has always characterized the country.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ussnautilus.org/events/panopo50th/puc.html |title=Citation&nbsp;– Presidential Unit Citation for making the first submerged voyage under the North Pole |website=[[US Navy Submarine Force Museum and Library|US Navy Submarine Force Museum]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204062318/http://www.ussnautilus.org/events/panopo50th/puc.html |archive-date=4 February 2009}}</ref>}}<!-- end of quotation template -->

To commemorate the first submerged voyage under the [[North Pole]], all ''Nautilus'' crewmembers who made the voyage may wear a [[Presidential Unit Citation (United States)|Presidential Unit Citation]] [[Service Ribbon|ribbon]] with a special clasp in the form of a gold block letter N (image above).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.amtrac.org/1atbn/Commendations/description/PUC.asp |title=Navy Presidential Unit Citation |publisher=1st Amphibian Tractor Battalion |access-date=6 September 2012}}</ref>

==Museum==
''Nautilus'' was designated a [[National Historic Landmark]] by the [[United States Secretary of the Interior]] on 20 May 1982.<ref name="nhlsum"/><ref name="nrhpinv">
{{cite web |url={{NHLS url |id=79002653}}
|title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination / USS Nautilus (SSN-571)
|format=pdf
|date=12 February 1982
|first=James W.
|last=Sheire
|publisher=[[National Park Service]]
|access-date=6 September 2012
}} and<br />{{cite web |url={{NHLS url |id=79002653 |photos=y}}
|title=Accompanying Photos
|publisher=[[National Park Service]]
|access-date=6 September 2012
}}</ref>

She was named as the official state ship of [[Connecticut]] in 1983.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sots.ct.gov/RegisterManual/SectionX/SITESEALSYMB.htm |title=State of Connecticut, Sites, Seals, Symbols |access-date=4 January 2007 |work=Connecticut State Register & Manual |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070120064339/http://www.sots.ct.gov/RegisterManual/SectionX/SITESEALSYMB.htm |archive-date=20 January 2007}}</ref> ''Nautilus'' was towed back to Groton after an extensive conversion at [[Mare Island Naval Shipyard]] under the command of Captain John Almon, arriving on 6 July 1985. On 11 April 1986, she opened to the public as part of the [[Submarine Force Library and Museum]].<ref name="nautilus.org">{{cite web |url=http://www.ussnautilus.org/nautilus/index.shtml |title=History of USS Nautilus (SSN 571) |publisher=[[Submarine Force Library and Museum]] |access-date=6 September 2012 |archive-date=9 April 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100409071834/http://www.ussnautilus.org/nautilus/index.shtml }}</ref>

''Nautilus'' now serves as a museum of submarine history operated by the [[Naval History and Heritage Command]]. She underwent a five-month preservation in 2002 at Electric Boat at a cost of approximately $4.7 million (~${{Format price|{{Inflation|index=US-GDP|value=4700000|start_year=2002}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}). She attracts some 250,000 visitors annually to her berth near [[Naval Submarine Base New London]].<ref>{{cite web |title=WELCOME TO NAVAL SUBMARINE BASE NEW LONDON |url=https://cnrma.cnic.navy.mil/Installations/SUBASE-New-London/ |website=cnrma.cnic.mil |publisher=Official U.S. Navy Website |access-date=2 June 2023}}</ref> Visitors may tour the forward two compartments, with guidance from an automated system. 

''Nautilus'' celebrated the 50th anniversary of her commissioning on 30 September 2004 with a ceremony that included a speech from Vice Admiral Eugene P. Wilkinson, her first Commanding Officer, and a designation of the ship as an [[American Nuclear Society]] National Nuclear Landmark.{{Citation_needed|date=August 2019}}

In March 2022, ''Nautilus'' began a restoration process that was expected to last 6 to 8 months, including blasting and painting of the hull, installation of new top decks, and upgraded interior lighting and electrical.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/03/19/metro/facelift-fabled-submarine-that-has-sailed-into-history/ |title=Facelift for a fabled submarine that has sailed into history - the Boston Globe |website=[[The Boston Globe]]}}</ref> The restoration was completed at a cost of US$36 million.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Moser |first1=Erica |title=World's First Nuclear-Powered Submarine Returns Home After a $36 Million Facelift |url=https://www.military.com/daily-news/2022/09/10/worlds-first-nuclear-powered-submarine-returns-home-after-36-million-facelift.html |website=Military.com |access-date=11 September 2022 |language=en |date=10 September 2022}}</ref>

==See also==
*{{USS|Skate|SSN-578}} (first submarine to surface at the North Pole)
*[[National Register of Historic Places listings in New London County, Connecticut]]
*[[List of museum ships]]
*[[Submarine Cargo Vessel]]
*[[Merchant submarine]]

==References==
===Notes===
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
*{{cite book |last=Friedman |first=Norman |title=U.S. Submarines Since 1945: An Illustrated Design History |publisher=United States Naval Institute |year=1994 |location=Annapolis, Maryland |url= |doi= |isbn=1-55750-260-9}}
*{{cite book |last1=Hewlett |first1=Richard |last2=Duncan |first2=Francis |title=Nuclear Navy 1946-1962 |publisher=University of Chicago Press |year=1974 |location=Chicago, Illinois |url=https://www.energy.gov/lm/articles/hewlett-and-duncan-nuclear-navy-1946-1962 |isbn=0-226-33219-5 |via=U.S. Department of Energy}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.ussnautilus.org US Navy Submarine Force Museum]: Official home of USS ''Nautilus''
*{{HNSA|uss-nautilus-ssn-571}}: USS ''Nautilus''
*[http://eisenhower.archives.gov/research/online_documents/uss_nautilus.html Documents regarding the USS ''Nautilus'' (SSN-571)], Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library
*{{Internet Archive film clip|id=1958-08-11_A-Sub_Epic|description=A-Sub Epic. ''Nautilus'' Pioneers North Pole Seaway, 1958/08/11 (1958))}}
*{{cite web |last=Reagle |first=Jason |title=The First ICEX: A Historical Journey of USS ''Nautilus'' (SSN-571) |url=http://www.navy.mil/navydata/cno/n87/usw/usw_summer_09/nautilus.html |date=Summer 2009 |work=Undersea Warfare |publisher=U.S. Navy |access-date=3 March 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100404075315/http://www.navy.mil/navydata/cno/n87/usw/usw_summer_09/nautilus.html |archive-date=4 April 2010 |df=dmy-all}}
*{{navsource|08/08571}}
*{{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/n/nautilus-ssn-571-iv.html}}

{{National Register of Historic Places}}
{{US state ships}}
{{Polar exploration|state=collapsed}}
{{US submarine classes after 1945}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Nautilus (Ssn-571)}}
[[Category:1954 ships]]
[[Category:Cold War submarines of the United States]]
[[Category:Experimental nuclear submarines of the United States Navy]]
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[[Category:Ships built in Groton, Connecticut]]
[[Category:Submarines of the United States Navy]]
<!-- 'groundbreaker' categories -->
[[Category:Arctic exploration vessels]]
[[Category:Exploration of the Arctic]]
[[Category:Nuclear history of the United States]]
<!-- Connecticut categories -->
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Groton, Connecticut]]
[[Category:Military and war museums in Connecticut]]
[[Category:Museums in New London County, Connecticut]]
[[Category:Museum ships in Connecticut]]
[[Category:Submarine museums in the United States]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in New London County, Connecticut]]
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[[Category:Naval History and Heritage Command]]
[[Category:North Pole]]