Show r i MYSTERY MISSION 1 l US U.S. Secret Sub Trip Sounds Siberia Ice By DANIEL C C. WEBSTER JUNEAU JUNEAU Masks Alaska INS tINS tINSA INSA A A U U. S. S navy submarine task unit with with an admiral in tn command was revealed Tuesday to h have ve vem m made de a shrouded secrecy-shrouded voyage under the polar Ice pack off the Siberian coast Mystery still veiled the mission to the top of the world as the theun un- un d erse as boats were en route south from Juneau The he dangerous dive under the frozen stepping stone tone between North America and Russia Russin was made Rear y-Rear Adm A R McCann n commanding the submarine force of th the Adm McCann and picked members members members mem- mem mem mem- bers of his staff stat joined the submarine submarine submarine rine task c unit at Adak in the Aleutian Islands The submersible task unit formed at Pearl Harbor last month for the cruise embraced the s sub stab b r marine tender Nereus Nereus' and Nereus-and and fleet e t submarine Boar Boarfish Caiman Calman Chub and Cabezon Routine Cr Cruise The Boarfish by J. J H. H Turner reached the Aleutian rende rendezvous ou from San I Diego cat Cal and served as Adm 1 McCanns McCann's flagship Capt L. L H. H Chappell commodore of the task unit admitting the shores of Siberia were visible from his periscope insisted Tuesday in Juneau that the cruise w was s routine routine rou routine tine He stressed however that For some years now the navys navy's I attention has b been n directed to the central and south Pacific and Adm I McCann was desirous of ol giving young crews experience in Alaskan waters Capt Chappell also iwo dismissed as routine the s sounding and chart chart- h rt-J rt ins ing of of arctic waters off oft Siberia west west the of-the U.-S. U. navys navy's vast vast new new t taU oil aU reserve at Point Barrow northernmost northernmost northernmost north north- tip of North America No Na Knowledge I The task unit commodore de- de declined declined de de- dined comment on on the Jesting testing of new undersea equipment and end pro pro professed teed eased no knowledge of reported department navy concern over ver the number type and disposition of ot the Soviet fleet Along the Aleutian chain the subs engaged in maneuvers maneuvers under an umbrella of ot based Adak-based naval aircraft This training phase of the cruise ended at St. St Paul Island In the group There the crews were were given leave to watch sealing operations b before fore embarking on the arctic ex ex- On the second morning north of the Bering strait in the shadow of Sib Siberia's shore the subs encountered I Ice The tender Nereus took a position at th the west end of a mile mlle line l The undersea craft pushed north north- fanned out toward Siberia with mile 40 mlle gaps between each of the I C Captain Chappell Chappel explained that a this this was wu to insure aan an extensive f pi picture ture of f the ice conformation i Brash ice small ice Ice small floes and melting ber bergs bergs appeared s appeared at 72 degrees north latitude between longitude d and arid Some of the 3 surfaced d. d Adm McCann and Capt Chap Chap- Chappell pell then boarded the Boarfish fora for f X Xa a secrecy-obscured secrecy dash under the ice cap Capt Chappell said Although w water ter in the Arctic ocean is comparatively shallow the the Boarfish Bo submerged in 15 to 2 20 20 fathoms and passed easily eully under the ice pack |