Operation Blue Nose was a 1947

U.S. Naval The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

mission to explore under the Polar ice cap in the

Chukchi Sea Chukchi Sea ( rus, Чуко́тское мо́ре, r=Chukotskoye more, p=tɕʊˈkotskəjə ˈmorʲɪ), sometimes referred to as the Chuuk Sea, Chukotsk Sea or the Sea of Chukotsk, is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean. It is bounded on the west b ...

in the Arctic using

submarines A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely o ...

. The operation consisted of the submarines USS BOARFISH (SS-327),

USS CAIMAN (SS-323) USS ''Caiman'' (SS-323), a ''Balao''-class submarine, was a ship of the United States Navy that was later transferred to the Turkish Naval Forces in 1972 under the Security Assistance Program, where she was recommissioned as the third TCG '' ...

, and

USS CABEZON (SS-334) USS ''Cabezon'' (SS-334) was a ''Balao''-class submarine of the United States Navy, named for the cabezon, a saltwater fish of sculpin family inhabiting the North Atlantic and North Pacific Oceans (cabezon means "big head" in Spanish). Histo ...

, and submarine tender USS NEREUS (AS-17) took part in CTG 17.3. Operation Blue Nose operated under-ice in the Chukchi Sea were under the command of RADM Allan R. McCann, Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific or COMSUBPAC. USS BOARFISH was the flag ship and was specially equipped and trained in the U.S. Navy's effort to explore and develop submarine under-ice operational capability in the harsh arctic environment. Special sonar developed by the Arctic Submarine Laboratory was installed on USS BOARFISH. Dr. Waldo K. Lyon, ASL founder was on board to operate the sonar and to conduct other testing for the operation.

Explorations

On August 1, 1947, USS BOARFISH conducted the first under-ice transit of an ice floe in the Chukchi Sea, which was relatively unexplored at the time, while the other ships mapped its perimeter. At 2:39 PM at 72° 05' N 168° 42' W BOARFISH commenced a stationary dive and underwater transit of the ice floe. The transit took over an hour and average ice thickness was eight to ten feet thick with the deepest reading being eighteen feet thick. When she got to the other side she conducted a vertical surface. Due to the high risk of placing the submarine in danger for science, RADM McCann was on board to take responsibility if something went wrong. Over the next few weeks the task group mapped additional ice floes with the longest one being 12 nm long and with a max ice keel depth of 50 ft. They went as went as far north as 72° 15' N. USS BOARFISH demonstrated that extended under-ice navigation was entirely practical. Afterwards Dr. Lyon concluded, “I believe that the problem of submarine adaptation to polar seas has been formulated and that the submarine shows promise of unusual tactical advantage.”

External links

Operation Blue Nose

Arctic Submarine Laboratory

Arctic Submarine Lab Facebook Page

References

{{reflist * "Under Ice: Waldo Lyon and the Development of the Arctic Submarine" (Texas A&M University Military History Series) Page 19-29 United States Navy in the 20th century 1947 in military history Chukchi Sea Arctic expeditions Military in the Arctic Blue Nose 20th century in the Arctic