The USS Nautilus, the world’s first nuclear submarine, was commissioned by the U.S. Navy on this day in 1954.
The Nautilus was constructed under the direction of U.S.
Navy Captain Hyman G. Rickover, a brilliant Russian-born
engineer who joined the U.S. atomic program in 1946.
In 1947, he was put in charge of the navy’s nuclear-propulsion
program and began work on an atomic submarine. Regarded
as a fanatic by his detractors, Rickover succeeded in developing
and delivering the world’s first nuclear submarine years ahead of schedule.
In 1952, the Nautilus‘ keel was laid by President Harry S. Truman,
and on January 21, 1954, first lady Mamie Eisenhower broke a
bottle of champagne across its bow as it was launched into the
Thames River at Groton, Connecticut.
Father of the nuclear Navy, Hyman G. Rickover
(1900 – 1986).
June 14: President Truman Dedicates the World’s First Nuclear Submarine.
First Lady Mamie Eisenhower christens the USS Nautilus.
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