Nuclear Ship Savannah

The NS Savannah was the world's first nuclear-powered merchant ship. Authorized in 1956 during Pres. Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Atoms for Peace initiative, its purpose was to demonstrate to the world the safe and peaceful use of atomic power. The Babcock & Wilcox Company designed Savannah’s nuclear propulsion system at its Kemper Street office nearby and built the system at its Mount Athos facility four miles east of here. The ship’s first crew trained at Lynchburg College. From 1962 to 1970, Savannah traveled more than 450,000 miles, stopped at 45 foreign and 32 domestic ports, and received more than 1.5 million visitors. The ship was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1991.

Department of Historic Resources, 2018