Due to cutbacks in defense spending, as well as the expense of operating her twin nuclear reactors, "Triton"'s scheduled 1967 overhaul was canceled, and the submarine—along with 60 other vessels—was slated for inactivation. While "Triton"s twin reactor plant was designed to be refueled by a submarine tender like other U.S. nuclear submarines, because of the complexity of her zirconium-clad fuel elements, "Triton"s previous re-fueling had been done in a shipyard during her 1962–1964 overhaul. Although new fuel elements were procured and available for installation, "Triton"s overhaul was canceled, a source of controversy. One speculation suggests that the cancellation of "Triton"s overhaul allowed funds to be redirected for the repairs to the supercarrier , which had been extensively damaged off Vietnam.