The US nuclear submarine that completed the first submerged circumnavigation of the globe was USS Triton. The voyage, code-named Operation Sandblast, took place during Triton’s 1960 shakedown cruise and demonstrated the endurance and navigational capabilities of nuclear-powered submarines.
Triton began the historic submerged journey in the Atlantic on February 24, 1960, following a route broadly associated with Ferdinand Magellan’s first circumnavigation. It passed around Cape Horn, crossed the Pacific and Indian oceans, rounded the Cape of Good Hope, and returned to the Atlantic. The circumnavigation covered about 26,723 nautical miles and took 60 days and 21 hours.
Triton remained submerged for nearly the entire voyage, although its sail briefly surfaced during a medical evacuation near Uruguay. The submarine returned to Connecticut on May 10, 1960, and received a Presidential Unit Citation. USS Nautilus is a common wrong answer because it was the world’s first operational nuclear-powered submarine and completed the first submerged voyage under the North Pole. USS Triton’s distinction was the first submerged trip around the entire world.