- NS Savannah
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- For other ships with this name, see Savannah (disambiguation)#Ships.
NS Savannah passing under the Golden Gate BridgeCareer Name: NS Savannah Owner: U.S. Maritime Administration[1] Operator: 1962—1965: State Marine Lines
1965—1972: American Export-Isbrandtsen Lines[2]Port of registry: Savannah, 
United StatesOrdered: 1955 Builder: New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, USA Cost: $46,900,000 ($18,600,000 for the ship, and $28,300,000 for the nuclear plant and fuel) Yard number: 529[2] Launched: 21 July 1959[2] Completed: December 1961[2] Acquired: 1 May 1962[2] Maiden voyage: 20 August 1962[2] In service: 1964[2] Out of service: 10 January 1972[2] Fate: Decommissioned Status: Museum ship General characteristics Type: Nuclear-powered cargo ship Tonnage: 13599 GRT[2] Displacement: 9,900 long tons deadweight (DWT)[2] Length: 596 ft (181.66 m) Beam: 78 ft (23.77 m) Installed power: One 74 MW Babcock & Wilcox nuclear reactor powering two De Laval steam turbines[2] Propulsion: 20,300 hp to a single propeller Speed: 21 kn (38.89 km/h) (service speed)[2]
24 kn (44.45 km/h) (maximum speed)Range: 300,000 nmi (560,000 km) at 20 kn (37 km/h) on one single load of 32 fuel elements Capacity: 60 passengers
14,040 ton cargo capacityCrew: 124 NS Savannah, named for SS Savannah, was the first nuclear-powered cargo-passenger ship, built in the late 1950s at a cost of $46.9 million, including a $28.3 million nuclear reactor and fuel core, funded by United States government agencies as a demonstration project for the potential usage of nuclear energy.[3] Launched on 21 July 1959, she was in service between 1962–1972 as one of only four nuclear-powered cargo ships ever built,[2] while Soviet ice-breaker Lenin launched on 5 December 1957, was the first nuclear-powered civil ship. NS Savannah has been moored at Pier 13 of the Canton Marine Terminal in Baltimore, Maryland since 2008.[4]
Contents
Creation
In 1955, President of the United States Dwight Eisenhower proposed building a nuclear-powered merchant ship as a showcase for his "Atoms for Peace" initiative.[5] The next year, Congress authorized NS Savannah as a joint project of the Atomic Energy Commission, the Maritime Administration (MARAD), and the Department of Commerce. She was designed by George G. Sharp, Incorporated, of New York City. Her keel was laid down by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation at Camden, New Jersey. Her nuclear reactor was manufactured by Babcock and Wilcox. She was christened by U.S. First Lady Mamie Eisenhower at the ship's launching on 21 July 1959.[5] In 1969, The NS Savannah became the first nuclear powered ship to dock in New York City. It was a centerpiece for a city-wide information festival called "Nuclear Week" In New York. Thousands of persons toured the Savannah and the other special events of Nuclear Week. These events included demonstrations of advancements in peaceful uses of atomic energy—such as food products purified by radiation, new applications for technology and many information and education programs. The Johnny Carson "Tonight" TV show featured Nuclear Week in New York on two programs. Dr. Glenn T. Seaborg, Chairman of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission was the featured speaker and President Dwight D. Eisenhowner was honored for his introduction of the global Atoms for Peace program. The appearance of the Savannah and the Nuclear Week in New York program was designed and implemented by Charles Yulish Associates and supported by contributions from leading energy companies.
The pressurized water reactor of NS Savannah
Economics of nuclear propulsion
Savannah was a demonstration of the technical feasibility of nuclear propulsion for merchant ships and was not expected to be commercially competitive. She 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 (each with an individual bath), a dining facility for 100 passengers, a lounge that could double as a movie theater, a veranda, a swimming pool and a library. By many measures, the ship was a success. She performed well at sea, her safety record was impressive, her fuel economy was unsurpassed, and her gleaming white paint was never smudged by exhaust smoke. Even her cargo handling equipment was designed to look good. From 1965 to 1971, the Maritime Administration leased Savannah to American Export-Isbrandtsen Lines for revenue cargo service.
However, Savannah's cargo space was limited to 8,500 tons of freight in 652,000 cubic feet (18,000 m³). Many of her competitors could accommodate several times as much. Her streamlined hull made loading the forward holds laborious, which became a significant disadvantage as ports became more and more automated. Her crew was a third larger than comparable oil-fired ships and received special training after completing all training requirements for conventional maritime licenses. Additionally, a labor dispute erupted over pay scales. Savannah's engineering officers had been allotted extra pay in compensation for their extensive additional nuclear training. The deck officers, however, cited the tradition that they receive higher pay than engineering officers. A labor arbitrator ruled in favor of the higher pay for the deck officers, in keeping with the traditional pay scale, despite the lower training requirements of the deck officers. The pay issue continued to be a problem, so the Maritime Administration canceled its contract with States Marine Lines and selected American Export Isbrandtsen Lines as the new ship operator. The resulting need to train a new crew interrupted Savannah's demonstration schedule for nearly a year. Although the change in operators alleviated the immediate labor problem, the failure to resolve this dispute would forever cloud the feasibility of nuclear merchant ships. Many feared that abandoning the Masters, Mates, and pilots (M.M.& P.) and the Marine Engineers Beneficial Association (MEBA) trade unions merely deferred the necessary resolution of this conflict. After all, these two unions represented deck and engineering officers on a majority of all other U.S.-flag operated ships.
No ship with these disadvantages could hope to be commercially successful. Her passenger space was wasted while her cargo capacity was insufficient. As a result of her design handicaps, Savannah cost approximately US$2 million a year more in operating subsidies than a similarly sized Mariner-class ship with a conventional oil-fired steam plant. The Maritime Administration decommissioned her in 1972 to save costs, a decision that made sense when fuel oil cost US$20 per ton. In 1974, however, when fuel oil cost $80 per ton following an energy crisis, Savannah's operating costs would have been no greater than a conventional cargo ship. (Maintenance and eventual disposal are other issues, of course.) In a note of historical parallel, the ship's namesake, the SS Savannah, which in 1819 became the first steam powered ship to cross the Atlantic Ocean, was also a commercial failure despite it also being an innovation in marine propulsion.
When decommissioned, the NS Savannah was first obtained by the City of Savannah and was docked at the end of River Street (near the Talmadge Memorial Bridge), with plans for eventually making her a floating hotel. However, investors could not be found. For a short period of time during the late 1970s, after the Savannah was decommissioned, she was stored in Galveston, Texas, and was a familiar sight to many travelers on State Highway 87 as they crossed Bolivar Roads on the free ferry service operated by the Texas Department of Highways.
Savannah (nuclear ship)Nearest city: Newport News, Virginia Built: 1958 Architect: Sharpe,George W.,Inc.; New York Ship Building Corporation Governing body: State NRHP Reference#: 82001518
[6]Significant dates Added to NRHP: 14 November 1982 Designated NHL: 17 July 1991[7] Safety of nuclear propulsion
During the initial year of operation, the NS Savannah released over 115,000 gallons of radioactive waste at sea.[8]
Museum ship
In 1981, the Savannah was obtained via bareboat charter for display at the Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum near Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. Although the museum had use of the vessel, ownership of Savannah remained with the Maritime Administration, and the Patriots Point Development Authority had to be designated a "co-licensee" for the ship's reactor. Periodic radiological inspections were also necessary to ensure the continued safety of the ship. Once Savannah was open for display, visitors could tour the ship's cargo holds, view the reactor spaces from an observation window, look into staterooms and passenger areas, and walk the ship's decks.
The museum had hoped to recondition and improve the ship's public spaces for visitors, but these plans never materialized. Savannah never drew the visitors that the museum's other ships, notably the aircraft carrier Yorktown, did. When a periodic MARAD inspection in 1993 indicated the need for dry docking the Savannah, Patriots Point and the Maritime Administration agreed to terminate the ship's charter in 1994. The ship was moved from the museum and dry docked in Baltimore, Maryland in 1994 for the repairs, after which she was moved to the James River Merchant Marine Reserve Fleet near Newport News, Virginia. The fuel in her nuclear power plant was removed upon retirement, though parts of the system that still contain radioactivity are on board.
The Maritime Administration has funded decommissioning and removal of the ship's nuclear systems. The Savannah had undergone work at Colonna's Shipyard of Norfolk, Virginia, beginning 15 August 2006. That $995,000 job included exterior structural and lighting repairs, removing shipboard cranes and wiring, refurbishing water-damaged interior spaces, and removing mold, mildew and painting some of the interior. On 30 January 2007, she was towed to Pier 23, which is owned by the City of Newport News. On 8 May 2008, the NS Savannah arrived in Baltimore under tow from Norfolk, for removal of the vessel's remaining radioactive material.[3] The Savannah is expected to remain in Baltimore for up to 3 years under a $588,380 U.S. Maritime Administration contract with the Vane Brothers' shipyard at the Canton Marine Terminal in the Canton section of Baltimore.[3]
Since the NS Savannah is historically significant and has been designated a National Historic Landmark, MARAD has expressed interest in offering the ship for preservation once Savannah's DDR (Decommissioning, Decontamination and Radiological) work is completed. A MARAD spokesman told The Baltimore Sun in May 2008 that the maritime agency envisions the ship's eventual conversion into a museum, but that no investors have yet offered to undertake the project.[3]
See also
References
- ^ "NS Savannah". US Maritime Administration, Virtual Office of Acquisition. https://voa.marad.dot.gov/programs/ns_savannah/index.asp. Retrieved 2008-03-16.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Micke Asklander. "N/S Savannah (1962)" (in in Swedish). Fakta om Fartyg. http://www.faktaomfartyg.nu/savannah_1962.htm. Retrieved 2008-02-07.
- ^ a b c d Laura McCandlish (2008-05-13). "Savannah calls on Baltimore". The Baltimore Sun. p. D1.
- ^ Smith, Van. "Mothballed in Mobtown," Baltimore City Paper, April 13, 2011.
- ^ a b "Sandia ships pieces of nuclear history to TVA". Sandia National Laboratories. 1999-03-26. http://www.sandia.gov/LabNews/LN03-26-99/savannah_story.htm. Retrieved 2008-05-23.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2008-04-15. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html.
- ^ "N.S. SAVANNAH (Nuclear Merchant Ship)". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1845&ResourceType=Structure. Retrieved 2008-06-27.
- ^ Dave Freeman, et. al.. "Radioactive Waste". Cline Communications. http://www.nssavannah.net/?ID=35. Retrieved November 17, 2011.
- "The Nuclear Ship SAVANNAH Decommissioning Project". http://www.marad.dot.gov/Offices/MSP/Ship_Operations/NSS/index.htm. Retrieved 2006-06-11.
- Atomic Energy Insights, July 1995
- Björn Landström Skeppet 1961, saknar ISBN-nummer
- Robert Jackson Liners, Tankers & Merchant ships 2002, ISBN 1-84013-477-1
External links
- Online tour of NS Savannah with views inside the nuclear containment vessel
- Google Streetview image of NS Savannah at Baltimore Pier 13
U.S. National Register of Historic Places Topics Lists by states Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Jersey • New Mexico • New York • North Carolina • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Virginia • Washington • West Virginia • Wisconsin • WyomingLists by territories Lists by associated states Other Categories:- Merchant ships of the United States
- Nuclear-powered merchant ships
- Nuclear history of the United States
- National Historic Landmarks in Virginia
- Ships on the National Register of Historic Places
- 1959 ships
- Atoms for Peace
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