On October 27, 1969, NR-1, the U.S. Navy's deep-diving research submarine, was placed in service. Capable of carrying thirteen crew members to a depth of 3,000 feet, it was powered by a nuclear reactor that allowed it to stay down for up to 30 days at a time. Though only 150 feet long, it had retractable wheels, video and still cameras, three viewing ports, 15,000 watts of exterior lighting, four thrusters for holding a fixed position over an area or object of interest, and a manipulator arm that could recover objects from the ocean floor and place them in a basket for examination at the surface. Designated in 1965 by Admiral Hyman G. Rickover as Nuclear Powered Research and Ocean Engineering Vehicle Number 1, it did not follow conventional Navy practice because it was never commissioned, had no USS designation, and was led by an Officer in Charge rather than a Commanding Officer. It was a one-of-a-kind submarine, the only U.S. Navy nuclear-powered submarine with wheels, and its nuclear power gave it extensive ability to maneuver along the ocean bottom at great depths. Built by the Electric Boat Company in Groton, Connecticut, its keel was laid on June 10, 1967, it was launched on January 25, 1969, completed builder trials on August 19, 1969, was delivered to the Navy on October 27, 1969, and was inactivated on November 21, 2008. Conceived as the first of a possible series but costing more than $70 million in 1965, it became the only vessel of its type. For years it remained largely out of public view while carrying out a wide range of national defense missions, and later it received public attention for scientific research and recovery work. Launched and placed in service in 1969, NR-1 provided 39 years of service to the nation, and although it was never commissioned, the originality of the vessel gave its original crew the honorary status of plank owners.