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Alexandrov, later to become head of the Kurchatov Institute. development of the Nautilus, Soviet work on nuclear propulsion reactors began in the early 1950s at the Institute of Physics and Power Engineering, in Obninsk, under Anatoliy P. The Soviet Union soon followed the United States in developing nuclear-powered submarines in the 1950s.
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The submarine was 320 feet long, and cost about $55 million. On 17 January 1955, it began its sea trials after leaving its dock in Groton, Connecticut. After the submarine was completed, Mamie Eisenhower broke the traditional bottle of champagne on Nautilus' bow. The Westinghouse Corporation was assigned to build its reactor. Congress authorized construction of the world's first nuclear-powered submarine, under the leadership of Captain Hyman G. Nautilus could remain underwater for up to four months without resurfacing.Ĭonstruction of the Nautilus was made possible by the successful development of a nuclear propulsion plant by a group of scientists and engineers at the Naval Reactors Branch of the Atomic Energy Commission. The United States launched the USS Nautilus, the first nuclear submarine, in 1954. The idea for a nuclear-powered submarine was first proposed by the Naval Research Laboratory's Ross Gunn in 1939. USS Nautilus (SSN-571), the first nuclear powered submarine. Some of the most serious nuclear and radiation accidents in the world have involved Soviet nuclear submarine mishaps. The high cost of nuclear technology means that relatively few states have fielded nuclear submarines. Conversely, the limited power stored in electric batteries means that even the most advanced conventional submarine can only remain submerged for a few days at slow speed, and only a few hours at top speed recent advances in air-independent propulsion have eroded this disadvantage somewhat. Current generations of nuclear submarines never need to be refueled throughout their 25-year lifespans. The performance advantages of nuclear submarines over "conventional" (typically diesel-electric) submarines are considerable: nuclear propulsion, being completely independent of air, frees the submarine from the need to surface frequently, as is necessary for conventional submarines the large amount of power generated by a nuclear reactor allows nuclear submarines to operate at high speed for long durations and the long interval between refuellings grants a range limited only by consumables such as food.
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USS Michigan: An Ohio-class guided missile submarine.Ī nuclear submarine is a submarine powered by a nuclear reactor (see also Nuclear marine propulsion).