Us Nuclear Submarines

The adoption of nuclear power revolutionized submarine design and means that vessels can stay underwater for months, trailing the enemy or training weapons on land targets from secret positions, “always there, never seen.” Jim Christley, a former submariner, explores here the influence of Admiral Hyman Rickover in cautiously introducing these stealthy machines of war, and frankly discusses the power and perils of using nuclear reactors at sea. Using unique and detailed artwork, he outlines the many evolving aspects of design within the submarine classes, from the very first nuclear submarine, USS Nautilus, to the classes under construction even now.

The adoption of nuclear power revolutionized submarine design and means that vessels can stay underwater for months, trailing the enemy or training weapons on land targets from secret positions, “always there, never seen.” Jim Christley, a former submariner, explores here the influence of Admiral Hyman Rickover in cautiously introducing these stealthy machines of war, and frankly discusses the power and perils of using nuclear reactors at sea. Using unique and detailed artwork, he outlines the many evolving aspects of design within the submarine classes, from the very first nuclear submarine, USS Nautilus, to the classes under construction even now.

Finalist, 2023 Turku Book Award In 1972, the US Navy installed a base for nuclear submarines in the Archipelago of La Maddalena off the northeastern shore of Sardinia, Italy. In response, Italy established a radiation surveillance program to monitor the impact of the base on the environment and public health. In the first systematic study of nuclear expertise in Italy, Davide Orsini focuses on the ensuing technopolitical disputes concerning the role and safety of US nuclear submarines in the Mediterranean Sea from the Cold War period to the closure of the naval base in 2008. His book follows the struggles of different groups—including local residents of the archipelago, US Navy personnel, local administrators, Italian experts, and politicians—to define nuclear submarines as either imperceptible threats, much like radiocontamination, or efficient machines at the service of liberty and freedom. Unlike inland nuclear power plants, vividly present and visible with their tall cooling towers and reactor containers, the mobility and invisibility of submarines contributed to an ambivalence about their nature, perpetuating the idea of nuclear exceptionalism. In Italy, they symbolized objects in constant motion, easily removable at the first sign of potential harm. Orsini demonstrates how these mobile sources of hazard posed special challenges for both expert assessments and public understandings of risk, and in contexts outside the Anglo-Saxon world, where unique social power dynamics held sway over the outcome of technopolitical controversies.

For the first time since the design of the first nuclear submarine, the U.S. Navy has no nuclear submarine design program under way, which raises the possibility that design capability could be lost. Such a loss could result in higher costs and delays when the next submarine design is undertaken, as well as risks to system performance and safety. The authors estimate and compare the costs and delays of letting design capability erode vs. those of alternative means of managing the workload and workforce over the gap in design demand and beyond. The authors recommend that the Navy consider stret.

The U.S. submarine eet currently numbers more than 50 fast attack submarines (SSNs) and 18 submarines built to launch ballistic missiles (SSBNs). All are nuclear powered to maximize the duration and speed of underwater operations. While the submarine eet has been decreasing in size since the end of the Cold War, it is anticipated that the U.S. Navy will sustain a force of several dozen boats into the foreseeable future. Submarines are almost continually being built to replace older ones that must be retired. As is the case with surface ships, submarines are built in classes sets of boats constructed to a common design. Designing a new class of nuclear submarines is a very large and complex endeavor, lasting 15 years or longer and requiring 15,000 to 20,000 man-years at the prime shipyard contractor alone.

One of the key concerns of naval strategists and planners today is the nature of the Chinese geostrategic challenge. Conceding that no one can know for certain China s intentions in terms of future conflict, the editors of this hot-topic book argue that the trajectory of Chinese nuclear propulsion for submarines may be one of the best single indicators of China s ambitions of global military power. Nuclear submarines, with their unparalleled survivability, remain ideal platforms for persistent operations in far-flung sea areas and offer an efficient means for China to project power. This collection of essays presents the latest thinking of leading experts on the emergence of a modern nuclear submarine fleet in China. Each contribution is packed with authoritative data and cogent analysis. The book has been compiled by four professors and analysts at the U.S. Naval War College who are co-founders of the college s recently established China Maritime Studies Institute. Given the opaque nature of China s undersea warfare development, readers will benefit from this penetrating investigation that considers the potential impact of even the most revolutionary changes in Chinese nuclear submarine capabilities. The editors believe that to ignore such possibilities would be the height of strategic folly and represent inexcusable negligence in terms of U.S. national defense. Anyone who is interested in the future of the U.S. Navy and the defense of the United States will find this book to be essential reading.

The U.S. submarine eet currently numbers more than 50 fast attack submarines (SSNs) and 18 submarines built to launch ballistic missiles (SSBNs). All are nuclear powered to maximize the duration and speed of underwater operations. While the submarine eet has been decreasing in size since the end of the Cold War, it is anticipated that the U.S. Navy will sustain a force of several dozen boats into the foreseeable future. Submarines are almost continually being built to replace older ones that must be retired. As is the case with surface ships, submarines are built in classes sets of boats constructed to a common design. Designing a new class of nuclear submarines is a very large and complex endeavor, lasting 15 years or longer and requiring 15,000 to 20,000 man-years at the prime shipyard contractor alone.

Power Shift is the first comprehensive account of the US Navy's Submarine Force transition from diesel to nuclear power. It represented the biggest, most costly and disruptive technological change in naval history. This was all done against the backdrop of intense Cold War operations where US submarines played a critical role in maintaining the peace. The story is told by the people who were part of the power shift. From seamen to admirals they tell the stories of how the technological and cultural changes affected them.