She was the largest submarine ever built at the time she was launched. And she put to sea even before her crew had a chance to shake her down for any possible problems. That’s because she had an urgent secret mission. Most of the Navy, even her own crew, did not know about it. The USS Triton was to sail around the world, following Magellan’s route from centuries before, and make the whole trip submerged … without other navies even knowing she was there.
Easier said than done. The Triton’s crew faced harrowing close calls and a medical emergency for one of their own while battling the clock and the sneaking suspicion that someone else was keeping tabs on them.
It’s a story most people have never heard–or seen. But Jukeboxer Productions talked to about a dozen sailors who survived that voyage, the widow of the ship’s famous captain, a submarine expert and a historian. We have amazing archival film footage from the Navy and the ship’s builder, declassified documents and explosive footage from NASA to show why the White House wanted Triton to go on the mission in the first place.
Triton had its broadcast debut during November sweeps in 2018 on CPTV–Connecticut Public Television. CPTV serves much of New England, including parts of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, all of Connecticut and even part of Long Island, New York. The film has since been nominated for two Emmy Awards in the Boston/New England region–one for best Historical/Cultural Program and one for editing by Jim Hall. Triton’s world premiere came at the Silicon Beach Film Festival in Los Angeles on April 27, 2018. The audience enjoyed the film and stuck around after the screening to ask questions of a key Triton crew member. The film has also been screened in the Midwest and East Coast. Stay tuned for details on Triton’s next broadcast, theatrical or digital port of call.