National Historic Landmark

SAVANNAH (nuclear ship)

Newport News, York County, Virginia
Listed
November 14, 1982
Type
Structure
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
82001518

About this property

NS Savannah was the first nuclear-powered merchant ship, launched on July 21, 1959, two years after the Soviet ice-breaker Lenin, the first nuclear-powered civilian vessel. A demonstration project for the potential peacetime uses of nuclear energy, she was built in the late 1950s at a cost of $46.9 million (including a $28.3 million nuclear reactor and fuel core). Savannah was given the new designation "NS" for "Nuclear Ship", replacing the traditional commercial vessel prefix "SS" for "Screw Steamer", and was named after SS Savannah, the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean. She was funded by United States government agencies as part of President Dwight D. Eisenhower's 1955 "Atoms for Peace" program, and was in service between 1962 and 1972 as one of only four nuclear-powered cargo ships ever built. Savannah was deactivated in 1971 and after several moves was moored at Pier 13 of the Canton Marine Terminal in Baltimore, Maryland in 2008.

Location

Newport News, York County, Virginia
39.25854, -76.55543

Categories

TRANSPORTATIONMARITIME HISTORYPOLITICS/GOVERNMENTENGINEERINGCOMMERCE
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Washington National Airport Terminal and South Hangar Line
Industrial
38.5 mi
Lee, Robert E., Boyhood Home
Industrial
40.7 mi
Lee-Fendall House
Industrial
40.7 mi
Hepburn, Moses, Rowhouses
Industrial
40.7 mi
Uptown-Parker-Gray Historic District
Pre Contact
40.8 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Baltimore / Bombardment of Fort McHenry
1814Early Republic
1.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was SAVANNAH (nuclear ship) listed on the National Register?

SAVANNAH (nuclear ship) was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 14, 1982.

What type of historic resource is SAVANNAH (nuclear ship)?

SAVANNAH (nuclear ship) is classified as a structure in the National Register of Historic Places.

Is SAVANNAH (nuclear ship) a National Historic Landmark?

Yes. SAVANNAH (nuclear ship) has been designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL), the highest level of federal recognition for historic properties in the United States.

What is the period of significance for SAVANNAH (nuclear ship)?

The period of significance for SAVANNAH (nuclear ship) is recorded as the industrial era.

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