USS Nautilus SSN 571 - "Realm Of The Arctic Circle"

Launched in January 1954 and commissioned in September of that same year, the USS Nautilus SSN-571 is the world's first operational nuclear-powered submarine. The nuclear propulsion system enabled the submarine to remain submerged far longer than diesel-electric submarines. , Almost immediately, Nautilus began to set records.On January 17, 1955, Nautilus left the pier with the historic message sent by Commander Eugene P. Wilkinson, "Underway on nuclear power." On May 10 of that year, the submarine traveled completely submerged for 1,100 nautical miles from New London to San Juan, Puerto Rico. The boat covered a total of 1,200 nautical miles in less than ninety hours. At the time, this set a record for the longest submerged cruise by a submarine as well as the highest sustained speed (for at least one hour) ever recorded.On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched the world’s first satellite, Sputnik. In response to this achievement, President Eisenhower ordered the U.S. Navy to attem