The Navy did not begin exploring the Arctic before 1836, but the tradition is believed to have become more formalized after World War II when the Navy started regularly exploring the region.
It wasn't until 1851 that a ship successfully crossed the Arctic Circle as part of what is now known as the First Grinnell Expedition.
Henry Grinnell, an American merchant from New York, funded the expedition as part of a mission to find the lost Franklin expedition, a team of Royal Navy sailors who had set out six years prior and never returned.
The First Grinnell Expedition marked the first time the US Navy successfully navigated the Arctic, crossed the Arctic Circle, and returned to the US.
With the knowledge gained about land masses, sailing techniques, and maritime paths in the Arctic, many expeditions north would follow.