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USS Triton (SSRN-586)

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USS Triton (SSRN-586)

USS Triton (SSRN/SSN-586), the only member of her class, was a nuclear powered radar picket submarine in the United States Navy. She was 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. This naming convention was unusual at the time; 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 million (equivalent to $1.18 billion in 2024) excluding the cost of nuclear fuel and reactors. Triton's shakedown cruise in early 1960 saw her become the first vessel to execute a submerged circumnavigation of the Earth, in Operation Sandblast. The voyage was made under the command of Captain 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 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) in 1964. She was decommissioned in 1969, the first U.S. nuclear submarine to be taken out of service. Triton's hull was moored at the St. Julien's Creek Annex of Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, Virginia as part of the reserve fleet until 1993, though she was struck from the Naval Vessel Register in 1986. In 1993, she was towed to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard to await the Nuclear Powered Ship and Submarine Recycling Program. Triton landed on the keel resting blocks in the drydock basin on 1 October 2007 to begin this recycling process, which was completed effective 30 November 2009. Triton'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.

Tables

· Design history › General characteristics
Navy
Navy
Characteristics
Navy
Tritonnuclear-powered radar picket submarine
United States Navy
I-400submarine aircraft carrier
Imperial Japanese Navy
Surcouf"underwater cruiser"
French Navy
USS Argonautmine-laying submarine
United States Navy
Commissioning date
Commissioning date
Characteristics
Commissioning date
Tritonnuclear-powered radar picket submarine
1959
I-400submarine aircraft carrier
1944
Surcouf"underwater cruiser"
1934
USS Argonautmine-laying submarine
1928
Length
Length
Characteristics
Length
Tritonnuclear-powered radar picket submarine
447 ft 6 in (136.40 m)
I-400submarine aircraft carrier
400 ft 0 in (121.92 m)
Surcouf"underwater cruiser"
361 ft 0 in (110.03 m)
USS Argonautmine-laying submarine
381 ft 0 in (116.13 m)
Beam
Beam
Characteristics
Beam
Tritonnuclear-powered radar picket submarine
37 ft 0 in (11.28 m)
I-400submarine aircraft carrier
39 ft 4 in (11.99 m)
Surcouf"underwater cruiser"
29 ft 6 in (8.99 m)
USS Argonautmine-laying submarine
33 ft 9.5 in (10.30 m)
Draft
Draft
Characteristics
Draft
Tritonnuclear-powered radar picket submarine
23 ft 6 in (7.16 m)
I-400submarine aircraft carrier
23 ft 0 in (7.01 m)
Surcouf"underwater cruiser"
23 ft 8 in (7.21 m)
USS Argonautmine-laying submarine
16 ft 0.25 in (4.88 m)
Surface displacement
Surface displacement
Characteristics
Surface displacement
Tritonnuclear-powered radar picket submarine
5,963 long tons (6,059 t)
I-400submarine aircraft carrier
5,223 long tons (5,307 t)
Surcouf"underwater cruiser"
3,250 long tons (3,302 t)
USS Argonautmine-laying submarine
2,710 long tons (2,753 t)
Submerged displacement
Submerged displacement
Characteristics
Submerged displacement
Tritonnuclear-powered radar picket submarine
7,773 long tons (7,898 t)
I-400submarine aircraft carrier
6,560 long tons (6,665 t)
Surcouf"underwater cruiser"
4,304 long tons (4,373 t)
USS Argonautmine-laying submarine
4,228 long tons (4,296 t)
Notes
Notes
Characteristics
Notes
Characteristics
Tritonnuclear-powered radar picket submarine
I-400submarine aircraft carrier
Surcouf"underwater cruiser"
USS Argonautmine-laying submarine
Navy
United States Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
French Navy
United States Navy
Commissioning date
1959
1944
1934
1928
Length
447 ft 6 in (136.40 m)
400 ft 0 in (121.92 m)
361 ft 0 in (110.03 m)
381 ft 0 in (116.13 m)
Beam
37 ft 0 in (11.28 m)
39 ft 4 in (11.99 m)
29 ft 6 in (8.99 m)
33 ft 9.5 in (10.30 m)
Draft
23 ft 6 in (7.16 m)
23 ft 0 in (7.01 m)
23 ft 8 in (7.21 m)
16 ft 0.25 in (4.88 m)
Surface displacement
5,963 long tons (6,059 t)
5,223 long tons (5,307 t)
3,250 long tons (3,302 t)
2,710 long tons (2,753 t)
Submerged displacement
7,773 long tons (7,898 t)
6,560 long tons (6,665 t)
4,304 long tons (4,373 t)
4,228 long tons (4,296 t)
Notes
· Honors and awards
Presidential Unit Citationwith Operation Sandblast device
Navy Unit Commendation

References

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