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USS Triton (SSRN-586)
Encyclopedia
USS Triton (SSRN/SSN-586), a United States Navy
nuclear-powered radar picket
submarine
, was the first vessel to execute a submerged circumnavigation
of the Earth (Operation Sandblast
), doing so in early 1960. Triton accomplished this objective during her shakedown cruise
while under the command of Captain Edward L. "Ned" Beach, Jr
. The only member of her class
, she also had the distinction of being the only Western submarine powered by two nuclear reactors.
Triton was the second submarine and the fifth ship of the United States Navy to be named for the Greek god Triton
. At the time of her commissioning
in 1959, Triton was the largest, most powerful, and most expensive submarine ever built, at $109 million excluding the cost of nuclear fuel and reactors.
After operating for only two years in her designed role, Tritons role as a radar picket submarine was made obsolete by the introduction of the carrier-based Grumman WF-2 Tracer airborne early warning
aircraft. Converted to an attack submarine in 1962, she became the flagship
for the Commander Submarine Forces U.S. Atlantic Fleet
(COMSUBLANT) in 1964. She was decommissioned in 1969, the first U.S. nuclear submarine to be taken out of service.
Triton' s hull was moored at the St. Julien's Creek Annex
of Norfolk Naval Shipyard
in Portsmouth, Virginia
as part of the reserve fleet until 1993, though she was struck from the Naval Vessel Register
in 1986. In 1993, she was towed to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard
to await the Nuclear Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program. The former Triton landed on the keel resting blocks in the drydock basin on 1 October 2007 to begin this recycling process which was completed effective 30 November 2009.
Triton is considered a first-generation U.S. nuclear-powered submarine, along with , , , and (and her sisters
). While serving as fully operational units of the U.S. Navy, the vessels also played key developmental roles. Nautilus introduced the use of nuclear power for ship propulsion. Seawolf utilized a liquid-metal nuclear reactor
using liquid sodium as an alternative heat exchange medium to pressurized water. Halibut was the first nuclear-powered submarine to perform a strategic nuclear deterrence
patrol armed with Regulus
cruise missile
s. The Skates were the first nuclear-powered submarine class with more than one ship built. Tritons unique contribution to the development of nuclear power for naval propulsion was her dual reactor plant, which provided the speed required for radar picket missions.
Radar picket submarines (Navy classification
"SSR") were developed during the post-war period to provide intelligence information, electronic surveillance, and fighter aircraft interception control for forward-deployed naval forces. Unlike destroyers used as radar picket ships during World War Two, these submarines could avoid attack by submerging if detected. The U.S. Navy's Migraine program involved converting existing fleet submarines into radar picket vessels, and the Navy also ordered two purpose-built diesel-electric SSRs, and . However, these were incapable of sustaining the high submerged speeds necessary to operate with fast carrier task forces and therefore unsuitable to the task.
Nuclear power offered the only possible solution. Triton was designed in the mid-1950s as a radar picket submarine capable of operating at high speed, on the surface, in advance of an aircraft carrier task force. Tritons high speed came from her twin-reactor nuclear propulsion plant, with a designed speed, surfaced and submerged, of 28 kn (34.1 mph; 54.9 km/h). On 27 September 1959, Triton achieved "well in excess of" 30 kn (36.5 mph; 58.8 km/h) during her initial sea trials.
Triton was the only non-Soviet submarine designed with a two-reactor propulsion plant. Her S4G reactor
s were seagoing versions of the land-based S3G reactor
prototype. Both reactors comprised the Submarine Advanced Reactor (SAR) program, a joint venture between the U.S. Navy, Atomic Energy Commission
(AEC), and General Electric
. As originally designed, Tritons total reactor output was rated at 34000 hp. However, Triton achieved 45000 hp during her sea trials, and her first commanding officer, Captain Edward L. Beach, Jr., believed Tritons plant could have reached 60000 hp "had that been necessary."
The number one reactor, located forward, supplied steam to the forward engineering room and the starboard propeller shaft. The number two reactor, located aft, supplied steam to the after engineering room and the port propeller shaft. Each reactor could individually supply steam for the entire ship, or the reactors could be cross-connected as required. It is this enhanced reliability, redundancy, and dependability of its dual-reactor plant that was a key factor in the selection of Triton to undertake the first submerged circumnavigation of the world.
Tritons dual-reactor plant met a number of operational and engineering objectives, specifically the high speed requirement to meet its radar picket mission, which continues to be sources of speculation and controversy to this day. During the early 1950s, many engineers at Naval Reactors branch
of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) were concerned about depending on single-reactor plants for submarine operations, particularly involving under-the-ice Arctic missions. The presence of two de-aerating feed tanks, which are used only on surface warships, suggested that Tritons twin-reactor plant may have served as a testbed for future multi-reactor surface warships. The SAR program was the first production naval reactor developed by General Electric for the U.S. Navy, and GE used this SAR experience for the High Power Reactor (HPR) program that led to the development of the D1G
and D2G
naval reactors used on the , , California
, and Virginia
classes of nuclear-powered surface ships. Finally, the U.S. Navy was debating the best approach to optimize performance, particularly underwater speed, for its nuclear submarine fleet. Triton achieved high speeds through brute horsepower, rather than the more hydrodynamically efficient teardrop-shaped hull form pioneered by which, when combined with nuclear power, allowed to achieve higher speed with less horsepower.
To meet her radar picket role, Tritons main air search radar initially used the AN/SPS-26, the U.S. Navy's first electronically scanned, three-dimensional search radar which was laboratory tested in 1953. The first set was installed onboard the destroyer leader Norfolk
prior to its installation onboard the Triton in 1959. Since it was scanned electronically in elevation, the AN/SPS-26 set did not need a separate height-finding radar. A submarine version of SPS-26, designated BPS-10, was under development, and it was slated for installation on the Triton. To process its radar, electronic, and air traffic data, Triton had a Combat Information Center (CIC) located in a separate air control compartment, situated between Tritons reactor and operations compartments.
Design work on a nuclear-powered radar picket submarine (SSRN) began in 1954–1955. As initially designed, it had a three-level hull, with its Combat Intelligence Center (CIC) located on the middle level. Its overall length was initially 400 feet (121.9 m), with a beam of 38 feet (11.6 m). Also as initially designed, its displacement was 4800 tons surfaced and 6500 tons submerged. January 1955 performance estimates called for the SAR propulsion plant to produce 34,000 shaft horsepower, with a surfaced speed of 27 kn (32.9 mph; 52.9 km/h)) and a submerged speed of 23 kn (28 mph; 45.1 km/h). Triton initially had the same dual radar system installed on the non-nuclear Sailfish-class
radar picket submarines (i.e., BPS-2 search radar and BPS-3 height-finder set) housed in a large, stepped sail
(see image). Construction cost was initially estimated at $78,000,000. Subsequent growth of the SAR propulsion plant necessitated the overall increase in Tritons length and tonnage, although without any loss in speed, while the installation of the AN/SPS-26 3-D search radar allowed the elimination of a separate height-finder.
Triton was to be the lead ship of a proposed class of nuclear-powered radar picket submarines. A December 1955 long-range naval planning report envisioned five carrier strike groups, each supported by two radar picket submarines. The total force included two non-nuclear Sailfish class submarines and eight nuclear submarines. With construction costs for Triton escalating, this long-range requirement was revised in 1957 to provide four nuclear-powered radar picket submarines for a single nuclear-powered carrier group, with the four remaining conventionally powered carrier groups supported by two diesel-electric radar picket submarines each.
At the time of her construction, Triton was the largest submarine ever built. Her knife-like bow, with its bulbous forefoot, provided improved surfaced sea-keeping for her radar picket role. Her surface sea-keeping was further enhanced by high reserve buoyancy (30%), provided by 22 ballast tanks, the most ever in an American submarine. She was the last submarine to have a conning tower
, as well as the last American submarine to have twin screws or a stern torpedo room. Her sail was the largest ever aboard an American submarine, measuring 70 feet (21.3 m) long, 24 feet (7.3 m) tall, and 12 feet (3.7 m) wide, and designed to house the large AN/SPS-26 3-D air-search radar antenna when not in use. She also had a compartment solely for crew berthing, with 96 bunks, and two separate chief petty officers' (CPOs') quarters. With an overall length of 447.5 feet (136.4 m), Triton was the longest submarine ever built for the United States Navy until Ohio in 1979.
. A submarine version of SPS-26, designated BPS-10, was under development at the time of Tritons construction, and it was slated for eventual installation on the Triton.
Tritons active/passive sonar detecting-ranging set was the AN/BQS-4, which had a listening range up to 20 nmi (37 km; 23 mi) for surfaced or snorkeling submarines, optimized to 35 nmi (64.8 km; 40.3 mi) with target tracking capability within 5 degrees of accuracy. The hull-mounted passive sonar AN/BQR-2 array supplemented the BQS-4 system, with a range up to 10 nmi (18.5 km; 11.5 mi) and a bearing accuracy of 1/10 of degree, allowing the BQR-2 to be used for fire control in torpedo attacks.
Tritons target fire-control system (TFCS) was the Mark 101, a post-war development that incorporated target tracking and ranging data into a position keeper, with a pair of analyzers that automatically revised torpedo gyros and settings as the target position changed. This automation greatly simplified a targeting solution for a plotting party. Previously targeting solutions were manually estimated target bearings and then feed them into the Torpedo Data Computer
(TDC) system initially introduced in fleet submarines prior to World War II
. However, while entirely capable of providing efficient fire control solutions against post-war non-nuclear hunter-killer submarines, the Marl 101 proved to be less responsive to the rapid changes associated with nuclear submarine operations.
Tritons torpedo system consisted of six Mark 60 torpedo tubes, four bow and two stern. The Mark 60 system was a 249.8 inches (6,344.9 mm)-long hydraulic-launch tube that did not have power handling capability. The standard torpedo carried by Triton was the Mark 37
, with a weapon load of ten forward and five aft. Tritons first commanding officer, "Ned" Beach, noted the torpedo load in the forward torpedo room could have been doubled with the removal of a single support girder.
The Number One periscope was Tritons navigational periscope, and it had a built-in sextant
developed by the Kollmorgen Optical Company that allowed navigators to observe celestial bodies to order to obtain an accurate star fix to plot the ship's course and position.
The U.S. Navy ordered a "large radar picket using the advanced two-reactor system," designated SCB 132, in October 1955 under the U.S. Department of Defense appropriation for Fiscal Year 1956. The U.S. Navy's 1956 shipbuilding program was significant because it included authorized for the construction of eight submarines, the largest such order since World War II
. This FY-56 program included five nuclear-powered submarines – Triton, the guided missile submarine Halibut
, the lead ship
for the Skipjack class
, and the final two Skate-class attack submarines
, Sargo
and Seadragon
. It also included the three diesel-electric Barbel class
, the last diesel-electric submarines to be built by the U.S. Navy.
Tritons keel was laid down on 29 May 1956 in Groton, Connecticut
, by the Electric Boat
Division of the General Dynamics Corporation. Her length presented Electric Boat with many problems during her construction. She was so long her bow obstructed the slipway's railway facility, used for transporting material around the yard, Consequently, the lower half of her bow was cut away to facilitate yard operations, and the bow was re-attached just days prior to her launch. Similarly, the last 50 feet (15.2 m) of her stern was built on an adjoining slip and attached to the rest of the hull before Tritons launch. Her sail was found to be too high to go under the scaffolding, so the top 12 feet (3.7 m) was cut away and re-attached later.
Even before her launch, there was considerable discussion of Tritons role beyond her radar picket mission. An internal Navy memorandum set forth four options for the submarine's extended use. These included configuration to serve as a command ship
(SSCN) for a fleet or force commander, an advanced sonar
scout for the fleet, a Regulus missile submarine (SSGN
), or a minelaying submarine
. However, with the exception of the command ship option, all of these proposed configurations required extensive modification to her original design. Another potential mission was as a underwater tug, able to rescue disabled submarines under the Arctic
ice pack. Tritons first commanding officer, Captain Edward L. Beach, requested plans be drawn up for this modification, which he characterized as "easy and inexpensive". Although there was consideration for a deployment to Arctic waters, there is no evidence that Triton was ever employed as an underwater tug.
Triton was launched
on 19 August 1958, with Louise Willis, the wife of Vice Admiral John Wills
USN (ret.), as her sponsor. The principal address was delivered by Admiral Jerauld Wright
, the Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Atlantic Command
(CINCLANT), the Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet (CINCLANTFLT) and Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic
(SACLANT) for NATO. Over 35,000 guests attended, the largest crowd to witness a submarine launching up to that time.
On 1 February 1959, Triton was provisionally accepted for service in the U.S. Navy, with Captain Beach, the Prospective Commanding Officer (PCO), now designated as Officer-in-Charge. Triton met several key milestones before her commissioning. On 8 February 1959, reactor No. 2 achieved initial critical mass
, while reactor No 1 achieved this milestone on 3 April 1959.
Two shipboard accidents occurred during Tritons post-launch fitting-out. On 2 October 1958, prior to the nuclear reactor fuel being installed, a steam valve failed during testing, causing a large cloud of steam that filled the number two reactor compartment, and on 7 April 1959, a fire broke out during the testing of a deep-fat fryer and spread from the galley into the ventilation lines of the crew's mess. Both incidents, neither nuclear related, were quickly handled by ship personnel, with Lt. Commander Leslie B. Kelly, the prospective chief engineering officer, being awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal
for his quick action during the 2 October incident.
Triton began her sea trials on 27 September 1959. Over the next five days, the ship's systems and equipment were thoroughly tested under the overall direction of Hyman G. Rickover
of the Bureau of Ships
' Naval Reactors branch and Captain A. C. Smith, the Supervisor of Shipbuilding at Electric Boat. Triton generated 45000 hp on sea trials, reaching her design surface speed of 27 kn (52.9 km/h; 32.9 mph), and achieved a surface speed well in excess of 30 kn (58.8 km/h; 36.5 mph). Triton subsequently executed a four-hour, full-power submerged run and a crash-back maneuver.Crashback is a maneuver which occurs when a ship or submarine reverses its propeller while traveling forward, slowing or stopping that vessel. This results in unpredictable forces on the ship's hull, rudder, and propeller, resulting in decreased control and maneuverability. Source: The only significant problem encountered during her initial sea trials was the overheating of the lubricating oil system for the starboard propshaft spring bearing. At the recommendation of Admiral Rickover, a hose was rigged to spray the bearing housing with a steady stream of sea water to keep the shaft cool, as well as a special watch set to monitor the temperature of the lube oil.
Triton began her preliminary acceptance trials (PAT) on 20 September 1959. These trials were conducted under the supervision of Rear Admiral Francis Douglas McCorkle of the U.S. Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV)
. After three days of at-sea tests, Triton was passed by the INSURV as being ready to enter service as a U.S. naval vessel.
Triton was commissioned
on 10 November 1959 with Captain Edward L. Beach, Jr. in command. Vice Admiral Bernard L. Austin, the Deputy CNO
for Plans and Policy, made the keynote address, noting:
The widow of the late Rear Admiral Willis A. "Pilly" Lent
presented the original ship's bell from the first Triton
at the new commissioning ceremony. The late Admiral Lent had been the earlier Tritons first commanding officer. A watercolor painting
of the ship also was presented by the American Water Color Society. The final cost of building Triton, less her reactors, nuclear fuel, and other related costs paid by the AEC
, was $109,000,000 USD, making Triton the most expensive submarine ever built at the time of her commissioning.
Triton was assigned to Submarine Squadron 10, the U.S. Navy's first all-nuclear force, based at the U.S. Submarine Base
in New London, Connecticut, under the command of Commodore Tom Henry. Triton subsequently completed torpedo trials at Naval Station Newport
and conducted other special tests at the Norfolk Navy Base
before returning to Electric Boat on 7 December 1959 in order to install special communications equipment, including a prototype of the BRA-3 towed communications buoy system housed in a large fairing located on the after end of the main deck. Work on Triton at Electric Boat was delayed as priority was given to completing the Navy's first two fleet ballistic missile
(FBM) submarines, and , with the objective for both vessels to start their first nuclear deterrence patrols before the end of 1960.
On 20 January 1960, Triton got underway to conduct an accelerated series of at-sea testing. Triton returned on 1 February as preparations continued for her forthcoming shakedown cruise, scheduled for departure on 16 February 1960, which involved operating with the command ship
, flagship
of the U.S. Second Fleet, in northern European waters. On 1 February, Captain Beach received a message from Rear Admiral Lawrence R. "Dan" Daspit (COMSUBLANT) instructing Beach to attend a top secret meeting at The Pentagon
on 4 February 1960 that led to the execution of Operation Sandblast, the first submerged circumnavigation of the world.
During her shakedown cruise, Triton successfully executed the first submerged circumnavigation of the world, code name
d Operation Sandblast, following the same track as the first circumnavigation led by Ferdinand Magellan
, as summarized by Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
:
Tritons commanding officer during Operation Sandblast, Captain Edward L. Beach, also provided a unique perspective on the circumnavigation in his log:
The noted historian Bern Dibner
placed the significance of Operation Sandblast into historical context:
The actual submerged circumnavigation occurred between 24 February and 25 April 1960, covering 26723 nmi (49,491 km; 30,752.4 mi) in 60 days and 21 hours at the average speed of 18 kn (35.3 km/h; 21.9 mph) while crossing the Equator
on four different occasions. Also, the total duration of Tritons shakedown cruise was 84 days 19 hours 8 minutes, covering 36335.1 nmi (67,292.6 km; 41,813.8 mi), and Triton remained submerged for a total of 83 days 9 hours, covering 35979.1 nmi (66,633.3 km; 41,404.1 mi) during her maiden voyage.
The New York Times described Tritons submerged circumnavigation of the world as "a triumph of human prowess and engineering skill, a feat which the United States Navy can rank as one of its bright victories in man's ultimate conquest of the seas."
Following her post-shakedown availability (PSA), Triton assumed her duties as a radar picket submarine in August 1960. She deployed to northern European waters with the Second Fleet to participate in NATO exercises oriented around detecting and intercepting Soviet bombers overflying the Arctic. Triton also participated in NATO exercises against British naval forces led by the aircraft carriers and under the command of Rear Admiral Sir Charles Madden
, RN. Triton completed the deployment with a port visit to Bremerhaven
, West Germany, the first by a nuclear-powered ship to a European port, from 2–9 October 1960, with an estimated 8,000 touring the boat during this port-call.
For the first half of 1961, Triton conducted operational patrols and training exercises with the Atlantic Fleet. This included an at-sea exercise involving low-power testing in support of the development of a proposed natural circulation reactor (NCR)
. She also deployed to monitor the Soviet 50-megaton hydrogen bomb detonation at Novaya Zemlya
in the Arctic Ocean during late October 1961.
During this period, the rising threat posed by Soviet submarine forces increased the Navy's demands for nuclear-powered attack submarines with antisubmarine warfare (ASW) capability. Following the development of the carrier-based Grumman WF-2 Tracer airborne early warning
aircraft, Tritons AN/SPS-26 3-D long-range air search radar was no longer needed, and the development of the submarine version of this 3-D radar system, the BPS-10, was canceled in 1960. Accordingly, upon the demise of the Navy's radar picket submarine program, Triton was redesignated SSN-586 on 1 March 1961.
in June 1962 for conversion to an attack submarine. Her crew complement was reduced from 172 to 159. She was overhauled and refueled at Groton, Connecticut, from September 1962 to January 1964, which included modification to serve as the flagship for COMSUBLANT. Since the Navy no longer had any plans to use Tritons radar picket capability, her SPS-26 radar set was replaced by a two-dimensional AN/BPS-2 air search radar, with Triton now providing the fleet with an at-sea air strike control capability.
Because she subsequently served as COMSUBLANT's flagship following her overhaul, one area of continuing speculation is whether Triton was part of the National Emergency Command Post Afloat
(NECPA) program. NECPA was tasked to provide afloat facilities for the President of the United States in case of an emergency or war, with the command cruisers Northampton and assigned to perform this mission. Triton had a number of attributes that made her a potential NECPA platform. Her size allowed ample room for additional shipboard systems and accommodations. Her designed speed provided the capability for rapid transit, and her nuclear power plant offered virtually unlimited endurance and range. The Combat Information Center (CIC) provided substantial command and control
capabilities as did the communication buoy system that could receive and send radio transmissions while submerged. As she was a submarine, Triton offered superior protection against nuclear-biological-chemical (NBC) contaminants over surface ships or airborne command centre. However, the record remains unclear if such an explicit conversion was ever undertaken.
In March 1964, upon completion of her overhaul, Tritons home port was changed from New London, to Norfolk. On 13 April 1964, she became the flagship for COMSUBLANT. In January 1965, Triton rescued the pilot and a passenger of a charter aircraft that had ditched in the Atlantic Ocean off St. Croix in the Virgin Islands
. Triton was relieved as COMSUBLANT's flagship by the Sturgeon-class attack submarine
on 1 June 1967. Eleven days later, the Triton was shifted to her original home port of New London, Connecticut.
like other U.S. nuclear submarines, because of the complexity of her zirconium-clad
fuel elements, Tritons previous re-fueling had been done in a shipyard during her 1962–1964 overhaul. Although new fuel elements were procured and available for installation, Tritons overhaul was canceled, a source of controversy. One speculation suggests that the cancellation of Tritons overhaul allowed funds to be redirected for the repairs to the supercarrier
which had been extensively damaged
off Vietnam
.
From October 1968 through May 1969, she underwent preservation and deactivation processes, and she was decommissioned on 3 May 1969. Triton became the U.S. Navy's first nuclear-powered submarine to be taken out of service, and second in the world, after the Soviet Navy's
November-class
submarine K-27
in 1968.
On 6 May 1969, Triton departed New London under tow and proceeded to Norfolk, Virginia, where she was placed in the reserve fleet. She remained berthed at Norfolk or at the St. Julien's Creek Annex
of Norfolk Naval Shipyard
in Portsmouth, Virginia
, into 1993. She was stricken from the Naval Vessel Registry on 30 April 1986. In August 1993, the hulks of the ex-Triton and the ex-Ray were towed by the salvage tug
Bolster
to the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNS)
, in Bremerton, Washington
, arriving on 3 September 1993, to await their turn in the Nuclear Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program (SRP)
. Effective 1 October 2007, ex-Triton landed on the keel resting blocks in the drydock basin to begin recycling. The long delay in the disposal of ex-Triton has been attributed to the complexity of her dual reactor plant. Final recycling was completed effective 30 November 2009.
In the eight days prior to Tritons departure on her around-the-world submerged voyage, Captain Beach approached Lt. Tom B. Thamm, Tritons Auxiliary Division Officer, to design a commemorative plaque for their upcoming voyage, as well as the first circumnavigation led by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan
. The plaque's eventual design consisted of a brass
disk about 23 inches (58.4 cm) in diameter, bearing a sailing ship reminiscent of Magellan's carrack, Trinidad, above the submarine dolphin insignia
with the years 1519 and 1960 between them, all within a laurel wreath
. Outside the wreath is the motto AVE NOBILIS DUX, ITERUM FACTUM EST ("Hail Noble Captain, It Is Done Again").
Commodore Henry, commanding Subron, 10 supervised the completion of the plaque. The carving of the wooden form was done by retired Chief Electrician's Mate Ernest L. Benson at New London. The actual molding of the plaque was done by the Mystic Foundry.
During the homeward leg of her around-the-world voyage, Triton rendezvoused with the destroyer on 2 May 1960 off Cadiz, Spain, the departure point for Magellan's earlier voyage. Triton broached, and Weeks transferred the finished plaque to Triton for transport back to the United States. The plaque was subsequently presented to the Spanish government by John Davis Lodge
, the United States Ambassador to Spain. Copies of the plaque are located at the City Hall in Sanlucar de Barrameda
, Spain; the Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, Connecticut
; the Naval Historical Association in Washington, DC; and two locations in Groton, Connecticut
: the U.S. Navy Submarine School and the U.S. Navy Submarine Force Library and Museum. The plaque mounted on the wall of the city hall of Sanlucar de Barrameda
also has a marble slab memorializing the 1960 Triton submerged circumnavigation.
on the seawall of the United States Naval Academy
in Annapolis, Maryland, where the Severn River
meets Spa Creek and the Annapolis harbor. It was donated to the Academy and named for the Greek god by the United States Naval Academy Class of 1945. The crew of Triton provided samples of water taken from the 22 seas through which their ship had passed during their submerged 1960 circumnavigation. These samples filled a globe built into the Triton Light, and the naming of the light and significance of the globe are explained in a commemorative marker.
Beach Hall is the new headquarters for the United States Naval Institute
which was dedicated on 21 April 1999 (pictured). The facility is named after Captain Edward L. Beach, Sr.
, who served as the Institutes secretary-treasurer, and his son, Edward L. Beach, Jr., who commanded Triton during Operation Sandblast. The dive wheel from Tritons conning tower is on display in the lobby of Beach Hall.
Triton was the 2003 inductee into the Submarine Hall of Fame following her nomination by the Tidewater chapter and Hampton Roads Base of the United States Submarine Veterans, Inc. (USSVI). A shadow box filled with Triton memorabilia was placed in Alcorn Auditorium of Ramage Hall located at the U.S. Navy Submarine Learning Center, Naval Station Norfolk
.
USS Triton Recruit Barracks (Ship 12) was dedicated in ceremonies at the U.S. Navy's Recruit Training Command, Naval Station Great Lakes
, near North Chicago, Illinois, on 25 June 2004. The facility honors the memory of two submarines named Triton and includes memorabilia from both. Triton Hall is the fifth barracks constructed under the RTC Recapitalization Project, covering 172,000 square feet (15,979 square meters) in floor space. The facility is designed to accommodate 1056 recruits, and it includes berthing, classrooms, learning resource centers, a galley, a quarterdeck, and a modern HVAC system.
The planned site of the USS Triton Submarine Memorial Park is on the Columbia River
, at the end of Port of Benton Boulevard in north Richland, Washington
. Its purpose is "to establish a permanent park in north Richland in recognition of all the decommissioned reactor cores off-loaded at the Port’s barge slip, transported and stored at the Hanford Site
."
The park will feature Tritons sail superstructure
and an information display on the history of Triton. The park will also serve as a tourist attraction, especially due to its location, since Hanford is the resting place of spent reactor cores from several Navy ships. Planning called for the sail will to be cut up for transport and re-assembly at the park site. Ground-breaking was initially scheduled to take place on 3 April 2008, with the dedication ceremony set for 19 August 2008 and a Fall 2009 start-date for construction. On 23 October 2009, the Port of Benton encased Tritons conning tower in concrete at its new USS Triton Submarine Memorial Park in north Richland, Washington. In mid-December 2009, the final pieces of Tritons sail were welded together at the park's site. During the 11 August 2010 Port of Benton commission meeting, it was reported that bids for the first phase, which includes the park's electrical lighting system and the pouring the concrete around the Tritons sail, would be announced shortly by the port authority. The second phase would involve the park's landscaping, and the third phase would be the installation of a parking lot. The park is part of the Richland Riverfront Trail, a marked hiking trail that focuses on the state of Washington's contribution to the nuclear history of the United States, and it connects to the Sacagawea Heritage Trail. The USS Triton Submarine Memorial Park
is located off George Washington Way near the Columbia River
, and it will be formally dedicated on November 10, 2011, the 52bd anniversary of the commissioning of the USS Triton.
In 2011, the USS Triton, Operation Sandblast
, and Captain Edward L. Beach, Jr.
, were included in the Technology for the Nucleat Age: Nuclear Propulsion display for the Cold War exhibit at the U.S. Navy Museum
in Washington, DC.
novels. In The Last Mayday by Keith Wheeler (1968), Triton is depicted as participating in a submarine training exercise at the beginning of the novel, with special notice made of her large, rectangular sail. In the 1978 novel Cold is the Sea by Edward L. Beach, the second sequel to his 1955 best-seller Run Silent, Run Deep
, Triton is mentioned several times; Also, the under-ice towing capability that was considered for Triton served as a key plot point for the novel. Finally, in The Hunt for Red October
by Tom Clancy
, the biographical background for Marko Ramius mentions that, while commanding a Charlie-class submarine
, Ramius had "hounded [Triton] mercilessly for twelve hours" in the Norwegian Sea
. Subsequently, Ramius "would note with no small satisfaction that the Triton was soon thereafter retired, because, it was said, the oversized vessel had proven unable to deal with the newer Soviet designs."
Two films of the period, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
and Around the World Under the Sea
, dramatized globe-circling submerged voyages similar to Operation Sandblast. Also, in the teaser
of the episode "Mutiny" of the Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
television series, broadcast on January 11, 1965, the fictional nuclear submarine Neptune is on her shakedown cruise, under the supervision of Admiral Harriman Nelson
(Richard Basehart
), and when the submarine's port shaft bearing begins overheating, Admiral Nelson orders a hose be rigged to cool the port shaft down with sea water, the same solution Admiral Rickover had suggested during Tritons sea trials.
The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart
comedy album included a sketch entitled "The Cruise of the U.S.S. Codfish" which was a monologue involving the final address by the captain to the crew of a nuclear-powered submarine after completing a two-year-long, around-the-world underwater voyage. Bob Newhart
noted in a 2006 interview that:
Captain Beach reportedly played "The Cruise of the U.S.S. Codfish" over the ship's public address system during Tritons first overseas deployment in the Fall of 1960. Antigua-Barbuda issued a commemorative stamp of Tritons 1960 submerged circumnavigation. Also, Triton was the name of one of the submersibles featured in the Submarine Voyage
attraction at Disneyland which operated from 1959 to 1998.
in Mashantuket
, Connecticut, with Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
(MCPON) Rick D. West
delivering opening remarks (pictured) to the 2,200 attendees. The U.S. Navy Submarine Force Library and Museum sponsored additional events and activities, entitled "9,000 Leagues Under the Sea," between April 10–12 and April 14–18, 2010.
Also, on April 9, 2010, retired Admiral Henry G. Chiles, Jr.
, who served in Triton from 1963–1966, was the keynote speaker at the graduation class of the Basic Enlisted Submarine School at the New London Naval Submarine Base in Groton, Connecticut. The graduation class was named in honor of Triton, and each graduate received a certificate of course completion and a commemorative coin celebrating the 50th anniversary of Tritons submerged circumnavigation. The Dolphin Scholarship Foundation
used the 50th anniversary of Operation Sandblast to promote its Race Around the World fund-raising program to support its Dolphin Scholarship program. Finally, former members of the Tritons crew received commemorative souvenirs of the ship's pressure hull at their 2010 re-union.
For the 50th anniversary of Operation Sandblast (see below), writer-historian Carl LaVO wrote "Incredible Voyage" for the June 2010 edition of Naval History magazine, and John Beach wrote "The First Submerged Circumnavigation" for the April 1960 issue of The Submarine Review, the official magazine of the Naval Submarine League. Mr. Beach is the nephew of Captain Edward L. Beach, the commanding officer of the USS Triton during Operation Sandblast. Finally, the Naval Institute Press
published Beneath the Waves by Dr. Edward F. Finch, a 2010 biography of the late Captain Beach, which includes extensive coverage of Operation Sandblast.
The legacy of Operation Sandblast on its 50th anniversary was summarized by retired Captain James C. Hay who had served on the Triton during its historic submerged around-the-world voyage. On the editorial page of the April 1960 issue of The Submarine Review, the official magazine of the Naval Submarine League, Captain Hay noted:
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
nuclear-powered radar picket
Radar picket
A radar picket is a radar-equipped ship, submarine, aircraft, or vehicle used to increase the radar detection range around a force to protect it from surprise attack. Often several detached radar units encircle a force to provide increased cover in all directions.-World War II:Radar picket ships...
submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
, was the first vessel to execute a submerged circumnavigation
Circumnavigation
Circumnavigation – literally, "navigation of a circumference" – refers to travelling all the way around an island, a continent, or the entire planet Earth.- Global circumnavigation :...
of the Earth (Operation Sandblast
Operation Sandblast
Operation Sandblast was the code name for the first submerged circumnavigation of the world executed by the U.S. Navy nuclear-powered radar picket submarine in 1960 while under the command of Captain Edward L. Beach, USN...
), doing so in early 1960. Triton accomplished this objective during her shakedown cruise
Shakedown cruise
Shakedown cruise is a nautical term in which the performance of a ship is tested. Shakedown cruises are also used to familiarize the ship's crew with operation of the craft....
while under the command of Captain Edward L. "Ned" Beach, Jr
Edward L. Beach, Jr.
Edward Latimer Beach, Jr. was a highly-decorated United States Navy submarine officer and best-selling author....
. The only member of her class
Ship class
A ship class is a group of ships of a similar design. This is distinct from a ship-type, which might reflect a similarity of tonnage or intended use. For example, the is a nuclear aircraft carrier of the Nimitz class....
, she also had the distinction of being the only Western submarine powered by two nuclear reactors.
Triton was the second submarine and the fifth ship of the United States Navy to be named for the Greek god Triton
Triton (mythology)
Triton is a mythological Greek god, the messenger of the big sea. He is the son of Poseidon, god of the sea, and Amphitrite, goddess of the sea, whose herald he is...
. At the time of her commissioning
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
in 1959, Triton was the largest, most powerful, and most expensive submarine ever built, at $109 million excluding the cost of nuclear fuel and reactors.
After operating for only two years in her designed role, Tritons role as a radar picket submarine was made obsolete by the introduction of the carrier-based Grumman WF-2 Tracer airborne early warning
Airborne Early Warning
An airborne early warning and control system is an airborne radar system designed to detect aircraft at long ranges and control and command the battle space in an air engagement by directing fighter and attack plane strikes...
aircraft. Converted to an attack submarine in 1962, she became the flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
for the Commander Submarine Forces U.S. Atlantic Fleet
ComSubLant
Commander, Submarine Force Atlantic is the type commander for U.S. submarines in the Atlantic Fleet. Established on 7 December 1941, Rear Admiral Richard S. Edwards was assigned as the first Force Commander. U.S. submarine operations in the Atlantic, however, go back to before the First World War...
(COMSUBLANT) in 1964. She was decommissioned in 1969, the first U.S. nuclear submarine to be taken out of service.
Triton
St. Julien's Creek Annex
St. Julien's Creek Annex is a U.S. naval support facility that provides administrative offices, light industrial shops, and storage facilities for tenant naval commands. Its primary mission is to provide a radar testing range and various administrative and warehousing structures for the Norfolk...
of Norfolk Naval Shipyard
Norfolk Naval Shipyard
The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard and abbreviated as NNSY, is a U.S. Navy facility in Portsmouth, Virginia, for building, remodeling, and repairing the Navy's ships. It's the oldest and largest industrial facility that belongs to the U.S. Navy as well as the most...
in Portsmouth, Virginia
Portsmouth, Virginia
Portsmouth is located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the city had a total population of 95,535.The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard, is a historic and active U.S...
as part of the reserve fleet until 1993, though she was struck from the Naval Vessel Register
Naval Vessel Register
The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...
in 1986. In 1993, she was towed to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility is a United States Navy shipyard covering 179 acres on Puget Sound at Bremerton, Washington...
to await the Nuclear Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program. The former Triton landed on the keel resting blocks in the drydock basin on 1 October 2007 to begin this recycling process which was completed effective 30 November 2009.
Design history
Skate class submarine
The Skate-class submarines were the United States Navy's first production run of nuclear powered submarines. They were an evolution of the Tang class in everything but their propulsion plants, which were based on the experimental . The four Skate class boats re-introduced stern torpedo tubes...
). While serving as fully operational units of the U.S. Navy, the vessels also played key developmental roles. Nautilus introduced the use of nuclear power for ship propulsion. Seawolf utilized a liquid-metal nuclear reactor
Liquid metal cooled reactor
A liquid metal cooled nuclear reactor, liquid metal fast reactor or LMFR is an advanced type of nuclear reactor where the primary coolant is a liquid metal. Liquid metal cooled reactors were first adapted for nuclear submarine use but have also been extensively studied for power generation...
using liquid sodium as an alternative heat exchange medium to pressurized water. Halibut was the first nuclear-powered submarine to perform a strategic nuclear deterrence
Deterrence theory
Deterrence theory gained increased prominence as a military strategy during the Cold War with regard to the use of nuclear weapons, and features prominently in current United States foreign policy regarding the development of nuclear technology in North Korea and Iran. Deterrence theory however was...
patrol armed with Regulus
SSM-N-8 Regulus
The SSM-N-8A Regulus was a ship and submarine launched, nuclear armed cruise missile deployed by the United States Navy from 1955 to 1964.-Design and development:...
cruise missile
Cruise missile
A cruise missile is a guided missile that carries an explosive payload and is propelled, usually by a jet engine, towards a land-based or sea-based target. Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a large warhead over long distances with high accuracy...
s. The Skates were the first nuclear-powered submarine class with more than one ship built. Tritons unique contribution to the development of nuclear power for naval propulsion was her dual reactor plant, which provided the speed required for radar picket missions.
Radar picket submarines (Navy classification
Hull classification symbol
The United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, and United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration use hull classification symbols to identify their ship types and each individual ship within each type...
"SSR") were developed during the post-war period to provide intelligence information, electronic surveillance, and fighter aircraft interception control for forward-deployed naval forces. Unlike destroyers used as radar picket ships during World War Two, these submarines could avoid attack by submerging if detected. The U.S. Navy's Migraine program involved converting existing fleet submarines into radar picket vessels, and the Navy also ordered two purpose-built diesel-electric SSRs, and . However, these were incapable of sustaining the high submerged speeds necessary to operate with fast carrier task forces and therefore unsuitable to the task.
Nuclear power offered the only possible solution. Triton was designed in the mid-1950s as a radar picket submarine capable of operating at high speed, on the surface, in advance of an aircraft carrier task force. Tritons high speed came from her twin-reactor nuclear propulsion plant, with a designed speed, surfaced and submerged, of 28 kn (34.1 mph; 54.9 km/h). On 27 September 1959, Triton achieved "well in excess of" 30 kn (36.5 mph; 58.8 km/h) during her initial sea trials.
Triton was the only non-Soviet submarine designed with a two-reactor propulsion plant. Her S4G reactor
S4G reactor
The S4G reactor is a naval reactor used by the United States Navy to provide electricity generation and propulsion on warships. The S4G designation stands for:* S = Submarine platform* 4 = Fourth generation core designed by the contractor...
s were seagoing versions of the land-based S3G reactor
S3G reactor
The S3G reactor is a naval reactor used by the United States Navy to provide electricity generation and propulsion on warships. The S3G designation stands for:* S = Submarine platform* 3 = Third generation core designed by the contractor...
prototype. Both reactors comprised the Submarine Advanced Reactor (SAR) program, a joint venture between the U.S. Navy, Atomic Energy Commission
United States Atomic Energy Commission
The United States Atomic Energy Commission was an agency of the United States government established after World War II by Congress to foster and control the peace time development of atomic science and technology. President Harry S...
(AEC), and General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
. As originally designed, Tritons total reactor output was rated at 34000 hp. However, Triton achieved 45000 hp during her sea trials, and her first commanding officer, Captain Edward L. Beach, Jr., believed Tritons plant could have reached 60000 hp "had that been necessary."
Tritons dual-reactor plant met a number of operational and engineering objectives, specifically the high speed requirement to meet its radar picket mission, which continues to be sources of speculation and controversy to this day. During the early 1950s, many engineers at Naval Reactors branch
Naval Reactors
Naval Reactors is an umbrella term for the U.S. government office that has comprehensive responsibility for the continued safe and reliable operation of the United States Navy's nuclear propulsion program and thus for United States Naval reactors...
of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) were concerned about depending on single-reactor plants for submarine operations, particularly involving under-the-ice Arctic missions. The presence of two de-aerating feed tanks, which are used only on surface warships, suggested that Tritons twin-reactor plant may have served as a testbed for future multi-reactor surface warships. The SAR program was the first production naval reactor developed by General Electric for the U.S. Navy, and GE used this SAR experience for the High Power Reactor (HPR) program that led to the development of the D1G
D1G reactor
The D1G reactor was a prototype naval reactor designed for the United States Navy to provide electricity generation and propulsion on warships. The D1G designation stands for:* D = Destroyer platform* 1 = First generation core designed by the contractor...
and D2G
D2G reactor
The D2G reactor was a naval reactor used by the United States Navy to provide electricity generation and propulsion on warships. The D2G designation stands for:* D = Destroyer platform* 2 = Second generation core designed by the contractor...
naval reactors used on the , , California
California class cruiser
The California class cruisers were a set of two of nuclear-powered guided missile cruisers operated by the United States Navy between 1974 and 1998. Other than their nuclear power supply and lack of helicopter hangars, ships of the California class were comparable to other guided missile cruisers...
, and Virginia
Virginia class cruiser
The Virginia-class nuclear guided-missile cruisers were a series of four double-ended guided-missile cruisers commissioned in the late 1970s, which served in the US Navy until the mid- to late-1990s...
classes of nuclear-powered surface ships. Finally, the U.S. Navy was debating the best approach to optimize performance, particularly underwater speed, for its nuclear submarine fleet. Triton achieved high speeds through brute horsepower, rather than the more hydrodynamically efficient teardrop-shaped hull form pioneered by which, when combined with nuclear power, allowed to achieve higher speed with less horsepower.
To meet her radar picket role, Tritons main air search radar initially used the AN/SPS-26, the U.S. Navy's first electronically scanned, three-dimensional search radar which was laboratory tested in 1953. The first set was installed onboard the destroyer leader Norfolk
USS Norfolk (DL-1)
The second USS Norfolk was the first destroyer leader of the United States Navy. Originally projected as a hunter-killer cruiser, she was in service until 1970.-History:...
prior to its installation onboard the Triton in 1959. Since it was scanned electronically in elevation, the AN/SPS-26 set did not need a separate height-finding radar. A submarine version of SPS-26, designated BPS-10, was under development, and it was slated for installation on the Triton. To process its radar, electronic, and air traffic data, Triton had a Combat Information Center (CIC) located in a separate air control compartment, situated between Tritons reactor and operations compartments.
Design work on a nuclear-powered radar picket submarine (SSRN) began in 1954–1955. As initially designed, it had a three-level hull, with its Combat Intelligence Center (CIC) located on the middle level. Its overall length was initially 400 feet (121.9 m), with a beam of 38 feet (11.6 m). Also as initially designed, its displacement was 4800 tons surfaced and 6500 tons submerged. January 1955 performance estimates called for the SAR propulsion plant to produce 34,000 shaft horsepower, with a surfaced speed of 27 kn (32.9 mph; 52.9 km/h)) and a submerged speed of 23 kn (28 mph; 45.1 km/h). Triton initially had the same dual radar system installed on the non-nuclear Sailfish-class
Sailfish class submarine
The Sailfish-class submarines of the United States Navy were the first to be built expressly for radar picket service and, at the time, were the largest conventionally powered submarines in the United States Navy...
radar picket submarines (i.e., BPS-2 search radar and BPS-3 height-finder set) housed in a large, stepped sail
Sail (submarine)
In naval parlance, the sail or fin of a submarine is the tower-like structure found on the dorsal surface of submarines...
(see image). Construction cost was initially estimated at $78,000,000. Subsequent growth of the SAR propulsion plant necessitated the overall increase in Tritons length and tonnage, although without any loss in speed, while the installation of the AN/SPS-26 3-D search radar allowed the elimination of a separate height-finder.
Triton was to be the lead ship of a proposed class of nuclear-powered radar picket submarines. A December 1955 long-range naval planning report envisioned five carrier strike groups, each supported by two radar picket submarines. The total force included two non-nuclear Sailfish class submarines and eight nuclear submarines. With construction costs for Triton escalating, this long-range requirement was revised in 1957 to provide four nuclear-powered radar picket submarines for a single nuclear-powered carrier group, with the four remaining conventionally powered carrier groups supported by two diesel-electric radar picket submarines each.
At the time of her construction, Triton was the largest submarine ever built. Her knife-like bow, with its bulbous forefoot, provided improved surfaced sea-keeping for her radar picket role. Her surface sea-keeping was further enhanced by high reserve buoyancy (30%), provided by 22 ballast tanks, the most ever in an American submarine. She was the last submarine to have a conning tower
Conning tower
A conning tower is a raised platform on a ship or submarine, often armored, from which an officer can con the vessel; i.e., give directions to the helmsman. It is usually located as high on the ship as practical, to give the conning team good visibility....
, as well as the last American submarine to have twin screws or a stern torpedo room. Her sail was the largest ever aboard an American submarine, measuring 70 feet (21.3 m) long, 24 feet (7.3 m) tall, and 12 feet (3.7 m) wide, and designed to house the large AN/SPS-26 3-D air-search radar antenna when not in use. She also had a compartment solely for crew berthing, with 96 bunks, and two separate chief petty officers' (CPOs') quarters. With an overall length of 447.5 feet (136.4 m), Triton was the longest submarine ever built for the United States Navy until Ohio in 1979.
Combat systems overview
Tritons main air search radar was the AN/SPS-26 electronically scanned, three-dimensional (3-D) radar system. The SPS-26 had a range of 65 nmi (120.4 km; 74.8 mi), and it was capable of tracking aircraft up to an altitude of 75000 feet (22,860 m). Since it scanned electronically in elevation, it did not need a separate height-finding radar system. When not in use, the SPS-26 radar was lowered into its fairwater housing for stowage within Tritons massive sailSail (submarine)
In naval parlance, the sail or fin of a submarine is the tower-like structure found on the dorsal surface of submarines...
. A submarine version of SPS-26, designated BPS-10, was under development at the time of Tritons construction, and it was slated for eventual installation on the Triton.
Tritons active/passive sonar detecting-ranging set was the AN/BQS-4, which had a listening range up to 20 nmi (37 km; 23 mi) for surfaced or snorkeling submarines, optimized to 35 nmi (64.8 km; 40.3 mi) with target tracking capability within 5 degrees of accuracy. The hull-mounted passive sonar AN/BQR-2 array supplemented the BQS-4 system, with a range up to 10 nmi (18.5 km; 11.5 mi) and a bearing accuracy of 1/10 of degree, allowing the BQR-2 to be used for fire control in torpedo attacks.
Tritons target fire-control system (TFCS) was the Mark 101, a post-war development that incorporated target tracking and ranging data into a position keeper, with a pair of analyzers that automatically revised torpedo gyros and settings as the target position changed. This automation greatly simplified a targeting solution for a plotting party. Previously targeting solutions were manually estimated target bearings and then feed them into the Torpedo Data Computer
Torpedo Data Computer
The Torpedo Data Computer was an early electromechanical analog computer used for torpedo fire-control on American submarines during World War II . Britain, Germany, and Japan also developed automated torpedo fire control equipment, but none were as advanced as US Navy's TDC...
(TDC) system initially introduced in fleet submarines prior to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. However, while entirely capable of providing efficient fire control solutions against post-war non-nuclear hunter-killer submarines, the Marl 101 proved to be less responsive to the rapid changes associated with nuclear submarine operations.
Tritons torpedo system consisted of six Mark 60 torpedo tubes, four bow and two stern. The Mark 60 system was a 249.8 inches (6,344.9 mm)-long hydraulic-launch tube that did not have power handling capability. The standard torpedo carried by Triton was the Mark 37
Mark 37 torpedo
The Mark 37 torpedo is a torpedo with electrical propulsion, developed for the US Navy after World War II. It entered service with the US Navy in the early 1950s, with over 3,300 produced. It was phased out of service with the US Navy during the 1970s, and the stockpiles were sold to foreign...
, with a weapon load of ten forward and five aft. Tritons first commanding officer, "Ned" Beach, noted the torpedo load in the forward torpedo room could have been doubled with the removal of a single support girder.
The Number One periscope was Tritons navigational periscope, and it had a built-in sextant
Sextant
A sextant is an instrument used to measure the angle between any two visible objects. Its primary use is to determine the angle between a celestial object and the horizon which is known as the altitude. Making this measurement is known as sighting the object, shooting the object, or taking a sight...
developed by the Kollmorgen Optical Company that allowed navigators to observe celestial bodies to order to obtain an accurate star fix to plot the ship's course and position.
Construction history
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. This FY-56 program included five nuclear-powered submarines – Triton, the guided missile submarine Halibut
USS Halibut (SSGN-587)
USS Halibut , a unique guided missile submarine turned special operations platform, later redesignated as an attack submarine SSN-587, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the halibut.-Operational history:...
, the lead ship
USS Skipjack (SSN-585)
USS Skipjack , the lead ship of her class of nuclear-powered attack submarine, was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named after the Skipjack tuna fish....
for the Skipjack class
Skipjack class submarine
The Skipjack class was a class of United States Navy nuclear submarines. This class was named after its lead ship, the . This new class introduced the teardrop hull and the S5W reactor to U.S. nuclear submarines. The Skipjacks were the fastest U.S...
, and the final two Skate-class attack submarines
Skate class submarine
The Skate-class submarines were the United States Navy's first production run of nuclear powered submarines. They were an evolution of the Tang class in everything but their propulsion plants, which were based on the experimental . The four Skate class boats re-introduced stern torpedo tubes...
, Sargo
USS Sargo (SSN-583)
USS Sargo , a Skate-class nuclear-powered submarine, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the sargo, a food and game fish of the porgy family, inhabiting coastal waters of the southern United States....
and Seadragon
USS Seadragon (SSN-584)
USS Seadragon , a , was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the seadragon, a small fish commonly called the dragonet....
. It also included the three diesel-electric Barbel class
Barbel class submarine
The Barbel class of submarines, the last diesel-electric propelled attack submarines built by the United States Navy, incorporated numerous, radical engineering improvements over previous classes...
, the last diesel-electric submarines to be built by the U.S. Navy.
Tritons keel was laid down on 29 May 1956 in Groton, Connecticut
Groton, Connecticut
Groton is a town located on the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 39,907 at the 2000 census....
, by the Electric Boat
Electric boat
While a significant majority of water vessels are powered by diesel engines, with sail power and gasoline engines also remaining popular, boats powered by electricity have been used for over 120 years. Electric boats were very popular from the 1880s until the 1920s, when the internal combustion...
Division of the General Dynamics Corporation. Her length presented Electric Boat with many problems during her construction. She was so long her bow obstructed the slipway's railway facility, used for transporting material around the yard, Consequently, the lower half of her bow was cut away to facilitate yard operations, and the bow was re-attached just days prior to her launch. Similarly, the last 50 feet (15.2 m) of her stern was built on an adjoining slip and attached to the rest of the hull before Tritons launch. Her sail was found to be too high to go under the scaffolding, so the top 12 feet (3.7 m) was cut away and re-attached later.
Even before her launch, there was considerable discussion of Tritons role beyond her radar picket mission. An internal Navy memorandum set forth four options for the submarine's extended use. These included configuration to serve as a command ship
Command ship
Command ships serve as the flagships of the Commander of a fleet. They provide communications, office space, and accommodations for a fleet commander and his staff, and serve to coordinate fleet activities....
(SSCN) for a fleet or force commander, an advanced sonar
Sonar
Sonar is a technique that uses sound propagation to navigate, communicate with or detect other vessels...
scout for the fleet, a Regulus missile submarine (SSGN
USS Halibut (SSGN-587)
USS Halibut , a unique guided missile submarine turned special operations platform, later redesignated as an attack submarine SSN-587, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the halibut.-Operational history:...
), or a minelaying submarine
USS Argonaut (SS-166)
USS Argonaut was a submarine of the United States Navy, the first ship to carry the name....
. However, with the exception of the command ship option, all of these proposed configurations required extensive modification to her original design. Another potential mission was as a underwater tug, able to rescue disabled submarines under the Arctic
Arctic Ocean
The Arctic Ocean, located in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Arctic north polar region, is the smallest and shallowest of the world's five major oceanic divisions...
ice pack. Tritons first commanding officer, Captain Edward L. Beach, requested plans be drawn up for this modification, which he characterized as "easy and inexpensive". Although there was consideration for a deployment to Arctic waters, there is no evidence that Triton was ever employed as an underwater tug.
Ship naming and launching
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...
on 19 August 1958, with Louise Willis, the wife of Vice Admiral John Wills
John Wills
John Wills D.D. was an English academic administrator at the University of Oxford.Wills was elected Warden of Wadham College, Oxford on 7 July 1783, a post he held until his death in 1806....
USN (ret.), as her sponsor. The principal address was delivered by Admiral Jerauld Wright
Jerauld Wright
Admiral Jerauld Wright, USN, served as the Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Atlantic Command and the Commander-in-Chief of the U.S...
, the Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Atlantic Command
United States Joint Forces Command
United States Joint Forces Command was a former Unified Combatant Command of the United States Armed Forces. USJFCOM was a functional command that provided specific services to the military. The last commander was Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno...
(CINCLANT), the Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet (CINCLANTFLT) and Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic
Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic
The Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic was one of two supreme commanders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation , the other being the Supreme Allied Commander Europe . The SACLANT led Allied Command Atlantic, based at Norfolk, Virginia...
(SACLANT) for NATO. Over 35,000 guests attended, the largest crowd to witness a submarine launching up to that time.
On 1 February 1959, Triton was provisionally accepted for service in the U.S. Navy, with Captain Beach, the Prospective Commanding Officer (PCO), now designated as Officer-in-Charge. Triton met several key milestones before her commissioning. On 8 February 1959, reactor No. 2 achieved initial critical mass
Critical mass
A critical mass is the smallest amount of fissile material needed for a sustained nuclear chain reaction. The critical mass of a fissionable material depends upon its nuclear properties A critical mass is the smallest amount of fissile material needed for a sustained nuclear chain reaction. The...
, while reactor No 1 achieved this milestone on 3 April 1959.
Two shipboard accidents occurred during Tritons post-launch fitting-out. On 2 October 1958, prior to the nuclear reactor fuel being installed, a steam valve failed during testing, causing a large cloud of steam that filled the number two reactor compartment, and on 7 April 1959, a fire broke out during the testing of a deep-fat fryer and spread from the galley into the ventilation lines of the crew's mess. Both incidents, neither nuclear related, were quickly handled by ship personnel, with Lt. Commander Leslie B. Kelly, the prospective chief engineering officer, being awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal
Navy and Marine Corps Medal
The Navy and Marine Corps Medal is the second highest non-combatant medal awarded by the United States Department of the Navy to members of the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps...
for his quick action during the 2 October incident.
Triton began her sea trials on 27 September 1959. Over the next five days, the ship's systems and equipment were thoroughly tested under the overall direction of Hyman G. Rickover
Hyman G. Rickover
Hyman George Rickover was a four-star admiral of the United States Navy who directed the original development of naval nuclear propulsion and controlled its operations for three decades as director of Naval Reactors...
of the Bureau of Ships
Bureau of Ships
The United States Navy's Bureau of Ships was established by Congress on June 20, 1940, by a law which consolidated the functions of the Bureau of Construction and Repair and the Bureau of Engineering. The new Bureau was to be headed by a Chief and Deputy-Chief, one selected from the engineering...
' Naval Reactors branch and Captain A. C. Smith, the Supervisor of Shipbuilding at Electric Boat. Triton generated 45000 hp on sea trials, reaching her design surface speed of 27 kn (52.9 km/h; 32.9 mph), and achieved a surface speed well in excess of 30 kn (58.8 km/h; 36.5 mph). Triton subsequently executed a four-hour, full-power submerged run and a crash-back maneuver.Crashback is a maneuver which occurs when a ship or submarine reverses its propeller while traveling forward, slowing or stopping that vessel. This results in unpredictable forces on the ship's hull, rudder, and propeller, resulting in decreased control and maneuverability. Source: The only significant problem encountered during her initial sea trials was the overheating of the lubricating oil system for the starboard propshaft spring bearing. At the recommendation of Admiral Rickover, a hose was rigged to spray the bearing housing with a steady stream of sea water to keep the shaft cool, as well as a special watch set to monitor the temperature of the lube oil.
Triton began her preliminary acceptance trials (PAT) on 20 September 1959. These trials were conducted under the supervision of Rear Admiral Francis Douglas McCorkle of the U.S. Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV)
Board of Inspection and Survey
The Board of Inspection and Survey is a U.S. Navy organization whose purpose is to inspect and assess material condition of Naval vessels.The Board is currently headquartered at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Virginia.- INSURV teams :...
. After three days of at-sea tests, Triton was passed by the INSURV as being ready to enter service as a U.S. naval vessel.
Commissioning
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
on 10 November 1959 with Captain Edward L. Beach, Jr. in command. Vice Admiral Bernard L. Austin, the Deputy CNO
Chief of Naval Operations
The Chief of Naval Operations is a statutory office held by a four-star admiral in the United States Navy, and is the most senior uniformed officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Navy. The office is a military adviser and deputy to the Secretary of the Navy...
for Plans and Policy, made the keynote address, noting:
As the largest submarine ever built, her performance will be carefully followed by naval designers and planners the world over. For many years strategists have speculated on the possibilities of tankers, cargo ships and transports that could navigate under water. Some of our more futuristic dreamers have talked of whole fleets that submerge. Triton is a bold venture into this field.
The widow of the late Rear Admiral Willis A. "Pilly" Lent
Willis Lent
Willis Ashford Lent , nicknamed "Pilly", was a rear admiral in the United States Navy. Serving as commanding officer of the Tambor class submarine USS Triton during the Second World War, Lent made the first torpedo attack against the Japanese of the war.-Early life:Lent was born in West Roxbury,...
presented the original ship's bell from the first Triton
USS Triton (SS-201)
USS Triton , a Tambor-class submarine, was the first submarine and third ship of the United States Navy to be named for Triton. Her keel was down on 5 July 1939 by the Portsmouth Navy Yard. She was launched on 25 March 1940 sponsored by Mrs. Ernest J. King, wife of Rear Admiral King, and...
at the new commissioning ceremony. The late Admiral Lent had been the earlier Tritons first commanding officer. A watercolor painting
Watercolor painting
Watercolor or watercolour , also aquarelle from French, is a painting method. A watercolor is the medium or the resulting artwork in which the paints are made of pigments suspended in a water-soluble vehicle...
of the ship also was presented by the American Water Color Society. The final cost of building Triton, less her reactors, nuclear fuel, and other related costs paid by the AEC
United States Atomic Energy Commission
The United States Atomic Energy Commission was an agency of the United States government established after World War II by Congress to foster and control the peace time development of atomic science and technology. President Harry S...
, was $109,000,000 USD, making Triton the most expensive submarine ever built at the time of her commissioning.
Triton was assigned to Submarine Squadron 10, the U.S. Navy's first all-nuclear force, based at the U.S. Submarine Base
Naval Submarine Base New London
Naval Submarine Base New London is the United States Navy's primary submarine base, the "Home of the Submarine Force", and "the Submarine Capital of the World".-History:...
in New London, Connecticut, under the command of Commodore Tom Henry. Triton subsequently completed torpedo trials at Naval Station Newport
Naval Station Newport
The Naval Station Newport is a United States Navy base located in the towns of Newport and Middletown, Rhode Island. Naval Station Newport is home to the Naval War College and the Naval Justice School...
and conducted other special tests at the Norfolk Navy Base
Naval Station Norfolk
Naval Station Norfolk, in Norfolk, Virginia, is a base of the United States Navy, supporting naval forces in the United States Fleet Forces Command, those operating in the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and Indian Ocean...
before returning to Electric Boat on 7 December 1959 in order to install special communications equipment, including a prototype of the BRA-3 towed communications buoy system housed in a large fairing located on the after end of the main deck. Work on Triton at Electric Boat was delayed as priority was given to completing the Navy's first two fleet ballistic missile
Ballistic missile submarine
A ballistic missile submarine is a submarine equipped to launch ballistic missiles .-Description:Ballistic missile submarines are larger than any other type of submarine, in order to accommodate SLBMs such as the Russian R-29 or the American Trident...
(FBM) submarines, and , with the objective for both vessels to start their first nuclear deterrence patrols before the end of 1960.
On 20 January 1960, Triton got underway to conduct an accelerated series of at-sea testing. Triton returned on 1 February as preparations continued for her forthcoming shakedown cruise, scheduled for departure on 16 February 1960, which involved operating with the command ship
Command ship
Command ships serve as the flagships of the Commander of a fleet. They provide communications, office space, and accommodations for a fleet commander and his staff, and serve to coordinate fleet activities....
, flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
of the U.S. Second Fleet, in northern European waters. On 1 February, Captain Beach received a message from Rear Admiral Lawrence R. "Dan" Daspit (COMSUBLANT) instructing Beach to attend a top secret meeting at The Pentagon
The Pentagon
The Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
on 4 February 1960 that led to the execution of Operation Sandblast, the first submerged circumnavigation of the world.
Shakedown cruise
During her shakedown cruise, Triton successfully executed the first submerged circumnavigation of the world, code name
Code name
A code name or cryptonym is a word or name used clandestinely to refer to another name or word. Code names are often used for military purposes, or in espionage...
d Operation Sandblast, following the same track as the first circumnavigation led by Ferdinand Magellan
Ferdinand Magellan
Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese explorer. He was born in Sabrosa, in northern Portugal, and served King Charles I of Spain in search of a westward route to the "Spice Islands" ....
, as summarized by Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
The Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships is the official reference work for the basic facts about ships used by the United States Navy...
:
Triton put to sea on her shakedown cruise on 15 February 1960, bound for the South Atlantic. She arrived in the middle Atlantic off St. Peter and St. Paul Rocks on 24 February to commence a history-making voyage. Having remained submerged since her departure from the east coast, Triton continued on south towards Cape Horn, rounded the tip of South America, and headed west across the Pacific. After transiting the PhilippinePhilippinesThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
and IndonesiaIndonesiaIndonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n archipelagos and crossing the Indian OceanIndian OceanThe Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
, she rounded the Cape of Good HopeCape of Good HopeThe Cape of Good Hope is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.There is a misconception that the Cape of Good Hope is the southern tip of Africa, because it was once believed to be the dividing point between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In fact, the...
and arrived off the St. Peter and Paul Rocks on 10 April—60 days and 21 hours after departing the mid-ocean landmark. Only once did her sail break the surface of the sea, when she transferred a sick sailor to Macon (CA-132)USS Macon (CA-132)USS Macon , a Baltimore-class heavy cruiser of the United States Navy was laid down on 14 June 1943 by the New York Shipbuilding Corp., Camden, New Jersey; launched on 15 October 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Charles F...
off Montevideo, Uruguay, on 6 March. She arrived back at Groton, Connecticut, on 10 May, having completed the first submerged circumnavigation of the earth.
Tritons globe-girdling cruise proved invaluable to the United States. Politically, it enhanced the nation's prestige. From an operational viewpoint, the cruise demonstrated the great submerged endurance and sustained high-speed transit capabilities of the first generation of nuclear-powered submarines. Moreover, during the voyage, the submarine collected reams of oceanographic data. At the cruise's conclusion, Triton received the Presidential Unit CitationPresidential Unit CitationThe Presidential Unit Citation is a senior unit award granted to military units which have performed an extremely meritorious or heroic act, usually in the face of an armed enemy...
and Captain BeachEdward L. Beach, Jr.Edward Latimer Beach, Jr. was a highly-decorated United States Navy submarine officer and best-selling author....
received the Legion of MeritLegion of MeritThe Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
from President Dwight D. EisenhowerDwight D. EisenhowerDwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
.
Tritons commanding officer during Operation Sandblast, Captain Edward L. Beach, also provided a unique perspective on the circumnavigation in his log:
The sea may yet hold the key to the salvation of man and his civilization. That the world may better understand this, the Navy directed a submerged retrace of Ferdinand Magellan's historic circumnavigation. The honor of doing it fell to the Triton, but it has been a national accomplishment; for the sinews and the power which make up our ship, the genius which designed her, the thousands and hundreds of thousands who labored, each at his own metier, in all parts of the country, to build her safe, strong, self-reliant, are America. Triton, a unit of their Navy, pridefully and respectfully dedicates this voyage to the people of the United States.
Bern Dibner
Bern Dibner was an electrical engineer, industrialist, and historian of science and technology.Dibner was born near Kiev, Ukraine in 1897. He moved to the United States with his family at the age of 7. In 1921, he graduated from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn with a degree in Electrical...
placed the significance of Operation Sandblast into historical context:
The epochal achievement of the fleet of Magellan in circumnavigating the globe was echoed in the magnificent accomplishment by the nuclear submarine Triton in 1960. Like the voyage of Magellan, that of the Triton created stirring philosophical concepts. It demonstrated that a company of men could live and work in the depth of the ocean for months at a time. It was shown that through the new technology a source of power had been made in such abundance and so manageable that, without refueling, an 8000-ton vehicle would be driven through the water around the world. It was also shown that the arts of observation, navigation, communication and control had reached the point where travel under the water was possible with pinpoint accuracy.
The actual submerged circumnavigation occurred between 24 February and 25 April 1960, covering 26723 nmi (49,491 km; 30,752.4 mi) in 60 days and 21 hours at the average speed of 18 kn (35.3 km/h; 21.9 mph) while crossing the Equator
Equator
An equator is the intersection of a sphere's surface with the plane perpendicular to the sphere's axis of rotation and containing the sphere's center of mass....
on four different occasions. Also, the total duration of Tritons shakedown cruise was 84 days 19 hours 8 minutes, covering 36335.1 nmi (67,292.6 km; 41,813.8 mi), and Triton remained submerged for a total of 83 days 9 hours, covering 35979.1 nmi (66,633.3 km; 41,404.1 mi) during her maiden voyage.
The New York Times described Tritons submerged circumnavigation of the world as "a triumph of human prowess and engineering skill, a feat which the United States Navy can rank as one of its bright victories in man's ultimate conquest of the seas."
Initial deployments
Sir Charles Madden, 2nd Baronet
Admiral Sir Charles Edward Madden, 2nd Baronet, GCB , followed his father in a career with the Royal Navy that culminated in his serving as the Commander-in-Chief of the Home Fleet from 1963 to 1965....
, RN. Triton completed the deployment with a port visit to Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven
Bremerhaven is a city at the seaport of the free city-state of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany. It forms an enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the River Weser on its eastern bank, opposite the town of Nordenham...
, West Germany, the first by a nuclear-powered ship to a European port, from 2–9 October 1960, with an estimated 8,000 touring the boat during this port-call.
For the first half of 1961, Triton conducted operational patrols and training exercises with the Atlantic Fleet. This included an at-sea exercise involving low-power testing in support of the development of a proposed natural circulation reactor (NCR)
S5G reactor
The S5G reactor was a prototype naval reactor designed for the United States Navy to provide electricity generation and propulsion on submarines...
. She also deployed to monitor the Soviet 50-megaton hydrogen bomb detonation at Novaya Zemlya
Novaya Zemlya
Novaya Zemlya , also known in Dutch as Nova Zembla and in Norwegian as , is an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean in the north of Russia and the extreme northeast of Europe, the easternmost point of Europe lying at Cape Flissingsky on the northern island...
in the Arctic Ocean during late October 1961.
During this period, the rising threat posed by Soviet submarine forces increased the Navy's demands for nuclear-powered attack submarines with antisubmarine warfare (ASW) capability. Following the development of the carrier-based Grumman WF-2 Tracer airborne early warning
Airborne Early Warning
An airborne early warning and control system is an airborne radar system designed to detect aircraft at long ranges and control and command the battle space in an air engagement by directing fighter and attack plane strikes...
aircraft, Tritons AN/SPS-26 3-D long-range air search radar was no longer needed, and the development of the submarine version of this 3-D radar system, the BPS-10, was canceled in 1960. Accordingly, upon the demise of the Navy's radar picket submarine program, Triton was redesignated SSN-586 on 1 March 1961.
Overhaul and conversion
Triton entered the Portsmouth Naval ShipyardPortsmouth Naval Shipyard
The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard , often called the Portsmouth Navy Yard, is a United States Navy shipyard located in Kittery on the southern boundary of Maine near the city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. It is used for remodeling and repairing the Navy's ships...
in June 1962 for conversion to an attack submarine. Her crew complement was reduced from 172 to 159. She was overhauled and refueled at Groton, Connecticut, from September 1962 to January 1964, which included modification to serve as the flagship for COMSUBLANT. Since the Navy no longer had any plans to use Tritons radar picket capability, her SPS-26 radar set was replaced by a two-dimensional AN/BPS-2 air search radar, with Triton now providing the fleet with an at-sea air strike control capability.
Because she subsequently served as COMSUBLANT's flagship following her overhaul, one area of continuing speculation is whether Triton was part of the National Emergency Command Post Afloat
National Emergency Command Post Afloat
The National Emergency Command Post Afloat was part of the United States government's continuity of government plans during the 1960s. It was one third of a triad composing of airborne, ground and sea-based assets.-History:...
(NECPA) program. NECPA was tasked to provide afloat facilities for the President of the United States in case of an emergency or war, with the command cruisers Northampton and assigned to perform this mission. Triton had a number of attributes that made her a potential NECPA platform. Her size allowed ample room for additional shipboard systems and accommodations. Her designed speed provided the capability for rapid transit, and her nuclear power plant offered virtually unlimited endurance and range. The Combat Information Center (CIC) provided substantial command and control
Command and Control (military)
Command and control, or C2, in a military organization can be defined as the exercise of authority and direction by a properly designated commanding officer over assigned and attached forces in the accomplishment of the mission...
capabilities as did the communication buoy system that could receive and send radio transmissions while submerged. As she was a submarine, Triton offered superior protection against nuclear-biological-chemical (NBC) contaminants over surface ships or airborne command centre. However, the record remains unclear if such an explicit conversion was ever undertaken.
Subsequent operations
Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands are the western island group of the Leeward Islands, which are the northern part of the Lesser Antilles, which form the border between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean...
. Triton was relieved as COMSUBLANT's flagship by the Sturgeon-class attack submarine
Sturgeon class submarine
The Sturgeon class were a class of nuclear-powered fast attack submarines in service with the United States Navy from the 1960s until 2004. They were the "work horses" of the submarine attack fleet throughout much of the Cold War...
on 1 June 1967. Eleven days later, the Triton was shifted to her original home port of New London, Connecticut.
Commanding Officers
- Edward L. Beach, Jr.Edward L. Beach, Jr.Edward Latimer Beach, Jr. was a highly-decorated United States Navy submarine officer and best-selling author....
: November 1959 – July 1961 - George Morin: July 1961 – September 1964
- Robert Rawlins: September 1964 – November 1966.
- Frank Wadsworth: November 1966 – May 1969
Decommissioning and final disposition
Due to cutbacks in defense spending, as well as the expense of operating her twin nuclear reactors, Tritons scheduled 1967 overhaul was canceled, and the submarine—along with 60 other vessels—was slated for inactivation. While Tritons twin reactor plant was designed to be refueled by a submarine tenderSubmarine tender
A submarine tender is a type of ship that supplies and supports submarines.Submarines are small compared to most oceangoing vessels, and generally do not have the ability to carry large amounts of food, fuel, torpedoes, and other supplies, nor to carry a full array of maintenance equipment and...
like other U.S. nuclear submarines, because of the complexity of her zirconium-clad
Zirconium
Zirconium is a chemical element with the symbol Zr and atomic number 40. The name of zirconium is taken from the mineral zircon. Its atomic mass is 91.224. It is a lustrous, grey-white, strong transition metal that resembles titanium...
fuel elements, Tritons previous re-fueling had been done in a shipyard during her 1962–1964 overhaul. Although new fuel elements were procured and available for installation, Tritons overhaul was canceled, a source of controversy. One speculation suggests that the cancellation of Tritons overhaul allowed funds to be redirected for the repairs to the supercarrier
Supercarrier
Supercarrier is an unofficial descriptive term for the largest type of aircraft carrier, usually displacing over 70,000 long tons.Supercarrier is an unofficial descriptive term for the largest type of aircraft carrier, usually displacing over 70,000 long tons.Supercarrier is an unofficial...
which had been extensively damaged
1967 USS Forrestal fire
The 1967 USS Forrestal fire was a devastating fire and series of chain-reaction explosions on 29 July 1967 that killed 134 sailors and injured 161 on the aircraft carrier , after an unusual electrical anomaly discharged a Zuni rocket on the flight deck...
off Vietnam
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
From October 1968 through May 1969, she underwent preservation and deactivation processes, and she was decommissioned on 3 May 1969. Triton became the U.S. Navy's first nuclear-powered submarine to be taken out of service, and second in the world, after the Soviet Navy's
Soviet Navy
The Soviet Navy was the naval arm of the Soviet Armed Forces. Often referred to as the Red Fleet, the Soviet Navy would have played an instrumental role in a Warsaw Pact war with NATO, where it would have attempted to prevent naval convoys from bringing reinforcements across the Atlantic Ocean...
November-class
November class submarine
The Project 627 class submarine was the Soviet Union's first class of nuclear-powered submarines. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization used the standard radio communication phonetic alphabet to denote submarine classes...
submarine K-27
Soviet submarine K-27
The K-27 was the only submarine of Projekt 645 in the Soviet Navy. Project 645 did not have or need its own NATO reporting name. That project produced just one test model nuclear submarine, one which incorporated a pair of experimental VT-1 nuclear reactors that used a liquid-metal coolant ,...
in 1968.
On 6 May 1969, Triton departed New London under tow and proceeded to Norfolk, Virginia, where she was placed in the reserve fleet. She remained berthed at Norfolk or at the St. Julien's Creek Annex
St. Julien's Creek Annex
St. Julien's Creek Annex is a U.S. naval support facility that provides administrative offices, light industrial shops, and storage facilities for tenant naval commands. Its primary mission is to provide a radar testing range and various administrative and warehousing structures for the Norfolk...
of Norfolk Naval Shipyard
Norfolk Naval Shipyard
The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard and abbreviated as NNSY, is a U.S. Navy facility in Portsmouth, Virginia, for building, remodeling, and repairing the Navy's ships. It's the oldest and largest industrial facility that belongs to the U.S. Navy as well as the most...
in Portsmouth, Virginia
Portsmouth, Virginia
Portsmouth is located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the city had a total population of 95,535.The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard, is a historic and active U.S...
, into 1993. She was stricken from the Naval Vessel Registry on 30 April 1986. In August 1993, the hulks of the ex-Triton and the ex-Ray were towed by the salvage tug
Rescue and salvage ship
Rescue and salvage ships in the United States Navy were common during World War II. Their purpose was to come to the rescue of stricken ships, usually because of their towing ability, and to tow away ships damaged because of enemy action or engine failure....
Bolster
USS Bolster (ARS-38)
USS Bolster was a acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Her task was to come to the aid of stricken vessels....
to the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNS)
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility is a United States Navy shipyard covering 179 acres on Puget Sound at Bremerton, Washington...
, in Bremerton, Washington
Bremerton, Washington
Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 38,790 at the 2011 State Estimate, making it the largest city on the Olympic Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremerton Annex of Naval Base Kitsap...
, arriving on 3 September 1993, to await their turn in the Nuclear Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program (SRP)
Ship-Submarine recycling program
The Ship/Submarine Recycling Program is the process the United States Navy uses to dispose of decommissioned nuclear vessels. SRP takes place only at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington, but the preparations can begin elsewhere....
. Effective 1 October 2007, ex-Triton landed on the keel resting blocks in the drydock basin to begin recycling. The long delay in the disposal of ex-Triton has been attributed to the complexity of her dual reactor plant. Final recycling was completed effective 30 November 2009.
Legacy
Triton plaque
Ferdinand Magellan
Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese explorer. He was born in Sabrosa, in northern Portugal, and served King Charles I of Spain in search of a westward route to the "Spice Islands" ....
. The plaque's eventual design consisted of a brass
Brass
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties.In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin...
disk about 23 inches (58.4 cm) in diameter, bearing a sailing ship reminiscent of Magellan's carrack, Trinidad, above the submarine dolphin insignia
Submarine Warfare insignia
The Submarine Warfare Insignia is a uniform breast pin worn by enlisted men and officers of the United States Navy to indicate that they are qualified in submarines. The Submarine Warfare Insignia is considered one of the Navy's three major warfare pins along with the Surface Warfare Badge and...
with the years 1519 and 1960 between them, all within a laurel wreath
Laurel wreath
A laurel wreath is a circular wreath made of interlocking branches and leaves of the bay laurel , an aromatic broadleaf evergreen. In Greek mythology, Apollo is represented wearing a laurel wreath on his head...
. Outside the wreath is the motto AVE NOBILIS DUX, ITERUM FACTUM EST ("Hail Noble Captain, It Is Done Again").
Commodore Henry, commanding Subron, 10 supervised the completion of the plaque. The carving of the wooden form was done by retired Chief Electrician's Mate Ernest L. Benson at New London. The actual molding of the plaque was done by the Mystic Foundry.
During the homeward leg of her around-the-world voyage, Triton rendezvoused with the destroyer on 2 May 1960 off Cadiz, Spain, the departure point for Magellan's earlier voyage. Triton broached, and Weeks transferred the finished plaque to Triton for transport back to the United States. The plaque was subsequently presented to the Spanish government by John Davis Lodge
John Davis Lodge
John Davis Lodge , was an American politician, and 79th Governor of Connecticut from 1951 to 1955. He was also an actor and U.S. Ambassador to Spain, Argentina and Switzerland.-Early life:Lodge was born in Washington, D.C....
, the United States Ambassador to Spain. Copies of the plaque are located at the City Hall in Sanlucar de Barrameda
Sanlúcar de Barrameda
Sanlúcar de Barrameda is a city in the northwest of Cádiz province, part of the autonomous community of Andalucía in southern Spain. Sanlúcar is located on the left bank at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River opposite the Doñana National Park, 52 km from the provincial capital Cádiz and...
, Spain; the Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, Connecticut
Mystic, Connecticut
Mystic is a village and census-designated place in New London County, Connecticut, in the United States. The population was 4,001 at the 2000 census. A historic locality, Mystic has no independent government because it is not a legally recognized municipality in the state of Connecticut...
; the Naval Historical Association in Washington, DC; and two locations in Groton, Connecticut
Groton, Connecticut
Groton is a town located on the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 39,907 at the 2000 census....
: the U.S. Navy Submarine School and the U.S. Navy Submarine Force Library and Museum. The plaque mounted on the wall of the city hall of Sanlucar de Barrameda
Sanlúcar de Barrameda
Sanlúcar de Barrameda is a city in the northwest of Cádiz province, part of the autonomous community of Andalucía in southern Spain. Sanlúcar is located on the left bank at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River opposite the Doñana National Park, 52 km from the provincial capital Cádiz and...
also has a marble slab memorializing the 1960 Triton submerged circumnavigation.
Triton memorials
Triton Light is a navigational beaconLighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
on the seawall of the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
in Annapolis, Maryland, where the Severn River
Severn River (Maryland)
The Severn River runs through Anne Arundel County in the U.S. state of Maryland. It is located south of the Magothy River, and north of the South River.-Geography:...
meets Spa Creek and the Annapolis harbor. It was donated to the Academy and named for the Greek god by the United States Naval Academy Class of 1945. The crew of Triton provided samples of water taken from the 22 seas through which their ship had passed during their submerged 1960 circumnavigation. These samples filled a globe built into the Triton Light, and the naming of the light and significance of the globe are explained in a commemorative marker.
Beach Hall is the new headquarters for the United States Naval Institute
United States Naval Institute
The United States Naval Institute , based at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, is a private, non-profit, professional military association that seeks to offer independent, nonpartisan forums for debate of national defense issues...
which was dedicated on 21 April 1999 (pictured). The facility is named after Captain Edward L. Beach, Sr.
Edward L. Beach, Sr.
Edward Latimer Beach, Sr., was a career American naval officer and later author. He served in three of the United States' wars, ranging from the Spanish–American War up through World War I. He was the father of the future Captain Edward L. Beach, Jr...
, who served as the Institutes secretary-treasurer, and his son, Edward L. Beach, Jr., who commanded Triton during Operation Sandblast. The dive wheel from Tritons conning tower is on display in the lobby of Beach Hall.
Triton was the 2003 inductee into the Submarine Hall of Fame following her nomination by the Tidewater chapter and Hampton Roads Base of the United States Submarine Veterans, Inc. (USSVI). A shadow box filled with Triton memorabilia was placed in Alcorn Auditorium of Ramage Hall located at the U.S. Navy Submarine Learning Center, Naval Station Norfolk
Naval Station Norfolk
Naval Station Norfolk, in Norfolk, Virginia, is a base of the United States Navy, supporting naval forces in the United States Fleet Forces Command, those operating in the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and Indian Ocean...
.
USS Triton Recruit Barracks (Ship 12) was dedicated in ceremonies at the U.S. Navy's Recruit Training Command, Naval Station Great Lakes
Naval Station Great Lakes
Naval Station Great Lakes is the home of the United States Navy's only boot camp, located near the city of North Chicago, Illinois, in Lake County. Important tenant commands include the Recruit Training Command, Training Support Center and Navy Recruiting District Chicago...
, near North Chicago, Illinois, on 25 June 2004. The facility honors the memory of two submarines named Triton and includes memorabilia from both. Triton Hall is the fifth barracks constructed under the RTC Recapitalization Project, covering 172,000 square feet (15,979 square meters) in floor space. The facility is designed to accommodate 1056 recruits, and it includes berthing, classrooms, learning resource centers, a galley, a quarterdeck, and a modern HVAC system.
The planned site of the USS Triton Submarine Memorial Park is on the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
, at the end of Port of Benton Boulevard in north Richland, Washington
Richland, Washington
Richland is a city in Benton County in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Washington, at the confluence of the Yakima and the Columbia Rivers. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 48,058. April 1, 2011 estimates from the Washington State Office of Financial Management put the...
. Its purpose is "to establish a permanent park in north Richland in recognition of all the decommissioned reactor cores off-loaded at the Port’s barge slip, transported and stored at the Hanford Site
Hanford Site
The Hanford Site is a mostly decommissioned nuclear production complex on the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington, operated by the United States federal government. The site has been known by many names, including Hanford Works, Hanford Engineer Works or HEW, Hanford Nuclear Reservation...
."
The park will feature Tritons sail superstructure
Sail (submarine)
In naval parlance, the sail or fin of a submarine is the tower-like structure found on the dorsal surface of submarines...
and an information display on the history of Triton. The park will also serve as a tourist attraction, especially due to its location, since Hanford is the resting place of spent reactor cores from several Navy ships. Planning called for the sail will to be cut up for transport and re-assembly at the park site. Ground-breaking was initially scheduled to take place on 3 April 2008, with the dedication ceremony set for 19 August 2008 and a Fall 2009 start-date for construction. On 23 October 2009, the Port of Benton encased Tritons conning tower in concrete at its new USS Triton Submarine Memorial Park in north Richland, Washington. In mid-December 2009, the final pieces of Tritons sail were welded together at the park's site. During the 11 August 2010 Port of Benton commission meeting, it was reported that bids for the first phase, which includes the park's electrical lighting system and the pouring the concrete around the Tritons sail, would be announced shortly by the port authority. The second phase would involve the park's landscaping, and the third phase would be the installation of a parking lot. The park is part of the Richland Riverfront Trail, a marked hiking trail that focuses on the state of Washington's contribution to the nuclear history of the United States, and it connects to the Sacagawea Heritage Trail. The USS Triton Submarine Memorial Park
is located off George Washington Way near the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
, and it will be formally dedicated on November 10, 2011, the 52bd anniversary of the commissioning of the USS Triton.
In 2011, the USS Triton, Operation Sandblast
Operation Sandblast
Operation Sandblast was the code name for the first submerged circumnavigation of the world executed by the U.S. Navy nuclear-powered radar picket submarine in 1960 while under the command of Captain Edward L. Beach, USN...
, and Captain Edward L. Beach, Jr.
Edward L. Beach, Jr.
Edward Latimer Beach, Jr. was a highly-decorated United States Navy submarine officer and best-selling author....
, were included in the Technology for the Nucleat Age: Nuclear Propulsion display for the Cold War exhibit at the U.S. Navy Museum
U.S. Navy Museum
The National Museum of the United States Navy, or U.S. Navy Museum for short, is the flagship museum of the United States Navy and is located in the former Breech Mechanism Shop of the old Naval Gun Factory on the grounds of the Washington Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., USA.The U.S...
in Washington, DC.
Cultural references
Triton is referenced briefly in three popular Cold WarCold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
novels. In The Last Mayday by Keith Wheeler (1968), Triton is depicted as participating in a submarine training exercise at the beginning of the novel, with special notice made of her large, rectangular sail. In the 1978 novel Cold is the Sea by Edward L. Beach, the second sequel to his 1955 best-seller Run Silent, Run Deep
Run Silent, Run Deep
Run Silent, Run Deep is a novel published first in 1955 by then-Commander Edward L. Beach, Jr.. The name refers to "silent running", a submarine stealth tactic. It is also the name of a 1958 movie based on the same novel...
, Triton is mentioned several times; Also, the under-ice towing capability that was considered for Triton served as a key plot point for the novel. Finally, in The Hunt for Red October
The Hunt for Red October
The Hunt for Red October is a 1984 novel by Tom Clancy. The story follows the intertwined adventures of Soviet submarine captain Marko Aleksandrovich Ramius and CIA analyst Jack Ryan.The novel was originally published by the U.S...
by Tom Clancy
Tom Clancy
Thomas Leo "Tom" Clancy, Jr. is an American author, best known for his technically detailed espionage, military science, and techno thriller storylines set during and in the aftermath of the Cold War, along with video games on which he did not work, but which bear his name for licensing and...
, the biographical background for Marko Ramius mentions that, while commanding a Charlie-class submarine
Charlie class submarine
The Charlie class submarine is a nuclear powered cruise missile submarine built for the Soviet Navy and later operated by the Russian Navy.-Background:...
, Ramius had "hounded [Triton] mercilessly for twelve hours" in the Norwegian Sea
Norwegian Sea
The Norwegian Sea is a marginal sea in the North Atlantic Ocean, northwest of Norway. It is located between the North Sea and the Greenland Sea and adjoins the North Atlantic Ocean to the west and the Barents Sea to the northeast. In the southwest, it is separated from the Atlantic Ocean by a...
. Subsequently, Ramius "would note with no small satisfaction that the Triton was soon thereafter retired, because, it was said, the oversized vessel had proven unable to deal with the newer Soviet designs."
Two films of the period, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea is an American science fiction film, produced and directed by Irwin Allen, released by 20th Century Fox in 1961. The story was written by Irwin Allen and Charles Bennett. Walter Pidgeon starred as Admiral Harriman Nelson, with Robert Sterling as Captain Lee Crane...
and Around the World Under the Sea
Around the World Under the Sea
Around the World Under the Sea is a 1966 science fiction film directed by Andrew Marton and starring Lloyd Bridges, with Marshall Thompson, Shirley Eaton, Gary Merrill, and David McCallum...
, dramatized globe-circling submerged voyages similar to Operation Sandblast. Also, in the teaser
Cold open
A cold open in a television program or movie is the technique of jumping directly into a story at the beginning or opening of the show, before the title sequence or opening credits are shown...
of the episode "Mutiny" of the Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (TV series)
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea is a 1960s American science fiction television series based on the 1961 film of the same name. Both were created by Irwin Allen, which enabled the movie's sets, costumes, props, special effects models, and sometimes footage, to be used in the production of the...
television series, broadcast on January 11, 1965, the fictional nuclear submarine Neptune is on her shakedown cruise, under the supervision of Admiral Harriman Nelson
Harriman Nelson
Admiral Harriman Nelson was a fictional character first played by Walter Pidgeon in the 1961 science fiction film, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, and later played by Richard Basehart in the 1964-1968 ABC television series of the same title. Both the film and the series were set in the...
(Richard Basehart
Richard Basehart
John Richard Basehart was an American actor. He starred in the 1960s television science fiction drama Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, in the role of Admiral Harriman Nelson.-Career:...
), and when the submarine's port shaft bearing begins overheating, Admiral Nelson orders a hose be rigged to cool the port shaft down with sea water, the same solution Admiral Rickover had suggested during Tritons sea trials.
The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart
The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart
The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart is a 1960 live album by comedian Bob Newhart. The debut album by Newhart, the album was number one on the Billboard Pop Album chart, topping an album by Elvis Presley and the cast album of The Sound of Music....
comedy album included a sketch entitled "The Cruise of the U.S.S. Codfish" which was a monologue involving the final address by the captain to the crew of a nuclear-powered submarine after completing a two-year-long, around-the-world underwater voyage. Bob Newhart
Bob Newhart
George Robert Newhart , known professionally as Bob Newhart, is an American stand-up comedian and actor. Noted for his deadpan and slightly stammering delivery, Newhart came to prominence in the 1960s when his album of comedic monologues The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart was a worldwide...
noted in a 2006 interview that:
- You know, I think the Triton kind of, I think was a spur for that routine as I think back. Because I then imagined what a trip like that would have been like with a totally incompetent commander, and the cruise of the USS Codfish was the final result.
Captain Beach reportedly played "The Cruise of the U.S.S. Codfish" over the ship's public address system during Tritons first overseas deployment in the Fall of 1960. Antigua-Barbuda issued a commemorative stamp of Tritons 1960 submerged circumnavigation. Also, Triton was the name of one of the submersibles featured in the Submarine Voyage
Submarine Voyage
The Submarine Voyage thru liquid space was an attraction at Disneyland in Anaheim, California.The attraction, which featured ride vehicles designed to look like Navy nuclear submarines, opened on June 14, 1959...
attraction at Disneyland which operated from 1959 to 1998.
50th anniversary of Operation Sandblast
The 50th anniversary of Operation Sandblast and Tritons submerged circumnavigation of the world was celebrated on April 10, 2010, during the 2010 Submarine Birthday Ball held at the Foxwoods Resort CasinoFoxwoods Resort Casino
Foxwoods Resort Casino is a hotel-casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut, United States. Together with the MGM Grand at Foxwoods, it is one of the largest casino complexes in the world in terms of floor space for gaming. The entire resort comprises of space. The casino has over 380 gaming tables...
in Mashantuket
Mashantucket Pequot Tribe
The Mashantucket Pequot are a small Native American tribal nation of the Algonquian language community in the state of Connecticut. Within the tribe's Reservation, in Ledyard, New London County, Connecticut, the Mashantucket Pequot operate Foxwoods Resort Casino, the world's largest resort...
, Connecticut, with Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy
The Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy is a unique non-commissioned rank in the United States Navy, which has a paygrade of E-9. The holder of this rank and post is the most senior enlisted member of the U.S...
(MCPON) Rick D. West
Rick D. West
Rick D. West is the 12th and current Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy . On December 12, 2008, West accepted the passing of the ceremonial cutlass from outgoing MCPON Joe R. Campa-Early life and naval career:...
delivering opening remarks (pictured) to the 2,200 attendees. The U.S. Navy Submarine Force Library and Museum sponsored additional events and activities, entitled "9,000 Leagues Under the Sea," between April 10–12 and April 14–18, 2010.
Also, on April 9, 2010, retired Admiral Henry G. Chiles, Jr.
Henry G. Chiles, Jr.
Henry Goodman Chiles, Jr. is a retired United States Navy four star admiral who served as Commander in Chief, United States Strategic Command , from 1994 to 1996, the first naval officer to command all of the strategic nuclear forces of the United States.-Education:Henry G. Chiles, Jr...
, who served in Triton from 1963–1966, was the keynote speaker at the graduation class of the Basic Enlisted Submarine School at the New London Naval Submarine Base in Groton, Connecticut. The graduation class was named in honor of Triton, and each graduate received a certificate of course completion and a commemorative coin celebrating the 50th anniversary of Tritons submerged circumnavigation. The Dolphin Scholarship Foundation
Dolphin Scholarship Foundation
Dolphin Scholarship Foundation was established in 1960 to assist children of the U.S. Submarine Force with college scholarships through private fundraising and donations, as well as any dividends from its trust fund....
used the 50th anniversary of Operation Sandblast to promote its Race Around the World fund-raising program to support its Dolphin Scholarship program. Finally, former members of the Tritons crew received commemorative souvenirs of the ship's pressure hull at their 2010 re-union.
For the 50th anniversary of Operation Sandblast (see below), writer-historian Carl LaVO wrote "Incredible Voyage" for the June 2010 edition of Naval History magazine, and John Beach wrote "The First Submerged Circumnavigation" for the April 1960 issue of The Submarine Review, the official magazine of the Naval Submarine League. Mr. Beach is the nephew of Captain Edward L. Beach, the commanding officer of the USS Triton during Operation Sandblast. Finally, the Naval Institute Press
United States Naval Institute
The United States Naval Institute , based at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, is a private, non-profit, professional military association that seeks to offer independent, nonpartisan forums for debate of national defense issues...
published Beneath the Waves by Dr. Edward F. Finch, a 2010 biography of the late Captain Beach, which includes extensive coverage of Operation Sandblast.
The legacy of Operation Sandblast on its 50th anniversary was summarized by retired Captain James C. Hay who had served on the Triton during its historic submerged around-the-world voyage. On the editorial page of the April 1960 issue of The Submarine Review, the official magazine of the Naval Submarine League, Captain Hay noted:
It is truly a cruise which tested the crew's mettle and proved the skipper'sEdward L. Beach, Jr.Edward Latimer Beach, Jr. was a highly-decorated United States Navy submarine officer and best-selling author....
tenacity. More than that, however, it again proved to all who cared to listen that the US Navy could go anywhere, at anytime, and do what ever was required. It's a good sea story about doing what had to be done. On the fiftieth anniversary of the First Submerged Circumnavigation it's a good thing to do to re-read about one of the forerunners of all we're done since.
External links
- Unofficial USS Triton website
- Global Security: USS Triton (SSN-586)
- NavSource.org: USS Triton (SSRN/SSN-586)
- Navysite.de: USS Triton (SSRN/SSN-586)
- Triton Park – Port of Benton, Washington
- "Triton Launched: Giant Submarine First with Twin Nuclear Engines" (21 August 1958) Universal NewsreelUniversal NewsreelUniversal Newsreel was a series of 7- to 10-minute newsreels that were released twice a week between 1929 and 1967 by Universal Studios. A Universal publicity official, Sam B. Jacobson, was involved in originating and producing the newsreels...
narrated by Ed HerlihyEd HerlihyEdward Joseph "Ed" Herlihy was an American newsreel narrator for Universal-International. His voice was heard in countless films on every subject, making him one of the best-known voices in broadcast history...
(1:35) - "New Magellan: Triton Circles World Submerged" (12 May 1960) Universal NewsreelUniversal NewsreelUniversal Newsreel was a series of 7- to 10-minute newsreels that were released twice a week between 1929 and 1967 by Universal Studios. A Universal publicity official, Sam B. Jacobson, was involved in originating and producing the newsreels...
narrated by Ed HerlihyEd HerlihyEdward Joseph "Ed" Herlihy was an American newsreel narrator for Universal-International. His voice was heard in countless films on every subject, making him one of the best-known voices in broadcast history...
(1:11)