USS Skate became the first U.S. Navy submarine to surface at the North Pole in 1959.
Skate reached the North Pole and surfaced there on 17 March 1959 during Operation Iceberg. It was the first submarine to break through the Arctic ice at the geographic North Pole, following the earlier underwater arrival of USS Nautilus in 1958.
The achievement demonstrated the practical value of nuclear-powered submarines in the Arctic. Nuclear propulsion allowed Skate to remain submerged for long periods without surfacing for air, while its crew had to identify suitable areas of thinner ice before attempting to break through.
Skate was a nuclear-powered Skipjack-class submarine commissioned in 1957. It made several Arctic voyages and helped establish techniques for operating beneath polar ice. A common mix-up is to credit Nautilus with the 1959 surfacing: Nautilus reached the North Pole first underwater, but Skate made the first actual surface emergence there.