Nuclear cruise ship bides its time in Baltimore
AUG 19, 2011
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.025521
Los Angeles Times : The Savannah, one of only four nuclear-powered cargo and passenger ships ever built, and the only one built in the US, resides at Pier 13 of the Canton Marine Terminal in Baltimore, Maryland. President Eisenhower proposed building the vessel in 1955 to promote the nonmilitary use of nuclear energy. It was not intended to be commercially competitive, but rather to demonstrate the feasibility of nuclear propulsion for merchant ships. Yet the design reflected the aesthetics of a yacht rather than a cargo vessel. The Savannah was in service until 1972, when the Nixon administration decided to stop subsidizing the project. Still owned and maintained by the Federal Maritime Administration and regulated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the ship is opened to visitors from time to time.
© 2011 American Institute of Physics
