Skate conducted shakedown training out of New London, Connecticut until 29 January 1958, when she cruised to the Bermuda operating area, then returned to her home port on 8 February.

[5] Skate did manage to surface and make contact with Drifting Ice Station Alpha at 85ºN, 300 nm away.

There she was inspected by king Olav V of Norway, US ambassador Frances E. Willis and minister of defence Nils Handal.

In recognition of the dangerous and historic feat, the Skate and its crew were given the Navy Unit Commendation award for "... braving the hazards of the polar ice pack...."[citation needed] While the Skate was unable to surface on its first voyage to the pole, on 17 March 1959, she became the first submarine to surface at the North Pole.

Calvert described the historic moment in his book, saying, "Slowly we blew the tanks and the Skate moved reluctantly upward.

The crew also held a ceremony for the late Arctic explorer Sir Hubert Wilkins and committed his ashes at the pole.

After reaching the Pole, the Skate continued its mission to pioneer arctic operations during periods of extreme cold and maximum ice thickness.

Skate was the first submarine to finish this major conversion program, which was instituted after the loss of USS Thresher in 1963.

[1] After sea trials and a shakedown cruise in the Caribbean, the submarine returned to New London and participated in exercises involved in the development of new undersea tactics and equipment.