Uss Triton Made History With Underwater Trip Around The World

摘要

The return of the Great White Fleet a century ago would not be the last historic circumnavigation of the world by U.S. Navy warships. A half century later, a submarine would be commissioned that would perform this feat submerged - as its shakedown cruise.rnCommissioned in 1959, USS Triton had the distinction of being the largest nuclear-powered submarine to be placed in service at that time. It also was designed for a specific mission that would be short-lived: that of a radar picket submarine.rnThe mission envisioned for Triton was to serve as a warning platform for aircraft carrier task forces. Having two reactors to propel its twin shafts made Triton an anomaly for the American submarine force, but the engineering arrangement enabled the submarine to surge ahead at speeds approaching 30 knots and employ an SPS 26 air-search radar to detect hostile approaching aircraft.rnIn addition to the twin reactors, the need to stow the radar antenna in the submarine's sail, and the requirement for a combat information center comparable to that of a surface ship, drove the design requirements for the exceptionally large boat.