Marine Nuclear Power 1939 – 2018 Part 1 Introduction
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Marine Nuclear Power: 1939 – 2018 Part 1: Introduction Peter Lobner July 2018 1 Foreword In 2015, I compiled the first edition of this resource document to support a presentation I made in August 2015 to The Lyncean Group of San Diego (www.lynceans.org) commemorating the 60th anniversary of the world’s first “underway on nuclear power” by USS Nautilus on 17 January 1955. That presentation to the Lyncean Group, “60 years of Marine Nuclear Power: 1955 – 2015,” was my attempt to tell a complex story, starting from the early origins of the US Navy’s interest in marine nuclear propulsion in 1939, resetting the clock on 17 January 1955 with USS Nautilus’ historic first voyage, and then tracing the development and exploitation of marine nuclear power over the next 60 years in a remarkable variety of military and civilian vessels created by eight nations. In July 2018, I finished a complete update of the resource document and changed the title to, “Marine Nuclear Power: 1939 – 2018.” What you have here is Part 1: Introduction. The other parts are: Part 2A: United States - Submarines Part 2B: United States - Surface Ships Part 3A: Russia - Submarines Part 3B: Russia - Surface Ships & Non-propulsion Marine Nuclear Applications Part 4: Europe & Canada Part 5: China, India, Japan and Other Nations Part 6: Arctic Operations 2 Foreword This resource document was compiled from unclassified, open sources in the public domain. I acknowledge the great amount of work done by others who have published material in print or posted information on the internet pertaining to international marine nuclear propulsion programs, naval and civilian nuclear powered vessels, naval weapons systems, and other marine nuclear applications. My resource document contains a great deal of graphics from many sources. Throughout the document, I have identified all of the sources for these graphics. If you have any comments or wish to identify errors in this document, please send me an e-mail to: [email protected]. I hope you find this informative, useful, and different from any other single document on this subject. Best regards, Peter Lobner July 2018 3 Marine Nuclear Power: 1939 – 2018 Part 1: Introduction Table of Contents Section Page • Quick look: Then and now……………………………………………………. 5 • State-of-the-art in 1955……………………………………………………….. 10 • Marine nuclear propulsion system basics……………………………… 34 • Timeline………………………………………………………………………………. 40 • Timeline highlights………………………………………………………….. 41 • Decade-by-decade…………………………………………………………… 42 • Effects of nuclear weapons and missile treaties & conventions on the composition and armament of naval fleets………………… 52 • Prospects for 2018 - 2030…………………………………………………… 90 4 Quick look: then and now 5 17 Jan 1955: USS Nautilus (SSN-571) made the first voyage of a nuclear-powered vessel Capt. Eugene P. Wilkinson was the commanding officer of Nautilus on that historic voyage, which was made from the US Navy submarine base at New London, CT. The famous message, “UNDERWAY ON NUCLEAR POWER,” was sent by flashing light signal to Commander Submarine Forces Atlantic. Nautilus was built by Electric Boat (a division of General Dynamics), Groton, CT. The reactor was a 70 MWt S2W pressurized water reactor (PWR) built by Westinghouse Electric Company. This was the start of a revolution in marine propulsion and naval technology that is Capt. Eugene P. Wilkinson & Nautilus Source: US Navy continuing today. 6 Timeline of marine nuclear 17 Jan 55 USS Nautilus SSN world’s 1st underway propulsion programs on nuclear power 4 Jun 58 25 Dec 91 K-3 SSN USSR dissolved; 1st USSR underway Russian Federation on nuclear power formed 10 Jan 63 HMS Dreadnought SSN 1st UK underway on nuclear power 11 Oct 69 German Otto Hahn civilian nuclear cargo ship commissioned 23 Aug 71 Han SSN 1st Chinese underway on nuclear power 16 Dec 14 1 Dec 1971 INS Arihant SSBN Le Redoutable SSBN 1st Indian 1st French nuclear indigenous sub 2029 - 2030 sub commissioned sea trials start 1st Brazilian indigenous SSN launch 2 Dec 42 1st man-made expected self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction, 1988 Feb 1991 INS Chakra 1 Mutsu civilian nuclear CP-1 pile 1st Russian cargo ship, Japan’s SSN leased 1st underway on by India nuclear power 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s 7 The world’s marine nuclear fleets Types of nuclear vessels and other marine nuclear applications 8 The world’s marine nuclear fleets Estimated total of 175 operating nuclear-powered vessels as of mid-2018 Nuclear submarines Nuclear surface ships Attack sub Strategic Cruise Other Naval Civilian (SSN) missile sub missile sub special nuc surface surface Country (SSBN) (SSGN) subs combatants vessels totals 50 14 4 0 11 CVN 0 79 18 11 8 9 1 CGN 5 Spec-op 52 6 4 0 0 0 0 10 14 6 0 0 0 0 20 6 4 0 0 1 CVN 0 11 1 2 0 0 0 0 3 (leased) CVN = Nuclear-powered aircraft carrier; CGN = Nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser MTS = Moored Training Ship (non-operational) 9 State-of-the-art in 1955 10 State-of-the-art in 1955 Submarine hull design Submarine propeller (propulsor) design Surface ship design & weaponry Submarine weaponry Nuclear weapons Thermonuclear weapons Communications Navigation Shipboard computers 11 State-of-the-art in 1955 Submarine hull design WW II German Type XXI “Elektroboat” set the standard for post-war hydrodynamic hull design and underwater performance Faster speed submerged (17.2 kts) than when running on the surface (15.7 kts) Very large battery capacity; capable of long submerged endurance German Type XXI Source: www.uboataces.com US Navy implemented the Greater Underwater Propulsion Power Program (GUPPY) program to improve WW II-era diesel submarines. Key GUPPY features included removing the deck guns, streamlining the outer hull, replacing the conning tower with a sail, installing new propellers optimized for submerged operations, installing a snorkel mast and more air conditioning, and doubling the battery capacity. USS Tang (SS-563) and USS Darter (SS-576) were the first post-war US conventional submarines designed under the GUPPY program. Tang was commissioned in October 1951, and Darter in October 1956. Their cleaner hull form is similar to the early US nuclear submarines: Nautilus, Seawolf and the four-boat Skate-class. USS Darter Source: www.shipbucket.com 12 State-of-the-art in 1955 Evolution of US post-war diesel sub hull design Source: adapted from ussalbacore.org 13 USS Albacore (AGSS-569) Revolutionary hull design Source:www.princeton.edu Class # in Length Beam Displacement Engine Shaft hp Max Years Years in Class (tons) speed delivered service Albacore 1 62.1 m 8.2 m 1240 (surf), 2 x GM 16-338 7,500 33 kts Dec Dec 53 – (204 ft.) (27 ft.) 1540 (sub) pancake diesels, 1953 Dec 72 1 x electric motor Albacore’s advanced hull form was the result of a 1949 study by US Navy Bureau of Ships (BuShips) and subsequent tests conducted by David Taylor Model Basin, Carderock, MD. Key characteristics: teardrop-shaped hull & single screw, which were incorporated immediately into the Skipjack-class SSN and all subsequent classes of US nuclear subs. Also introduced HY-80 high-strength steel hull, which was the US standard through the Los Angeles-class SSN. Construction authorized Nov 1950; built at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard; launched in Aug 1953. Tested various control surface and propeller configurations, including dorsal rudder on the sail, X-configured stern planes, contra-rotating propellers, and deployable speed brakes. 14 USS Albacore (AGSS-568) Initial configuration: aft control surfaces 2nd configuration: control surfaces forward of prop X-tail Above: X-tail, dorsal rudder & “dive brakes” Below: Final X-tail & contra-rotating prop configuration X-tail, with contra-rotating propellers X-tail, with moderate separation between contra-props Source: all three graphics from www.ussalbacore.org 15 State-of-the-art in 1955 Submarine propeller (propulsor) design During WWII, US fleet-type diesel submarines had two screws, typically with broad, 4- bladed symmetrical propellers. These were retained in some post-war GUPPY modified subs and were original equipment on the post-war Tang-class diesel subs. Improved 5-bladed diesel submarine propellers were introduced after WWII, and were retro-fit on the Tang-class diesel submarines and some GUPPY modified subs. Some of the early US nuclear subs originally had 4-bladed props (twin-screw Skate-class & Halibut), while others originally had 5-bladed props (twin-screw Nautilus and the single- screw Skipjack-class SSNs, USS Tullibee, and early Polaris SSBNs). Diesel sub USS Cod (SS-224) propeller. USS Nautilus (SSN-571) propeller. Source: https://imgur.com/a/IQBOiUSS Source: https://imgur.com/a/IQBOi 16 State-of-the-art in 1955 Submarine propeller (propulsor) design Larger, more advanced propellers with seven “skewback” (scimitar-shaped) blades were introduced in the early-1960s on the Permit-class SSNs and became the norm on US subs thereafter. These blades delayed cavitation, thereby reducing the noise generated by the propeller. These advanced propellers were retro-fit onto earlier nuclear subs. Pump-jet propulsors would not appear until the 1970s, first on the UK SSN HMS Churchill and then on all following UK nuclear subs. The US adopted pump-jet propulsors on Seawolf-class SSNs (1997) and Virginia-class SSNs (2004). Seven-bladed propeller on French SSBN museum ship Le Five-bladed propeller on US SSN USS Tullibee (SSN-597). Redoutable (S611) at Cite de la Mere. This design is This was also original equipment of Skipjack-class SSNs similar to the advanced propellers introduced on Permit- and early Polaris SSBNs. class SSNs. Source: Marco Brigandi Source: https://i.imgur.com/80NGOTq.jpg 17 State-of-the-art in 1955 Surface ship design & weaponry USS Forrestal (CV-59) was commissioned on 1 October 1955.