USS Triton was the first submarine to complete a submerged circumnavigation of Earth.
The United States Navy nuclear-powered radar picket submarine made the voyage in 1960 during Operation Sandblast. Commanded by Captain Edward L. Beach Jr., Triton departed New London, Connecticut, on 16 February and returned on 10 May after travelling more than 36,000 nautical miles.
The route broadly followed Ferdinand Magellan’s historic voyage, although Triton remained submerged for the entire circumnavigation. The mission demonstrated the endurance and mobility made possible by nuclear propulsion.
Triton is sometimes confused with USS Nautilus, the first operational nuclear-powered submarine, and with HMS Dreadnought, Britain’s first nuclear submarine. Triton’s specific record was the first complete submerged trip around the planet.