Ice at the North Pole in 1. What would NSIDC and our media make of a photo like this if released by the NAVY today? ![]() Would we see headlines like “NORTH POLE NOW OPEN WATER”? Or maybe “Global warming melts North Pole”? If it melts it makes headlines. Skate (SSN- 5. 78), surfaced at the North Pole, 1. March 1. 95. 9. Image from NAVSOURCESome additional captures from the newsreel below show that the ice was pretty thin then, thin enough to assign deckhands to chip it off after surfacing.
The newsreel is interesting, here is the transcript. Newsreel: USS Skate, Nuclear Sub, Is First to Surface at North Pole. ED HERLIHY, reporting: USS Skate heads north on another epic cruise into the strange underseas realm first opened up by our nuclear submarines. Last year, the Skate and her sister- sub Nautilus both cruised under the Arctic ice to the Pole. Then, conditions were most favorable. Once, at the North Pole, where crewmen performed a mission of sentiment, scattering the ashes of polar explorer Sir Hubert Wilkins. In 1. 93. 1, he was the first to attempt a submarine cruise to the Pole. We surfaced near the North Pole in the winter through thin ice less than 2 feet thick. The Ice at the polar ice cap is an average of 6- 8 feet thick, but with the wind and tides the ice will crack and open into large polynyas (areas of open water), these areas will refreeze over with thin ice. We had sonar equipment that would find these open or thin areas to come up through, thus limiting any damage to the submarine. The ice would also close in and cover these areas crushing together making large ice ridges both above and below the water. We came up through a very large opening in 1. The wind came up and closed the opening within 2 hours. On both trips we were able to find open water. We were not able to surface through ice thicker than 3 feet.”– Hester, James E., Personal email communication, December 2. Here are some screencaps from the newsreel: Note the feet of the deckhand for thickness perspective. Ice going over the side after chipping. It was that way again in 1. Seadragon (SSN- 5. Skate (SSN- 5. 78) during a rendezvous at the North Pole in August 1. And of course then there’s this famous photo: But contrast that to 1. USS Hawkbill at the North Pole, Spring 1. We are going to be using free software. Always ask your parents for permission before downloading a program onto your computer. We are going to use some different. Register a free 1 month Trial Account. Download as many books as you like (Personal use) 3. Cancel the membership at any time if not satisfied.![]() The Arctic is not static either. Variance is the norm. There’s quite an interesting read at John Daly’s website, including a description of “the Gore Box”. Everybody should have one of those. WUWT commenters Stephen Skinner, Crosspatch, and Glenn. See the Skate image archive at NAVSOURCE.
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December 2016
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