The term “Nuclear Navy” applies to those naval vessels that derived their motive power from nuclear reactors-an awesome development in naval warfare. The use of nuclear energy in naval propulsion spelled the end of regular fuel stops; provisions and crew endurance were the only limiting factors. The U.S. Navy recognized the tremendous value of nuclear propulsion and conducted intense studies finally resulting in the commissioning of the world’s first nuclear-powered vessels-indeed, the world’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines.
Shortly after World War II, the Navy was already searching for secondary uses of nuclear energy. The proponent of this technical research on nuclear reactors and the development of nuclear reactors for electrical power production was Captain Hyman Rickover, an electrical engineer. Rickover’s efforts culminated in the construction of the USS Nautilus SSN-571, the world’s first nuclear-powered submarine. Christened January 17, 1955, Nautilus became the first submarine to penetrate completely under the North Polar ice packs in “Operation Sunshine.”
Building upon the success of Nautilus, the Navy focused on nuclear power in surface vessels. Construction began on USS Enterprise, the world’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, CVN-65, in 1954 and commissioned on November 25, 1961. ENTERPRISE completed 25 deployments during 51 years of service. Today, all United States submarines and aircraft carriers are nuclear-powered, with the Naval Nuclear Power Training Command at Goose Creek, South Carolina, training the current crop of nuclear operators.
In 1961, the first nuclear-power harnessed guided missile cruiser, USS Long Beach (CGN-9), was commissioned to enter the fleet with the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Enterprise. These ships, in conjunction with nuclear submarine counterparts, gave America’s deterrent capability an enormous shot in the arm. Their innovative design, onboard technology, armament, and power trains were truly special and placed them at a new plateau of engineering achievement standing alone in naval engineering.
In May 1964, Enterprise, Long Beach, and Bainbridge constituted the world’s first all-nuclear-powered task force, TF-1, and conducted Operation Sea Orbit. On a 30,000-mile trip that lasted 58 days without a need for refueling, the task demonstrated to foreign dignitaries and the world at large the strategic mobility and technological might of the U.S. Navy nuclear fleet.
Although the USS Long Beach reactors were shut down in 1994, the legacy of nuclear innovation continued on state-of-the-art technologies on the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island and Zumwalt-class destroyers in the form of hybrid-electrical drive drawing from the experience of almost 50 years of nuclear naval operations.
The prospect of nuclear power for warships was being reconsidered by several experts with the price of oil soaring in 2008. The Congressional Research Service reports that at $70 a barrel, nuclear power gives life-cycle costs equal to a conventionally powered ship for a medium-size surface combatant. Indeed, there has been renewed interest lately in nuclear propulsion for cruisers of the future, which very well may end up making the CG(X) a nuclear variant for the Zumwalt-class destroyer.
From a historical perspective, a total of nine nuclear surface ships were commissioned between 1961 and 1980 in the U.S. Navy, foremost among them being the unique Long Beach, Bainbridge, and Truxtun, followed by the California and Virginia classes. Such vessels could operate continuously at full speed, which provided huge tactical advantages at least before the fielding of Soviet nuclear submarines.
Admiral Hyman G. Rickover had much influence on the nuclear program. Strict training standards were established for reactor operators, and rigid construction standards were enforced to ensure the reliability and safety of nuclear power ships. The pressurized water reactors that were developed under his leadership were intrinsically stable and safe; however, they also occupied more space and required larger crews than the conventional steam plants.
Those strategic advantages of nuclear power, from reduced reliance on fuel tankers to deployment at high sustained speeds, shall undeniably continue to be a bright future for nuclear propulsion as far as future naval combatants are concerned. As the Navy looks to the future, one thing is certain: the legacy of the Nuclear Navy shall have left its indelible marks on a new generation of warships with efficient and sustainable power for decades to come.