August 3, 1958 – On this date the transit of the Northwest passage, made by the USS Nautilus SSN 571, reached its most distinctive point when it arrived at the 90 degrees North – the North Pole. Nautilus Captain William R. Anderson announced to the crew “For the world, our country, and the Navy – the North Pole”. After completing the crossing and surfacing near Greenland a helicopter met the Nautilus and Commander Anderson was whisked away to Washington D.C. where he received the Legion of Merit from President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The Nautilus continued-on to the Isle of Portland, England where American Ambassador J.H. Whitney announced the crew had been awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, the first time it was ever issued in peace time.
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Next Hawkbill Base meeting is August 19th at the Blackfoot Elks Lodge – 123 N. Ash St. Social gathering at noon, meeting at 1 p.m.