Allan Rockwell McCann was in charge of the development of a submarine rescue chamber, which bears his name, "The McCann Submarine Rescue Chamber". Additionally he was assigned as Liaison Officer / Engineer when the submarine was converted for use in the under ice attempt to circumnavigate the Arctic Ice cap and voyage to the North Pole. Modifications to the submarine were extensive, and contained innovations of a telescoping conning tower, an ice drill, an incorporated diving bell and an Air Lock, designed by Simon Lake. The submarine was designated "Nautilus" and leased for one dollar to Lake and Danenhower, Inc., of Bridgeport, Connecticut,
North Pole 1928, in the airship "Italia". The "Italia" crashed on its return from the Pole, with the loss of half the crew. In May 1937 the world's first North Pole ice station, North Pole-1, was established by Soviet scientists by air 20 kilometres (13 mi) from the North Pole. The expedition members: oceanographer Pyotr Shirshov, meteorologist Yevgeny Fyodorov, radio operator Ernst Krenkel, and the leader Ivan Papanin conducted scientific research at the station for the next nine months. By 19 February 1938, when the group was picked up by the ice breakers "Taimyr" and "Murman", their station had drifted 2850 km