Note: For those that are not familiar with nuclear ship history, the N. S. Savannah was the world's first nuclear powered commercial ship. She operated for less than ten years before being laid up.

Here are some facts about the ship:

What is the bottom line? Why was she laid up as "not economical"?

Savannah's average subsidy was approximately $2 million more than other ships her size. The Comptroller of the US calculated that $1.9 million of that could be attributed to Savannah's status as a one of a kind ship. She was laid up in 1971. In 1973, the increase in the cost of oil raised the fuel cost for a Savannah sized steamship by $1.8 million per year. In 1979, the cost of operating a Savannah sized oil burner increased by another $2.0 million.

What are the political ramifications of nuclear powered shipping?

This will be a problem that needs to be addressed. Right now, there are few treaties that address the issue. There is a bilateral agreement between the US and Great Britain that can be used as a model. There are, however, many important ports in the world that have readily accepted nuclear powered naval ships from five different nations.

American shipbuilding has been struggling. Will atomic engines help?

Yes. There is no other nation in the world that has our experience in building nuclear propulsion plants. There is no other nation that has the store of trained operators that can help train other operators. By putting our expertise to work, we can build ships with such a technological advantage that they will be able to overcome some of our cost disadvantages.

Nuclear ships will be much faster, more responsive, have greater cargo capacity per ton displacement, and greater reliability. However, we must work in new ways; if we try to build nuclear powered commercial ships like we do extremely expensive carriers and submarines we will not succeed.

What happens if an atomic powered ship is in a collision or sinks?

Any collision or grounding is bad, but we can use the accidental experiments of the nuclear navies to show that they are no worse for nuclear powered ships. The cores of an atomic engine are carefully designed and constructed to prevent the release of radioactive material under all conditions and there are at least three barriers between the material and the environment. So far, there have been no measured radioactive material releases from the cores that are currently on the bottom of the ocean.

Can cruise ships be powered with atomic engines?

Absolutely. Smooth running turbines and lack of stack gases make them ideal for passenger ships. No longer will passengers on deck have to worry about cinders on their clothes. There will be a big reduction in engine noise and vibration. The deck and interior space freed up by eliminating the stacks can be put to good use for casinos, dance floors and observation towers.

What other ships can particularly benefit from atomic power?

Large, fast container ships, tankers, liquified natural gas carriers, long range ore ships and liners can all gain from current technology engines. Fast ferries may be particularly interested in powerful engines that burn a tiny mass of fuel each trip. The fuel savings that can be realized make it economical to consider replacing the power plants in existing ships. As technology is advanced to reduce the minimum engine size, any ship that spends most of its time in operation is a potential candidate. Pleasure boats that are infrequently used will probably never realize much benefit from the large capital investment that would be required to modify them with an atomic engine.