Description
Nautilus’s keel was laid at the General Dynamics Boat Division, Groton, Connecticut, in 1952, and the sub launched to great fanfare in a 1954 ceremony sponsored by First Lady Mamie Eisenhower. The vessel was also the first submarine to complete a submerged transit of the North Pole on Aug. 3, 1958. It was decommissioned in 1980, and two years later, in recognition of its pioneering role in the practical use of nuclear power, it was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1982. The ship is now open to the public as a museum of submarine history in New London, Connecticut.
The original owner of this item, John Bayard McPherson (1910-1987) was an electromechanical engineer employed by the General Dynamics Corporation Electric Boat Division; in a 1957 directory he is listed as its Chief of Ind. Sales. He was also an avid sailor and member of several New England yacht clubs.
Condition: Generally very good with the usual overall oxidation (particularly to the medals), wear, and handling.
References:
“Membership Roster, Institute of Aeronautical Sciences.” Aeronautical Engineering Review. September 1957. p. 354. Online at Google Books: https://www.google.com/books/edition/Aeronautical_Engineering_Review/xwgjAQAAMAAJ (14 April 2021).
“Nautilus (SSN-571).” Naval History and Heritage Command. 26 March 2021. https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/ships/submarines/uss-nautilus.html (14 April 2021).
“USS Nautilus (SSN-571).” Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Nautilus_(SSN-571) (14 April 2021).