Operation Sea Orbit was the 1964 around-the-world cruise of the United States Navy's Task Force One, consisting of USS ''Enterprise'' (CVAN-65), USS ''Long Beach'' (CGN-9), and USS ''Bainbridge'' (DLGN-25). This all-nuclear-powered unit steamed 30,565 miles unrefuelled around the world for sixty-five days.

Concept

Operation Sea Orbit was the idea of Vice Admiral

John S. McCain, Jr. John Sidney "Jack" McCain Jr. (January 17, 1911 – March 22, 1981) was a United States Navy Admiral (United States), admiral who served in conflicts from the 1940s through the 1970s, including as the Commander, United States Pacific Command. Th ...

, who saw the exercise – which demonstrated how nuclear-powered ships could operate unfettered by shore logistical ties – as a statement of American technical achievement similar to that of the coal-burning

Great White Fleet The Great White Fleet was the popular nickname for the group of United States Navy battleships which completed a journey around the globe from December 16, 1907 to February 22, 1909 by order of President Theodore Roosevelt. Its mission was t ...

in 1907-1909.

Deployment

''Long Beach'' and ''Bainbridge'' departed Norfolk on 28 April 1964, in company with the aircraft carrier for the Atlantic crossing to the Mediterranean, where the rendezvous with ''Enterprise'' was scheduled. Task Force 1 formed up at Bahia de Pollença,

Mallorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean. The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Bal ...

on 13 May, before undertaking a series of exercises to test the efficiency of the all-nuclear formation working together. Having been relieved by other vessels, TF1 departed on its trans-global cruise on 31 July 1964, with all three ships having taken aboard maximum provisions the day before to ensure there was no need for further underway replenishment en route. The task force initially sailed down the west coast of Africa, calling at

Rabat Rabat (, also , ; ar, الرِّبَاط, er-Ribât; ber, ⵕⵕⴱⴰⵟ, ṛṛbaṭ) is the capital city of Morocco and the country's seventh largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan populati ...

, Dakar; Freetown, Monrovia and Abidjan, before

crossing the equator The line-crossing ceremony is an initiation rite that commemorates a person's first crossing of the Equator. The tradition may have originated with ceremonies when passing headlands, and become a "folly" sanctioned as a boost to morale,Robert Fit ...

. By 10 August, TF1 had reached the

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( af, Kaap die Goeie Hoop ) ;''Kaap'' in isolation: pt, Cabo da Boa Esperança is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is t ...

, where it conducted exercises with a pair of

South African Navy The South African Navy (SA Navy) is the naval warfare branch of the South African National Defence Force. The Navy is primarily engaged in maintaining a conventional military deterrent, participating in counter-piracy operations, fishery prot ...

ships. Following the South African visit, TF1 transited the Mozambique Channel into the Indian Ocean where the ships then called at Mombasa, before transiting the Indian Ocean to Pakistan, where they rendezvoused with three ships of the

Pakistan Navy ur, ہمارے لیے اللّٰہ کافی ہے اور وہ بہترین کارساز ہے۔ English language, English: Allah is Sufficient for us - and what an excellent (reliable) Trustee (of affairs) is He!(''Quran, Qur'an, Al Imran, 3:173' ...

, before the entire force called at Karachi. However, due to the sea conditions it was determined to be too dangerous for either ''Enterprise'' or ''Long Beach'' to enter the port; instead, while ''Bainbridge'' came alongside, the two larger ships were forced to anchor several miles outside the harbour. Upon departing from Karachi, TF1 transited along the west coast of India before turning towards

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. While en route, in the area south of Indonesia, the force conducted an exercise with a Royal Navy carrier group led by , before splitting to allow individual port calls at

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

(''Bainbridge''), Melbourne (''Long Beach'') and

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

(''Enterprise''), before the three ships reformed for the transit to New Zealand, where both ''Bainbridge'' and ''Long Beach'' additionally called at Wellington. TF1 crossed the South Pacific Ocean and rounded Cape Horn back into the Atlantic, with visits to Buenos Aires and

Montevideo Montevideo () is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

before the entire task force put in at Rio de Janeiro. Having departed Brazil, ''Bainbridge'' was detached on 30 September to return to

Charleston Charleston most commonly refers to: * Charleston, South Carolina * Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital * Charleston (dance) Charleston may also refer to: Places Australia * Charleston, South Australia Canada * Charleston, Newfoundlan ...

, while ''Enterprise'' and ''Long Beach'' put in at Norfolk, all three arriving back on 3 October 1964. Task Force One had spent 65 days deployed, with 57 of them at sea, and steamed 30,216 miles in total without replenishment. Rear Admiral Strean noted that the flexibility of operating a force of nuclear powered vessels meant that TF1 "could have been diverted to any other maritime area of the world without logistical considerations and could have been ready for immediate operations upon arrival".

Command

*Commander, Task Force One: Rear Admiral Bernard M. Strean (Commander Carrier Division 2) **: Captain

Frederick H. Michaelis Frederick Hayes Michaelis (March 4, 1917 – August 13, 1992) was an admiral in the United States Navy who served in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Personal life Michaelis was born on March 4, 1917, in Kansas City, Missouri ...

***

Carrier Air Wing Six Carrier Air Wing Six (CVW-6) was a United States Navy aircraft carrier air wing whose operational history spans from the middle of World War II to the end of the Cold War. Established in 1943 as Carrier Air Group Seventeen (CVG-17), it would be ...

: Commander T.L. Nielsen **: Captain Frank H. Price, Jr. **: Captain Hal C. Castle

Anniversary

Veterans of Operation Sea Orbit gathered on July 30, 2004, for a 40th anniversary reunion. In 2011, Operation Sea Orbit was included in the Technology for the Nuclear Age: Nuclear Propulsion display for the Cold War exhibit at the

U.S. Navy Museum The National Museum of the United States Navy, or U.S. Navy Museum for short, is the flagship museum of the United States Navy and is located in the former Breech Mechanism Shop of the old Naval Gun Factory on the grounds of the Washington Navy Y ...

in Washington, DC.

Notes

References