The Ice Diaries: The Untold Story of the USS Nautilus and the Cold War's Most Daring Mission

by William R. Anderson, Don Keith

Overview

The greatest undersea adventure of the 20th century.

The Ice Diaries tells the incredible true story of Captain William R. Anderson and his crew's harrowing top-secret mission aboard the USS Nautilus, the world's first nuclear-powered submarine. Bristling with newly classified, never-before-published information and photos from the captain's personal collection, The Ice Diaries takes readers on a dangerous journey beneath the vast, unexplored Arctic ice cap during the height of the Cold War.

"Captain Anderson and the crew of the USS Nautilus exemplified daring and boldness in taking their boat beneath the Arctic ice to the North Pole. This expertly told story captures the drama, danger, and importance of that monumental achievement." ?Capt. Stanley D. M. Carpenter, Professor of Strategy and Policy, United States Naval War College

"Few maritime exploits in history have so startled the world as the silent, secret transpolar voyage of the U.S. Navy's nuclear submarine Nautilus, and none since the age of Columbus and Vasco da Gama has opened, in one bold stroke, so vast and forbidding an area of the seas." ?Paul O'Neil, Life magazine

 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781418574017
Publisher:	HarperCollins Christian Publishing
Publication date:	08/22/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	464
Sales rank:	820,668
File size:	5 MB

About the Author

William Anderson graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1942 and served in the  United States Navy from 1957 to 1962. He participated in 11 submarine combat patrols in the Pacific and was awarded the Bronze Star and other combat awards. Anderson was the commanding officer of the Nautilus, the first atomic submarine, from 1957 to 1959  and made the first transpolar voyage under ice. He also  served as assistant to Vice Admiral H. G. Rickover; was a consultant to President Kennedy for the National Service Corps, 1963; and was elected to Congress. Before his death in 2007, he was a resident of Alexandria, Virginia.

Editorial Reviews

Anderson, who died in 2007, and Keith (Final Bearing) collaborate on this first-rate account of the USS Nautilus-the world's first nuclear submarine, which Anderson commanded-and its "historic transpolar crossing" in 1958. Anderson took command of the Nautilus in 1957 at the height of the Cold War. Within months, the Soviets launched Sputnik I and shook Americans' confidence in their technological edge. Eager to demonstrate U.S. prowess, the Eisenhower administration approved a dramatic expedition to the North Pole beneath the permanent ice pack that blankets the Arctic Ocean. After turning back once, the Nautilus began its 2,000-mile journey across "mostly uncharted waters" in July 1958. The success of Operation Sunshine II captured the world's attention and "significantly boosted the sagging spirits of Americans." Anderson first told the story of the Nautilus' s mission in the 1959 Nautilus 90 North, but this version incorporates new, recently declassified information and is likely the most definitive and entertaining firsthand account we'll get. Fans of naval history in particular will enjoy this inspirational adventure story. Photos. (July)

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