USS O - 12 ( SS - 73 ) USS " O - 12 " ( SS - 73 ) was an " O " - class submarine of the United States Navy . Her keel was laid down on 6 March 1916 by the Lake Torpedo Boat Company in Bridgeport , Connecticut . These later O - boats , " O - 11 " through " O - 16 " , were designed by Lake Torpedo Boat to different specifications than the earlier Electric Boat designs . They performed poorly as compared to the Electric Boat units , and are sometimes considered a separate class . " O - 12 " was launched on 29 September 1917 , sponsored by Mrs . Homer S . Cummings , and commissioned on 18 October 1918 with Lieutenant Commander J . E . Austin in command . Military career . " 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 ) . She decommissioned on 17 June 1924 after just five and a half years of service , and was placed in reserve at the Philadelphia Navy Yard . " Nautilus " Arctic Expedition . Struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 29 July 1930 , ex - " O - 12 " transferred to the United States Shipping Board for conversion by the Philadelphia Navy Yard . She was leased at the rate of one dollar per year to Lake and Danenhower , Inc . , of Bridgeport , Connecticut , for use on Hubert Wilkins ' s and Lincoln Ellsworth ' s Arctic Expedition of geophysical investigation . The lease required that she either be returned to the Navy for disposal , or scuttled in at least of water . On 24 March 1931 , she was re - christened Nautilus . As Prohibition prevented the use of an alcoholic beverage , she was baptised not with the traditional champagne but rather with a bucket of ice cubes . Great French writer Jules Verne ' s grandson was present at the event , under the French flag , along of course with Sir Hubert ' s young and glamorous new - wed wife , actress Suzanne Bennett . Simon Lake equipped " Nautilus " with several clever devices for under - ice operations . One was a mechanical probe , much like a trolley pole , that would scrape along the bottom of the ice cap to indicate how much clearance the submarine had below the ice . Others included drills supposedly capable of cutting through of ice to reach fresh air . These innovations were tested only cursorily before the boat put to sea . " Nautilus " with her crew of 20 men was commanded by Captain Sloan Danenhower , son of John Wilson Danenhower , who served aboard during her Arctic expedition . " Nautilus " , on 4 June 1931 , began the crossing from New York City , United States , to Plymouth , England , the first leg of the voyage that was planned to take them up the coasts of the North Sea to Spitsbergen and conclude with a dramatic rendezvous at the North Pole with the German airship " Graf Zeppelin " . On that first leg , however , " Nautilus " encountered a violent storm . Both engines failed , leaving the boat adrift . She was rescued and initially towed into Cork Harbour in Southern Ireland on 22 June where her batteries were re - charged , before being towed to England by where she was repaired . On 5 August , very late in the year to begin an Arctic expedition , " Nautilus " began making her way through the English Channel and along the Norwegian coast . Another storm again damaged the boat , carrying away her bridge and giving her a permanent list , but after a stop in Tromsø on 11 August , she successfully reached Spitsbergen , and Wilkins allowed but a single day for repairs . The crew carried out the planned scientific experiments as they pushed on northward , but thick pack ice hindered their progress . The boat was ill - equipped to deal with the extreme cold , lacking insulation and heaters . The fresh water system froze and the hull developed slow leaks . After ten days , " Nautilus " reached 82°N , the farthest north any vessel had reached under its own power , and preparations began to dive and proceed under the ice . However , the boat refused to respond ; the stern planes had been carried away at some unknown earlier time . Without them , the submarine could not control its depth while submerged , and the expedition had to be aborted . On 31 August , under financial pressure from Hearst , who indicated by telegraph that Wilkins would not be paid if he did not continue , Wilkins ordered the submarine onward . Captain Danenhower ordered " Nautilus " trimmed down by the bow , and deliberately rammed an ice floe in an attempt to force the boat under . The manoeuvre worked in that " Nautilus " submerged , and became the first submarine to operate under the polar ice cap . However , her unconventional method of diving caused significant damage to her upper works . She was out of radio contact for days , was presumed lost , and rescue efforts were planned . In fact , she had actually travelled only a short distance under the ice before resurfacing through a polynya , but her radios had been badly damaged , requiring days to repair . The scientific crew continued their experiments , and their findings became the first paper published by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution . On 20 September , " Nautilus " returned to Spitsbergen carrying invaluable data and with all crew alive . Hearst , however , considered the expedition a failure and carried out his threat , refusing to pay for the expedition . Ultimate Fate . Following the expedition , " O - 12 " was returned to the Navy Department . On 30 November 1931 she was towed three miles down the " Bufjorden " ( a Norwegian fjord outside Bergen ) and scuttled in of water . In 1981 Norwegian divers found her wreck . In 1959 , was the second submarine ( after USS " Nautilus " ( SSN - 571 ) in 1958 ) to reach the North Pole . Her crew conducted a tribute to Sir George Hubert Wilkins and scattered his ashes over the North Pole .