the belt by Captain Crane, who launches the nuclear missile from outside the sub before Alvarez is aware. It explodes in the Van Allen Belt as intended, driving the burning flames away from the Earth and saving humanity. As the sky returns to its normal blue color, Seaview turns for home, her mission completed. Cast Walter Pidgeon as Admiral Harriman Nelson Joan Fontaine as Dr. Susan Hiller Barbara Eden as Lieutenant (JG) Cathy Connors Peter Lorre as Commodore Lucius Emery Robert Sterling as Captain Lee Crane Michael Ansara as Miguel Alvarez Frankie Avalon as Lieutenant (JG) Danny Romano Regis Toomey as Dr. Jamieson John Litel as Vice-Admiral B.J. Crawford Howard McNear as Congressman Llewellyn Parker Henry Daniell as Dr. Emilio Zucco Robert Easton as 'Sparks' Mark Slade as Seaman Jimmy 'Red' Smith Charles Tannen as CPO Gleason Del Monroe as Seaman Kowski Historical and technical background The name of the film is an inversion of a phrase in common use at the time, concerning the exploration of the Arctic Ocean by nuclear submarines, namely, "a voyage to the top of the world". From August 1, 1958, through August 5, 1958, (the first nuclear-powered submarine), under the command of Commander (later Captain) William R. Anderson, steamed under the Arctic ice cap to make the first crossing from the Pacific to the Atlantic via the North Pole. On August 3, 1958, she became the first vessel to reach the North Pole. For this accomplishment, Nautilus and her crew were awarded the Presidential Unit Citation, the first Presidential Unit Citation awarded in peacetime. The citation began with the words, "For outstanding achievement in completing the first voyage in history across the top of the world, by cruising under the Arctic ice cap from the Bering Strait to the Greenland Sea". Nautilus 90 North (1959, with Clay Blair) was the first book Anderson wrote about the Arctic missions of USS Nautilus. It was named for the radio message he sent to the Chief of Naval Operations to announce that Nautilus had reached the pole. His second book about these missions, The Ice Diaries: The Untold Story of the Cold War's Most Daring Mission (with Don Keith), was completed shortly before Anderson's death. This second book includes many previously classified details. On March 17, 1959, the nuclear submarine , under the command of Commander (later Vice Admiral) James F. Calvert, became the first submarine to