Ships named Nautilus
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- For other uses see Nautilus (disambiguation)
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[edit] "Nautilus"
The nautilus is a tropical mollusk, having a many-chambered, spiral shell with a pearly interior. Derived from a Greek word meaning "sailor" or "ship," Nautilus and its variants has been a common ship's name in several languages for centuries. Six ships of the United States Navy have been named Nautilus.
A popular misconception is that these ships were named for the fictional submarine in Jules Verne's 1870 novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, but Nautilus has been associated with proud fighting ships of the United States Navy since 1803, six decades before Verne christened Captain Nemo's submarine Nautilus.
[edit] US Naval ships named Nautilus
Six ships of the U.S. Navy have been named Nautilus. Not all of these ships were called "Nautilus" throughout their service, the following dates may refer to the vessel's launch date, commissioning date, or rechristening date:
[edit] 12-gun schooner 1799
Launched as a merchant ship in 1799, Nautilus, a schooner of 12 guns, first appeared on the Navy list in 1803. Under the command of Lt. Richard Somers, she was with Commodore Preble's Squadron in the Mediterranean, during the campaign against the Tripolitan Pirates. Her battle plaque is inscribed with the names of Tripoli and Derne from this early war of the U.S. Navy. She continued in active service until she was captured by a British squadron at the outbreak of the War of 1812.
[edit] 76-foot survey schooner 1838
Nautilus was used, in 1838 to name a 76-foot schooner built specifically for hydrographic survey of the U.S. coast. She was placed in service in 1847 for use in the Mexican War.
[edit] First military submarine Nautilus 1911
In 1911, Nautilus made her first appearance in the Submarine Force although later that year her name was changed to H-2. Built in San Francisco, the 150-foot, 467-ton diesel submarine saw service until 1922 when she was decommissioned.
[edit] 66-foot patrol/escort 1917
During World War I the name and tradition were carried on by a 66-foot motor pleasure boat, built at City Island, New York. She was commissioned in 1917 and assigned to patrol and escort duties of the New York City area for the remainder of World War I.
[edit] USS Nautilus/USS O-12 1918
The USS O-12 (SS-73) was an O-11-class submarine of the United States Navy, commissioned 18 October 1918, with Lieutenant Commander J.E. Austin in command. She did not begin as Nautilus but was later re-christened.
Submarine O-12 spent much of her career as a unit of Submarine Division 1, based at Coco Solo, Panama Canal Zone. In 1921, she was awarded a Battle Efficiency Pennant and trophy for gunnery (gun and torpedo).
Decommissioned 17 June 1924, she was placed in reserve at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, where she remained until struck from the Naval Vessel Register 29 July 1930.
She was converted by the Philadelphia Navy Yard for use on the Sir Hubert Wilkins Arctic Expedition of geophysical investigation—during which the submarine bore the name Nautilus. Afterward she was returned to the Navy Department and was scuttled 20 November 1931 in a Norwegian fjord.
[edit] Second military submarine USS Nautilus (SS-168) 1930
USS Nautilus (SS-168) was built at Mare Island Naval Shipyard in 1930 and was one of the largest submarines ever built for the U.S. Navy.
[edit] War in the Pacific
With the outbreak of the war in the Pacific, Nautilus quickly joined the fight and established the reputation, which was to characterize her throughout the next three years of combat. On her first war patrol, at the Battle of Midway, she sank the aircraft carrier Sōryū that had been previously damaged by aerial attacks.
On her second patrol, she carried out the first of many special missions that her size particularly suited her for. Carrying a detachment of the Second Marine Raider Battalion and in company with USS Argonaut she attacked and captured the enemy held island of Makin.
[edit] Presidential Unit Citation
On her third patrol, she accounted for three ships. For her distinguished service on these three war patrols she was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation (US), the Navy's highest award to a fighting ship.
After fourteen war patrols, in which she sank seven ships and participated in the battles of Midway, Makin, Guadalcanal, Attu, the Gilbert Islands and Leyte, she was retired from combat service and decommissioned on 30 June 1945.
[edit] First nuclear submarine USS Nautilus (SSN-571) 1954
On 12 December 1951, the Navy Department announced that the world's first nuclear-powered submarine, SSN-571, would carry the name Nautilus. Authorized by the Congress in July 1951, her keel was laid at the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics in Groton, Connecticut by Harry S. Truman, President of the United States, on 14 June 1952. A year and a half later—on 21 January 1954—the First Lady, Mrs. Dwight Eisenhower broke the traditional bottle of champagne on her bow as the ship slid down the ways into the Thames River in Connecticut.
[edit] "Underway on nuclear power"
On 17 January 1955, USS Nautilus put to sea for the first time and signaled her historic message "Underway on nuclear power." She steamed submerged 1,300 miles from New London to San Juan, Puerto Rico, in just 84 hours. The success of Nautilus ensured the future of nuclear power in the Navy.
[edit] Museum
Now a museum, after undergoing a five-month preservation at Electric Boat division of General Dynamics, at a cost of approximately $4.7 million. The historic ship Nautilus attracts some 250,000 visitors annually to her present berth near the United States Naval Submarine Base New London, at Groton's Submarine Force Library and Museum in Groton, Connecticut.
[edit] Other Ships named Nautilus
In addition to the US Naval ships and submarines, and the fictional Nautilus, other vessels have been christened Nautilus:
[edit] Robert Fulton's Nautilus 1800
- Nautilus, the first practical submarine, invented by Robert Fulton in 1800.
[edit] Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea's Nautilus
Perhaps the most famous fictional submarine, Nautilus, from Jules Verne's science fiction novels, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and The Mysterious Island, was captained by Captain Nemo. Built in secret from parts manufactured throughout Europe, this electrically-powered vessel featured a "ramming prow", used to attack vessels by holing them below the surface.
