Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-03-28
Skate Proves Arctic Is Open
To Yeor-Round Operations

sAAr star Writer
The Skates second under
Ice Polar voyage in less than
a year was being hailed by the
Navy today as proof its atomic
submarine can operate in that
once-forbidden area any season
Of the year.
The Navy announced yester-
day that Skate completed an
other trip to the North Pole
on Thursday. setting new rec
ords for distance and time in
Polar under-ice operations.
Skate is en- route back to her
home base at New London.
Conn. She is due there April 6.
First reports indicate that
the 2.S83-ton submarine logged
5000 miles in IL days in the
permanent ice area. She held
the old mark. set during her
summer voyage last year. OF
2,405 miles In los days.
Scatter wilkins Ashes
Comdr. James r. Calvert and
the LOG members Of Skates
crew carried out q final wish
of the late Polar Explorer Sir
Hubert wilkins "by scattering
his ashes into the blowing snow
in the half-light of the North
Pole" the announcement said.
Sir Hubert died last December
l. without having realized his
lifelong ambition Of reaching
80 degrees north.
The Navy said it acted at
the request of the explorers
widow, Lady Suzanne. Sir HUI
bert took part in "a expeditions
to the Arctic and nine to the
Antarctic. He tried. without
success, to take an earlier Maui
titus under the Polar ice in
1881.
North Pole Ceremony
In a message received here
by the Navy, Comdr. Calvert
said:
"on March II, so years after
Commodore Robert) Peary,
Skate was on the surface of
the North Pole. In a solemn
memorial ceremony conducted
by Skate shortly after surfac-
ing, the ashes Of Sir Hubert
Wilkins were scattered at the
North Pole in accordance with
his last wishes"
Comdr. Calvert knew Sir
Hubert personally. The veteran
explorer had visited the COM
mander aboard the Skate last
year.
The memorial ceremony was
held on the deck Of the Skate,
with the red light Of a torch
casting a glow on the scene.
Flags Of the United States,
Great Britain and Australia
tSir Hubert's native country
were displayed. After a firing
squads farewell salute, the
ashes were released into the
wind.
Before the Skate submerged.
its crew left ON the ice a heap
Of stones containing notes and
the American nag.
Vice Admiral Lyman @. Rick
over, father" of the nuclear
submarine, said in an interview
that Skate tried something new
this time-she punched her
way through" relatively thin
ice to surface at the North Pole.
She carried no special equip /
ment to break through, but
simply used her weight and
momentum to crack the several
inches Of saltwater ice. |
Can Do II Anytime |
The admiral said the winter
exploit of Skate under the Polar
pack demonstrates that we ,
can do it at WILL" and added:
The meaning of this trip
is that the entire Polar area
is now open to military opera
tons. The world is becoming
an even more dangerous place
in which to live as another
huge area has been thrown
open as a possible arena Of
war"
He called for many more
exploratory voyages so that,
I'VE can find out what is on
the bottom, where we can hide"
meaning, presumably. where
ballistic missile submarines
could be placed in the event |
of war.
Other Naval officers at a
Pentagon briefing said there |
would be a series of additional |
Polar voyages, but declined to
give details.
One Of these officers. Comdr. !
r. D. McWethy, said Skates
task was to discover how to
operate in lower temperature.
find its way in the Arctic dark
ness and maneuver with fewer