This 181.66×23.77m (596x78ft) nuclear powered cargo ship was built in 1959 by New York Shipbuilding Corporation in Camden, New Jersey. She was built to demonstrate the peaceful use of nuclear power and carried 14,040 tons of cargo and 60 passengers with a crew of 124. Some info from Wikipedia. See also the NS Savannah Association website. Be sure to check out the Baltimore & Chesapeake Steamboat Company‘s blog entry on this ship’s departure!

Pilot boat and tugboats with NS Savannah September 9, 2019

The Nuclear Ship Savannah was moved from Baltimore, Maryland to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to be drydocked for routine hull maintenance and structural modification to the ship’s cargo holds to support future decommissioning work involving the remaining components of the ship’s nuclear power plant according to a posting by the Maritime Administration’s Facebook page. She will return to Baltimore after this work is completed.

Tugboats in front of NS Savannah September 9, 2019

She was due to depart after sunset which would make getting photos and videos from my usual shipspotting location somewhere between difficult and impossible. Fortunately my friend Mike Singer, owner of the Baltimore and Chesapeake Bay Ship Watchers facebook group, invited me to accompany him on his boat to watch this historic movement.

Tugboats and NS Savannah September 9, 2019

Fortunately the wind was calm and temperature was very comfortable as we headed in. We saw a variety of ships, many underway, while boating to a good spot to watch the Savannah. That will be the subject of a future blog posting.

Tugboats Timothy McAllister and Bridget McAllister alongside NS Savannah September 9, 2019

We arrived before sundown and found assembled at the pier where the NS Savannah lives tugboats Patrice McAllister, Robert E McAllister, and Bridget McAllister and pilot boat Maryland. Tugboat Timothy McAllister came by for a while as well. To our surprise given how pleasant the evening was the waters were nearly deserted of other boat traffic.

Tugboat Robert E McAllister with NS Savannah September 9, 2019

Although the movements began after dark and were difficult to see we watched as the tugboats reversed the Savannah from the pier with the Patrice McAllister pulling from the stern, then once far enough from the pier she moved to the front of the Savannah and attached to the bridle which had been prepared.

Tugboats Patrice McAllister and Robert E McAllister with NS Savannah September 9, 2019

The tugboats after a time dropped from the side of the Savannah and the Robert E McAllister attached to the stern. The ship and entourage made an impressive departure from town.

Tugboat Patrice McAllister attaching to NS Savannah’s bridle September 9, 2019

Some video I took of these activities can be seen below.

You can read about my tour of this ship earlier this year by clicking here. See more photos I took of this event by clicking here. Thanks to the Baltimore & Chesapeake Steamboat Company for the mention of this blog entry! Also check out this blog entry with photos and a video of her in drydock in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania!