by JOC Michael Foutch, USN
World’s First
NUCLEAR-POWERED SUBMARINE
CELEBRATES 50 YEARS Photos by Gary Steinhaus
Today, nuclear-powered submarines patrol the globe, navigate under the polar icecap, and operate underwater for weeks on intelligence-gathering, reconnaissance, and covert strike missions. While powering ships at sea by splitting the atom will never be entirely “routine,” at least it no longer inspires excited headlines and admiring gasps from an incredulous public. (left) Bunting drapes Nautilus for the launching as reporters and film cameras are stationed in a nearby press box to document the ceremony. What began as a fog-shrouded morning turned into bright sunshine as dawn broke on the Navy’s nuclear age.
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F A L L 2 0 0 4 U N D E R S E A WA R F A R E
