For more than 113 years, submarines have been silently gliding under the water, stealthily scouting out coastlines, harbors and lagoons.
But it was 60 years ago that attack submarine Nautilus (SS-168) would perform the first combat periscope photography leading to the capture of the Apamama Atoll in the South Pacific Nov. 19-24, 1943. The strip of land would later serve as a landing field for allied forces, perhaps the only atoll in history to be captured by a submarine.
It was an early example of the effective use of submarines in recon and troop insertion, both of which are essential capabilities of today's submarine force. In fact, just two weeks ago on Nov. 4, 2013, the newest boat in the Virginia-class submarine fleet was launched: USS North Dakota (SSN 784). And just like Nautilus, six decades earlier, these “crown jewels” of America's defense continue to provide intelligence gathered by means of surveillance and reconnaissance” (Defense Science Board's 1998 study “Submarine of the Future”).
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