In October 1976 HM nuclear submarine Sovereign was sent into the Arctic Ocean on a voyage to the North Pole. This was the second Royal Naval submarine deployment in the Arctic Ocean, the first being the voyage of the Dreadnought in 1971. Sovereign was accompanied by HM submarine Narwhal as far as 80°N, and within the Arctic Basin the submarine's track was flown over by a Canadian Argus maritime patrol aircraft. The Scott Polar Research Institute carried out a scientific programme from both vessels, with Dr P. Wadhams aboard Sovereign and V. A. Squire aboard Narwhal.