Remarkably, the Enterprise remained in service to the end of 2012.īy 1962 the US Navy had 26 nuclear submarines operational and 30 under construction. A cruiser, USS Long Beach, followed in 1961 and was powered by two of these early units. Nautilus led to the parallel development of further ( Skate-class) submarines, powered by single pressurised water reactors, and an aircraft carrier, USS Enterprise, powered by eight Westinghouse reactor units in 1960. This marked the transition of submarines from slow underwater vessels to warships capable of sustaining 20-25 knots submerged for weeks on end. The first nuclear-powered submarine, USS Nautilus, put to sea in 1955. Work on nuclear marine propulsion started in the 1940s, and the first test reactor started up in USA in 1953. So far, exaggerated fears about safety have caused political restriction on port access. In future, constraints on fossil fuel use in transport may bring marine nuclear propulsion into more widespread use.Most are submarines, but they range from icebreakers to aircraft carriers.Over 160 ships are powered by more than 200 small nuclear reactors.Nuclear power is particularly suitable for vessels which need to be at sea for long periods without refuelling, or for powerful submarine propulsion.

First nuclear submarine