Naval Submarine Base New London by the Submarine Escape Immersion Equipment in the 2000s. On January 21, 1954 the first nuclear-powered submarine, , was launched from Groton. "Nautilus" became the first vessel to transit the North Pole during a historic trip across the Arctic in 1958. "Nautilus" spent most of her career assigned to Submarine Squadron 10 located at State Pier in New London. It was retired from service in 1980. In 1982 "Nautilus" was designated a National Historic Landmark in Groton. It is permanently moored south of the main gate, attached to the U.S. Submarine Force Museum. Self-guided tours are available to the public
North Pole east and clockwise is west. The North Pole is at the center of the Northern Hemisphere. While the South Pole lies on a continental land mass, the North Pole is located in the middle of the Arctic Ocean amid waters that are almost permanently covered with constantly shifting sea ice. This makes it impractical to construct a permanent station at the North Pole (unlike the South Pole). However, the Soviet Union, and later Russia, constructed a number of manned drifting stations on a generally annual basis since 1937, some of which have passed over or very close to the Pole.