The Disastrous Attempt To Reach The North Pole In A WW1 Submarine | Frozen North | Timeline 

Truly a fantastic thing for sir Hubert to be honored by the captain who had the mind to take his ashes to the pole. Quite a moving gesture

In my mind, the man's reputation as an explorer is far exceeded by his skills as a recruiter. He got 20 people to operate a one-dollar submarine on a trip to the end of the world.

The boat has no heating. This feels like an insane over site. A different time, I’m aware, but that’s, just crazy for a volunteer journey.

A visionary who was ahead of his time. This was no disastrous expedition, the first steps are always the most difficult. An excellent documentary. That was a long journey from a roo hunter in South Australia Thanks for posting

What a beautiful and poetic ending. He made it to the pole in the end. Fantastic documentary. Highly enjoyable.

My heart is elevated by the captain spreading the great early explorer’s ashes - at last - at the pole!!

Far from a disaster; the expedition was a massive scientific success.

I’m Australian and I have to admit I’ve never heard of him and his feats, he should be more widely known especially in his home country 🇦🇺

Aww, the end had me in tears. A beautiful tribute.

Idky my brain read: The Dinosaurs Attempt to Reach North Pole in a WW1 Submarine 😂

He was a real Aussie. Plan to go under the ice of the North Pole. Old obsolete sub for 1 Dollar a year. No heating. "Ah no worries mate"

Imagine that; renting a mothballed WWI submarine for just $1 year to research the great northern ice expanse known as the Arctic with the center rendezvous point being the fabled North Pole with not just any airship, but an actual Zepplin! Now that is what ADVENTURES are made of!! Their ambitions back then were nothing shy of that of the SPACE RACE some 40 years later (just my opinion, of course).

I'm Australian and it's a shame that we don't know about this man....hats off to him.

why was i about to cry when they had to sink her? she brought everyone back alive, bravo, it’s 2024 and your name and voyage are still being talked about. amazing story.

An extraordinarily brave man who won a Military Cross as a photographer rescuing men under fire. Bloody good cameraman too. Crazy brave, but a calculated bravery. Australians know too little of him

Thank you, wonderfully made documentary on an expedition I knew nothing about. Excellent narration & incredible film footage

Crewman touring the submarine for the first time: "Gee kinda cold in here. Where are the heaters?" Sub designer: ...

Disastrous? Failed perhaps but a long way from disastrous. They achieved some important firsts and good science was conducted by the crew in what was a very out of date submarine. A fascinating story about a man who is barely known in his home country. Australia loves to celebrate really disastrous explorations like Bourke and Wills. Perhaps the fact that Sir Hubert didn't die during the expoloration, didn't make him interesting enough for Aussies. One of the best doccos I have ever seen.

Ex SADiver who has dived the North Atlantic in the mid 90's and many arctic dives who very much enjoyed this documentary and respects to this pioneering work done by all the crew of the Nautilus.

Hubert was also a newsreel photographer before ww1. During that war he was an official Australian Army photographer responsible for many of the iconic photos from that war. There is a RU-vid video of passengers disembarking from Hindenburg in New York and being interviewed.

Fantastic story , hats off to these forgotten hero's and their artic journey and experiments they did.

I would never have gotten on that sub. Cold waters severely weakens the steel used on ships back then and makes it brittle, that was one of the major reasons the titanic suffered so much damage before she sank. And since this sub was not designed to be in artic waters, the steel would not be up to par and would be very brittle, not to mention there's no heat inside the sub.

Incredible determination, courage and stupidity in equal amounts made this adventure unique and scientifically important. That diver who went in to do a manual prior-check the submarine showed a different level of courage... They definitely made them different in those days.

What a brilliant man, and what a wonderful farewell. I beg to differ though, the expedition was not a disaster but an achievement that led the way in understanding the climate.

Polar exploration is so interesting. The suffering they experienced and the bravery they displayed is difficult to comprehend.

Thank you for a fantastic documentary about a great era in history - and even greater & braver men.

“The boat has no heating.” What! 😳 Who would go to the North Pole in an unheated boat? I can’t believe how stupid that sounds. What were they thinking?

His expedition was far from disastrous, so that's the wrong title to put on it. The submarine, himself and the crew survived the expedition to tell about it. It just fell short of its intended goal due to mechanical problems.

No one died and they DID make a bunch of cool scientific discoveries. They failed the mission but I wouldn't call it a disaster. Fun to learn about!

he took a boat to the north pole that didn't have a heater? wtf?

This expedition really wasn't disastrous, it was a triumph of scientific exploration hampered by the technological problems of using a retired submarine. The idea of popping up at the North Pole was a gimmick for the newspapers in order to finance the expedition.

Hubert wilkens property still exits at mt bryan in south Australia, that place is located in a really dry and hot area of the state, you would think hubert would be and overland explorer with camels, but he instead goes to the antartic! Maybe he just wanted to get aways from the stinking hot south australian heat!

All that money, time and effort to put this arctic expedition together and nobody thought to bring a heater?

Huh, rents a Submarine for a dollar a year? Hot damn, that's a deal...

What a great story, this is the type of history school children should be taught.

Seems less risky to go to the moon in a dust bin.

I'm starting to think that there's a fine line between courage and madness...

"We'll try for the north pole by submarine!" "So you made sure to give it some extra insulation, right?" "Ummmm...."

Great to be watching this when it’s 1°F outside. 🥶

I think it is interesting that you say that the Wyoming towed the Nautilus to Plymouth. My grandfather, Steven Jack Sweney, was one of the engine crew on the Wyoming. The Wyoming dispatched a small repair party, of which my grandfather was one, to the submarine to see if they could get her underway. They were able to restore the fresh air system, but not the engines. So, they towed her first to Ireland, and then to Scappa Flow, Scotland, where she was repaired. This was how my grandfather told me the story. I have his photos of the nautilus, taken just before he got into the launch, to assist the Nautilus. The crew of the Nautilus was taking turns outside for fresh air, as their ventilation had failed also. May God bless our mariners, for their bravery and ingenuity.

Came for the WW1 submarine, stayed for the exploration... 😂😂😂 and I'm not into exploration content, but WW1/2 content

Learned something today.... Thank you, 😊

Bravo, Sir HUBERT--- I salute you, Sir!

Absolutely great documentary!

It was an informative, wonderful historical coverage and worth watching a documentary about that bold adventure and exploring attempted .

Today i learned: Jules Verne never traveled to a depth of 20,000 leagues. That would be Really Really difficult. His book refers to the nautical distance traversed by the Nautilus while submerged. 20,000 nautical leagues is a distance of 70,000 metric miles. 😊

Love these old school long form history documentaries! Reminds me of watching the history channel back in the day!

A truly interesting documentary & worth watching.

The picture of Sir Hubert at around the 15:00 mark looks alot like Tom Hanks. He already portrayed Captain Chesley Sullenberger from US Air Flight "Cactus 1549" that glided into the Hudson River after the engines ingested Canadian Geese shortly after taking off. He should reenact Sir Hubert's adventure to the North Pole. I think it would make a great movie. Most people don't know about his story or this expedition, but I think it would make for a great historical movie. Edit: he also played Captain Rich Phillips of the Maersk Alabama when she was hijacked off the coast of Somalia, yet another good movie.

1:40 “…about why so little is known about Wilkins legendary expedition”. Note to the writers: it’s either legendary or it’s little-known. It literally and figuratively cannot be both.

Never heard about this expedition! Be lovely if they could raise the boat. It looks quite solid.

I can't believe they managed to make it back!

I didn't know this story. Fascinating.

RIP Nautilus.. you was a good sub.. we will all sorely miss you.. 😭

Sir Huberts intelligence and fortitude are beyond my words.

Excellent story. Amazing amount of film of a great exploration!

I was unaware of this northern expedition, as for the diving fins being sabotaged, I have serious doubts. Men at sea are usually knowledgeable enough not to ever risk their lives sabotaging their own boat, at sea (a bitter cold Arctic Sea) when they know their life is dependent on that boat’s 0:15 well maintained condition.

No heating?! 🤯

I think sir Hubert was a brave man for trying, but to dive under the ice without dive planes and put the entire crew in jeopardy was just Reckless, and possibly ego-driven.

This was a great documentary but no one at any point thought it might be a good idea to put a heater on the submarine? That would be the first thing I would think of

This crew had courage.

Excellent video,thank you.

A fascinating tale, well told. Thank you.

The new sub dove "more than 3,000 km under the pack ice"?? Is that depth of length it travelled under the pack ice? WHAT

Problem is once under ice, what do you use for heating. Engines are off, only battery power. Limited air supply, brave men.

That little sub was never made to cross the North Atlantic. Just going to England by herself w/o escort and tender was crazy.

Awesome stuff! and like others I have not heard of this expedition either it deserves more recognition 👍

Hey, I'm going to go in a tin can under the Arctic, you in? We'll only be gone for a few months, and, bring a jacket.

Id get naughty on the nautilus while wearing nautica before getting on the titan sub

Say...! Just how many Nautiluses are there anyway?!? I need insulation myself right now.

What a great and interesting documentary, hadn't heard of Sir Hubert Wilkins, and thanks for posting

Wonderful but sad. One man's drive not forfilled. What an expedition. I salute you and your crew.

They didn't have a chance.

I love the nautilus submarine a lot. I wish it had been preserved in a museum

Fascinating documentary.

The BEST was everyone on shore was SHOCKED they came back alive... LOL

Australian & watch these sorts of shows all the time and I've never heard of him. Shameful that he/they have been mostly forgotten here.

Those old subs weren't the quickest boats. Brave men.

The scientific readings are vastly more valuable than their mission to reach the pole was. Their voyage was a complete success the way I see it.

Very interesting video thank you and please keep the great videos coming from Scotland.

What a multi-talented, highly intelligent man whose life was well and truly lived to the full!

Seems like there are similarities with Shackleton - he too did not achieve the end goal, but he made important scientific contributions, swallowed his hubris and did his best to get his men safely back home

That was very enjoyable. Great film.

Nicely done. I was on the edge of my seat expecting the worst (but knowing Sir Hubert's log existed). Hearst should have helped to hype this amazing expedition more in spite of its incompleted mission

One of the best videos I have ever seen, with copious original footage. My compliments.

I never knew of him or the adventures in science and real life he was part in. Really well made documentary

I think the sailors were smoking that early version of crack .

Outstandingly done documentary, Thank you!

An amazing journey and documentary. Thank you. Using the pendulum to measure gravity was a brilliant idea, as was measuring the gulf stream. At least his expedition is no longer forgotten by the public.

I’d doubt his airplane had a heater either, those guys were really tough

What a great video. Thank you for sharing this with us all!

It's interesting that the first submarine to complete that trip under the polar ice was also called Nautilus. The first atomic submarine.

What an amazing documentary.

This is a truly wonderful documentary, exceptional characters, utterly horrific living conditions and the mental and physical endurance to survive and return safely home!

he did reach the north pole, and, more to the point, he reached it by *submarine*

Great video I really enjoyed it 👍

What a well done and informative piece about a moment in history that I wasn’t aware of.

Thank you, this was nicely presented.

"DISASTROUS"? How, beyond a clickbait title?

can someone explain HOW crewmen could have sabotaged the dive rudder? Aside from being on this trip to begin with, would they have been so stupid as to destroy the one ability that the ship had to bring them out of a dive?