By 2003 the U.S. Navy had accumulated over 5,400 "reactor years" of accident-free experience, and operated 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 on board 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, , 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
Ross Gunn 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 nuclear 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. Information concerning United States naval reactors may or may not be classified (see
Naval Nuclear Propulsion Information). ==Accidents involving naval nuclear-powered vessels==