Fate of USS Triton: America's Giant Nuclear Submarine With Two Reactors That Circled the Globe
USS Triton, the only U.S. Navy nuclear submarine with two atomic reactors, unveiled the revolutionary potential of nuclear propulsion in 1960 by circumnavigating the globe underwater. During the Cold War, the U.S. Navy constantly pursued innovation in submarine design. One of the most ambitious of these projects was the USS Triton ...
0 Posted by: Maryam Mousavi on October 23, 1405 at 20:38
The USS Triton, the only nuclear submarine of the US Navy with two nuclear reactors, unveiled the revolutionary capabilities of nuclear propulsion by sailing around the world underwater in 1960.
During the Cold War, the United States Navy was always looking for innovation in submarine design. One of the most ambitious of these plans was the USS Triton submarine, which was not only known as the largest and most powerful submarine of its time, but also made unprecedented achievements. This huge vessel, with a length of 136 meters and a weight of nearly 8,000 tons when submerged, was much larger than other attack submarines of that period.
Unique design with two nuclear reactors
The distinctive feature of the USS Triton submarine was the use of two Westinghouse S4G nuclear reactors, unlike other American submarines designed with one reactor. These two reactors provided the necessary propulsion power for the two propeller shafts with a combined output of about 34,000 horsepower, which allowed the submarine to move at a speed of more than 30 knots underwater. The high speed of the USS Triton made it one of the fastest submarines of its generation.
The primary purpose of the US Navy to build this submarine was to use it as a radar guard submarine; A specialized platform for early warning of enemy aircraft and missiles to US fleets. Conventional diesel-electric submarines lacked the speed and endurance to keep up with aircraft carriers, but nuclear propulsion was the solution. The USS Triton could operate for long periods of time at high speed without needing to refuel or surface. The submarine was also equipped with advanced systems of the time, including the AN/SPS-26 air search radar, and six 21-inch torpedoes (four forward and two aft).
Traveling around the world underwater; Operation "Sandblast"
In February 1960, just three months after the USS Triton was launched, the submarine left Groton Harbor under the command of Captain Edward L. Beach, Jr. In an operation called "Sandblast", the submarine USS Triton managed to complete the first complete underwater navigation of the planet. This historic trip was made with the aim of showing the technological superiority of the US Navy during the Cold War and testing the endurance of nuclear-powered submarines, and it followed a path similar to the historic voyage of Ferdinand Magellan.
The premature end of a technological myth
Despite her unprecedented achievements and records, the USS Triton was quickly rendered obsolete. Advances in carrier-based early warning aircraft gave the Navy a more flexible way to detect Soviet bombers. On March 1, 1961, USS Triton was renamed SSN-586 and underwent refit between 1962 and 1964. But this giant submarine was too big and specialized and not cost-effective to maintain.
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Major US Navy budget cuts led to the cancellation of the USS Triton's planned rebuild, and the submarine was finally decommissioned on May 3, 1969, less than a decade after entering service. Its nuclear propulsion plant was dismantled and the submarine was scrapped. After the USS Triton, no other American submarine was built with a twin-reactor configuration, however, the Triton is immortalized in naval history for its record-breaking achievements during its relatively short life.