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

Submariners live for the sea stories, and some are colder than others. On this episode of Patrol Reports, Dave Bowman sat down with Captain Jim Harvey, former commanding officer of USS Queenfish (SSN-651), to revisit a patrol that pushed the limits of technology, seamanship, and nerves: surfacing at the North Pole in August of 1985.

Harvey’s account is not just about steel and ice, but about the men who carried their boat into an unforgiving environment. The Arctic may look like a frozen desert on a map, but beneath that shifting ice pack lies a noisy, treacherous world. Cracking floes, creaking pressure ridges, and the clamor of abundant marine life made sonar training essential. Navigating there was no casual “up five degrees.” Instead, Queenfish’s planesmen were drilled to hold fractions of a degree on their bubble, precision flying in an invisible world where being a few feet off could mean disaster.

The August 20 surfacing at the Pole itself was as memorable as it was difficult. The boat’s sail pressed against the spongy underside of the ice before ballast blows cracked a path upward. Even then, the crew had to muscle the bridge hatch open against heavy ice laid across it. Once through, lookouts and officers emerged into a silent white world. Not long after, their sister ship Aspro joined them, finally free of her own Periscope mishap, and the two submarines stood together on top of the world.

Harvey’s memories also underscore the crew’s humanity. He credits his XO, Peter Flannery, and a team that turned poor food service into award-winning galley operations. He emphasized teamwork, mutual respect, and keeping morale high through ceremonies like the Blue Nose crossing. He recalls ball games on the ice, photo opportunities beside black hummocks, and a lingering regret that he hadn’t let his divers log a dive at the North Pole. These weren’t just sailors on a mission, but men forging experiences that would last a lifetime.

There were Cold War realities behind the adventure. Soviet missile boats also prowled under the ice, and the United States needed crews who knew the Arctic’s challenges. Queenfish and her riders from the Arctic Ice Lab gathered sonar recordings, environmental samples, and tactical knowledge that fed into future submarine operations. Harvey himself admits he never forgot the risk: the thought of a fire under the ice, or the danger of failing to break through on a ballast blow with air banks running low. Success was never guaranteed, only earned.

Forty years later, Harvey looks back with pride, not just at surfacing at the Pole, but at having built a crew that worked together, solved problems, and grew stronger with every watch and drill. The lessons remain relevant today, as Arctic waters become strategically important once again. His reflections remind us that submarining has always been about more than machinery. It is about people, precision, and the willingness to take a boat where most would never dare.

Captain Harvey’s commitment to the submarine force did not end with his command of Queenfish. In recent years, he has been a driving force behind the pre-commissioning activities of USS Wisconsin (SSBN-827). Recognizing that his home state had contributed greatly to submarine construction during World War II, Harvey rallied support to see a new Columbia-class boat named in Wisconsin’s honor. He helped establish the USS Wisconsin Association, a group dedicated not only to commissioning ceremonies but to supporting the crews and families throughout the life of the ship. From inflatable submarine displays at state capitols to organizing keel-laying celebrations and watch parties, Harvey has worked tirelessly to ensure that the Badger State embraces its namesake boat. His efforts remind us that the bond between a submarine and the people it represents extends far beyond steel and reactor cores: it lives in the pride of those who carry the name forward.

This is the story told in Patrol Reports for August 27, 2025. It is a tale of the Cold War under the ice, but more than that, it is a testament to the submariner’s craft, and to the camaraderie that carries them through the day and into the future…

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Captain Jim Harvey, USN (ret)

40+ years of Submarines

Raised on a dairy farm near Boyceville, WI and married to teenage sweetheart, Jim enlisted in the Navy in 1958. He served on various submarines with unique missions. He was onboard ETHAN ALLEN during the nation’s only submerged launch of a Polaris missile with a live nuclear warhead in 1962, on patrol in 1963 during the Cuban Missile Crisis, onboard QUEENFISH for North Pole ICEX operations in 1985. As ET1 (SS) he was selected for Naval Enlisted Scientific Education Program (NESEP) and commissioned via OCS in 1968. He commanded QUEENFISH, WEST VIRGINIA and SUBRON 17. During his 40+ year career he served on two SSs, one SSN, and five SSBNs; three were new construction. His twilight tour was as COMSUBPAC COS retiring in 1999. He holds a BSEE from Purdue University and an MBA from University of New Haven.

Post USN he was certified as a Senior Reactor Operator (SRO) and worked in the commercial nuclear electrical generating industry in Illinois and later at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory’s Advanced Test Reactor ultimately retiring in 2010.

He helped establish the first Wisconsin High School Aviation STEM curriculum in Boyceville. Jim instigated a letter writing campaign that resulted in a bipartisan letter from WI Senators & Representative to SECNAV recommending a future submarine be named USS Wisconsin. He is one of the three Founders of the USS Wisconsin (SSBN 827) Association, Inc.