Nuclear Ship Savannah
American nuclear-powered commercial ship (1959–72) in Newport News, Virginia. Added to the National Register in 1982, and a National Historic Landmark.
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What it is
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. 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.
Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The record
| Property type | Structure |
| Address | James River reserve fleet, Newport News vicinity, VA |
| County | York County |
| Listed | Nov 14, 1982 |
| Listed for | Transportation, Maritime history, Politics and government, Engineering, Commerce |
| Level of significance | National |
| Reference number | 82001518 |
| Type of place | merchant vessel, nuclear-powered ship, museum ship |
| Designations | National Historic Landmark |
| Contributing resources | 1 structure |
| Standing | Yes |
Visiting
| Address | James River reserve fleet, Newport News, VA |
| Website | ns-savannah.com ↗ |
| Coordinates | 39.2585° N, 76.5554° W · Directions ↗ |
| Nearest national park unit | Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine · 1 mile · on Park Atlas |
| Federal campgrounds nearby | Greenbelt Campground 26 miles · Greenbelt Park Picnic Areas 26 miles · Greenbelt Park Ranger Station 27 miles |
The National Register lists this vessel under Virginia, and the coordinates on this page place it in Baltimore County, Maryland.
Explore
Map
Nearby in York County
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Guidebooks to historic places in Virginia
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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
When was Nuclear Ship Savannah listed on the National Register?
Nov 14, 1982. It is also a National Historic Landmark, the higher of the two designations.
Source: National Park Service
Can I visit Nuclear Ship Savannah?
Yes. Nuclear Ship Savannah is recorded as open to the public, and hours are on the official website.
Source: Official website
Where is Nuclear Ship Savannah?
James River reserve fleet, Newport News vicinity, York County, Virginia. The nearest national park unit is Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine, 1 mile away.
Are there campgrounds near Nuclear Ship Savannah?
Three federal campgrounds are within reach. The closest is Greenbelt Campground, 26 miles away. Greenbelt Park Picnic Areas is 26 miles away, and Greenbelt Park Ranger Station is 27 miles away.
Source: Campsite Atlas
Sources
Location, type and contributing counts come from the National Park Service's National Register spatial data. Listing dates come from the National Register office's spreadsheet where it carries the listing. Construction date, architect, style, photograph and encyclopedia link come from Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons, matched on reference number 82001518. Nothing here is transcribed by hand. The nomination form and photographs ↗ at NPGallery are the original nomination as filed with the National Park Service, and the form is often the best description of the place. The description under "What it is" is the opening of the Wikipedia article, CC BY-SA.