Edward L. Beach and the risk of Sandblast

Edward L. Beach had already published Submarine (1952) and Run Silent, Run Deep (1955) before commanding Triton. His later books included Around the World Submerged: The Voyage of the Triton (1962) and Scapegoats (1995), a defense of Kimmel and Short over Pearl Harbor. His experience as a writer helps explain the personal narrative in the voyage report, which appears to carry his style despite contributions and editing by other officers. His command experience and decorations also support the assessment that he was trusted with an unusually demanding mission. Sandblast's risks suggest that Rickover and senior naval leaders had to have confidence in the captain they selected. An accident or the loss of the boat could have brought the entire nuclear-submarine programme under scrutiny, while success offered a widely publicized achievement.