This day 60 years ago, the USS Triton dives around the world, forever changing submarine warfare

This day 60 years ago, the USS Triton dives around the world, forever changing submarine warfare

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In 1960, the US Navy conducted a landmark exercise in submarine warfare history. The nuclear submarine USS Triton dived around the Earth, proving that the submarine could operate completely submerged in water, as opposed to the way most submarines worked at that time.



This is thanks to nuclear power, which gives unlimited submarine power.

Gato-class diesel-electric submarine - USS Cavalla (SS-244) - famous for the sinking of the Imperial Japanese Navy Shokaku aircraft carrier in 1944 during the Battle of the Philippine Sea, World War II.​

An interesting fact about submarines at the time was that for decades they spent most of their time operating on the surface of the sea instead of below. From the first submarines to the wartime built ones, they were all powered by "breathing" diesel engines, which meant that submarines still needed to get air from the outside for internal combustion engines as well as exhaust. emissions from engine operation. Ships that use diesel engines are the same as today's hybrids, when the engine is running, they charge the battery and when diving, the power from the battery operates the electric motor to turn the propeller.

USS Diodon (SS-349) - Balao-class diesel-electric submarines - improved from the Gato class from 1946 to 1971.

They will basically operate on the surface of the ocean like a surface ship with a diesel engine and once the target is found, the ship will sink and use lead-acid batteries (batteries) to conduct a torpedo attack. The submarines were then built at a faster surface speed than the diving speed, usually 20 knots when surfing on the surface of the sea and 10 knots when diving, so the hull design of this period was as weary as the hull with a slender nose. later to turn waves, different from today's round tubular design.

USS Nautilus (SSN-571) - the first nuclear submarine in service with the US Navy. Picture taken in 1958 when the ship entered New York harbor. USS Nautilus is currently preserved and served as a submarine history museum managed by the United States Naval Heritage and Heritage Command. Nautilus is located in a harbor near the naval submarine base New London, Connecticut, attracting more than 250,000 visitors each year.

And then nuclear power changed everything. It does not need air to burn fuel in the engine nor does it need gasoline - limited storage on ships. It is based on an enriched nuclear fuel core, usually uranium, and the decay reaction will provide heat to the gas turbines from which the propeller rotates. As a result, submarines can operate completely submerged under water for a long time and the shape of the ships also quickly changed from the U-boat form to a smooth-tube type like tuna, thereby increasing significantly. hydrodynamic efficiency. Combining more efficient hull design and nuclear power, the submarines were able to operate silently, moving up to 3 times faster in water than their predecessors.

USS Triton (SSRN-586) at the port of New London before carrying out the 1960 Sandblast campaign.

Operation Sandblast 1960 is an opportunity for the United States to show the power of nuclear submarines. USS Triton (SSRN-586) was a nuclear submarine used to extend radar surveillance, it was 136 meters long and was the largest submarine at that time. The ship was designed to be able to dive to areas near the Soviet Union and use its super powerful radar system to look for signs of nuclear attack. The Triton is also the fastest nuclear submarine ever built.

The ship left the port of New London, Connecticut on February 16, 1960 and followed a route based on the path of the Portuguese explorer - Ferdinand Magellan - the first person to make a round-the-world trip. . Triton traveled around the globe for 60 days and returned to New London Harbor on April 25 of the same year. Triton's world-wide voyage is a total of 26,723 nautical miles, and this is only part of the 85-day operation of the Triton ship since leaving port with a total voyage of 36,000 nautical miles. Triton emerged only once to evacuate a sick sailor during the voyage.

Captain Edward L. Beach is redrawing the Triton nuclear world submarine's journey around the world.

Besides missions around the world, Triton also drops hydrological bottles to study the world's ocean currents as well as map the ocean floor with sonar and sonar depth gauges.

USS Triton only served in the US Navy for 11 years because the idea of a submarine with a super strong radar is no longer practical. Triton was later laid off in 1968 and Triton's periscope section has been preserved and is now on display in Benton, Washington.

Theo: Popular Mechanics