This short film by the United States Navy OPERATION SUNSHINE is narrated by Edward R. Murrow. It covers the successful secret mission of Operation Sunshine, code name for the USS Nautilus (SSN-571) voyage from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean via the North Pole. It opens with footage of the canopy of ice that covers the Arctic Ocean (:13). A dog sled team crosses the frozen tundra (:36) and an ice breaker ship tries unsuccessfully to plow through the mass (:43). The USS Nautilus crosses the screen on April 25, 1958 as it departs New London, Connecticut on its way to the Panama Canal (:56-1:28). The overt mission was to document nuclear submarines. Below deck, a technician works on a modified version of an inertial navigation system (1:29) and another on a high latitude gyro compass (1:43). The submarine heads out to sea (2:15), beginning its 2,900-mile secret mission. Glaciers (2:40) and ice conditions force the Nautilus to turn back to the submarine base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (3:10). Rear Admiral Grenfell welcomes the crew (3:18) as hula dancers perform (3:29). The sub departed on July 23 and began diving (3:38). The crew (3:47) had remained silent on their failed attempt. The U.S. Department of Navy building (4:00) and White House (4:05) represent the few who knew the facts. A map of the route (4:30) shows its perils but this time navigator Lieutenant Jenks has first documented the Arctic ice conditions from a plane (4:39). A view of the ice through the periscope (5:54) is a last look as the crew controls the dive (6:13) while navigation charts are poured over (6:26). The sub’s propellers churn through the ocean (6:42). We see life aboard a submarine. The nuclear power plant (7:15) provides energy, running a jukebox (7:22) and a coke machine (7:27) with pinups (7:29). The crew relaxes by reading, fixing clothes on a Singer sewing machine (8:05), cooking, and guitar playing. On the second day under ice, soundings indicate the sea floor getting shallow (8:51) and speed is reduced (8:56) twice before the all-clear is given. Parts of the nuclear system are shown (9:55). Carbon dioxide scrubbers and carbon monoxide burners keep the air stable (10:09) and fresh oxygen is added (10:20). Commander William Anderson officially announces to the crew that the Nautilus has reached the North Pole (10:54-12:05). The date, August 3, 1958, is officially documented (12:14) and a letter has a commemorative stamp (12:19). The sub next surfaces in the Greenland Sea (12:24). The entire route is shown on a map (12:40-12:54). The Nautilus moves past the Statue of Liberty (12:55) into the New York Harbor.

Commander Anderson (13:05) was awarded the Legion of Merit from President Eisenhower and the crew received a Presidential Unit Citation, the first awarded in peace time. At the dock, friends and family happily greet the crew (13:08). Rear Admiral Hyman G. Rickover (13:20), father of the nuclear sub, leads the ticker tape parade through New York City.

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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, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com