In this episode of the early 1960s American travel documentary series Expedition! hosted by Col. John D. Craig, viewers are taken on the voyage of the U.S. Navy submarine USS Seadragon as it navigates its way from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific via the Arctic ice cap in 1960. The episode begins with Craig showing a Navy diving suit as he talks to the audience. Commander George P. Steele talks with Craig about the Seadragon’s expedition under the ice (01:43). He shows a model of the Seadragon and explains to viewers the layout of the nuclear submarine. Using a wall-sized map, Steele shows the audience the route his crew took as they traveled under the Arctic ice cap. The submarine is docked at Portsmouth, NH (04:22); the crew prays with a Navy chaplain before boarding the vessel. The sub moves out with members of the crew standing on the ship. Members of the crew listen to music (05:55); another man makes his bunk then stows it away. Men work on the various instruments of the submarine (06:26), including a camera. A man uses a periscope to scan the icefield. Steele sits with Commodore Roberts of the Royal Canadian Navy and others to discuss what route to take (07:23). A view through the ship’s periscope shows an iceberg near Cape York, Greenland (07:45). One iceberg has a massive tunnel through it. The scuba party goes into the water to test their gear and photograph icebergs (08:38), but they quickly climb back on the sub after the sighting of a killer whale. There is a good shot of the Seadragon next to the iceberg. The crew cuts a cake celebrating the second anniversary of the launching of the Seadragon (11:05). The Commander of Resolute Base comes aboard the sub for dinner. There are several good shots of members of the crew working at their stations on the submarine. The submarine comes out of northwest passage. Men check the ship’s torpedo equipment as they sail under the polar ice to the North Pole (13:28). At the North Pole, the submarine breaks ice as (14:58). Men climb out onto the ice and play a game of baseball. Santa Clause waves to divers as they go under water (15:52). Footage from the divers shows the world underneath the ice. A diver uses his camera to try to break through the ice at one spot (17:07). Men climb back into the submarine, which then submerges slowly. Men of the crew eat hearty mills, write letters, and play cribbage as they sail for the Gnome (18:30). A monitor shows the ice overhead of the sub as it cruises under the ice (18:07). They clear the ice at Chukchi Sea and arrive at Gnome; men stand outside on the icebreaker Northwind to greet the Seadragon and crew (19:59). Men climb aboard the submarine as it is moored to the Northwind. The submarine arrives in Honolulu and a helicopter drops a giant lei on the sub (21:00); a fire boat sprays water, and people crowd around the pier to welcome the sub. Admiral Benson speaks at the official reception (22:05), where the Seadragon receives the Navy Unit Commendation and Steele receives the Legion of Merit. Members of the crew stand at attention during the ceremony. The episode concludes with Steele and Craig talking about the Seadragon’s primary achievement.

USS Seadragon (SSN-584), a Skate-class submarine, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the seadragon, a small fish commonly called the dragonet. This ship was a nuclear-powered submarine. The contract to build her was awarded to Portsmouth Naval Shipyardin Kittery, Maine on 29 September 1955 and her keel was laid down on 20 June 1956. She was launched on 16 August 1958 sponsored by Mrs. Robert L. Dennison, and commissioned on 5 December 1959, with Lieutenant Commander George P. Steele in command.

We encourage viewers to add comments and, especially, to provide additional information about our videos by adding a comment! See something interesting? Tell people what it is and what they can see by writing something for example like: “01:00:12:00 — President Roosevelt is seen meeting with Winston Churchill at the Quebec Conference.”

This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com