Political Quotes

“I wish to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the historic ship USS Nautilus, SSN-571, and her historic submerged transit of the North Pole on August 3, 1958. The USS Nautilus was the first commissioned nuclear-powered ship in the U.S. Navy. President Harry S. Truman laid the keel for the future ship on June 14, 1952, at the Electric Boat Shipyard in Groton, CT. Two years later, First Lady Mamie Eisenhower launched the history-making nuclear submarine when she broke the traditional bottle of champagne across the bow of the USS Nautilus. On the morning of January 17, 1955, at 11:00 a.m. EST, the Nautilus's first Commanding Officer, Commander Eugene P. Wilkinson, ordered all lines cast off and signaled the memorable message, ``Underway On Nuclear Power.'' During its shakedown on May 10, 1956, the USS Nautilus cruised from Groton, CT, to San Juan, PR, in fewer than 90 hours, fully submerged for the entire journey. The underwater distance--1,381 miles--was ten times farther than any submerged submarine had previously sailed. Following this journey, the Nautilus would shatter all submerged speed and distance records over the remainder of the decade. In response to the nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile threat posed by the Soviet Union following the launch of the first satellite Sputnik, President Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered the U.S.…”