NS Savannah became the first nuclear-powered merchant vessel built in the United States.
The ship was named after Savannah, Georgia, and was developed as a joint project of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission and the Maritime Administration. Its keel was laid in 1958, it was launched in 1959, and it began operating in 1962. NS stands for “Nuclear Ship.”
Savannah was designed to demonstrate peaceful nuclear propulsion for commercial shipping. Its reactor supplied heat for steam turbines, eliminating the need to carry conventional fuel oil for propulsion. The ship could carry passengers and cargo, but it was primarily an experimental and showcase vessel rather than a normal commercial liner.
NS Savannah made several international voyages before being retired in 1971. It is often confused with Germany’s NS Otto Hahn, which was another nuclear-powered merchant ship, and with the American vessel MV Sturgis, a converted Liberty ship used as a floating nuclear power plant.