The Ice Diaries: The Untold Story of the Cold War's Most Daring Mission by William R. Anderson, Don Keith (With)

From the Publisher

Now, for the first time, the Captain of the submarine USS Nautilus tells the newly declassified story of his ship's Cold War underwater adventure in the race beneath the polar ice pack.

The Cold War was in full swing. The Soviet Union had just successfully launched Sputnik, and President Eisenhower badly wanted to redeem the reputation of the US as technologically superior. "Operation Sunshine" was the answer: under top-secret orders, the Captain and crew of one of the first nuclear submarines, the USS Nautilus, crossed under the North Pole and became the first naval vessel to forge all the way under the polar ice pack to emerge near the former Soviet Union. Readers will voyage along with Captain Anderson as he shares newly declassified stories of his sub's encounters with terrible storms, fire in the hold, collisions with ice, broken compasses, and more.

Publishers Weekly

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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