and also had built a submarine called Defender with both military and commercial applications that had a hatch for moving in and out of the boat while submerged, and able to cut mine cables, retrieve objects, perform salvage work, and harvest shellfish. Lake concluded that Defender was underpowered for such a long journey, and recommended a larger bought be obtained and then modified for work under the ice. The retired "O-boat," known by the designator O-12 or the hull number SS73, was selected from a nest of boats, all in bad shape, rusting away at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. O-12 was built in 1917 by the Lake Torpedo Boat Company, so Simon Lake had a good idea of what the boat was capable of. For the expedition, Wilkins agreed with Lake and gave the submarine a proper name: Nautilus. To pay for the expedition, Wilkins made a deal with William Hearst's newspapers to provide exclusive reports. But payment depended on whether or not Nautilus actually went under the North Pole, or if it successfully rendezvoused with the German airship Graf Zeppelin over the Arctic. Lake's business partner was former navy submariner Sloan Danenhower, who would captain the sub. Wilkins deferred to Danenhower to select the crew. "This was the
time of the Great Depression and more than 1,200 people applied for positions with the expedition," says Nelson. "Sloan's emphasis on former navy submariners was a wise one and most of the crew was in that category." Lake's task on the team was to O-12 for Arctic operations both in and under the ice. "I designed a new superstructure and put in a diving compartment which later enabled scientists to collect
Sir Hubert, Lady Wilkins and Jules Verne's grandson at christening of Nautilus. www.seadiscovery.com Marine Technology Reporter 41
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