19 Facts About NS Savannah

NS Savannah was a demonstration project for the potential use of nuclear energy.

NS Savannah's was in service between 1962 and 1972 as one of only four nuclear-powered cargo ships ever built.

NS Savannah was deactivated in 1971 and after several moves has been moored at Pier 13 of the Canton Marine Terminal in Baltimore, Maryland, since 2008.

NS Savannah's was designed by George G Sharp, Incorporated, of New York City.

In 1969, NS Savannah became the first nuclear-powered ship to dock in New York City.

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NS Savannah was the sixth large ship to have fin stabilizers, intended to enhance the safety of the reactor and improve passenger comfort.

NS Savannah was built with seven cargo holds, a reactor compartment and a machinery compartment, making nine water-tight compartments.

NS Savannah was a demonstration of the technical feasibility of nuclear propulsion for merchant ships and was not expected to be commercially competitive.

NS Savannah's was designed to be visually impressive, looking more like a luxury yacht than a bulk cargo vessel, and was equipped with thirty air-conditioned staterooms, a dining facility for 100passengers, a lounge that could double as a movie theater, a veranda, a swimming pool and a library.

NS Savannah's performed well at sea, her safety record was impressive, and her gleaming white paint was never smudged by exhaust smoke .

In 1974 when fuel oil cost $80 per ton, NS Savannah's operating costs would have been no greater than a conventional cargo ship.

The ship's namesake, SS NS Savannah, which in 1819 became the first steam powered ship to cross the Atlantic Ocean, was a commercial failure despite the innovation in marine propulsion technology.

NS Savannah served as a passenger-cargo liner until 1965, when passenger service was discontinued.

NS Savannah's resumed service until the end of 1971, when she was deactivated.

In 1981, NS Savannah was obtained via bareboat charter for display at the Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum near Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.

Once NS Savannah was open for display, visitors could tour the ship's cargo holds, view the engine room from an observation area, look into staterooms and passenger areas, and walk the ship's decks.

NS Savannah never drew the visitors that the museum's other ships, notably the aircraft carrier Yorktown, did.

NS Savannah remains in Baltimore through under a US Maritime Administration contract with the Vane Brothers' Co.

NS Savannah is notable as one of the most visible and intact examples of the Atoms for Peace program, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in advance of the customary fifty-year age requirement because of her exceptional national significance.