William Anderson (naval officer) was distinguished. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and participated in a total of eleven combat submarine patrols. Anderson was selected by Admiral Hyman G. Rickover to be the second commanding officer of the first nuclear submarine to be placed into service, the USS "Nautilus" and was its commander from 1957 to 1959. Anderson and his crew received international notice when the "Nautilus" became the first submarine to sail successfully under the polar ice cap surrounding the North Pole. That transit was completed under direct orders of President Dwight Eisenhower, under extreme secrecy and was in direct response to
American Sail Training Association The Tall Ships' Races in Europe in 1972 where he joined the USCGC "Eagle" with his brigantine "Black Pearl" as the first US vessels to participate in the races. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Tall Ships America's mission is to encourage character building through sail training, promote sail training to the North American public, and support education under sail. Tall Ships America organizes the TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE Series, a series of sail training races, rallies and maritime festivals that rotate every three years around the Atlantic, Pacific and Great Lakes Coasts of North America. In 2016, the TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE series