1931 Wilkins - Ellsworth Submarine Expedition

1931 Wilkins - Ellsworth Trans Arctic Submarine Expedition carried cover

Sir George Wilkins and Lincoln Ellsworth were Australian and American polar explorers respectively who led an arctic expedition via submarine for scientific and oceanographic research. The expedition was paid for by personal contributions and selling exclusive story rights to newspaper tycoon Randolph Hearst for $61,000. The submarine was christened The Nautilus and an 18 man crew chosen. They departed from New York but problems including engine failures caused them to first have to berth in England for repairs, and were later forced to scuttle the submarine off the Norwegian coast due to unrepairable damage. They did not reach the pole but came close enough to test core ice samples, the salinity of water, the polar effect on gravity, and proved that submarines were capable of operating in such cold temperatures.