Launched into the Thames River on January 21, 1954, USS Nautilus (SSN-571) was the world's first operational nuclear-powered submarine and the first vessel to complete a submerged transit across the North Pole. Eight months later, on September 30, 1954, she became the first commissioned nuclear-powered ship in the United States Navy. Her construction was made possible by the successful development of a nuclear propulsion plant by a group of scientists and engineers at the Naval Reactors Branch of the Atomic Energy Commission. Over the next several years, Nautilus broke all submerged speed and distance records.

The submarine departed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on July 23, 1958 under top secret orders to conduct “Operation Sunshine”, the first crossing of the North Pole by a ship. With 116 men aboard, she accomplished the “impossible”, reaching the geographic North Pole. In August 1960, she departed for a period of refresher training, then deployed to the Mediterranean Sea to become the first nuclear-powered submarine assigned to the United States Sixth Fleet.

Over the next six years, Nautilus participated in several fleet exercises. In the spring of 1966, she logged her 300,000th mile underway, entering record books once more. For the following twelve years, she was involved in a variety of developmental testing programs while continuing to serve alongside many of the more modern nuclear-powered submarines she had preceded. In 1979, Nautilus set out from Groton, Connecticut on her final voyage. She was decommissioned on March 3, 1980 after a 25-year career.

Nautilus was designated a National Historic Landmark on May 20, 1982 by the US Secretary of the Interior, in recognition of her pioneering role in the practical use of nuclear power. She was named the official state ship of Connecticut in 1983, and now serves as a museum of submarine history, attracting some 250,000 visitors annually.

Bring any empty space to life with the USS Nautilus wooden ship model. From planning to packaging, each step is performed with utmost care; everything is done by hand. Master craftsmen become magicians as they turn simple pieces of mahogany into ship replicas. After the wood is sanded and puttied, talented artists duplicate every single detail with extraordinary accuracy. Hand-casted resin and handmade metal parts complete the submarine. A final coat of clear lacquer provides lasting protection for the product. Each model comes on a display base with brass pedestals and a brass name plate, and undergoes various stages of quality control. A double-lined box with high density foam ensures the safe arrival of each item.