USS Queenfish at the North Pole: Captain Jim Harvey Recalls the 1985 Arctic Submarine Mission

Welcome to Patrol Reports, stories from the history of the United States Submarine Force, brought to you by the United States Submarine Veterans Bremerton Base. On this episode, we journey north—far north—with Captain Jim Harvey, former commanding officer of USS Queenfish (SSN-651). In August of 1985, Queenfish and her crew did what only a handful of submariners had ever done: they surfaced at the North Pole.

Captain Harvey shares the planning, the challenges, and the nerves that come with taking a nuclear submarine under shifting ice and breaking through to daylight. He talks about precision training, the hazards of ice navigation, and the human side of the patrol—everything from Blue Nose ceremonies to ballgames on the frozen surface. It’s a story of teamwork, Cold War tension, and once-in-a-lifetime memories at the very top of the world.

This is Patrol Reports for August 27, 2025.