Australian born George Hubert Wilkins was one of the most remarkable adventurers and explorers of the 20th century. In May 1928 he made the first flight across the Arctic Ocean going from Point Barrow, Alaska, to Spitzbergen, Norway, and was knighted for this feat. In November 1928 he made the first airplane flight in the Antarctic. During two expeditions over 1928-29, his aerial explorations surveyed 1,300 miles of the Antarctic Peninsula. In addition to all this, he was planning an extraordinary submarine voyage to the North Pole.
He planned to use a retired U.S. Navy sub to make a submerged crossing of the Arctic Ocean from Spitzbergen to the Bering Straits via the North Pole. Using open leads in the ice, or special drills to open breathing holes, the sub would charge batteries and replenish the air inside.
Through his American partners he chartered from the U.S. Shipping Board the decommissioned World War I submarine O-12 (SS-73) for one dollar per year. When the expedition was completed, Wilkins would be required to return the O-12 to the Board, or scuttle her at a depth of at least 1,200 feet.
The O-12 was renamed Nautilus in honor of Jules Verne's fictional submarine in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. After extensive modification work completed by noted submarine designer Simon Lake, whose company had built O-12 for the Navy in 1916, and difficult sea trials, Nautilus was christened on 24 March 1931 with a bucket of ice cubes at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Wilkins' project was two months behind schedule. This was especially bad since there was to be a July North Pole rendezvous with the German airship Graf Zeppelin.
After more trials and modifications, the submarine began its Atlantic crossing on 4 June. Nautilus was to go to Bergen and Tromso, Norway, and then onward to Spitzbergen close to the edge of the summer pack ice. That was the plan, but on 13 June Nautilus lost both her main engines in heavy weather. After sending out an SOS, she was towed into Queenstown, Ireland, by the battleship Wyoming (BB-32). Month-long repairs were made at Devonport, England, and Nautilus did not get to Bergen until 1 August. There they took on fuel, supplies, and a six-member scientific party, making a total of 20 persons on board. Next they stopped at Tromso on 11 August before leaving for Spitzbergen. After three days in port, Nautilus left for the pack ice, arriving on 19 August. The first few days were spent making scientific observations while on the surface.
Wilkins, now more than three months behind schedule, realized his Arctic Ocean crossing would have to wait until the following summer. On 22 August, after deciding to try some short submerged trips under the edges of the pack ice, it was discovered that the stern planes were gone, perhaps lost during the Atlantic transit, collisions with ice, or even sabotage. Nautilus could no longer dive.
With limited success, a discouraged Wilkins made a few pseudo dives by powering the vessel under the ice edges. Nevertheless, he remained in the pack ice until 6 September conducting scientific work. On 20 September, a battered Nautilus sailed into Bergen Fjord where its crew was paid off and arrangements were made to sink the ship. There would be no next season; Wilkins could not get further sponsorship for his project. On 30 November 1931, the submarine was towed three miles offshore and scuttled in 1,138 feet of water.
In 1981 Norwegian deep-sea divers found the wreck and later, in 2005, a Norwegian Navy team made images of it while doing mine hunting sonar tests. The high-resolution sonar image clearly shows Nautilus sitting upright on the flat seafloor.
In September 2005, German expedition leader Professor Dr. Hans Fricke and American explorer Dr. Stewart Nelson took a U.S.-German team to the wreck site. Using the German manned submersible Jago, four dives were made to the site capturing 1,600 digital images and 8 hours of video footage. These images will soon be featured in publications and a television special.
Sir George Hubert Wilkins finally got to the North Pole on 17 March 1959. After making the first submarine surfacing at the pole, the crew of USS Skate (SSN-578), commanded by Commander James F. Calvert, USN, reverently scattered his ashes on the ice. It was Wilkins' last wish.