The expedition sets sail on a ship, the "Abraham Lincoln" (named after Abraham Lincoln). After looking for some time, the expedition sees the strange thing. The thing attacks the "Abraham Lincoln". Arronax, Conseil, and Ned Land fall into the sea. They swim to the strange thing and climb onto it. They find that it is not a sea animal at all; it is a submarine, the "Nautilus". (The submarine is named after the nautilus, a sea creature that can rise and sink to different levels in the sea, just like a submarine).