Around the World Submerged: The Voyage of the Triton

by Edward L. Beach and Captain Edward L. Beach

Book Overview

When the nuclear-powered submarine USS Triton was commissioned in November 1959, its commanding officer, Captain Edward L. Beach, planned a routine shakedown cruise in the North Atlantic. Two weeks before the scheduled cruise, however, Beach was summoned to Washington and told of the immediate necessity to prove the reliability of the Rickover-conceived submarine. His new secret orders were to take the Triton around the world, entirely submerged the...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1557502153
• ISBN13: 9781557502155
• Release Date: April 2012
• Publisher: US Naval Institute Press
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.84 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Retracing History

Around the World Submerged: The Voyage of the Triton, is an accurate, first hand account of the Around the World shakedown cruise of the USS Triton. The book was written by the only man who could tell the story, her Captain! At the time, the USS Triton was the longest nuclear submarine in the United States Navy. At 447.5 feet in length, the Triton was only submarine to be equipped with two nuclear reactors. Due to improved reactor design, today's submarine require the use of only one nuclear reactor. In today's Navy, the longest submarines in the fleet, are the Ohio-Class Trident Missile Submarines. Each sub is 560 feet in length. The man telling the story of the Triton's Around the World Cruise, is Captain Edward L. Beach. Captain Beach was the author of Run Silent, Run Deep and Dust of the Sea. Before assuming command of the Triton, Captain Beach was the Naval Aide to President Dwight Eisenhower. In the book, Captain Beach describes his training in Nuclear Power and the familiarization of the Nuclear Reactor Design that would power the Triton. He tells about the encounters with Admiral Hyman Rickover. Captain Beach was a 'Plank Owner" of the Triton. He was the first commanding officer. The shakedown cruise would take the Triton and her crew, Around the World. They were retracing the course taken by Magellan. They would make the cruise, totally submerged and hopefully, undetected. A nuclear submarine can make its own heat, air, water, steam and electricity needed for ship operations and for crew comfort. During the cruise, Captain Beach describes the day to day routine onboard the Triton. He describes what the watchstanders were required to complete and what the crew done during their off-duty hours. Their cruise was momentarily stopped, when a member of the crew had to put off the ship to receive advanced medical treatment. One of the events that Captain Beach describes in the book, is when the Triton crossed the Equator. During their cruise, the Triton crosses the Equator on four occasions. For members of the crew crossing the Equator for the first time, there's a ceremomy. They are known as "Pollywogs!" The ceremony is the intiation into the "Loyal Order of the Shellback!" King Neptune himself, presides over the ceremony. The actual Around the World cruise took 60 days, 21 hours to complete. Captain Beach was awarded the Legion of Merit for what was completed. Around the World Submerged: The Voyage of the Triton, was written like the Captain's log. The way it was written, gave you the feeling on what was accomplished on a day to day basis, the preparation of the Triton and the loading of provisions to the day the Triton returned home to New London after the cruise. If you want to get the feel of day to day activity onboard a nuclear submarine, Around the World Submerged:The Voyage of the Triton,is good reading. The format Captain Beach chose to tell the story of his ship and the men who served under him, was excellent!

A Wish Fullfilled, I found my book at last

I first read this book in jr. high school (1970) and loved it yet didn't finish it. Years later I tried to find a copy to check out or possibly purchase and none were availible as the book was no longer in print. I even contacted the author to see if he had any copies availible with no luck. To my great suprise a recent search online revealed that this book had been rereleased in paperback. The day it arrived I started reading it and could not put it down (I finished it in 4 days). Admiral Beach did a great job of taking the reader along on this history making journey. The reader feels the excitement of the first dive, the incredible acceleration of the nuclerar powered engines, the worry over failing navigation equipment and a fellow seaman who becomes very ill. Then when they complete their record and history making journey you feel the pride of their accomplishment and a sense of pride in what the human spirit can accomplish even under extreamely challenging conditions. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves the water, ships and true stories of adventure and triumph.

A (Submerged) Trip Down Memory Lane

This is a work to bring feelings of nostalgia to any former sailor. Especially a former submarine sailor such as myself. I recognized old shipmates in the antics of the crew of mostly very young men on the Triton. The operational, mechanical and navigational problems faced during the voyage of the Triton are similar to and will be recognized by any experienced submarine sailor. The technical information in the book is very "lite", but it reflects the era of restricted data in which this book was authored. Ned Beach is a wonderful narrator. His other books of fiction and non-fiction are outstanding. This book is no exception.