"When the nuclear-powered submarine USS Triton was commissioned in November 1959, its commanding officer, Capt. Edward L. Beach, planned a lengthy but otherwise 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 whole time. When asked if his new ship could do this, he responded simply "Yes, sir!"" "Here is Captain Beach's firsthand account of the thirty-six-thousand-nautical-mile voyage whose records for speed and endurance still stand today. It brings to life the many tense events in the historic journey: the malfunction of the fathometer, an instrument essential to locating undersea mountains and shallow waters; the agonizing illness of a senior petty officer; and the serious problem that suddenly overtook the ship's main hydraulic oil system. But with the stress came frequent moments of humor and poignancy, which, as described by Beach, make readers feel as if they had been along on the ride of a lifetime."--Jacket.