Mission overview.E2.80.94Project Magellan Operation Sandblast

1 mission overview—project magellan

1.1 mission origins
1.2 mission objectives
1.3 mission preparations

mission overview—project magellan

there no doubt sooner or later ussr put nuclear submarine sea. shame if permit them announce world virtue of dramatic feat have done ourselves. sputnik on again, without excuses... project magellan is, in estimation, head , shoulders above of remainder feat of submarine navigation , demonstration of global range of nuclear submarines.

mission origins

the possibility of submerged circumnavigation of world u.s. navy nuclear-powered submarine discussed between captain evan p. aurand, president eisenhower s naval aide, , commander william r. anderson, commanding officer of first nuclear submarine, nautilus, before decided attempt submerged voyage under north pole. captain aurand credited recommending successful submerged circumnavigation, timed conclude prior upcoming may 1960 4 power paris summit between u.s. president dwight d. eisenhower , soviet premier nikita khrushchev, provide needed boost american prestige, , consequently voyage, code-named operation sandblast, reflected highest priority within eisenhower administration. captain aurand outlined proposed submerged around world voyage, project magellan, admiral arleigh burke, chief of naval operations, in memorandum dated 6 january 1960. admiral burke s classified response dated 18 january 1960 acknowledged technical feasibility of project magellan while further noting magellan route transited in 56 days @ 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) , 75 days @ 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph), latter option costing additional $3.34 million usd in nuclear fuel consumed. aurand forwarded project magellan proposal , burke s assessment press secretary james c. hagerty in memorandum dated 26 january 1960. project magellan subsequently approved president dwight d. eisenhower, , uss triton recommended aurand undertake project magellan.

uss triton (ssrn-586) during sea trials (27 september 1959)



captain edward l. beach, u.s. navy

the u.s. navy nuclear-powered radar picket submarine triton (pictured) largest, powerful, , expensive submarine ever built @ time of commissioning, costing $109,000,000 excluding cost of nuclear fuel , reactors. unique submarine, had distinction of being non-soviet submarine powered 2 nuclear reactors. triton s high speed derived twin-reactor nuclear propulsion plant, designed speed, surfaced , submerged, of 28 kn (32 mph; 52 km/h). on 27 september 1959, triton achieved in excess of 30 kn (35 mph; 56 km/h) during initial sea trials. designed, triton s total reactor output rated @ 34,000 horsepower (25,000 kw), achieved 45,000 horsepower (34,000 kw) during sea trials (pictured), , first commanding officer believed triton s plant have reached 60,000 horsepower (45,000 kw) had been necessary.

triton s first commanding officer captain edward l. beach, jr. (pictured), highly decorated submarine officer had participated in battle of midway , 12 combat patrols during world war ii, earning 10 decorations gallantry, including navy cross. after war, beach served naval aide president of united states 1953 1957, , best-selling author of non-fiction book submarine! , novel run silent, run deep, made 1958 movie of same name. in last interview prior death in 2002, captain beach recalled triton , background historical mission:

as reporting triton, remember saying, ship unusual one. ve got special it. be? talked little bit, , nobody had ideas. finally, got idea. ll stunt. ll go around world north pole south pole. brainstorm. if take @ map of world, ll see s not easy way go. didn t that. remember thinking of it. , made speech crew, advising them of thinking—that going put ship on map. well, died out. ... phone call came, asking me if in washington tomorrow.

following commissioning on 10 november 1959, triton assigned submarine squadron 10 (subron 10), u.s. navy s first all-nuclear force, based @ u.s. submarine base in new london, connecticut, under command of commodore thomas h. henry. triton subsequently completed torpedo trials @ naval station newport , conducted other special tests @ norfolk navy base before returning electric boat on 7 december 1959 in order install special communications equipment, including prototype of bra-3 towed communications buoy system housed in large fairing located on after end of main deck. work on triton @ electric boat delayed priority given completing navy s first 2 fleet ballistic missile (fbm) submarines, george washington , patrick henry.

on 20 january 1960, triton got underway conduct accelerated series of at-sea testing. triton returned on 1 february preparations continued forthcoming shakedown cruise, scheduled departure on 16 february 1960, involved operating command ship northampton, flagship of u.s. second fleet, in northern european waters. on 1 february, captain beach received message rear admiral lawrence r. daspit, commander submarines atlantic fleet (comsublant), instructing beach attend top secret meeting @ pentagon on 4 february.

mission objectives

on 4 february 1960, captain edward l. beach , commodore thomas h. henry of subron 10 arrived @ pentagon in civilian attire attend top-secret, high-level meeting led vice admiral wallace m. beakley, deputy chief of naval operations fleet operations , readiness. attending rear admiral lawson p. ramage, director of undersea warfare division, opnav; captain henry g. munson, director of u.s. navy hydrographic office, , staff representatives submarine type commands atlantic , pacific fleets. announced triton s upcoming shakedown cruise submerged world circumnavigation, code-named operation sandblast, follow track of first circumnavigation in 1519–1522 led ferdinand magellan. triton depart scheduled on 16 february, , submarine arrive home no later 10 may 1960. mission objectives operation sandblast summarized below:

for purposes of geophysical , oceanographic research , determine habitability, endurance , psychological stress – extremely important polaris program – had been decided rapid round-the-world trip, touching areas of interest, should conducted. maximum stability of observing platform , unbroken continuity around world important. additionally, reasons of national interest had been decided voyage should made entirely submerged undetected our own or other forces , completed possible. triton, because of size, speed , dependability of two-reactor plant, had been chosen mission.

according captain beach, navy came code name of sandblast because judged taking ship around world submerged take lot of sand on crew s part successful. also, sand served beach s personal code name during mission. captain noted: beaches full of sand, informed.

mission preparations

loading ship s stores

beach , henry arrived in new london @ 5:45 a.m. on 5 february. later morning, after breakfast, beach briefed officers, whom beach had insisted needed know, new shakedown orders , mission objectives operation sandblast. officers , crew of triton had 12 days complete preparations more ambitious, top secret, shakedown cruise. exception of chief quartermaster (qmc) william j. marshall, enlisted personnel did not know true nature of upcoming mission. cover story devised that, following shakedown cruise, triton proceed caribbean sea undergo additional testing required buships. crew , civilian personnel instructed file federal income taxes , take care of other personal finances might arise through mid-may.

lt. commander m. adams, triton s executive officer, , lt. commander robert w. bulmer, operations officer, along chief quartermaster marshall, prepared precise, mile-by-mile track of upcoming voyage in secure chart room, located @ comsublant headquarters. lt. commander robert d. fisher, triton s supply officer, coordinated loading of stores sufficient 120-day voyage (pictured). eventually, 77,613 lb (35,205 kg) of food loaded on board, including 16,487 lb (7,478 kg) of frozen food, 6,631 lb (3,008 kg) of canned meat, 1,300 lb (590 kg) of coffee, , 1,285 lb (583 kg) of potatoes. vice admiral hyman g. rickover, head of u.s. navy s naval reactors branch, sent special power-setting instructions triton s reactors, allowing them operate greater flexibility , higher safety factor.

a key personnel change occurred on 2 february when triton s veteran chief engineering officer, lt. commander leslie d. kelly, left duty @ rickover s naval reactors branch of u.s. atomic energy commission. relief former assistant engineering officer, lt. commander donald g. fears.

also, number of supercargo personnel joined triton shakedown cruise, none aware of top-secret nature of operation sandblast. joseph baynor roberts well-known photographer national geographic magazine, , commander in u.s. naval reserve, recalled active duty serve press pool voyage u.s. navy office of information. additionally, roberts , first class photographer s mate (ph1) william r. hadley, usn, detached naval air force u.s. atlantic fleet, coordinated photo-reconnaissance aspects of operation sandblast.

the other civilian personnel included dr. benjamin b. weybrew, psychologist @ u.s naval submarine medical research laboratory, carry out battery of psychological studies volunteers crew. geophysicist michael smalet, civil engineer gordon e. wilkes, , oceanographer nicholas r. mabry coordinated various scientific , technical aspects of operation sandblast u.s. navy s hydrographic office. eldon c. monitored ship inertial navigation system (sins) prototype, newly installed onboard triton sperry gyroscopic company. frank e. mcconnell electric boat guaranty representative assigned triton s shakedown cruise.

on 15 february 1960, triton went sea final check of shipboard equipment. except malfunctioning wave-motion sensor, triton deemed ready shakedown cruise.