science · 30 September 1954 · 70 years ago
In 1954, the world’s first nuclear submarine, the USS Nautilus, was commissioned at Groton, Conn. Its nuclear reactor eliminated diesel engines which previously limited a sub’s range and speed. Nuclear power also eliminated diesel fuel storage spaces and periodic surfacing to recharge batteries. Nautilus was launched 21 Jan 1954, and could dive longer, faster, and deeper than any submarine before it. It was 319-ft long, 27-ft beam (hull diameter), could dive to 700-ft, travel at over 20 knots, and was crewed by 11 officers and 105 enlisted men. Nautilus continued to break records in 1958 as the first vessel to travel under the Arctic ice and cross the North Pole. Decommissioned in 1980, the sub was converted into a museum in 1985. K-19, the first Soviet nuclear submarine, was commissioned 30 Apr 1960.
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