USS Triton (SSN-586)

History of Triton (SSN-586)

Triton (the fifth Navy ship to bear that name) is in many ways a unique ship. At 447 feet (136.3 m) long, it was the longest submarine at the time and the first in the Navy to accommodate three decks in the hull.

Her propulsion system includes two nuclear reactors, which is also unique in U.S. submarine construction.

TRITON was built and commissioned as a nuclear powered radar alert submarine (SSRN). After the Navy's radar picket submarine program ended, TRITON was renamed SSN 586 on March 1, 1961, and entered Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in June 1962, where it was converted into an attack submarine. The renovation was completed in March 1964. TRITON remained in her new role for the next 5 years, but the decision to retire TRITON was made in May 1969 due to the high costs associated with operating the submarine and the fact that TRITON was unable to use the US Navy's latest anti-submarine weapon systems. The submarine was then placed in the inactive fleet in Norfolk, Virginia, where TRITON remained until 1986, when she was removed from the Navy.

TRITON was towed to the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington, and then awaited its turn for the Navy's nuclear-powered ship and submarine recovery program.

Specification

Basic

Year of Service

1959

Origins

United States

supplement

159

staff

Class information

Class

Triton class

Class Size

1

ships

Class

Triton 1 (SSRN-586) / (SSN-586)

Operators

United States

Roles

Underwater Attack

Move subsurface to find, track and/or attack or reconnaissance areas.

Sea Patrol

Active patrolling of critical waterways and sea areas; also serves as a local deterrent against air and maritime threats.

Fleet Support

Provide support (fire or materiel) to major surface fleets in blue water environments.

Dimensions and Weight

Length

447. 5 feet

136.40m

Ray

37. 0 feet

11.28m

Draft

23.5 feet

7.16m

Shift

6,059 t

No. submerged

7,898 t

Power and Performance

Installed Power:

2 x S4G Pressurized Water Reactors (PWR), nuclear; 2 steam turbines; 2 x 5 blade propellers.

Surface Velocity

30.0 nodes

(34.5 km/h)

Underwater speed

27. 0 nodes

(31.1 km/h)

Area

essentially infinite

Weapons

6 x 21 in (533 mm) Mk 60 torpedo tubes (4 for bow, 2 for stern).

Aircraft

None.