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Nuclear Marine Propulsion The History of Marine Nuclear Technology SHINRI KAMEI
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uclear marine propulsion, like microwaves, was a brainchild of war. While research into atomic fission had started in the late 19th century, World War II provided a new sense of urgency for scientists. Nuclear technology made leaps in the six years leading to the conclusion of WWII, culminating in the creation of the atomic bomb. In the wake of WWII, the world entered its “atoms for peace” days. People envisioned revolutionizing the world with nuclear powered cars, fridges, and ships (1). By the end of the decade, The Cold War continued to push the progress of nuclear research, although by the end of the decade, even the sea had adopted nuclear energy. On the seas, leagues away from a port, the scarcity of resources limited warship capabilities. The longer the time spent at sea, the more equipment and food was needed. However, these obstacles were small in relation to the thousands of pounds in bunker fuel that ships demanded. Nuclear power was perfect for the largest of ships spending months away from home. While merchant and commercial ships proved too small for a nuclear reactor to power efficiently, hulking icebreakers and submarines were suitable for nuclear energy. Unlike conventional fuel sources, reactor cores do not require refueling for over 10 years (2). It took the world’s superpowers years and millions of dollars of research to arrive at these conclusions, but the introduction of nuclear reactors to ships began a new era of seafaring. The limits on how long vessels could stay away from port would soon shift to depend on their human occupants.
The History of Nuclear Marine Propulsion First Steps Rising tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union caused the United States to bulk up its military resources. The nation needed bigger and better planes and ships, and in the wake of the destruction caused by “Little Boy” and WINTER 2013
Image courtesy of U.S. Navy. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hyman_Rickover_inspecting_USS_Nautilus.jpg (accessed 21 February 2013)
Figure 1: Captain Hyman G. Rickover, the “Father of the Nuclear Submarine,” inspects the USS Nautilus in 1954.
“Fat Man” over Hiroshima and Nagasaki, respectively, the focus was on the atom. The United States managed to show that nuclear fission could indeed power a jet engine, but the project was cancelled in 1955 and an operational aircraft was never developed (3). Research into nuclear fission for the seas was more fruitful, and models today continue to use a system used by many nuclear land reactors. The United States Navy beat the Soviet Union to the nuclear powered ship. The development of a nuclear propulsion plant was authorized by Congress in July 1951.
Captain Hyman G. Rickover led the Naval Reactors Branch of the Atomic Energy Commission and would go on to be known as the father of the nuclear submarine (see Fig. 1). By 1955, the navy had placed a nuclear propulsion reactor in the USS Nautilius. The first lady, Mamie Eisenhower, christened the ship with champagne. After the ship set sail, its operators signaled back “UNDERWAY ON NUCLEAR POWER” in Morse code. The next month, Nautilus departed for southern waters, travelling from New London to San Juan, Puerto Rico. 29