Nuclear navy, or
nuclear powered navy consists of
ships powered by relatively small onboard
nuclear reactors known as
naval reactors. The concept was revolutionary for
naval warfare when first proposed, as it meant that these vessels did not need to stop for fuel like their conventional counterparts, being limited only by crew endurance and supplies.
Nuclear-powered aircraft carriers
The
United States Navy has by far the most nuclear-powered
aircraft carriers, with 11 in service.
France's latest aircraft carrier, the
FS Charles de Gaulle, is nuclear powered. The
United Kingdom rejected nuclear power early in the development of its
Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers on cost grounds. As currently envisaged, France's
new aircraft carrier would also be conventionally powered.
Nuclear-powered submarines
The United States Navy operates the largest fleet of nuclear submarines. Only the United States Navy, France's
Marine Nationale, and the
Royal Navy of the United Kingdom field an all-nuclear submarine force. By 1989, there were over 400 nuclear-powered submarines operational or being built. Some 250 of these submarines have now been scrapped and some on order cancelled, due to weapons reduction programs.
Russia and the
United States had over one hundred each, with the United Kingdom and France fewer than twenty each and
China six. The
Indian Navy launched their first indigenous
Arihant class nuclear-powered submarines on July 26, 2009. India is also reported to be leasing two additional nuclear submarines from Russia.
Nuclear-powered submarines can stay submerged for up to 400 days if the vessel is fully loaded.
Other nuclear-powered vessels
The United States no longer has nuclear
cruisers, but they are still in use by Russia, the largest of which are the
Kirov-class battlecruisers. Russia also has eight
nuclear icebreakers in service or under construction.
The United States Navy
The U.S. Navy has accumulated over 5,400 "reactor years" of accident-free experience, and operates more than 80 nuclear-powered ships.
Admiral Hyman G. Rickover
Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, (1900–1986), of the United States Navy, known as "father of the nuclear navy" was an
electrical engineer by training, and was the primary architect who implemented this daring concept, and believed that it was the natural next phase for the way military vessels could be propelled and powered. The challenge was to reduce the size of a nuclear reactor to fit onboard a
ship or
submarine, as well as to encase it sufficiently so that
radiation hazards would not be a safety concern.
Soon after
World War II, Rickover was assigned to the
Bureau of Ships in September 1947 and received training in nuclear power at
Oak Ridge, Tennessee. In February 1949 he received an assignment to the
Division of Reactor Development,
U.S. Atomic Energy Commission and then assumed control of the United States Navy's effort as Director of the Naval Reactors Branch in the Bureau of Ships. This dual role allowed him to lead the efforts to develop the world's first nuclear-powered submarine,
USS Nautilus (SSN 571), which was launched in 1954. As
Vice Admiral, from 1958, for three decades Rickover exercised tight control over the
ships,
technology, and
personnel of the nuclear navy, even interviewing every prospective
officer for new nuclear powered navy vessels.
Philip Abelson
Leading nuclear physicist
Philip Abelson (1913–2004) turned his attention under the guidance of to applying
nuclear power to
naval propulsion. Their early efforts at
Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) provided an early glimpse at what was to become the nuclear Navy.
United States Naval reactors
At the present time, many important vessels in the United States Navy are powered by United States naval reactors. All submarines and aircraft carriers are nuclear powered. Several cruisers were nuclear powered but these have all been retired.
United States naval reactors are given three-character designations consisting of a letter representing the ship type the reactor is designed for, a consecutive generation number, and a letter indicating the reactor's designer. The ship types are "A" for
aircraft carrier, "C" for
cruiser, "D" for
destroyer, and "S" for
submarine. The designers are "W" for
Westinghouse, "G" for
General Electric, "C" for
Combustion Engineering, and "B" for
Bechtel. Examples are S5W, D1G, A4W, and D2W.
Most information concerning United States naval reactors is not secret—see
Naval Nuclear Propulsion Information.
See also
