View source for USS Triton (SSRN-586)

{{Short description|Nuclear radar picket submarine in service 1959–1969}}
{{Other ships|USS Triton}}
{{Good article}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
|+USS ''Triton'' (SSRN-586)
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=USS Triton SSRN-586 Anaconda ad.JPG
|Ship caption=USS ''Triton'' (SSRN-586)
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1969}}
|Ship name= ''Triton''
|Ship namesake=[[Charonia|Triton]]<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Alden |first1=John D. |last2=Wright |first2=Christopher C. |date=2005 |title=Nomenclature and Classification of Early United States Submarines |url= |journal=Warship International |volume=42 |issue=3 |pages=283–301 |doi= |access-date=}}</ref>
|Ship ordered=October 1955 (SCB 132)
|Ship awarded=
|Ship builder=[[General Dynamics Electric Boat]]
|Ship original cost=[[United States dollar|US$]]109&nbsp;million in 1959 (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|.109|1959|r=2}}&nbsp;billion in&nbsp;{{Inflation/year|US}})
|Ship laid down=29 May 1956
|Ship launched=19 August 1958
|Ship sponsor=[[Willis Lent|Willis A. Lent]]
|Ship christened=
|Ship completed=
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned=10 November 1959
|Ship recommissioned=
|Ship decommissioned=3 May 1969
|Ship maiden voyage=16 February 1960 to 11 May 1960
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship reclassified=1 March 1961 (SSN-586)
|Ship refit=September 1962 to January 1964
|Ship struck=30 April 1986
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship homeport=*1959: [[New London, Connecticut]]
*1964: [[Norfolk, Virginia]]
*1967: New London, Connecticut
|Ship identification=November – Delta – Bravo – Romeo (Radio Call Sign)
|Ship motto=*''Nulli Secundus''
*(Second to None)
|Ship nickname=*The Big T
*Steel Raider
*Building 586
|Ship honors=*[[Presidential Unit Citation (United States)|Presidential Unit Citation]] (1960)
*[[File:Pucribbontriton1.JPG|60px|link=|alt=]]
*[[Navy Unit Commendation]] (1966)
*Navy Unit Commendation (1967)
*[[File:Navy Unit Commendation ribbon.svg|60px|link=|alt=]]
|Ship fate=[[Ship-Submarine Recycling Program|Recycled]] ([[Sail (submarine)|sail]] was preserved and placed on display in a park in [[Richland, Washington]])
|Ship notes=
|Ship badge=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship type=*1959: Nuclear-powered Radar Picket Submarine (SSRN)
*1961: Nuclear-powered Attack Submarine (SSN)
|Ship tonnage=
|Ship displacement=*{{convert|5963|LT|t|0|abbr=on}} surfaced
*{{convert|7773|LT|t|0|abbr=on}} submerged
|Ship length={{convert|447|ft|6|in|abbr=on}} overall<ref>Fitzsimons, Bernard, editor. ''The Illustrated Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare'' (London: Phoebus, 1978), Volume 23, p. 2523, "''Triton''".</ref>
|Ship beam={{convert|37|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft={{convert|23|ft|6|in|abbr=on}}
|Ship hold depth=
|Ship decks=3 plus [[conning tower]]
|Ship deck clearance=
|Ship power={{convert|34000|shp|abbr=on|lk=in}}
|Ship propulsion=*Two [[S4G reactor|S4G]] pressurized-water nuclear reactors (PWR)
*Two [[steam turbine]]s
*Two five-blade propellers
|Ship speed=*+{{convert|30|kn}} surfaced
*+{{convert|27|kn}} submerged
|Ship range=
|Ship endurance=Essentially unlimited
|Ship test depth=*{{convert|700|ft|abbr=on}} operational
*{{convert|1050|ft|abbr=on}} crush
|Ship boats=
|Ship complement=*172 officers and enlisted men (radar picket role)
*159 officers and enlisted men (attack role)
|Ship sensors=*'''Air search radar:'''
*AN/SPS-26 (1959)
*AN/BPS-2 (1962)
*'''Sonar systems:'''
*AN/BQS-4 (active)
*AN/BQR-2 (passive)
*'''Fire control system:'''
*MK-101
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=6 × {{convert|21|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} Mk 60 [[torpedo tube]]s (four bow, two stern)<!--# torpedo?-->
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

'''USS ''Triton'' (SSRN'''/'''SSN-586)''', the only member of her [[Ship class|class]], was a [[Nuclear propulsion|nuclear]] powered [[radar picket]] submarine in the [[United States Navy]]. She had the distinction of being the only Western submarine powered by two nuclear reactors. ''Triton'' was the second submarine and the fourth vessel of the United States Navy to be named for the Greek god [[Triton (mythology)|Triton]] (the nomenclature being unusual at the time in that U.S. Navy submarines were usually named for various species of fish). At the time of her commissioning in 1959, ''Triton'' was the largest, most powerful, and most expensive submarine ever built at $109&nbsp;million (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|.109|1959|r=2}}&nbsp;billion in {{Inflation/year|US}}{{Inflation/fn|US}}) excluding the cost of nuclear fuel and reactors.

In early 1960, the boat became the first vessel to execute a submerged circumnavigation of the Earth in [[Operation Sandblast]]. ''Triton'' accomplished this objective during her [[shakedown cruise]] while under the command of Captain [[Edward L. Beach Jr.|Edward L. "Ned" Beach Jr]]. ''Triton''{{'}}s mission as a radar picket submarine was made obsolete after two years by the introduction of the carrier-based Grumman [[E-1 Tracer|WF-2 Tracer]] [[airborne early warning]] aircraft. She was converted to an [[attack submarine]] in 1962 and became the flagship for the Commander, Submarine Forces, U.S. Atlantic Fleet ([[ComSubLant|<small>COMSUBLANT</small>]]) in 1964. She was decommissioned in 1969, the first U.S. nuclear submarine to be taken out of service.

''Triton''<nowiki>'</nowiki>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]]. ''Triton'' landed on the keel resting blocks in the drydock basin on {{nowrap|1 October}} 2007 to begin this recycling process, which was completed effective 30 November 2009. ''Triton''{{'}}s sail superstructure was saved from the recycling process and is now part of the USS ''Triton'' Submarine Memorial Park located on Port of Benton Boulevard in Richland, Washington.

==Design history==

===General characteristics===
''Triton'' was a first-generation U.S. [[nuclear-powered submarine]], along with {{USS|Nautilus|SSN-571|2}}, {{USS|Seawolf|SSN-575|2}}, {{USS|Halibut|SSGN-587|2}}, and {{USS|Skate|SSN-578|2}} (and her [[Skate-class submarine|three sisters]]).<ref>[[Norman Polmar|Polmar]] and Moore. ''Cold War Submarines'', p.xiii, and Chapter 4, pp. 90–93.</ref> While serving as fully operational units of the U.S. Navy, the vessels also played key developmental roles.<ref>Polmar and Moore. ''Cold War Submarines'', p. 66.</ref> ''Nautilus'' introduced the use of nuclear power for ship propulsion.<ref>Polmar and Moore. ''Cold War Submarines'', pp. 57–60.</ref> ''Seawolf'' utilized a [[liquid metal cooled reactor|liquid-metal nuclear reactor]] using [[liquid sodium]] as an alternative heat exchange medium to pressurized water.<ref>Polmar and Moore. ''Cold War Submarines'', pp. 60–63.</ref> ''Halibut'' was the first nuclear-powered submarine to perform a strategic [[Deterrence theory|nuclear deterrence]] patrol armed with [[SSM-N-8 Regulus|Regulus]] [[cruise missile]]s.<ref>Polmar and Moore. ''Cold War Submarines'', pp. 90–93.</ref> The ''Skate''-class submarines were the first nuclear-powered submarine class with more than one boat built.<ref>Polmar and Moore. ''Cold War Submarines'', pp. 63–64.</ref> ''Triton''{{'}}s 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.<ref>Polmar and Moore. ''Cold War Submarines'', pp. 64–66.</ref>

Radar picket submarines ([[Hull classification symbol|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<ref name=UnderseaWarfare /> program involved converting existing fleet submarines into radar picket vessels, and the Navy also ordered two purpose-built diesel-electric SSRs, {{USS|Sailfish|SSR-572|2}} and {{USS|Salmon|SSR-573|2}}. However, these were incapable of sustaining the high submerged or surfaced speeds necessary to operate with fast carrier task forces and therefore unsuitable to the task.<ref>Friedman, ''U.S. Submarines Since 1945'', pp. 90–94.</ref>

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. ''Triton''{{'}}s high speed came from her twin-reactor nuclear propulsion plant, with a designed speed, surfaced and submerged, of {{convert|28|kn|mph km/h|abbr=on}}. On 27 September 1959, ''Triton'' achieved "well in excess of" {{convert|30|kn|mph km/h|abbr=on}} during her initial sea trials.<ref name=Polmar67>Polmar and Moore. ''Cold War Submarines'', p. 67.</ref><ref>Largess and Horwitz. "USS ''Triton'': The Ultimate Submersible," pp. 178 and 180.</ref>

[[File:USS Triton CIC.jpg|thumb|left|''Triton''{{'}}s Combat Information Center (CIC), displaying status board and radar consoles|alt=Men stand at various terminals scattered around a cramped room]]

To meet her radar picket role, ''Triton''{{'}}s 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 on board the [[destroyer leader]] {{USS|Norfolk|DL-1|2}} prior to its installation on board ''Triton'' in 1959.<ref>Polmar. ''The Naval Institute Guide to the Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet'', p. 527.</ref> 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 ''Triton''. To process her radar, electronic, and air traffic data, ''Triton'' had a Combat Information Center (CIC) located in a separate air control compartment, situated between ''Triton''{{'}}s reactor and operations compartments.<ref>Friedman. ''U.S. Submarines since 1945'', pp. 95–96.</ref>

[[File:SSRN concept.JPG|thumb|left|Cutaway drawing of a proposed nuclear-powered radar picket submarine, c. 1954|alt=A line drawing of a submarine. From the bow, the hull curves to be flat before reaching a long sail; it then flattens again and continues to the stern of the ship.]]
Design work on a nuclear-powered radar picket submarine (SSRN) began in 1954–1955.<ref name=Friedman95>Friedman. ''U.S. Submarines since 1945'', p. 95.</ref> As initially designed, ''Triton'' had a three-level hull, with the Combat Information Center (CIC) (''see image'') located on the middle level.<ref name=Friedman95/> The overall length was initially {{convert|400|ft|m}}, with a beam of {{convert|38|ft|m}}.<ref name=Friedman95/> Also, as initially designed, her displacement was 4,800&nbsp;tons surfaced and 6,500&nbsp;tons submerged.<ref name=Friedman95/> January 1955 performance estimates called for the SAR propulsion plant to produce {{convert|34000|shp|lk=in}}, with a surfaced speed of {{convert|27|kn|mph km/h|abbr=on}} and a submerged speed of {{convert|23|kn|mph km/h|abbr=on}}.<ref name=Friedman95/> ''Triton'' initially had the same dual radar system installed on the non-nuclear {{Sclass|Sailfish|submarine|0}} radar picket submarines (''i.e.'', BPS-2 search radar and BPS-3 height-finder set) housed in a large, stepped [[sail (submarine)|sail]] (''see image'').<ref name=Friedman95/> Construction cost was initially estimated at $78&nbsp;million.<ref name=Friedman95/> Subsequent growth of the SAR propulsion plant necessitated the overall increase in ''Triton''{{'}}s 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.<ref>Friedman. ''U.S. Submarines since 1945'', pp. 95–96, 256n3, 263n10.</ref>

''Triton'' was to be the lead boat 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.<ref>Friedman. ''U.S. Submarines since 1945'', p. 96.</ref>

[[File:SSRN586 cutaway 1959.JPG|thumb|left|Contemporary cutaway (1959)|alt=A cutaway of Triton reveals some of the compartments within.]]
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.<ref name=Polmar67/> 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 {{convert|70|ft|m}} long, {{convert|24|ft|m}} tall, and {{convert|12|ft|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.<ref>{{cite web | last= Boe | first= David | title= Operation Sandblast – ''Triton'' Remembered – 40 Years Later | url= http://diodon349.com/Stories/Stories_SS/Operation_Sandblast_TRITON_Remembered_40_Years_Later.htm | year= 2000 | work= American Submariner Magazine | publisher= [[USSVI]] | access-date= 2010-03-08 | url-status= dead | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120301194131/http://diodon349.com/Stories/Stories_SS/Operation_Sandblast_TRITON_Remembered_40_Years_Later.htm | archive-date= 1 March 2012 }}</ref> With an overall length of {{convert|447.5|ft|m}}, ''Triton'' was the longest submarine in the history of the United States Navy until the nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine {{USS|Ohio|SSBN-726|6}} was commissioned in 1981.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ship/ssn-586.htm |title=USS ''Triton'' (SSRN-586) |access-date=2008-09-13 |work= U.S. Warships |publisher=GlobalSecurity.org |date=9 March 2010 }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; width:99%;"
|-
! style="width:20%;"| Characteristics
! style="text-align:center;"| ''Triton''<br />nuclear-powered radar picket submarine
! style="text-align:center;"| [[I-400-class submarine|''I-400'']]<br />submarine aircraft carrier
! style="text-align:center;"| {{ship|French submarine|Surcouf||2}}<br />"underwater cruiser"
! style="text-align:center;"| {{USS|Argonaut|SM-1|6}}<br />mine-laying submarine
|-
! Navy
| United States Navy
| Imperial Japanese Navy
| French Navy
| United States Navy
|-
! Commissioning date
| 1959
| 1944
| 1934
| 1928
|-
! Length
| {{height|ft=447|in=6}}
| {{height|ft=400|in=0}}
| {{height|ft=361|in=0}}
| {{height|ft=381|in=0}}
|-
! Beam
| {{height|ft=37}}
| {{height|ft=39|in=4}}
| {{height|ft=29|in=6}}
| {{height|ft=33|in=9.5}}
|-
! Draft
| {{height|ft=23|in=6}}
| {{height|ft=23|in=0}}
| {{height|ft=23|in=8}}
| {{height|ft=16|in=0.25}}
|-
! Surface displacement
| {{convert|5963|LT|t|0|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|5223|LT|t|0|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|3250|LT|t|0|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|2710|LT|t|0|abbr=on}}
|-
! Submerged displacement
| {{convert|7773|LT|t|0|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|6560|LT|t|0|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|4304|LT|t|0|abbr=on}}
| {{convert|4228|LT|t|0|abbr=on}}
|-
! Notes
| {{efn|''Triton''{{'}}s submerged displacement was exceeded by {{USS|Lafayette|SSBN-616|6}}, commissioned in 1963. Her surfaced displacement was exceeded by {{USS|Los Angeles|SSN-688|6}}, commissioned in 1976. Her overall length was exceeded by {{USS|Ohio|SSGN-726|6}} commissioned in 1981. At {{height|ft=453|in=0}}, {{USS|Jimmy Carter|SSN-23|6}}, commissioned in 2005, is the first U.S. Navy attack submarine to exceed ''Triton''{{'}}s overall length.}}
| {{efn|{{Sclass|I-400|submarine|1}}s were the largest conventionally powered submarines ever built.}}
| {{efn|The {{ship|French submarine|Surcouf}} was the largest submarine built before World War Two.}}
| {{efn|{{USS|Argonaut|SM-1|6}} was the largest U.S. conventionally powered submarine ever built.}}
|}

===Propulsion===
''Triton'' was the only submarine outside of the Soviet Union designed with a two-reactor propulsion plant. Her [[S4G reactor]]s were seagoing versions of the land-based [[S3G reactor]] prototype. Both reactors composed the Submarine Advanced Reactor (SAR) program, a joint venture between the U.S. Navy, [[United States Atomic Energy Commission|Atomic Energy Commission]] (AEC), and [[General Electric]].<ref>Polmar and Moore. ''Cold War Submarines'', p. 64; Appendix C.</ref><ref name=Freidman125>Friedman. ''U.S. Submarines Since 1945'', p. 125.</ref><ref>{{cite book |title= The Rickover Effect: How One Man Made a Difference |last= Rockwell |first= Theodore |year= 1992 |publisher= [[United States Naval Institute|Naval Institute Press]] |location=Annapolis|isbn= 978-1-55750-702-0 |page= 160}}</ref><ref name=Largess174178>Largess and Horwitz. "USS ''Triton'': The Ultimate Submersible," pp. 174–178.</ref> As originally designed, ''Triton''{{'}}s total reactor output was rated at {{convert|34000|hp}}. However, ''Triton'' achieved {{convert|45000|hp}} during her sea trials (''pictured''), and her first commanding officer, Captain [[Edward L. Beach Jr.]], believed ''Triton''{{'}}s plant could have reached {{convert|60000|hp}} "had that been necessary".<ref name=Polmar67/>
[[File:USS Triton SSRN586 0858601.jpg|thumb|left|Sea trials (27 September 1959)|alt=A surfaced submarine is seen from above and to port making high speed, with a long wake around and behind.]]
Both of ''Triton''{{'}}s reactors share the same compartment, with the number one reactor located forward and the number two reactor located aft within that compartment. The number one reactor supplied steam to the forward engine room and the starboard propeller shaft. The number two reactor supplied steam to the after engine 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.<ref>Beach. ''Around the World Submerged''. p. 5.</ref> It is this enhanced reliability, redundancy, and dependability of a dual-reactor plant that was a key factor in the selection of ''Triton'' to undertake the [[Operation Sandblast|first submerged circumnavigation of the world]].<ref name="ReferenceA">First Submerged Circumnavigation 1960, B-5.</ref>

''Triton''{{'}}s dual-reactor plant met a number of operational and engineering objectives, specifically the high speed requirement to meet her radar picket mission, which continues to be a source of speculation and controversy to this day. During the early 1950s, many engineers at [[Naval Reactors|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.<ref>Polmar and Moore. ''Cold War Submarines'', pp. 65, 68.</ref> The presence of two de-aerating feed tanks, which are used only on surface warships, suggested that ''Triton''{{'}}s twin-reactor plant may have served as a testbed for future multi-reactor surface warships.<ref>Beach. ''Salt and Steel'', p. 263.</ref><ref>Largess and Horwitz. "USS ''Triton'': The Ultimate Submersible," p. 179.</ref> 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 reactor|D1G]] and [[D2G reactor|D2G]] naval reactors used on ''{{USS|Bainbridge|CGN-25|2}}'', ''{{USS|Truxtun|CGN-35|2}}'', ''{{Sclass|California|cruiser|5}}'', and ''{{Sclass|Virginia|cruiser|5}}'' classes of nuclear-powered surface ships.<ref name=Friedman95/><ref>Largess and Horwitz. "USS ''Triton'': The Ultimate Submersible," p. 178.</ref>

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 {{USS|Albacore|AGSS-569|2}} which, when combined with nuclear power, allowed {{USS|Skipjack|SSN-585|2}} to achieve higher speed with less horsepower.<ref name=Largess174178/>

===Combat systems===
[[File:Mark 37 Electric Torpedo.jpg|thumb|right|[[Mark 37 torpedo|Mark 37]] electric torpedo|alt=Submarine torperdo on outside display win a naval museum located neat the shore]]
[[File:USS-Triton1.jpg|thumb|right|Undated bow view of USS ''Triton''|alt=Large submarine surface displaying its bow, upper deck, and large conning tower]]

====Weapon systems====
''Triton''{{'}}s armament consisted of six Mark 60 torpedo tubes, four bow and two stern. The Mark 60 system was a {{convert|249.8|in|mm|adj=on}}-long hydraulic-launch tube that did not have power handling capability. The standard torpedo carried by ''Triton'' was the [[Mark 37 torpedo|Mark 37]], with a weapon load of ten forward and five aft.<ref name=Friedman243/> ''Triton''{{'}}s 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.<ref>Largess and Horwitz. "USS ''Triton'': The Ultimate Submersible." ''Warship 1993'',<!--publisher & place?--> p. 179.</ref>

====Fire control and electronics====
''Triton''{{'}}s main air search radar was the [[Passive electronically scanned array|electronically scanned]], [[3D radar|three-dimensional]] AN/SPS-26. This system had a range of {{convert|65|nmi|km mi}} and was capable of tracking aircraft up to an altitude of {{convert|75000|ft|m}}.<ref name=Polmar67/> Since it scanned electronically in elevation, it did not need a separate height-finding set.<ref name=UnderseaWarfare>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.public.navy.mil/subfor/underseawarfaremagazine/Issues/Archives/issue_14/coldwar.html |title=Cold War Curiosities: U.S. Radar Picket Submarines |access-date=2008-09-13 |magazine=Undersea Warfare Magazine |publisher=U.S. Navy |date=Winter–Spring 2002 |volume=4 |issue=2 |archive-date=20 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191220153433/https://www.public.navy.mil/subfor/underseawarfaremagazine/Issues/Archives/issue_14/coldwar.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> When not in use, the SPS-26 radar was lowered into its fairwater housing for stowage within ''Triton''{{'}}s massive [[Sail (submarine)|sail]] (''pictured'').<ref name=Polmar67/> A submarine version of SPS-26, designated BPS-10, was under development at the time of ''Triton''{{'}}s construction, slated for eventual installation on ''Triton''.<ref name=Friedman9596253n11>Friedman. ''U.S. Submarines since 1945'', pp. 95–96, 253n6.</ref>

''Triton''{{'}}s long-range, passive detecting-ranging sonar was the AN/BQR-7, which had a listening range up to {{convert|20|nmi|km mi}} for surfaced or snorkeling submarines, optimized to {{convert|35|nmi|km mi}}, with target tracking capability within 5 degrees of accuracy.<ref name=Friedman243>Friedman. ''U.S. Submarines since 1945'', p. 243.</ref><ref name=Polmar18>Polmar and Moore. ''Cold War Submarines'', p. 18.</ref><ref>US Navy Sonar School</ref> The chin-mounted AN/BQR-2 [[passive sonar]] array supplemented the active BQS-4, with a range up to {{convert|10|nmi|km mi}} and a bearing accuracy of 1/10 of degree, allowing the BQR-2 to be used for fire control in torpedo attacks.<ref name=Friedman243/><ref name=Polmar18/>

''Triton''{{'}}s [[Fire-control|target fire-control system]] (TFCS) was the Mark&nbsp;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.<ref name=Freidman109>Friedman. ''U.S. Submarines since 1945'', p. 109.</ref> This automation greatly simplified a targeting solution for a plotting party. Previously targeting solutions were manually estimated target bearings which were then fed into the [[Torpedo Data Computer]] (TDC), a method used throughout the [[Pacific War]].<ref name=Freidman109/><ref>{{cite book |title=U.S. Submarines through 1945: An Illustrated Design History |last=Friedman |first=Norman |year=1995 |publisher=[[United States Naval Institute|Naval Institute Press]] |location=Annapolis, Maryland |isbn=1-55750-263-3 |pages=193–197}}</ref> However, while entirely capable of providing efficient fire control solutions against post-war non-nuclear hunter-killer submarines, the Mark&nbsp;101 proved to be less responsive to the rapid changes associated with nuclear submarine operations.<ref name=Freidman109/>

The Number One periscope was ''Triton''{{'}}s navigational periscope, and it had a built-in [[sextant]] developed by the Kollmorgen Optical Company that allowed navigators to observe celestial bodies in order to obtain an accurate star fix to plot the ship's course and position.<ref>First Submerged Circumnavigation 1960, B-7.</ref><ref>Beach. ''Around the World Submerged'', pp. 85–86.</ref>

==Construction history==
[[File:Triton SSRN-586 launch.jpg|thumb|right|Launch of USS ''Triton'' (19 August 1958)|alt=From an inclined launching slipway, Triton slides into the water, creating a large disturbance.]]

===Authorization===
The U.S. Navy ordered a "large radar picket using the advanced two-reactor system", designated [[Ship Characteristics Board|SCB&nbsp;132]], in October 1955 under the [[United States Department of Defense]] appropriation for [[Fiscal Year]] 1956.<ref name=Largess172173>Largess and Horwitz. "USS Triton: The Ultimate Submersible," pp. 172–173.</ref><ref name=USFleetAppC>Polmar, ''The Naval Institute Guide to the Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet'', Appendix C.</ref><ref name=Polamr65>Polmar and Moore. ''Cold War Submarines'', p. 65.</ref> This 1956 shipbuilding program was significant because it included authorization for the construction of eight submarines in total, the largest such order since [[World War II]].<ref>Polmar and Moore. Cold War Submarines, pp. 353–354n43.</ref> Along with ''Triton'', the FY-56 program included four additional nuclear-powered submarines – [[USS Halibut (SSGN-587)|guided missile submarine ''Halibut'']], the [[USS Skipjack (SSN-585)|lead ship]] for the {{Sclass|Skipjack|submarine|4}}, and the final two {{Sclass|Skate|submarine|1}}s, {{USS|Sargo|SSN-583|2}} and {{USS|Seadragon|SSN-584|2}}. The 1956 program not only completed the final authorization for all of the U.S. Navy's first-generation nuclear submarines, but with ''Skipjack'', it also marked the initial authorization for a second-generation nuclear submarine. Finally, the 1956 program included the three submarines of the Diesel-electric {{Sclass|Barbel|submarine|4}}, the last non-nuclear attack submarines to be built for the U.S. Navy. Henceforth, the U.S. Navy submarine service would be a nuclear-powered force.<ref name=USFleetAppC/><ref>Polmar and Moore. ''Cold War Submarines'', p. 63.</ref>

===Keel-laying===
''Triton''{{'}}s 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 was re-attached just days prior to her launch. Similarly, the last {{convert|50|ft|m}} of her stern was built on an adjoining slip and attached to the rest of the hull before ''Triton''{{'}}s launch. Her sail was found to be too high to go under the scaffolding, so the top {{convert|12|ft|m}} was cut away and re-attached later.<ref>Beach. ''Around the World Submerged'', pp. 4–6.</ref>

Even before her launch, there was considerable discussion of ''Triton''{{'}}s 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 ([[USS Halibut (SSGN-587)|SSGN]]), or a [[Minelayer#Naval minelayers|minelaying]] [[USS Argonaut (SS-166)|submarine]]. However, with the exception of the command ship option, all of these proposed configurations required extensive modification of her original design.<ref>Polmar and Moore. ''Cold War Submarines'', p. 68.</ref><ref>Friedman, ''U.S. Submarines Since 1945'', pp. 96–98.</ref>

Another potential mission was as an underwater tug, able to rescue disabled submarines under the [[Arctic Ocean|Arctic]] ice pack. ''Triton''{{'}}s first commanding officer, Captain [[Edward L. Beach Jr.]], 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.<ref>{{cite web | title= Box 28: Submerged Towing | url= https://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/research/finding_aids/PDFs/Beach_Edward_Papers.pdf | work= Edward L. Beach Papers | publisher= [[Eisenhower Presidential Center|Eisenhower Presidential Library]] | year= 1960 | access-date= 2010-03-08 | url-status= dead | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110721032742/http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/research/finding_aids/PDFs/Beach_Edward_Papers.pdf | archive-date= 21 July 2011 }}</ref><ref name=Polmar35456>Polmar and Moore. ''Cold War Submarines'', pp. 68, 354n56.</ref><ref name="Largess185"/>

===Launching===
[[File:USS Triton Fittingout2.jpg|thumb|right|''Triton'' undergoing post-launch [[fitting-out]] at General Dynamics' Electric Boat shipyard in Groton, Connecticut|alt=An incomplete submarine lays a rest; tall steel gantries and a dock dominate the background.]]
''Triton'' was [[ship naming and launching|launched]] on 19 August 1958, with Louise Willis, the wife of Vice Admiral [[John Wills (admiral)|John Wills]] USN (ret.), as her sponsor. The principal address was delivered by Admiral [[Jerauld Wright]], the Commander-in-Chief of the [[United States Joint Forces Command|U.S. Atlantic Command]] (<small>CINCLANT</small>), the Commander-in-Chief of the [[U.S. Atlantic Fleet#Cold War|U.S. Atlantic Fleet]] (<small>CINCLANTFLT</small>) and [[Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic]] (<small>SACLANT</small>) for [[NATO]].<ref>Beach, ''Around the World Submerged'', pp. 6–9.</ref> Over 35,000 guests attended, the largest crowd to witness a submarine launching up to that time.<ref>First Submerged Circumnavigation 1960, B-1.</ref>

===Fitting out===
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.<ref name=First12>First Submerged Circumnavigation 1960, B-1 to B-2.</ref><ref name=Beach1214>Beach. ''Around the World Submerged'', pp. 12–14.</ref> ''Triton'' met several key milestones before her commissioning. On 8 February 1959, reactor No.&nbsp;2 achieved initial criticality, while reactor No.&nbsp;1 achieved this milestone on 3 April 1959.<ref name=First12/>

Two shipboard accidents occurred during ''Triton''{{'}}s 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. Neither incident was nuclear related and both were quickly handled by the boat's personnel, with Lieutenant Commander Leslie D. Kelly, the prospective chief engineering officer, being awarded the [[Navy and Marine Corps Medal]] for his quick action during the incident on 2 October.<ref name=First12/><ref name=Beach1214/><ref>{{cite news |date=26 October 1959 |title=Officer of Sub Triton To Get Medal For Heroic Rescue of Crew Member |newspaper=[[Hartford Courant]] |page=8A |url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/courant/access/914242762.html?dids=914242762:914242762&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Oct+26%2C+1959&author=&pub=Hartford+Courant&desc=Officer+Of+Sub+Triton+To+Get+Medal+For+Heroic+Rescue+Of+Crew+Member&pqatl=google |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102213436/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/courant/access/914242762.html?dids=914242762:914242762&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:AI&type=historic&date=Oct+26,+1959&author=&pub=Hartford+Courant&desc=Officer+Of+Sub+Triton+To+Get+Medal+For+Heroic+Rescue+Of+Crew+Member&pqatl=google |url-status=dead |archive-date=2 November 2012 |access-date=2010-07-09 |url-access=subscription }}</ref>

===Sea trials===
''Triton'' began her sea trials on 27 September 1959. Over the next five days, the boat's systems and equipment were thoroughly tested under the overall direction of Admiral [[Hyman G. Rickover]] of the [[Bureau of Ships]]' Naval Reactors branch and Captain A. C. Smith, the Supervisor of Shipbuilding at Electric Boat.<ref>Beach. ''Around the World Submerged'', p. 18.</ref> ''Triton'' generated {{convert|45000|hp}} on sea trials, reaching her design surface speed of {{convert|27|kn|km/h mph}}, and achieved a surface speed well in excess of {{convert|30|kn|km/h mph}}.<ref name=Polmar67/><ref>Largess and Horwitz. "USS Triton: The Ultimate Submersible," pp. 178, 180.</ref> ''Triton'' subsequently executed a four-hour, full-power submerged run and a crash-back maneuver.{{efn|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.<ref>{{cite web | author= Matthew P. Shearer | title= Simulation and Evaluation of Marine Propeller Crashback Through Computational Fluid Dynamics | url= http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA473284 | work= Trident Scholar Project report no. 358 | publisher= [[United States Naval Academy]] | date= 4 May 2007 | access-date= 2010-03-25 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120227062352/http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA473284 | archive-date= 27 February 2012 | url-status= dead }}</ref>}} The only significant problem encountered during her initial sea trials was the overheating of the [[lube oil|lubricating oil system]] for the starboard propeller shaft 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.<ref>Beach, Around ''the World Submerged'', pp. 23–36.</ref>

''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 [[Board of Inspection and Survey|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.<ref name=First12/><ref>Beach. Around ''the World Submerged''. pp. 36–39.</ref>

==Operational history==

===Commissioning===
[[File:USS Triton Commissioning.jpg|thumb|right|''Triton'' is [[ship commissioning|commissioned]] on {{nowrap|10 November}} 1959|alt=A large number of people are gathered around a platform erected just in front of a submarine.]]

''Triton'' was [[ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 10 November 1959 with Captain Edward L. Beach Jr. in command. Vice Admiral [[Bernard L. Austin]], the Deputy [[Chief of Naval Operations|CNO]] for Plans and Policy, made the keynote address, noting:

<blockquote>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.<ref name=Polmar67/></blockquote>

The widow of the late Rear Admiral [[Willis Lent|Willis A. "Pilly" Lent]]<ref>{{cite book |title= Silent Victory: The U.S. Submarine War Against Japan |last= Blair |first= Clay |author-link= Clay Blair |year= 2008 |publisher= [[United States Naval Institute|Naval Institute Press]] |location= [[Annapolis, Maryland]] |isbn= 978-1-55750-217-9 |page= 1037 |url= http://www.usni.org/store/books/history/silent-victory |access-date= 2011-01-19 |quote= Quality paperback edition, hereafter referred to as Blair |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100926081311/http://www.usni.org/store/books/history/silent-victory |archive-date= 26 September 2010 |df= dmy-all }}</ref> presented the original ship's bell from the first [[USS Triton (SS-201)|''Triton'']] at the new commissioning ceremony. The late Admiral Lent had been the earlier ''Triton''{{'}}s first commanding officer.<ref>Beach. ''Around the World Submerged''. pp. 39–40.</ref> A [[watercolor painting]] of the submarine also was presented by the American Water Color Society.<ref name="Beach. p. 39 - 40">Beach. ''Around the World Submerged'', pp. 39–40.</ref> The final cost of building ''Triton'', less her reactors, nuclear fuel, and other related costs paid by the [[United States Atomic Energy Commission|AEC]], was US$109,000,000, making ''Triton'' the most expensive submarine ever built at the time of her commissioning.<ref name=Polmar67/>

''Triton'' was assigned to [[Submarine Squadron 10]], the U.S. Navy's first all-nuclear force, based at State Pier in [[New London, Connecticut]], under the command of [[Commodore (USN)#Present day title usage|Commodore]] Tom Henry.<ref>Beach. ''Around the World Submerged'', pp. 56–57.</ref> ''Triton'' subsequently completed torpedo trials at [[Naval Station Newport]] and conducted other special tests at the [[Naval Station Norfolk|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.<ref name=Largess185>Largess and Horwitz. "USS Triton: The Ultimate Submersible," p. 185.</ref><ref name=Beach16>Beach. ''Around the World Submerged'', p. 16.</ref><ref>Friedman. ''U.S. Submarines since 1945'', pp. 97–98.</ref> Work on ''Triton'' at Electric Boat was delayed as priority was given to completing the Navy's first two fleet [[ballistic missile submarine|ballistic missile]] (FBM) submarines, {{USS|George Washington|SSBN-598|2}} and {{USS|Patrick Henry|SSBN-599|2}}, with the objective for both vessels to start their first nuclear deterrence patrols before the end of 1960.<ref name=Beach16/><ref>Polmar and Moore. ''Cold War Submarines'', p. 121.</ref>

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]] {{USS|Northampton|CLC-1|2}}, [[flagship]] of the [[U.S. Second Fleet]], in northern European waters.<ref>Beach. ''Around the World Submerged'', p. 40.</ref> On 1 February, Captain Beach received a message from Rear Admiral [[Lawrence Daspit|Lawrence R. "Dan" Daspit]]<ref>Blair, p. 1018.</ref> (<small>COMSUBLANT</small>) 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.<ref name="ReferenceA"/><ref>Beach. ''Around the World Submerged'', pp. 40–42.</ref>

===Shakedown cruise===
{{Main|Operation Sandblast}}
[[File:Triton Log.jpg|thumb|right|''First Submerged Circumnavigation *1960*'' (GPO)|alt=Title cover for the published log book of Operation Sandblast, ''USS TRITON SSRN 586 FIRST SUBMERGED CIRCUMNAVIGATION 1960'', which shows a world map depicting the navigation track taken by the nuclear submarine USS ''Triton''.]]
[[File:USS Triton SSRN-586 circumnavigation map 1960.jpg|thumb|right|''Triton''{{'}}s circumnavigation track and milestones|alt=Map depicting the submerged navigational track of Triton during Operation Sandblast. The submarine began off the east coast of the United States, went around the southern tip of South America, passed north of Australia, passed around the southern tip of Africa, and arrived back on the eastern seaboard of the United States.]]
[[File:Edward L. Beach, Jr.jpg|thumb|right|Captain Beach traces the route of ''Triton'''s submerged circumnavigation|alt=A balding man holding a small card titled "Ship's Position" writes a black line on a map of the Earth.]]
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]]. The mission's objectives were set forth in the published [[ship's log]] (''pictured''):

<blockquote>For purposes of geophysical and oceanographic research and to determine habitability, endurance and psychological stress – all extremely important to the [[UGM-27 Polaris|Polaris program]] – it had been decided that a rapid round-the-world trip, touching the areas of interest, should be conducted. Maximum stability of the observing platform and unbroken continuity around the world were important. Additionally, for reasons of the national interest it had been decided that the voyage should be made entirely submerged undetected by our own or other forces and completed as soon as possible. TRITON, because of her size, speed and extra dependability of her two-reactor plant, had been chosen for the mission.<ref>{{cite book |title= USS Trton SSRN 586 First Submerged Circumnavigation 1960 – O – 550280 |year= 1960 |publisher= [[United States Government Printing Office|U.S. Government Printing Office]]|location= [[Washington, DC]] |pages= B-5 |quote=Hereafter referred to as ''First Submerged Circumnavigation 1960''}}</ref></blockquote>

The actual mission was summarized by the U.S. Navy's ''[[Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships]]'':

<blockquote>''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 [[Philippines|Philippine]] and [[Indonesia]]n archipelagos and crossing the [[Indian Ocean]], she rounded the [[Cape of Good Hope]] and arrived off the St. Peter and Paul Rocks on 25 April – 60&nbsp;days and 21&nbsp;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 [[USS Macon (CA-132)|USS ''Macon'' (CA-132)]] off [[Montevideo, Uruguay]], on 6 March. She arrived back at Groton, Connecticut, on 10 May, having completed the first submerged circumnavigation of the earth.</blockquote>

<blockquote>''Triton''{{'}}s 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 Citation (United States)|Presidential Unit Citation]] and [[Edward L. Beach Jr.|Captain Beach]] received the [[Legion of Merit]] from [[Dwight D. Eisenhower|President Dwight D. Eisenhower]].<ref name=DANFS>{{cite DANFS | title = Triton | url = https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/t/triton-v.html | short = yes }}</ref></blockquote>

''Triton''{{'}}s commanding officer during Operation Sandblast, Captain Edward L. Beach, also provided a unique perspective on the circumnavigation in the published log:

{{Blockquote|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 ''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.<ref>''First Submerged Circumnavigation 1960'', B-79.</ref>}}

The noted historian [[Bern Dibner]] placed the significance of Operation Sandblast into historical context:

{{Blockquote|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 ''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.<ref>Dibner. ''Victoria and Triton''. p. 47.</ref>}}

Also, in his 2000 book ''Ships of Discovery And Exploration'', historian Lincoln P. Paine further noted:

{{Blockquote|Although the voyage had been conceived as a way for [[Dwight D. Eisenhower|Eisenhower]] to impress [[General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union|Soviet General Secretary]] [[Nikita Khrushchev]] at the Paris summit, this conference was canceled after U-2 pilot [[Francis Gary Powers]] was [[1960 U-2 incident|shot down]] over the [[Soviet Union]] on 1 May. But coming less than two years after the transpolar expedition of {{USS|Nautilus|SSN-571|6}}, ''Triton''{{'}}s accomplishment was a clear reaffirmation of U.S. [[technological supremacy]].<ref>{{cite book |title= Ships of Discovery And Exploration |last= Paine |first= Lincoln P. |year= 2000 |publisher= [[Houghton Mifflin Harcourt]] |location= [[Boston, Massachusetts]] |isbn= 978-0-39598-415-4 |pages= 142–143 |url= http://www.hmhco.com/shop/books/Ships-of-Discovery-and-Exploration/9780395984154 |access-date= 2014-01-03 |archive-date= 3 January 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140103214855/http://www.hmhco.com/shop/books/Ships-of-Discovery-and-Exploration/9780395984154 |url-status= dead }}</ref>}}

The actual submerged circumnavigation occurred between 24 February and 25 April 1960, covering {{convert|26723|nmi|km mi}} in 60&nbsp;days and 21&nbsp;hours at the average speed of {{convert|18|kn|km/h mph}} while crossing the [[Equator]] on four different occasions.<ref name=Beachappendix>Beach, ''Around the World Submerged'', data sheet appendix.</ref> Also, the total duration of ''Triton''{{'}}s shakedown cruise was 84&nbsp;days 19&nbsp;hours 8&nbsp;minutes, covering {{convert|36335.1|nmi|km mi}}, and ''Triton'' remained submerged for a total of 83&nbsp;days 9&nbsp;hours, covering {{convert|35979.1|nmi|km mi}} during her maiden voyage.<ref name=Beachappendix/>

The ''[[New York Times]]'' described ''Triton''{{'}}s 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".<ref>{{cite news | title= The Modern Magellans | url= http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F40617FC345C16738DDDAA0994DD405B808AF1D3 | newspaper= New York Times | date= 13 May 1960 | access-date=2010-03-12}}</ref>

===Initial deployments===
[[File:USS Fulton AS-11 with SSNs New London 1962.jpg|thumb|right|[[USS Skipjack (SSN-585)|''Skipjack'']], [[USS Nautilus (SSN-571)|''Nautilus'']], ''Triton'', and the [[submarine tender]] [[USS Fulton (AS-11)|''Fulton'']] at State Pier – New London, Connecticut (1962)|alt=Three submarines are moored side by side to a large surface ship, which in turn is held to a dock in the background.]]
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.<ref name=DANFS/> ''Triton'' also participated in NATO exercises against British naval forces led by the aircraft carriers {{HMS|Ark Royal|R09|2}} and {{HMS|Hermes|R12|2}} under the command of Rear Admiral [[Sir Charles Madden, 2nd Baronet|Sir Charles Madden]], RN.<ref>Beach. ''Salt and Steel'', pp. 263–268.</ref> For 2&nbsp;days during these NATO exercises, Rear Admiral [[Thomas H. Moorer]] and his [[flag lieutenant]], Lt. [[William P. Lawrence]], were aboard ''Triton'' to observe the submarine's radar-picket operations. At the time, Moorer was serving as [[Carrier Strike Group 6|Commander Carrier Division Six]] which included the carriers {{USS|Essex|CV-9|2}} and {{USS|Saratoga|CV-60|2}}.<ref>{{cite book |title= Tennessee Patriot: The Naval Career of Vice Admiral William P. Lawrence, U.S. Navy |last= Lawrence |first= William P. |author-link= William P. Lawrence |author2= Rosario Rausa |year= 2006 |publisher= [[United States Naval Institute|Naval Institute Press]] |location= [[Annapolis, Maryland]] |isbn= 978-1-59114-700-8 |pages= 60–61, 64 |url= http://www.usni.org/store/books/biography-memoirs/tennessee-patriot |access-date= 2012-11-29 |archive-date= 19 October 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131019194138/http://www.usni.org/store/books/biography-memoirs/tennessee-patriot |url-status= dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = Naval Aeronautical Organization OPNAV NOTICE 05400 for Fiscal Year 1960 for 1 February 1960 | url = http://www.history.navy.mil/a-record/nao53-68/fy1960-feb60.pdf | work = Naval History & Heritage Command | location = Washington Navy Yard | page = 55 | access-date = 2012-11-29 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110313135547/http://www.history.navy.mil/a-record/nao53-68/fy1960-feb60.pdf | archive-date = 13 March 2011 }}</ref> ''Triton'' completed her first overseas deployment with a port visit to [[Bremerhaven]], West Germany, the first by a nuclear-powered vessel to a European port, from 2–9 October 1960, with an estimated 8,000 touring the boat during this port-call.<ref>Beach. ''Salt and Steel'', pp. 263–269.</ref><ref name="Windjammer">{{cite journal|author=Naval Security Group Activity|date=30 June 1972|title=The Navy in Bremerhaven: 1945–1972|journal=Bremerhaven Windjammer|volume=IV|issue=7|page=3|location=Bremerhaven, Germany|url=http://web.meganet.net/kman/wjpg3.htm|access-date=2010-03-13|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716152745/http://web.meganet.net/kman/wjpg3.htm|archive-date=16 July 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title= Box 25: "''Triton''{{'}} Visit to Bremerhaven 2–9 October 1960 (1)–(3)" | url= https://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/research/finding_aids/PDFs/Beach_Edward_Papers.pdf | work= Edward L. Beach Papers | publisher= Eisenhower Presidential Center | year= 1960 | access-date= 2010-03-08 | url-status= dead | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110721032742/http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/research/finding_aids/PDFs/Beach_Edward_Papers.pdf | archive-date= 21 July 2011 }}</ref>

For the first half of 1961, ''Triton'' conducted operational patrols and training exercises with the Atlantic Fleet.<ref name=DANFS/> This included an at-sea exercise involving low-power testing in support of the development of a proposed natural circulation [[S5G reactor|reactor (NCR)]].<ref>{{cite web | author= Henry Stone | title= Walter H. Zinn Award – Reflection by this year's winner | url= http://opd.ans.org/Newsletter_files/Previous/OPDNewsletterFall2002.pdf | work= OPD Newsletter | publisher= [[American Nuclear Society]] | date= Fall 2002 | access-date= 2010-02-11 | url-status= dead | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110823181949/http://opd.ans.org/Newsletter_files/Previous/OPDNewsletterFall2002.pdf | archive-date= 23 August 2011 }}</ref> She also deployed to monitor the Soviet 50-megaton hydrogen [[Tsar Bomba#Test|bomb initiation]] at [[Novaya Zemlya]] in the Arctic Ocean during late October 1961.<ref>{{cite book |title= Medal of Honor: Profiles of America's Military Heroes From the Civil War to the Present |last= Mikaelian |first= Allen |year= 2003 |publisher= [[Disney Hyperion|Hyperion]] |location=New York|isbn= 978-0-7868-8576-3 |page= 233}}</ref>

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]] [[E-1 Tracer|WF-2 Tracer]] [[airborne early warning]] aircraft, ''Triton''{{'}}s 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.<ref name=Friedman9596253n11/> Accordingly, upon the demise of the Navy's radar picket submarine program, ''Triton'' was redesignated SSN-586 on 1 March 1961.<ref name=DANFS/>

===Overhaul and conversion===
[[File:Ssn586.jpg|thumb|right|''Triton'' post-overhaul, c.&nbsp;1964|alt=Profile shot of a long, black submarine sailing on the surface.]]
''Triton'' entered the [[Portsmouth Naval Shipyard]] 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 <small>COMSUBLANT</small>.<ref name=DANFS/> Since the Navy no longer had any plans to use ''Triton''{{'}}s 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.<ref>Largess and Horwitz. "USS Triton: The Ultimate Submersible," p. 183.</ref><ref>Friedman. U.S. Submarines since 1945, p. 253n13.</ref>

Because she subsequently served as <small>COMSUBLANT</small>'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 [[Continuity of government#United States|emergency or war]], with the command cruisers {{USS|Northampton|CLC-1|2}} and {{USS|Wright|CVL-49|2}} assigned to perform this mission.<ref>{{cite book |title= U.S. Cruisers: An Illustrated Design History |last= Freidman |first= Norman |year= 1984 |publisher= Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis|isbn= 978-0-87021-718-0|pages= 437–445}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | author= Karl C. Priest | title= Ghosts of the East Coast: Doomsday Ships | url= http://www.coldwar.org/museum/doomsday_ships.asp | work= Cold War Stories, Oral Histories, and Personal Stories | publisher= [[Cold War Museum]] | date= 25 February 2008 | access-date= 2009-04-20 | archive-date= 15 May 2012 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120515180311/http://www.coldwar.org/museum/doomsday_ships.asp | url-status= dead }}</ref>

''Triton'' had a number of attributes that made her a potential NECPA platform. Her size allowed ample room for additional shipboard systems and personnel 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 (military)|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 [[Weapon of mass destruction|nuclear-biological-chemical (NBC) contaminants]] over surface ships or an [[Operation Looking Glass|airborne command centre]]. However, the record remains unclear if such an explicit NECPA conversion was ever undertaken for ''Triton''.<ref>Polmar and Moore. Cold ''War Submarines'', p. 68.</ref><ref>Polmar, ''The Naval Institute Guide to the Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet'', 15th ed., p. 158.</ref>

===Subsequent operations===
In March 1964, upon completion of her overhaul, ''Triton''{{'}}s home port was changed from New London, to Norfolk. On 13 April 1964, she became the flagship for <small>COMSUBLANT</small>.<ref name=DANFS/> On 20 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]].<ref>{{cite news | title= Nuclear Submarine Triton Rescues 2 Men in Atlantic | url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1310&dat=19650121&id=3q0QAAAAIBAJ&pg=6030,3686515 | newspaper= [[The Register-Guard|Eugene Register-Guard]] | date= 21 January 1965 | access-date= 2010-02-11 }}{{Dead link|date=April 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>Largess and Horwitz. "USS ''Triton'': The Ultimate Submersible." ''Warship 1993'', p. 184.</ref> ''Triton'' was relieved as <small>COMSUBLANT</small>'s flagship by the {{Sclass|Sturgeon|submarine|2}} {{USS|Ray|SSN-653|2}} on 1 June 1967. 11&nbsp;days later, ''Triton'' was shifted to her original home port of New London, Connecticut.<ref name=DANFS/>

==Decommissioning and final disposition==
[[File:TritonDisposal.jpg|thumb|right|''Triton'' in dry dock at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, November 2007|alt=A dilapidated submarine is out of the water. A crane sits above the hulk.]]
Due to cutbacks in defense spending, as well as the expense of operating her twin nuclear reactors, ''Triton''{{'}}s scheduled 1967 overhaul was canceled, and the submarine{{snd}}along with 60 other vessels{{snd}}was slated for inactivation.<ref name=DANFS/> While ''Triton''{{'}}s twin reactor plant was designed to be refueled by a [[submarine tender]] like other U.S. nuclear submarines, because of the complexity of her [[zirconium|zirconium-clad]] fuel elements, ''Triton''{{'}}s previous re-fueling had been done in a shipyard during her 1962–1964 overhaul. Although new fuel elements were procured and available for installation, ''Triton''{{'}}s overhaul was canceled, a source of controversy. One speculation suggests that the cancellation of ''Triton''{{'}}s overhaul allowed funds to be redirected for the repairs to the [[supercarrier]] {{USS|Forrestal|CV-59|2}}, which had been [[1967 USS Forrestal fire|extensively damaged]] off [[Vietnam War|Vietnam]].<ref name=Largess187>Largess and Horwitz. "USS Triton: The Ultimate Submersible," p. 187.</ref>
From October 1968 through May 1969, she underwent preservation and deactivation processes, and she was decommissioned on 3 May 1969.<ref name=DANFS/> ''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|Soviet Navy's]] {{sclass2|November|submarine|0}} submarine {{ship|Soviet submarine|K-27||2}} in 1968.<ref>Polmar and Moore. ''Cold War Submarines'', pp. 68, 81.</ref> 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.<ref name=DANFS/> In August 1993, the hulks of the ex-''Triton'' and the ex-''Ray'' were towed by the [[Rescue and salvage ship|salvage tug]] {{USS|Bolster|ARS-38|2}} to the [[Puget Sound Naval Shipyard]] (PSNS), in [[Bremerton, Washington]], arriving on 3 September 1993, to await their turn in the [[Ship-Submarine recycling program|Nuclear Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program]] (SRP).<ref name=DANFS/>

Effective 1 October 2007, ex-''Triton'' landed on the keel resting blocks in the [[Puget Sound Naval Shipyard#Ship-Submarine Recycling Program|drydock basin]] to begin recycling (''pictured'').<ref name=DANFS/><ref>{{cite journal |last=Morison |first=Samuel Loring |author-link= Samuel Loring Morison |date=May 2008 |title=U.S. Naval Battle Force Changes 1 January 2007 – 31 December 2007 |journal=United States Naval Institute Proceedings |volume=134 |issue=5 |page=102 |id=0041-798X }}</ref> The long delay in the disposal of ex-''Triton'' has been attributed to the complexity of her dual reactor plant.<ref name=Largess187/> Final recycling was completed effective 30 November 2009.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Morison |first=Samuel Loring |author-link= Samuel Loring Morison |date=May 2010 |title=U.S. Naval Battle Force Changes 1 January 2009 – 31 December 2009 |journal=United States Naval Institute Proceedings |volume=135 |issue=5 |page=112 |id=0041-798X }}</ref>

==Honors and awards==
{| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Pucribbontriton1.JPG|width=103}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Navy Unit Commendation ribbon.svg|width=103}}
|}
{|class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|[[Presidential Unit Citation (United States)|Presidential Unit Citation]]<br/>with [[Operation Sandblast]] device
|[[Navy Unit Commendation]]
|}

===Presidential Unit Citation===
On 10 May 1960, [[Secretary of the Navy]] [[William B. Franke]] presented the [[Presidential Unit Citation (United States)|Presidential Unit Citation]] (PUC) to ''Triton'' for [[Operation Sandblast]], the first submerged circumnavigation of the world. Chief Torpedoman's Mate Chester Raymond Fitzjarrald, the [[Chief of the Boat|chief of the boat]], accepted the PUC on behalf of ''Triton''{{'}}s officers and crew.<ref>Beach. ''Around the World Submerged'', pp. vii, 10, 284.</ref> The citation reads:

<blockquote>For meritorious achievement from 16 February 1960 to 10 May 1960. During this period the TRITON circumnavigated the earth submerged, generally following the route of Magellan's historic voyage. In addition to proving the ability of both crew and nuclear submarine to accomplish a mission which required almost three months of submergence, TRITON collected much data of scientific importance. The performance, determination and devotion to duty of the TRITON's crew were in keeping with the highest traditions of the naval service. All members of the crew who made this voyage are authorized to wear the Presidential Unit Citation ribbon with a special clasp in the form of a golden replica of the globe.<ref name=TheDay05111960>{{cite news |first= Jim |last=Cunningham |title=2,000 Welcome Sub Triton on return Voyage |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=D580AAAAIBAJ&pg=1314,1269026&dq=submarine+triton&hl=en |newspaper=[[The Day (New London)|The Day]] |location=New London |page= 2 |date=11 May 1960}}</ref></blockquote>

Up to that time, this was only the second time that a U.S. Navy vessel had been awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for a peacetime mission, with the nuclear submarine {{USS|Nautilus|SSN-571}} receiving the first peacetime PUC in recognition of Operation Sunshine, the first submerged voyage under the North Pole in 1958.<ref name=DANFS /><ref>Beach. ''Around the World Submerged'', pp. 270, 284.</ref><ref>{{cite web | title= Presidential Unit Citation | url= http://www.ussnautilus.org/events/2008Aug3panopo50th/puc.shtml | work= USS Nautilus | publisher= [[Submarine Force Library and Museum]] | year= 1958 | access-date= 2010-03-21 | archive-date= 13 June 2011 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110613154743/http://www.ussnautilus.org/events/2008Aug3panopo50th/puc.shtml | url-status= dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Finnigan |first=Stephen |date=October–December 2006 |title=U.S.S. ''Nautilus'' (SSN-571) |journal=Anchor Watch |pages=5–7 |url=http://www.hnsa.org/anchorwatch/pdf/2006fall.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101217123753/http://hnsa.org/anchorwatch/pdf/2006fall.pdf |archive-date=2010-12-17 |access-date=2010-03-21}}</ref> To commemorate the first submerged circumnavigation of the world, all ''Triton'' personnel who made that voyage were authorized to wear their Presidential Unit Citation ribbon with a special clasp in the form of a golden replica of the globe (''pictured'').<ref name=TheDay05111960/>

===Naval Unit Commendation===
The citation reads:

<blockquote>For exceptionally meritorious service during a period in 1967. USS ''Triton'' conducted important and arduous independent submarine operations of great importance to the national defense of the United States. The outstanding results achieved during the highly successful operations attest to the exceptional professional skill, resourcefulness and ingenuity of ''Triton''{{'}}s officers and men. Their inspiring performance of duty throughout was in keeping with the highest traditions of the naval service.<ref>{{cite web |first= Jim |last=Cunningham |title= Nuclear subs given secret Navy citations |url= https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/20207593/ |work= The [[Arizona Republic]] |publisher= [[Gannett Company]] |location=[[Phoenix, Arizona]] |page= 32 |date= 16 October 1968 |access-date=2014-01-01 }}</ref></blockquote>

==Legacy==
{{Blockquote|The importance of the ''Triton'' goes beyond the specific military task which has been assigned her. The ''Triton'', in her operations, will test an advanced type of nuclear propulsion plant and will pave the way for the submersible capital ships of the future.<ref name=Polamr65/>|[[Hyman G. Rickover|Vice Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, U.S. Navy]] (1959)}}

===Triton plaque===
[[File:Magellan-Triton.jpg|thumb|right|The Triton Plaque|alt=A round metal object features a sailing ship in the center. In a circle around the edges are the Latin words "Ave Nobilis Dux, Iterum Factum Est".]]
In the eight days prior to ''Triton''{{'}}s departure on her around-the-world submerged voyage, Captain Beach approached Lt. Tom B. Thamm, ''Triton''{{'}}s Auxiliary Division Officer, to design a commemorative plaque for their upcoming voyage, as well as the first circumnavigation led by Portuguese explorer [[Ferdinand Magellan]].<ref name=Beach5556>Beach. ''Around the World Submerged'', pp. 55–56, 290.</ref> The plaque's eventual design consisted of a [[brass]] disk about {{convert|23|in|cm}} in diameter, bearing a sailing ship reminiscent of Magellan's carrack, ''Trinidad'', above the [[Submarine Warfare insignia|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").<ref name=Beach5556/>

Commodore Tom Henry, commanding Submarine Squadron 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.<ref name=Beach5556/>

During the homeward leg of her around-the-world voyage, ''Triton'' rendezvoused with the destroyer {{USS|John W. Weeks|DD-701|2}} on 2 May 1960 off [[Cadiz]], Spain, the departure point for Magellan's earlier voyage. ''Triton'' broached, and ''John W. 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. This plaque is located at the City Hall in [[Sanlúcar de Barrameda]], Spain, and it is mounted on the wall of the city hall with a marble slab memorializing the 1960 ''Triton'' submerged circumnavigation.<ref name=Beach263>Beach. ''Around the World Submerged'', p. pp. 263–267, 290.</ref>

Duplicates of the Triton Plaque were also presented to the [[Mystic Seaport Museum]] in [[Mystic, Connecticut]], and the [[Naval Historical Association]] in [[Washington, D.C.]], as well as the [[U.S. Navy Submarine School]] and the U.S. Navy [[Submarine Force Library and Museum]], both located in Groton, Connecticut.<ref name=Beach263/>

===''Triton'' memorials===
{{See also|Triton Light}}
[[File:021201-N-0000B-001 Beach Hall 1999.jpg|thumb|right|Captain Edward L. Beach at the dedication of Beach Hall (1999)|alt=Elderly man in coat and tie standing next to a bronze dedication plaque located at the building entrance.]]
[[File:120517-N-CD297-372.jpg|thumb|right|USS ''Triton'' bell dedication ceremony (17 May 2012)|alt=An interior wooden display case with a brass ship's bell flanked by two men in coat and tie standing on either side.]]
[[File:Sail of SSN 568 USS Triton.jpg|thumb|right|USS ''Triton'' Submarine Memorial Park|alt=A very large submarine conning tower in a gravel park.]] 
Triton Light is a [[lighthouse|navigational beacon]] on the seawall of the [[United States Naval Academy]] in Annapolis, Maryland, where the [[Severn River (Maryland)|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 boat had sailed 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.<ref>Beach. ''Around the World Submerged'', pp. 206–207.</ref><ref>{{cite rowlett|md|date= 16 April 2009 | access-date=2010-03-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | author= Timothy Harrison | title= Keepers Korner – Tid-bits from the Tower: The only one in the world | url= http://www.lighthousedepot.com/lite_digest.asp?action=get_article&sk=1323&bhcd2=1268524606 | work= Lighthouse Digest | publisher= Lighthouse Marketing LTD. | date= May 2002 | access-date= 2010-03-13 | url-status= dead | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110614061943/http://www.lighthousedepot.com/lite_digest.asp?action=get_article&sk=1323&bhcd2=1268524606 | archive-date= 14 June 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | author= Thomas Fleming | title= School for Sailors | url= http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/1990/3/1990_3_90_print.shtml | work= [[American Heritage (magazine)|American Heritage]]| publisher= American Heritage Publishing Company | date= April 1990 | access-date=2009-04-20 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090220085455/http://americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/ah/1990/3/1990_3_90_print.shtml <!--Added by H3llBot--> | archive-date= 20 February 2009}}</ref>

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 institute's secretary-treasurer, and his son, Edward L. Beach Jr., who commanded ''Triton'' during Operation Sandblast. The dive wheel from ''Triton''{{'}}s conning tower is on display in the lobby of Beach Hall.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Cutler, USN (ret.) |first=Thomas J. |date=August 2006 |title=History Repeats Itself|journal=United States Naval Institute Proceedings |volume=132 |issue=8 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Peter |first=Gordon |date=July 1999 |title=Pen and Sword |journal=Seapower }}</ref><ref name="9,000 Leagues under the Sea">{{cite web | title= 9,000 Leagues under the Sea | url= http://www.ussnautilus.org/events/2010/Triton_Leagues_flyer.pdf | work= April Break Flyer | publisher= [[Submarine Force Library and Museum]] | year= 2010 | access-date= 2010-03-22 | archive-date= 1 March 2012 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120301205007/http://www.ussnautilus.org/events/2010/Triton_Leagues_flyer.pdf | url-status= dead }}</ref>

''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]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Jack Turner |title=USS ''Albacore'' (AGSS-569) and the Submarine Hall of Fame |url=http://www.spinax.com/Newsletter/Newsletter%2051/Albacore.htm |work=Newsletter #51 |publisher=USS Spinax (SSR/SS-489) Organization |year=2003 |access-date=2010-03-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090417152238/http://www.spinax.com/Newsletter/Newsletter%2051/Albacore.htm |archive-date=17 April 2009 }}</ref>

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&nbsp;square&nbsp;feet (15,979&nbsp;square&nbsp;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.<ref>Dedication Ceremony – USS Triton Recruit Barracks program dated Friday, 25 June 2004.</ref><ref>{{cite web | title= Full Text of HR1098 Offered by Representative Chapa LaVia | url= http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?DocName=&SessionId=3&GA=93&DocTypeId=HR&DocNum=1098&GAID=3&LegID=13593&SpecSess=&Session= | work= LRB093 22590 KEF 52170 | publisher= [[Illinois General Assembly]] | year= 2004 | access-date=2008-09-13 }}</ref> On 17 May 2012, in a dedication ceremony, the long-missing ship's bell was added to the collection of artifacts in Recruit Training Command's USS Triton recruit barracks quarterdeck (''pictured'').<ref>{{cite web | author= Lt. j.g. Liza Swart, USN | title= USS ''Triton'' Bell Rings On | url= http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=67550 | work= NNS120601-25 | publisher= Recruit Training Command Public Affairs | date= 1 June 2012 | access-date= 2012-10-10 }} and {{cite news |first=Wiltrout |last=Kate |title=Missing for decades, World War II sub's lost bell surface |url=http://hamptonroads.com/2011/04/missing-decades-world-war-ii-subs-lost-bell-surfaces |quote=Rhonda Savage was always curious about the brass submarine bell. Inscribed "U.S.S. Triton," it was the centerpiece of a handmade, glass-topped end table in a relative's home near Reno, Nev. Visitors weren't supposed to ring it, but sometimes they couldn't help themselves. The shiny artifact beckoned. Thanks to Savage's curiosity, the 14-inch diameter bell – technically government property, missing for more than four decades – is once again in proper hands.. |work=[[The Virginian-Pilot]] |date=26 April 2011 |access-date=2012-10-10 |archive-date=25 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111025043903/http://hamptonroads.com/2011/04/missing-decades-world-war-ii-subs-lost-bell-surfaces |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The USS ''Triton'' Submarine Memorial Park is located 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]]".<ref>{{cite web |title=Triton Sail |url=http://www.prosser.org/media/Port%20of%20Benton%2009Fall.pdf |work=The re: Port of Benton |publisher=Port of Benton |date=Fall 2009 |access-date=2010-02-11 |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/5niucuKXZ?url=http://www.prosser.org/media/Port%20of%20Benton%2009Fall.pdf |archive-date=22 February 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The park features ''Triton''{{'}}s [[sail (submarine)|sail superstructure]] (''pictured'') and an information display on the history of ''Triton''. The park also serves 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 to be cut up for transport and reassembled 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.<ref>{{cite web | title= Nuclear Sub Coming to New Richland Park | url= http://www.kndo.com/Global/story.asp?S=7901926&nav=menu484_2_10 | work= Evening News | publisher= KNDO/KNDU | date= 21 February 2008 | access-date= 2010-03-09 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120223161130/http://www.kndo.com/Global/story.asp?S=7901926&nav=menu484_2_10 | archive-date= 23 February 2012 | url-status= dead | df= dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Meeting Minutes |url=http://www.portofbenton.com/minutes.html |work=Board of Commissioners |publisher=Port of Benton |date=28 March 2008 |access-date=2008-09-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080612104620/http://www.portofbenton.com/minutes.html |archive-date=12 June 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Scott Keller |title=AG & COMMERCE: Port of Benton events to celebrate 50 years |url=http://www.tri-cityherald.com/progress/story/122474.html |work=Progress section |publisher=Tri-City Herald |date=28 March 2008 |access-date=2008-09-13 }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> On 23 October 2009, the Port of Benton encased ''Triton''{{'}}s conning tower in concrete at its new USS ''Triton'' Submarine Memorial Park in north Richland, Washington.<ref>{{cite web | title= Historic submarine sail arrives at Richland park | url= http://www.tri-cityherald.com/kennewick_pasco_richland/story/763200.html | work= Mid-Columbia News | publisher= Tri-City Herald | date= 22 October 2009 | access-date= 2009-10-22 | url-status= dead | archive-url= https://archive.today/20130105015238/http://www.tri-cityherald.com/kennewick_pasco_richland/story/763200.html | archive-date= 5 January 2013 | df= dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Inside the Triton's Conning Tower |url=http://www.tri-cityherald.com/galleries/gallery/765244.html |work=Gallery |publisher=Tri-City Herald |date=24 October 2009 |access-date=2009-10-25 }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> In mid-December 2009, the final pieces of ''Triton''{{'}}s sail were welded together at the park's site.<ref>{{cite web | title= Nuclear submarine sail lands a permanent dock in Richland | url= http://www.tricitiesbusinessnews.com/2009/12/nuclear-submarine-sail-lands-at-permanent-dock-in-richland/ | work= Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business | publisher= TriComp Inc. | date= 15 December 2009 | access-date= 2010-03-22 | url-status= dead | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110717100133/http://www.tricitiesbusinessnews.com/2009/12/nuclear-submarine-sail-lands-at-permanent-dock-in-richland/ | archive-date= 17 July 2011 | df= dmy-all }}</ref> 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 ''Triton''{{'}}s 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.<ref>{{cite web|title=Commission Meeting Minutes |url=http://www.portofbenton.com/minutes.html |publisher=Port of Benton |date=11 August 2010 |access-date=2010-09-23 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110102163434/http://www.portofbenton.com/minutes.html |archive-date=2 January 2011 }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web | title= Richland Riverfront Trail | url= http://www.traillink.com/trail/richland-riverfront-trail.aspx | publisher= Rails-to-Trails Conservancy | year= 2011 | access-date=2011-04-08}}</ref> The USS ''Triton'' Submarine Memorial Park is located off George Washington Way near the [[Columbia River]], and it was formally dedicated on 10 November 2011, the 52nd anniversary of the commissioning of the USS ''Triton''.<ref>{{cite web | author= Bryant Maddrick | title= Submarine park almost ready for debut | url= http://www.kndo.com/story/15582737/submarine-park-almost-ready-for-debut | publisher= [[KNDO]] | date= 29 September 2011 | access-date=2011-09-06}}</ref>

In 2011, the USS ''Triton'', [[Operation Sandblast]], and Captain [[Edward L. Beach Jr.]], were included in the Technology for the Nuclear Age: Nuclear Propulsion display for the Cold War exhibit at the [[U.S. Navy Museum]] in Washington, D.C.<ref>{{cite web | title= Technology for the Nuclear Age: Nuclear Propulsion | url= http://usnavymuseum.org/Ex1_NuclearPropulsion.asp | work= Cold War Gallery | publisher= [[U.S. Navy Museum]] | year= 2011 | access-date= 2011-10-12 | archive-date= 16 November 2012 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121116021035/http://usnavymuseum.org/Ex1_NuclearPropulsion.asp | url-status= dead }}</ref>

===Cultural references===
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========
===({{In popular culture|date=May 2012}})=============== -->
''Triton''{{'}}s submerged circumnavigation, [[Operation Sandblast]], was the subject of the ABC television series ''[[Expedition!]]'' broadcast on Tuesday, 14 February 1961.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,826902,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090417193843/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,826902,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 April 2009 |title=TV Listings |access-date=2008-09-03|magazine=Time|date=17 February 1961 }}</ref> Hosted by [[John D. Craig]], this episode was titled ''[[Expedition!#Saga of the Triton|Saga of the ''Triton'']]'', and it featured film footage from Operation Sandblast with [[voice-over]] narration extracted from Captain Beach's logbook.<ref>{{cite web | title=The Saga of the ''Triton'' | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-KZ7-KlxlM | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140626004647/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-KZ7-KlxlM| archive-date=2014-06-26 | url-status=dead| work= Periscope Films | publisher= [[YouTube]] | year= 1961| access-date=2014-01-18}}</ref>

''Triton'' is referenced briefly in three popular [[Cold War]] 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.<ref>{{cite book |title= The Last Mayday |url= https://archive.org/details/lastmayday00whee_0 |url-access= registration |last= Wheeler |first= Keith |year= 1968 |publisher=[[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]]|location=New York |pages= [https://archive.org/details/lastmayday00whee_0/page/134 134–137]}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite book |title=Cold is the Sea |last=Beach |first=Edward L. |author-link=Edward L. Beach Jr. |year=1978 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |location=Annapolis |isbn=978-1-59114-056-6 |pages=60, 109, 187, 207}}</ref> Also, the under-ice towing capability that was considered for ''Triton'' served as a key plot point for the novel.<ref>Polmar and Moore. ''Cold War Submarines'', p 354–355.</ref> Finally, in ''[[The Hunt for Red October]]'' by [[Tom Clancy]], the biographical background for Marko Ramius mentions that, while commanding a [[Charlie class submarine|''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".<ref>{{cite book |title= The Hunt for Red October |last= Clancy |first= Tom |author-link= Tom Clancy |year= 1984 |publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis|isbn= 978-0-425-12027-9 |pages= 134–137}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Colliver |first=Tom |year=1991 |title=Seaview: The Making of ''Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'' |journal=Seaview Soundings |issue= 3 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title= Around the World under the Sea | url= http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/976/Around-the-World-Under-the-Sea/ | work= Movie Database: Full Synopsis | publisher= [[Turner Classic Movies]] | year= 2010 | access-date=2016-08-20}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title= Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea | url= http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/94930/Voyage-to-the-Bottom-of-the-Sea/ | work= Movie Database: Full Synopsis | publisher= [[Turner Classic Movies]] | year= 2010 | access-date=2016-08-20}}</ref> Also, in the [[Cold open|teaser]] of the episode "Mutiny" of the [[Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (TV series)|''Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'']] [[television series]], broadcast on 11 January 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 ''Triton''{{'}}s sea trials.<ref>{{cite journal |last= Anchors Jr. |first= William E. |date=March–April 1992 |title= Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea |journal= Epi-Log |volume= 1 |issue= 1 |page= 23 }}</ref>

The 1960 ''[[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.<ref>Finch. ''Beneath the Waves'', p. 131.</ref> [[Bob Newhart]] noted in a 2006 interview that:

{{Blockquote|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.<ref>{{cite web | author= Neal Conan | title= Bob Newhart, 'I Shouldn't Even Be Doing This' | url= https://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=6111083 | work= [[Talk of the Nation]] | publisher= [[National Public Radio]] | date= 20 September 2006 | access-date=2010-05-12| author-link= Neal Conan }}</ref>}}

Captain Beach reportedly played "The Cruise of the U.S.S. Codfish" over the ship's public address system during ''Triton''{{'}}s first overseas deployment in the Fall of 1960.<ref>Finch. ''Beneath the Waves'', p. 132.</ref>

[[Antigua-Barbuda]] issued a [[List of ships on stamps|commemorative stamp]] of ''Triton''{{'}}s 1960 submerged circumnavigation.<ref>{{cite web | title= Stamps: Antigua & Barbuda | url= http://www.submarinesonstamps.co.il/Items.aspx?c=4&type=0&cnt=Antigua+%26+Barbuda | work= Index by Country | publisher= SubmarinesOnStamps.co.il | access-date=2009-04-20}}</ref> Also, ''Triton'' was the name of one of the submersibles featured in the [[Submarine Voyage]] attraction at Disneyland which operated from 1959 to 1998.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.yesterland.com/submarine.html |title= Submarine Voyage |access-date=2008-09-13 |work= Overview |publisher=Yesterland |year=2009 }}</ref>

===50th anniversary of Operation Sandblast===
[[File:US Navy 100410-N-9818V-782 Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) Rick West delivers remarks at the 110th Submarine Birthday Ball at the MGM Grand.jpg|thumb|right|110th Submarine Ball (10 April 2010)|alt=MCPON Rick D. West standing at a podium with a projection screen and two flags behind him.]]
The 50th anniversary of Operation Sandblast and ''Triton''{{'}}s submerged circumnavigation of the world was celebrated on 10 April 2010, during the 2010 Submarine Birthday Ball held at the [[Foxwoods Resort Casino]] in [[Mashantucket Pequot Tribe|Mashantuket]], Connecticut, with [[Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy]] (MCPON) [[Rick D. West]] delivering opening remarks (''pictured'') to the 2,200 attendees.<ref>{{cite web | author= William Kenny | title= Past meets the future: USS Triton (SSRN 586) shipmates visit SUBSCOL | url= http://www.dolphin-news.com/articles/2010/03/11/top_stories/20415144.txt | work= The Dolphin | publisher= [[Naval Submarine Base New London]] | date= 11 May 2010 | access-date= 2010-03-10 | archive-date= 3 March 2016 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160303193157/http://www.dolphin-news.com/articles/2010/03/11/top_stories/20415144.txt | url-status= dead }}</ref><ref name=Grogan>{{cite news | author= Jennifer Grogan | title= Submarine Force to honor Triton's historic voyage | url= http://www.theday.com/article/20100410/NWS09/100419999/1044 | newspaper= [[The Day (New London)|The Day]] | date= 10 April 2010 | access-date= 2010-04-10 | archive-date= 24 February 2012 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120224015811/http://www.theday.com/article/20100410/NWS09/100419999/1044 | url-status= dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | author= T. H. Merritt | title= 110th Submarine Birthday Ball:A celebration of past and present | url= http://www.dolphin-news.com/articles/2010/04/15/top_stories/20422695.txt | work= The Dolphin | publisher= [[Naval Submarine Base New London]] | date= 15 April 2010 | access-date= 2010-04-21 | archive-date= 3 March 2016 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160303173505/http://www.dolphin-news.com/articles/2010/04/15/top_stories/20422695.txt | url-status= dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title= MCPON Rick West Attends 110th Submarine Birthday Ball | url= http://www.sublant.navy.mil/ | publisher= Commander, Submarines Forces | date= 10 April 2010 | access-date= 2010-04-23 | url-status= dead | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131008075128/http://www.sublant.navy.mil/ | archive-date= 8 October 2013 }}</ref> The U.S. Navy [[Submarine Force Library and Museum]] sponsored additional events and activities, entitled "9,000 Leagues Under the Sea", between 10 and 12 April and 14–18 April 2010.<ref>{{cite web | title= 9,000 Leagues under the Sea | url= http://www.ussnautilus.org/events/2010/Triton_Leagues_flyer.pdf | work= April Break Flyer | publisher= [[Submarine Force Library and Museum]] | year= 2010 | access-date= 2010-03-22 | archive-date= 1 March 2012 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120301205007/http://www.ussnautilus.org/events/2010/Triton_Leagues_flyer.pdf | url-status= dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title= Upcoming Events | url= http://www.ussnautilus.org/events/index.shtml | publisher= [[Submarine Force Library and Museum]] | date= April 2010 | access-date= 2009-04-21 | archive-date= 18 August 2012 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120818140512/http://www.ussnautilus.org/events/index.shtml | url-status= dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title= SFLM celebrates USS Triton's circumnavigation | url= http://www.dolphin-news.com/articles/2010/04/22/life/doc4bcdd095accd2559997219.txt | publisher= The Dolphin | date= 22 April 2010 | access-date= 2010-06-13 | archive-date= 3 March 2016 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160303203201/http://www.dolphin-news.com/articles/2010/04/22/life/doc4bcdd095accd2559997219.txt | url-status= dead }}</ref>

Also, on 9 April 2010, retired Admiral [[Henry G. Chiles Jr.]], who served in ''Triton'' from 1963 to 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 ''Triton''{{'}}s submerged circumnavigation.<ref name=Grogan/> 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.<ref>{{cite journal |author= Randi Klien |date= April 1960 |title= Dolphin Scholarship's Race Around the World |journal= The Submarine Review |publisher= Naval Submarine League |page= 126 |url= http://www.navalsubleague.com/NSL/subreview.aspx |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100722022750/http://www.navalsubleague.com/NSL/subreview.aspx |archive-date= 22 July 2010 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title= ''Race Around the World'' | url= http://www.dolphinscholarship.org/?pageid=Fundraising | work= Events | publisher= [[Dolphin Scholarship Foundation]] | year= 2009 | access-date=2010-06-12}}</ref> Finally, former members of ''Triton''{{'}}s crew received commemorative souvenirs of the ship's pressure hull at their 2010 re-union.<ref>{{cite web | title= Minnesota man joins celebration of historic military event | url= http://www.wday.com/event/article/id/33083/ | publisher= [[WDAY-TV]] | date= 3 May 2010 | access-date= 2010-05-27 | url-status= dead | archive-url= https://archive.today/20130105054714/http://www.wday.com/event/article/id/33083/ | archive-date= 5 January 2013 }}</ref>

On 25 April 2010, the [[Port Aransas, Texas#The University of Texas Marine Science Institute|University of Texas Marine Science Institute]] posted a radio program article on its Science and the Sea web site commemorating [[Operation Sandblast]] and ''Triton''.<ref>{{cite web | author= Damond Benningfield | title= USS ''Triton'' | url= http://www.scienceandthesea.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=279&Itemid=10 | work= Science and the Sea | publisher= [[Port Aransas, Texas#The University of Texas Marine Science Institute|The University of Texas Marine Science Institute]] | date= 5 April 2010 | access-date=2014-01-04}}</ref>

For the 50th anniversary of Operation Sandblast, 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.<ref name=LaVO>{{cite journal |author= Carl LaVO |date= June 2010 |title= Incredible Voyage |journal= Naval History |publisher= United States Naval Institute |volume= 24 |issue= 3 |pages= 50–57 |url= https://www.usni.org/members/login.asp?redir=/magazines/navalhistory/story.asp?STORY_ID=2340 |issn= 1042-1920}}</ref><ref name=JohnBeach>{{cite journal |author= John Beach |date= April 1960 |title= USS TRITON (SSRN-586): The First Submerged Circumnavigation |journal= The Submarine Review |publisher= Naval Submarine League |pages= 23–35 |url= http://www.navalsubleague.com/NSL/subreview.aspx |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100722022750/http://www.navalsubleague.com/NSL/subreview.aspx |archive-date= 22 July 2010 }}</ref> Mr. Beach is the nephew of Captain Edward L. Beach, the commanding officer of the USS ''Triton'' during Operation Sandblast.<ref>Finch. ''Beneath the Waves'', p. 207.</ref> Finally, the [[United States Naval Institute|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.<ref name=Finch>{{cite book |title= Beneath the Waves: The Life and Navy of Capt. Edward L. Beach, Jr. |last= Finch |first= Edward F. |year= 2010 |publisher= [[United States Naval Institute|Naval Institute Press]] |location= [[Annapolis, Maryland]] |isbn= 978-159114-266-9 |url= http://www.usni.org/store/item.asp?department_id=147&item_id=1847 |access-date= 14 June 2010 |archive-date= 13 July 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100713162010/http://www.usni.org/store/item.asp?department_id=147&item_id=1847 |url-status= dead }}</ref>

The legacy of Operation Sandblast on its 50th anniversary was summarized by retired Captain James C. Hay who had served on ''Triton'' during the 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:

<blockquote>It is truly a cruise which tested the crew's mettle and proved the [[Edward L. Beach Jr.|skipper's]] ''tenacity''. More than that, however, it again proved to all who cared to listen that the U.S. Navy could go anywhere, at any time, and do what ever was required. It's a good [[Nautical fiction|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.<ref>{{cite journal |author= James C. Hay |date= April 1960 |title= Editor's Comments |journal= The Submarine Review |publisher= Naval Submarine League |page= 2 |url= http://www.navalsubleague.com/NSL/subreview.aspx |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100722022750/http://www.navalsubleague.com/NSL/subreview.aspx |archive-date= 22 July 2010 }}</ref></blockquote>

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/t/triton-v.html}}
* {{Cite book| last = Beach| first = Edward L.| author-link = Edward L. Beach Jr.| title = Around the World Submerged: The Voyage of the ''Triton''| edition = First (paperback)| year = 1962| url = https://potomac.presswarehouse.com/Books/BookDetail.aspx?productID=66790| publisher = Holt, Rinehart and Winston| location = New York| isbn = 978-1-55750-215-5| lccn = 62-18406| quote = U.S. Naval Institute 2001 quality paperback reprint| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150128114556/https://potomac.presswarehouse.com/Books/BookDetail.aspx?productID=66790| archive-date = 28 January 2015}}
* {{Cite book|author-mask=2|last=Beach|first=Edward L.|title=Salt and Steel: Reflections of Submariner|year=1999|publisher=[[Naval Institute|Naval Institute Press]]|location=Annapolis|isbn=978-1-55750-054-0|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/saltsteelreflect00beac}}
* {{Cite book| last = Dibner| first = Bern| author-link =Bern Dibner| title = Victoria and the Triton | year = 1964| publisher = Blaisdell Publishing| location =New York| isbn=978-0-486-21734-5}}
* {{cite web |title= Edward L. Beach Papers |url= https://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/research/finding_aids/PDFs/Beach_Edward_Papers.pdf |publisher= [[Eisenhower Presidential Center|Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum]] |location= [[Abilene, Kansas]] |date= 1953–1961 |access-date= 2010-03-08 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110721032742/http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/research/finding_aids/PDFs/Beach_Edward_Papers.pdf |archive-date= 21 July 2011 }}
* {{Cite book |title= Beneath the Waves: The Life and Navy of Capt. Edward L. Beach, Jr. |last= Finch |first= Edward F. |year= 2010 |publisher= [[United States Naval Institute|Naval Institute Press]] |location= [[Annapolis, Maryland]] |isbn= 978-1-59114-266-9 |url= http://www.usni.org/store/item.asp?department_id=147&item_id=1847 |access-date= 14 June 2010 |archive-date= 13 July 2010 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100713162010/http://www.usni.org/store/item.asp?department_id=147&item_id=1847 |url-status= dead }}
* {{Cite book| last = Friedman| first = Norman| title = U.S. Submarines since 1945: An Illustrated Design History | year = 1994| publisher =Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis|isbn=978-1-55750-260-5}}
* {{Cite book|last1=Largess|first1=Robert P.|last2=Horwitz|first2=Harvey S. |editor1-first=Robert|editor1-last=Gardiner|title=Warship 1993|year=1993|publisher=[[Anova Books|Conway Maritime Press]]|location=London |isbn=978-0-85177-624-8|oclc=30209229|pages=167–187|chapter=USS Triton: The Ultimate Submersible}}
* {{Cite book|last=Polmar|first=Norman|title = The Naval Institute Guide to the Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet|edition = 15th | year = 1993| publisher = Naval Institute Press| location =Annapolis|isbn=1-55750-675-2}}
* {{Cite book|author-mask=2|last1=Polmar|first1=Norman|last2=Moore|first2=J.K.|title=Cold War Submarines: The Design and Construction of U.S. and Soviet Submarines|edition=Paperback|year=2004|url=https://potomac.presswarehouse.com/Books/BookDetail.aspx?productID=66790|publisher=Potomac Books|location=Washington, DC|isbn=978-1-57488-530-9|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150128114556/https://potomac.presswarehouse.com/Books/BookDetail.aspx?productID=66790|archive-date=28 January 2015}}
* {{Cite book |title=USS Triton SSRN-586: First Submerged Circumnavigation 1960 |url=http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015022650793;view=1up;seq=7 |publisher=[[United States Government Printing Office|US Government Printing Office]]| location =[[Washington, DC]] |year= 1960 |id=O–550280}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{External media
| width = 30%
| video1 = {{Internet Archive|id=UssTritonBeyondMagellan|name=USS Triton: Beyond Magellan (1960), General Dynamics}}
| video2 = {{Internet Archive|id=1960-05-12_triton_submarine_circles_world|name=New Magellan. 'Triton' Circles World Submerged, 1960/05/12 (1960), Universal Studios}}
| video3 = {{Internet Archive|id=1958-08-21_Triton_Launched|name=Triton Launched. Giant Sub First With Twin Nuclear Engines, 1958/08/21 (1958), Universal Studios}}
}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120310084907/http://portofbenton.com/wordpress/news/ Triton Park] – Port of Benton, Washington, this now is an Archived link.

{{Coord|47.5544|-122.6409|type:landmark_source:enwiki-googlemaplink|display=title}}

{{US submarine classes after 1945}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Triton}}
[[Category:Radar picket ships of the United States Navy]]
[[Category:Experimental nuclear submarines of the United States Navy]]
[[Category:1958 ships]]
[[Category:Ships built in Groton, Connecticut]]
[[Category:Edward L. Beach Jr.]]
[[Category:Nuclear submarines of the United States Navy]]
[[Category:Cold War submarines of the United States]]