USS Nautilus was the world’s first nuclear-powered submarine and a turning point in naval engineering. Built at Electric Boat in Groton under Captain Hyman G. Rickover’s close supervision, she used a pressurized-water reactor that let her stay submerged far longer and move faster underwater than diesel-electric submarines. In 1955 she famously signaled, “Underway on nuclear power,” and soon set records for sustained submerged travel. Her most celebrated achievement came in 1958, when she completed the first successful submerged transit of the North Pole. Service aboard Nautilus also revealed the possibilities and limits of early nuclear submarines, shaping nearly all later American designs.

Photo: Wikipedia · Public domain

Photo: Wikipedia · Public domain

Photo: Wikipedia · Public domain

Photo: Wikipedia · Public domain

Photo: Wikipedia · Public domain

Photo: Wikipedia · Public domain

Photo: Wikipedia · Public domain

Gales Ferry, Connecticut · USA