Zimmer, William. The New York Times. “Art; The Vision and Flair of Freeman,” 27 May 1984.  

Naval History and Heritage Command. USS Nautilus (SSN-571). Accessed 6/23/25.

THE WORLD’S FIRST NUCLEAR SUBMARINE 

The December 1952 issue of Collier’s Magazine introduced the public to the USS Nautilus, the world’s first nuclear submarine. Construction on the vessel began in June 1952 and would not be completed until 1954. This December 1952 issue, written by Rear Admiral Homer N. Wallin with Collier’s Chief Washington Correspondent, James C. Derieux, detailed the innovations of the vessel🔴’s design and featured several compelling images by Fred Freeman.  

Exemplifying the Golden Age of magazine illustration, Freeman’s work often graced Collier’s Magazine and other widely circulated publications. He was famous for his intricately detailed artwork, primarily of military and space scenes. In the 1950s, Freeman participated in the Space Symposium sponsored by Collier’s and worked a𝕴longside legends of science and science fiction such as Arthur C. Clarke and Werner von Braun (NYT).  

As the New York Times noted covering a retrospective of the artist’s work in th𝔍e 1980’s:  

“In the 1950's, when both the Navy's submarine program and the budding space program were battling for the same funds, both programs turned to Fred Freeman for help in the selling of their concepts to the public.“ (New York Times, May 27, 1984) 

This spread in Collier’s demonstrates why his skills were so highly sought. Crisply and compellingly rendered, the USS Nautilus’s unique shape is on full display on the cover. The submarine had a blunt bow rather than the sharp, knife-li🌃ke shape favored by marine vessels of the era. This was due to needing less time on the surface, where the friction would be most apparent. A rounded shape aided smooth flow of water around the hull while the submarine was fully submerged. The green aura around the vessel in the illustration was later referred to by Freeman as a “death’s-head,” potentially in reference to the s🍌ubmarine’s moniker in the magazine: “America’s new dreadful weapon.”   

The USS Nautilus was made possible by the Naval Reactors Branch of the Atomic Energy Commission, under the leadership of Captainꦑ Hyman G. Rickover. The heart of the vessel was a nuclear reactor, for which the dedicated team of scientists, physicists, and engineers were able to “shrink […] down from the size of a city block to about 🙈the size of a walk-in closet” (Anderson, William, “Fact Sheet – USS Nautilus and Voyage to the North Pole, August 1958”). The first of its kind, the submarine protected its crew from lethal radiation through heavy shielding and detection systems.  

The USS Nautilus broke several historic records. In 1955, Nautilus travelled 1,381 miles in 89.8 hours while submerged, setting a record for the longest submerged cruise by a submarine and at the highest sustained speed while submerged ever r♏ecorded.  In 1958, in response to the Soviets’ successful launch of Sputnik, the USS Nautilus was ordere🍨d by the Navy to transit the North Pole as a demonstration. Dubbed “Operation Sunshine,” the mission was a secret until the crew successfully transited the North Pole.  

This lot comprises not only the cover image of the magazine, but the incredibly detailed cross section of the submarine used to introduce the technological marvel to the world. Illustrated from plans released by the US Navy, Freeman’s artwork demonstrates the various components and layout of the ship with care and even humor (complete with a reference to pinup a🥃rt in the crew quarters).  

This cross section is accompanied further by the artwork used in the article. In an u𒈔ntitled oil painting, a US Navy captain looks through a Nautilus periscope. The caption of the work in print reads, “In the periscope room of the atomic-powered USS Nautilus, the skipper will direct operations of the deadliest sub🧜marine ever planned.”  

Over the course of its 🍌run, the Nautilus logged over 300,000 miles. The submarine was decommissioned March 3, 1980. The present lot provides a snapshot of the historic moment Nautilus broke new barriers in ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚthe realms of warfare and atomic energy.  

“At the keel laying of the Nautilus at Groton last June 14th, President Truman declared, ‘This vessel is the forerunner of atomic powered merchant ships and airplanes, of atomic power plants producing electricity for factories, farms, and homes. The day that the propellers of this new submarine first bite into the water and drive her forward will be the most momentous day in the field of atomic science since that first flash of light down in the desert seven years ago.’” Collier’s, “America’s New Dreadful Weapon.”