The advent of nuclear technology brought a litany of innovations but aside from the bomb, the nuclear submarine was the biggest game-changer in warfare.

Submarines of the past had to resurface constantly for oxygen, but with a nuclear reactor, submarines can operate even up to thirty years on one single fuel load. This made it possible for the first nuclear submarines, the American ‘Nautilus’ and the British ‘Dreadnought’ to achieve incredible feats. The Nautilus completed a journey under the North Pole in 1958, and its crew could observe the ice from below, watch TV and movies, and live everyday lives without having to resurface.

Here are some snapshots of life on the first nuclear submarines beneath the icy depths.