USS TRITON SSRN 586 = First Submerged Circumnavigation 1960

This is a detailed accounting of Triton (SSRN-586)'s circumnavigation of the Earth in 1960. Possibly the Captain's log with added narrative.

This is still the fastest nautical circumnavigation of Earth. Some interesting events:

10/2/1958 - "During steam testing of #2 reactor, a steam valve blew out with violent force, narrowly missing the man operating it, The compartment filled rapidly with steam from the opening in the line, making it immediately impossible to see. A dozen or so enlisted men and civilian workers were present, among them Lieutenant Commander Kelly, TRITON' s Prospective Engineer Officer who happened to be the engineering watch officer at the time. He energetically took proper action to protect the machinery and ordered the compartment evacuated. Thinking himself the last man out, he instituted a muster and found one enlisted man missing. Instantly he plunged back into the now steam-filled space, located the missing person and led him to safety."

1/25/1960 - "LCDR Leslie D. KELLY, Jr., the ship's Engineer Officer, left the ship for duty with Vice Admiral RICKOVER's Naval Reactor Group in Washington, D. C. With a wealth of knowledge and experience from his NAUTILUS years, Les had been TRITON's guiding light in making my· huge twin reactor propulsion plant run. He is slated to get his nuclear submarine command shortly."

3/8/1960 - "For the drill today, emergency shutdown of both reactors and loss of all power was simulated. In reality this double casualty is most unlikely; nevertheless it is one we should practice. The drill went very well, and we carried out the procedures laid down in the instructions on operation of nuclear reactors. Our difficulty, however, was not in this area, but in the simple submarining problem of trimming the ship. When a submarine travels for many hours at high speed, it gradually and unconsciously loses its fine degree of trimming. There is no way of telling from the action of the ship at 550280 0 • 60 - 5 these high speeds whether she is heavy or light. Trim, of course, is affected by many things inside the ship - and if she travels any distance there is always the additional likelihood of changes in the density of sea water. Battery driven submarines normally operate at minimum speed, when possible, to conserve the battery; therefore when submerged they are almost automatically maintained in perfect trim. This, in fact, was practically a reflex action, since any condition of being out of trim would cause difficulty in maintaining depth. Our situation in suddenly slowing from high speed to minimum speed is worse than living from a high speed surface run - where at least you have submerged power if you need it. Submariners are well aware of the need td maintain close watch on the trim while running on the surface, but they have not been so accustomed while submerged and it is a lesson we needed to learn.

4/24/1960 - "Casualty in the After Torpedo Room." - this is a long entry describing a large hydraulic leak that caused stern planes not to respond.