MBT Cargo-passenger ship NS Savannah - (1959) - US Maritime Administration - Construction Drawing Scale 1 : 100 (10.10.138)

The NS Savannah was the world's first nuclear-powered cargo ship, built in the late 1950s as part of President Dwight D. Eisenhower's American "Atoms for Peace" initiative. The ship was designed to demonstrate the peaceful applications of nuclear energy.

Technical Specifications

Length: 181.66 metres

Width: 23.77 metres

Gross tonnage: 13,599 tonnes

Speed: 21 knots (maximum 24 knots)

Range: 300,000 nautical miles on a single fuel load

Propulsion: 74 MW Babcock & Wilcox nuclear reactor with two De Laval steam turbines

Capacity: 60 passengers, 14,040 tonnes of cargo

Crew: 124 people

History and Service

The NS Savannah was launched on 21 July 1959 and completed her maiden voyage on 20 August 1962. She sailed under the American flag and was operated by States Marine Lines and later by American Export-Isbrandtsen Lines. The ship visited various ports in the US and Europe, including Rotterdam, attracting thousands of visitors worldwide interested in nuclear technology.

Although the ship was technically successful, it proved not to be commercially viable due to high operating costs, limited cargo capacity, and crew complexity. In 1972, the NS Savannah was decommissioned.

Present Day and Preservation

Today, the NS Savannah is a national historic landmark and is managed by the US Maritime Administration (MARAD). The ship is currently in the decommissioning phase, during which the nuclear system is being dismantled under the supervision of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). There are plans to convert the Savannah into a museum, but progress depends on the completion of the decommissioning.

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