Around the World Submerged: The Voyage of the Triton

To relieve the tedium of the three-month voyage, some men played chess, others ate… (Left to right, Engineman Third Class Arlan F. Martin, Quartermaster Third Class Anton F. Madsen, Torpedoman First Class Stanley L. Sieveking.) …and others formed a band with a makeshift horn, a pair of bongo drums, a guitar, and some willing voices. They might not have qualified for Birdland, but below the decks of the Triton they were a sensation. (Left to right, Chief Engineman Alfred E. Abel, Engineman Third Class James A. Steinbauer, Machinist First Class Colvin R. Cochrane, Fireman Raymond R. Kuhn, Jr.)

^{Photo by J. Baylor Roberts, © National Geographic Society}

^{Photo by J. Baylor Roberts, © National Geographic Society}

Dr. Benjamin B. Weybrew at work on his own very special chart, on which he recorded the varying emotions and reactions of the Triton crew members who participated in his psychological study.

^{Official U.S. Navy Photo}

When we reached Guam, at the conclusion of the longest leg of our trip, I invited Steward Second Class Edward C. Carbullido to the conn. He was born on Guam, and through the periscope he saw his home town, Agat, which he had left fourteen years before.

^{Photo by J. Baylor Roberts, © National Geographic Society}

We spent nearly six hours making a photo reconnaissance of Guam. Undetected, we observed Navy planes landing and taking off.

^{Photo by J. Baylor Roberts, © National Geographic Society}

In Makassar Strait, this two-masted relic from the age of sail loomed clearly in the periscope lens.

^{Photo by J. Baylor Roberts, © National Geographic Society}

While traversing Hilutangan Channel, we spotted this Philippine boat with its triangular sail. In the distance are the faint outlines of the mountains of Bohol Island.

^{Photo by J. Baylor Roberts, © National Geographic Society}

In Magellan Bay I raised the periscope and looked at a young Filipino in an outrigger canoe. He was the only unauthorized person to spot our submarine during the voyage. Later, we were told he was nineteen-year-old Rufino Baring of Mactan Island, and he was still convinced he had seen a sea monster.

^{Photo by J. Baylor Roberts, © National Geographic Society}

Through the Makassar Strait, across the Java Sea to Lombok Strait, where Mount Agung on the island of Bali rose majestically through the low-lying clouds.

^{Photo by J. Baylor Roberts, © National Geographic Society}

The city of Santa Cruz on Tenerife Island in the Canaries, one of the most spectacular sights we encountered.