"THE NUCLEAR NAVY" 1967 U.S. NAVY DOCUMENTARY USS ENTERPRISE USS NAUTILUS HYMAN RICKOVER 25782

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This U.S. Navy film "The Nuclear Navy" (1967) with narrator Frank Blair, tells the story of the development of nuclear power for the Navy by the Atomic Energy Commission. Includes a brief history of nuclear reactors and shows the development and activities of the submarine USS Nautilus, the Polaris missile boats, the cruiser USS Long Beach and the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise.

00:00 USS Enterprise plaque honoring Democritus, the Greek philosopher who first hypothesized the existence of the atom 2400 years ago.

1:15 Scientists and engineers have harnessed the power of the atom .

2:08 The history of nuclear power is a great detective story that gained momentum in 1938. This progress led to the creation of submersibles and surface ships that can operate for years without refueling.

3:22 Key scientific breakthroughs are highlighted, including the splitting of the uranium-238 atom by Lise Meitner and Otto Hahn in Germany (1938), and Enrico Fermi’s demonstration of a self-sustained nuclear reaction in the US (1942).

4:02 Following WWII, the US Navy and the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) began a project to use nuclear power for naval ship propulsion. Captain (later Vice Admiral) Hyman G. Rickover became the driving force behind this initiative.

5:21 Faced with no existing technology, Rickover directed the design and testing of a pressurized water reactor (PWR). A land-based prototype was built in Idaho

6:51 In 1951, the Navy contracted Westinghouse to build a similar plant for the world’s first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus.

7:19 An instructional segment explains how a nuclear propulsion plant works. Control rods regulate the fission of uranium fuel in the reactor, creating heat. This heat is transferred via pressurized water to a steam generator, which produces steam to drive the ship's turbines and generators.

8:16 The USS Nautilus was launched in 1954. On January 17, 1955, it sent the historic message: "Underway on nuclear power."

10:01 In 1958, the Nautilus successfully traveled under the Arctic ice to the North Pole. Nautilus traveled over 62,000 miles on its first fuel charge—a feat that would have required 2 million gallons of oil for a conventional submarine.

10:34 The USS Seawolf initially used a liquid sodium-cooled reactor. However, the pressurized water reactor proved superior, leading the Navy to standardize all subsequent nuclear plants on the PWR design.

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