Nuclear marine propulsion is propulsion of a ship or submarine with heat provided by a nuclear reactor . The power plant heats water to produce steam for a turbine used to turn the ship's propeller through a gearbox or through an electric generator and motor. Nuclear propulsion is used primarily within naval warships such as nuclear submarines and supercarriers . A small number of experimental civil nuclear ships have been built.
102-576: The Los Angeles class of submarines are nuclear-powered fast attack submarines ( SSN ) in service with the United States Navy . Also known as the 688 class (pronounced "six-eighty-eight") after the hull number of lead vessel USS Los Angeles (SSN-688) , 62 were built from 1972 to 1996, the latter 23 to an improved 688i standard. As of 2024, 24 of the Los Angeles class remain in commission —more than any other class in
204-524: A $ 544 million claim related to its contract for 18 Los-Angeles -class submarines; the contractor alleged the USN made an undue amount of design changes while the government argued that Electric Boat mismanaged its operations. The USN and General Dynamics reached an $ 843 million settlement agreement in June 1978; the contract price was increased by $ 125 million, GDEB absorbed a $ 359 million loss, and
306-642: A 17,000-square-foot penthouse condominium in the Ritz-Carlton , in Baltimore's Inner Harbor , for $ 16 million. Clancy and his wife combined four units to create the apartment. His Chesapeake Bay estate sold for $ 4.9 million in 2020. Clancy died of heart failure on October 1, 2013, at Johns Hopkins Hospital , near his Baltimore home. John D. Gresham, a co-author and researcher with Clancy on several books, said Clancy had been suffering heart problems for some time prior: "Five or six years ago Tom suffered
408-478: A 70 MWt reactor such as Hyperion's. In response to its members' interest in nuclear propulsion, Lloyd's Register has also re-written its 'rules' for nuclear ships, which concern the integration of a reactor certified by a land-based regulator with the rest of the ship. The overall rationale of the rule-making process assumes that in contrast to the current marine industry practice where the designer/builder typically demonstrates compliance with regulatory requirements, in
510-561: A June 27, 1993, interview with The Washington Post , he was quoted as saying, "I've had [sex scenes] in my books before, but you had to look real fast because, you know, I'm a married Catholic and I don't do that." In a 2002 interview with Lev Grossman for Time magazine, Clancy lamented what he perceived as society's double standard in the way Catholics are viewed by some people in society in relation to other demographic segments: "You can't hate black people any more, of course, and you can't hate homosexuals any more, but you can hate all
612-500: A few attempts at using liquid sodium-cooled reactors. A primary water circuit transfers heat generated from nuclear fission in the fuel to a steam generator ; this water is kept under pressure so it does not boil. This circuit operates at a temperature of around 250 to 300 °C (482 to 572 °F). Any radioactive contamination in the primary water is confined. Water is circulated by pumps; at lower power levels, reactors designed for submarines may rely on natural circulation of
714-561: A few experimental ships. The U.S.-built NS Savannah , completed in 1962, was primarily a demonstration of civil nuclear power and was too small and expensive to operate economically as a merchant ship. The design was too much of a compromise, being neither an efficient freighter nor a viable passenger liner. The German-built Otto Hahn , completed in 1968, a cargo ship and research facility, sailed some 650,000 nautical miles (1,200,000 km) on 126 voyages over 10 years without any technical problems. It proved too expensive to operate and
816-448: A fire). The diesel engine in a 688 class can be quickly started by compressed air during emergencies or to evacuate noxious (non volatile ) gases from the boat, although 'ventilation' requires raising a snorkel mast. During nonemergency situations, design constraints call for operators to allow the engine to reach normal operating temperatures before it is capable of producing full power, a process that may take from 20 to 30 minutes. However,
918-455: A four-year book/multimedia deal. Clancy followed this up with an agreement with Penguin 's Berkley Books for 24 paperbacks to tie in with the ABC television miniseries Tom Clancy's Net Force , which aired in the fall/winter of 1998. The Op-Center universe has laid the ground for the series of books written by Jeff Rovin , which was in an agreement worth $ 22 million, bringing the total value of
1020-452: A heart attack and he went through bypass surgery. It wasn't that he had another heart attack, his heart just wore out." The Chicago Tribune quoted Pulitzer Prize –winning film critic and author Stephen Hunter as saying, "When he published The Hunt for Red October , he redefined and expanded the genre, and as a consequence of that, many people were able to publish such books who had previously been unable to do so." On March 31, 2014,
1122-420: A land-based nuclear power plant, which increases the probability of fission to the level where a sustained reaction can occur. Some marine reactors run on relatively low-enriched uranium , which requires more frequent refueling. Others run on highly enriched uranium , varying from 20% U, to the over 96% U found in U.S. submarines , in which the resulting smaller core is quieter in operation (a big advantage to
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#17327732805561224-444: A land-based reactor that always remains upright. Salt water corrosion is an additional problem that complicates maintenance. As the core of a seagoing reactor is much smaller than a power reactor, the probability of a neutron intersecting with a fissionable nucleus before it escapes into the shielding is much lower. As such, the fuel is typically more highly enriched (i.e., contains a higher concentration of U vs. U) than that used in
1326-457: A marine reactor must be physically small, so it must generate higher power per unit of space. This means its components are subject to greater stresses than those of a land-based reactor. Its mechanical systems must operate flawlessly under the adverse conditions encountered at sea, including vibration and the pitching and rolling of a ship operating in rough seas. Reactor shutdown mechanisms cannot rely on gravity to drop control rods into place as in
1428-691: A modified version of their own, the PWR2 . The largest nuclear submarines ever built are the 26,500 tonne Russian Typhoon class . The smallest nuclear warships to date are the 2,700 tonne French Rubis -class attack submarines. The U.S. Navy operated an unarmed nuclear submarine, the NR-1 Deep Submergence Craft , between 1969 and 2008, which was not a combat vessel but was the smallest nuclear-powered submarine at 400 tons. The United States and France have built nuclear aircraft carriers . The sole French nuclear aircraft carrier example
1530-551: A new facility near Sayda Bay is to provide storage in a concrete-floored facility on land for some submarines in the far north. Russia built a floating nuclear power plant for its far eastern territories. The design has two 35 MWe units based on the KLT-40 reactor used in icebreakers (with refueling every four years). Some Russian naval vessels have been used to supply electricity for domestic and industrial use in remote far eastern and Siberian towns. In 2010, Lloyd's Register
1632-674: A new foreign policy doctrine, under which the United States will hold personally accountable any foreign leader who orders attacks on U.S. citizens, territory, or possessions in the future. Numerous scholars have examined the political dimensions of Clancy's books, especially in the context of the Cold War. Historian Walter Hixson has argued that Clancy's novels, especially The Hunt for Red October and Red Storm Rising, were "popular representations of Reagan-era Cold War values. They reflect both popular perceptions of Soviet behavior and
1734-455: A private Catholic secondary school taught by the Jesuit religious order ( Society of Jesus ). He graduated from Loyola High School in 1965. He then attended the associated Loyola College (now Loyola University Maryland) in Baltimore. Clancy began his college career as a physics major. Due to poor grades, he later changed his concentration to English since, "...it was an easy major." Despite
1836-511: A reduction gear. In the case of a reactor plant casualty, the submarine has a diesel generator and a bank of batteries to provide electrical power. An emergency propulsion motor on the shaft line or a retractable 325-hp secondary propulsion motor power the submarine off the battery or diesel generator. The S6G reactor plant was originally designed to use the D1G-2 core, similar to the D2G reactor used on
1938-457: A scenario wherein a disgruntled Japanese airline pilot crashes a fueled Boeing 747 into the U.S. Capitol dome during an address by the President to a joint session of Congress, killing the President and most of Congress. In the book, Clancy also implies that Japan's prosperity is due primarily to unequal trading terms. In the book's sequel Executive Orders (1996), the president announces
2040-452: A shaft connects to the vessel's propellers. In another form of drive system, the turbine turns an electrical generator, and the electric power produced is fed to one or more drive motors for the vessel's propellers. The Russian , U.S. and British navies rely on direct steam turbine propulsion, while French and Chinese ships use the turbine to generate electricity for propulsion ( turbo-electric transmission ). Some nuclear submarines have
2142-602: A single reactor, but Russian submarines have two, and so had USS Triton . Most American aircraft carriers are powered by two reactors, but USS Enterprise had eight. The majority of marine reactors are of the pressurized water type, although the U.S. and Soviet navies have designed warships powered with liquid metal cooled reactors . Marine-type reactors differ from land-based commercial electric power reactors in several respects. While land-based reactors in nuclear power plants produce up to around 1600 megawatts of net electrical power (the nameplate capacity of
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#17327732805562244-468: A submarine). Using more-highly enriched fuel also increases the reactor's power density and extends the usable life of the nuclear fuel load, but is more expensive and a greater risk to nuclear proliferation than less-highly enriched fuel. A marine nuclear propulsion plant must be designed to be highly reliable and self-sufficient, requiring minimal maintenance and repairs, which might have to be undertaken many thousands of miles from its home port. One of
2346-664: A submerged circumnavigation of the Earth ( Operation Sandblast ), doing so in 1960. Nautilus , with a pressurized water reactor (PWR), led to the parallel development of other submarines like a unique liquid metal cooled (sodium) reactor in USS ; Seawolf , or two reactors in Triton , and then the Skate -class submarines, powered by single reactors, and a cruiser, USS Long Beach , in 1961, powered by two reactors. By 1962,
2448-545: A total of 62 boats divided into three flights as follows: Among the retired boats, a few were in commission for nearly 40 years or more, including Bremerton (40), Jacksonville (40), La Jolla (38) and San Francisco (41). With a wide variance in longevity, twelve boats were laid up halfway through their projected lifespans, with Baltimore being the youngest to be retired at only 15 years, 11 months. Another five boats were also laid up early (within 20–25 years), due to their midlife reactor refueling being cancelled, and one
2550-660: Is Charles de Gaulle , commissioned in 2001 (a successor is planned). The French carrier is equipped with catapults and arresters . The Charles de Gaulle has 42,000 tonnes, is the flagship of the French Navy (Marine Nationale). The ship carries a complement of Dassault Rafale M and E‑2C Hawkeye aircraft, EC725 Caracal and AS532 Cougar helicopters for combat search and rescue , as well as modern electronics and Aster missiles. The United States Navy operates 11 carriers, all nuclear-powered: The Kirov class, Soviet designation 'Project 1144 Orlan' ( sea eagle ),
2652-625: Is 1,475 ft (450 m) according to Jane's Fighting Ships , 2004–2005 Edition , edited by Commodore Stephen Saunders of the Royal Navy. Los Angeles -class submarines carry about 25 torpedo tube -launched weapons, as well as Mark 67 and Mark 60 CAPTOR mines and were designed to launch Tomahawk cruise missiles , and Harpoon missiles horizontally (from the torpedo tubes). The last 31 boats of this class (Flight II and Flight III/688i) also have 12 dedicated vertical launching system tubes for launching Tomahawks. The tube configuration for
2754-468: Is a class of nuclear-powered guided-missile cruisers of the Soviet Navy and Russian Navy , the largest and heaviest surface combatant warships (i.e. not an aircraft carrier or amphibious assault ship ) in operation in the world. Among modern warships, they are second in size only to large aircraft carriers , and of similar size to World War II era battleships . The Soviet classification of
2856-416: Is a four-phase program for transforming existing submarine sonar systems (AN/BSY-1, AN/BQQ-5, and AN/BQQ-6) from legacy systems to a more capable and flexible COTS/Open System Architecture (OSA) and also provide the submarine force with a common sonar system. A single A-RCI Multi-Purpose Processor (MPP) has as much computing power as the entire Los Angeles (SSN-688/688I) submarine fleet combined and will allow
2958-763: Is a nuclear-powered and nuclear-armed unmanned underwater vehicle under development by Rubin Design Bureau , capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear payloads . According to Russian state TV, it is able to deliver a thermonuclear cobalt bomb of up to 200 megatonnes (four times as powerful as the most powerful device ever detonated, the Tsar Bomba , and twice its maximum theoretical yield) against an enemy's naval ports and coastal cities. The following are ships that are or were in commercial or civilian use and have nuclear marine propulsion. Nuclear-powered civil merchant ships have not developed beyond
3060-473: Is considered. This is a small fast-neutron reactor using lead–bismuth eutectic cooling and able to operate for ten full-power years before refueling, and in service last for a 25-year operational life of the vessel. They conclude that the concept is feasible, but further maturity of nuclear technology and the development and harmonisation of the regulatory framework would be necessary before the concept would be viable. Nuclear propulsion has been proposed again on
3162-496: Is provided with an internal neutron shield, which reduces the damage to the steel from constant neutron bombardment. Decommissioning nuclear-powered submarines has become a major task for U.S. and Russian navies. After defuelling, U.S. practice is to cut the reactor section from the vessel for disposal in shallow land burial as low-level waste (see the ship-submarine recycling program ). In Russia, whole vessels, or sealed reactor sections, typically remain stored afloat, although
Los Angeles-class submarine - Misplaced Pages Continue
3264-467: Is reported to be powered by a thorium-based molten salt reactor , making it a first thorium-powered container ship and, if completed, the largest nuclear-powered container ship in the world. Nuclear propulsion has proven both technically and economically feasible for nuclear-powered icebreakers in the Soviet , and later Russian , Arctic . Nuclear-fuelled ships operate for years without refueling, and
3366-467: Is still interest in nuclear propulsion. In November 2010 British Maritime Technology and Lloyd's Register embarked upon a two-year study with U.S.-based Hyperion Power Generation (now Gen4 Energy ), and the Greek ship operator Enterprises Shipping and Trading SA to investigate the practical maritime applications for small modular reactors. The research intended to produce a concept tanker-ship design, based on
3468-699: The Ghost Recon , Rainbow Six , The Division , and Splinter Cell series. Since Clancy's death in 2013, the Jack Ryan series has been continued by his family estate through a series of authors. Clancy was born on April 12, 1947, at Franklin Square Hospital in Baltimore , Maryland, and grew up in the Northwood neighborhood in northeast Baltimore. The family was Irish-American. He
3570-566: The EPR ), a typical marine propulsion reactor produces no more than a few hundred megawatts. Some small modular reactors (SMR) are similar to marine propulsion reactors in capacity and some design considerations and thus nuclear marine propulsion (whether civilian or military) is sometimes proposed as an additional market niche for SMRs. Unlike for land-based applications where hundreds of hectares can be occupied by installations like Bruce Nuclear Generating Station , at sea tight space limits dictate that
3672-527: The Orioles honored Clancy with a video tribute during their home opener, and the team wore a tribute patch on their jerseys through the season. Officially licensed games based on The Hunt for Red October and Red Storm Rising were released in the late 1980s and early 1990s for various 8-bit home computers such as the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum . Those included a submarine combat simulation (based on
3774-632: The September 11 attacks , Clancy suggested on The O'Reilly Factor that American left-wing politicians were partly responsible for the failure to prevent the attacks due to their "gutting" of the Central Intelligence Agency . On September 11, 2001, Clancy was interviewed by Judy Woodruff on CNN . During the interview, he noted that orthodox "Islam does not permit suicide ." Among other observations during this interview, Clancy cited discussions he had with military experts on
3876-709: The United States Navy had 26 operational nuclear submarines and another 30 under construction. Nuclear power had revolutionized the Navy. The United States shared its technology with the United Kingdom , while French , Soviet , Indian and Chinese development proceeded separately. After the Skate -class vessels, U.S. submarines were powered by a series of standardized, single-reactor designs built by Westinghouse and General Electric . Rolls-Royce plc built similar units for Royal Navy submarines, eventually developing
3978-414: The guided missile cruiser USS Bainbridge . The D1G-2 core had a rated thermal power of 150 MW and the turbines were rated at 30,000 shp. All Los Angeles -class submarines from USS Providence on were built with a D2W core and older submarines with D1G-2 cores have been refueled with D2W cores. The D2W core is rated at 165 MW and turbine power rose to approximately 33,500 shp. The class has
4080-642: The AN/BQQ-2 sonar system. The BQS 11, 12, and 13 spherical arrays have 1,241 transducers. Also equipped are a conformal hull array with 104 to 156 hydrophones and two towed arrays: the TB-12 (later replaced by the TB-16) and TB-23 or TB-29, of which there are multiple variants. There are five versions of the AN/BQQ-5 system, sequentially identified by letters A–E. The 688i (Improved) subclass was initially equipped with
4182-679: The AN/BQQ-5E system is referred to as the QE-2" system. The CCS MK2 Block 1 A/B system architecture extends the CCS MK2 tactical system with a network of tactical advanced computers (TAC-3). These TAC-3s are configured to support the SFMPL, NTCS-A, LINK-11 and ATWCS subsystems. AN/BQQ-5 sensor suite consists of the AN/BQS-13 spherical sonar array and AN/UYK-44 computer. The AN/BQQ-5 was developed from
Los Angeles-class submarine - Misplaced Pages Continue
4284-647: The AN/BSY-1 SUBACS submarine advanced combat system that used an AN/BQQ-5E sensor system with updated computers and interface equipment. Development of the AN/BSY-1 and its sister the AN/BSY-2 for the Seawolf class was widely reported as one of the most problematic programs for the Navy, its cost and schedule suffering many setbacks. A series of conformal passive hydrophones are hard-mounted to each side of
4386-647: The Baltimore Orioles. On June 26, 1999, Clancy married freelance journalist Alexandra Marie Llewellyn, whom he had met in 1997. Llewellyn is the daughter of J. Bruce Llewellyn and a family friend of Colin Powell , who originally introduced the couple to each other. They remained together until Clancy's death in October 2013. The two had one daughter. Clancy was a Roman Catholic . The plot of his novel Red Rabbit revolves around John Paul II . In
4488-594: The Catholics you want." Clancy's 80-acre estate, which was once a summer camp, is located in Calvert County, Maryland . It has a panoramic view of the Chesapeake Bay . The stone mansion, which cost $ 2 million, has 24 rooms and features a shooting range in the basement. The property also features a World War II –era M4 Sherman tank , a Christmas gift from his first wife. Clancy also purchased
4590-642: The French video game manufacturer Ubisoft purchased the use of Clancy's name for an undisclosed sum. It has been used in conjunction with video games and related products such as movies and books. Based on his interest in private spaceflight and his US$ 1 million investment in the launch vehicle company Rotary Rocket , Clancy was interviewed in 2007 for the documentary film Orphans of Apollo (2008). A long-time proponent of conservative and Republican views, Clancy dedicated books to American conservative political figures, including Ronald Reagan . A week after
4692-611: The Gyro Static Navigator into the system in replacement of the AN/WSN-1 DMINS (Dual Mini Ship's Inertial navigation system ) of the earlier 688 class. The Mk 1 CCS was replaced by the Mk 2, which was built by Raytheon . Mk 2 provides Tomahawk Block III vertical launch capability as well as fleet-requested improvements to Mk 48 ADCAP torpedo and Towed Array Target Motion Analysis operability. The Mk 2 CCS paired with
4794-666: The Liability of Operators of Nuclear Ships , developed in 1962, would have made signatory national governments liable for accidents caused by nuclear vessels under their flag but was never ratified owing to disagreement on the inclusion of warships under the convention. Nuclear reactors under United States jurisdiction are insured by the provisions of the Price–Anderson Act . By 1990, there were more nuclear reactors powering ships (mostly military) than there were generating electric power in commercial power plants worldwide. Under
4896-483: The Naval Institute Press editor who read through the book, said later that she convinced the publisher: "I think we have a potential best seller here, and if we don't grab this thing, somebody else would." She believed Clancy had an "innate storytelling ability, and his characters had this very witty dialogue". Clancy, who had hoped to sell 5,000 copies, ended up selling over 45,000. After publication,
4998-429: The Navy, but later cancelled. According to the U.S. Department of Defense , the top speed of the submarines of the Los Angeles class is over 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph), although the actual maximum is classified. Some published estimates have placed their top speed at 30 to 33 knots (56 to 61 km/h; 35 to 38 mph). In his book Submarine: A Guided Tour Inside a Nuclear Warship , Tom Clancy estimated
5100-650: The Soviet Union or Russia. Tom Clancy Thomas Leo Clancy Jr. (April 12, 1947 – October 1, 2013) was an American novelist. He is best known for his technically detailed espionage and military-science storylines set during and after the Cold War . Seventeen of his novels have been bestsellers and more than 100 million copies of his books have been sold. His name was also used on screenplays written by ghostwriters , nonfiction books on military subjects occasionally with co-authors, and video games. He
5202-400: The USN paid an additional $ 359 million under the authority of Public Law 85-804 . The USN and General Dynamics had a further dispute in 1979–1980 when it was discovered that nonconforming steel had been used in the construction of the submarines and thousands of welds were found to be either defective or missing. This led General Dynamics to file a $ 100 million insurance claim to cover
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#17327732805565304-546: The academic change, he continued to be an indifferent student spending a majority of his time reading books on military and naval history instead of tending to his studies. Clancy graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature in 1969 receiving a 1.9/4.0 GPA . While at Loyola College, he was president of the chess club. He joined the Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps ; however, he
5406-557: The bibliography article). He also branded several lines of books and video games with his name that are written by other authors, following premises or storylines generally in keeping with Clancy's works. With the release of The Teeth of the Tiger (2003), Clancy introduced Jack Ryan's son and two nephews as main characters; those characters continued in his last four novels, Dead or Alive (2010), Locked On (2011), Threat Vector (2012), and Command Authority (2013). In 2008,
5508-484: The book received praise from President Ronald Reagan, who called the work "the best yarn", subsequently boosting sales to 300,000 hardcover and two million paperback copies of the book, making it a national bestseller. The book was critically praised for its technical accuracy, which led to Clancy meeting several high-ranking officers in the U.S. military, as well as Steve Pieczenik , and to inspiration for recurring characters in his works. Clancy's novels focus on
5610-600: The bulk of the submarine's engineering systems, power generation turbines, and water-making equipment. Some submarines in the class are capable of delivering Navy SEALs through either a SEAL Delivery Vehicle deployed from the Dry Deck Shelter or the Advanced SEAL Delivery System mounted on the dorsal side, although the latter was cancelled in 2006 and removed from service in 2009. A variety of atmospheric control devices are used to allow
5712-469: The class underwent a minor redesign. The following eight that made up the second "flight" of subs had 12 new vertical launch tubes that could fire Tomahawk missiles . The last 23 had a significant upgrade with the 688i improvement program. These boats are quieter, with more advanced electronics, sensors, and noise-reduction technology. The diving planes are placed at the bow rather than on the sail , and are retractable. A further four boats were proposed by
5814-474: The commanding officer. The Los Angeles class is powered by the General Electric S6G pressurized water reactor . The hot reactor coolant water heats water in the steam generators, producing steam to power the propulsion turbines and ship service turbine generators (SSTGs), which generate the submarine's electrical power. The high-speed propulsion turbines drive the shaft and propeller through
5916-453: The costs of re-inspections of the yard's work, "thus, Electric Boat was asking the Navy to reimburse it for its own mis-management." The parties reached an agreement in 1981 whereby GDEB was awarded a firm contract for an additional 688-class boat and two options; the Navy needed GDEB's shipbuilding capacity to achieve its procurement goals. Los Angeles -class submarines were built in three successive flights: In 1982, after building 31 boats,
6018-629: The cover of dozens of books. Seventeen of his novels made it to the top of the New York Times best seller list . He co-authored memoirs of top generals, and produced numerous guided tours of the elite aspects of the American military. Andrew Bacevich states: Clancy did for military pop-lit what Starbucks did for the preparation of caffeinated beverages: he launched a sprawling, massively profitable industrial enterprise that simultaneously serves and cultivates an insatiable consumer base. Whether
6120-407: The cycle. Any water lost in the process can be made up by desalinated sea water added to the steam generator feed water. In the turbine, the steam expands and reduces its pressure as it imparts energy to the rotating blades of the turbine. There may be many stages of rotating blades and fixed guide vanes. The output shaft of the turbine may be connected to a gearbox to reduce rotation speed, then
6222-452: The decision to name the submarines after cities (and occasionally politicians influential in defense issues) by observing that "fish don't vote." In the late 1960s, the Soviet Union's advances in submarine technology increasingly threatened the survivability of US Navy (USN) carrier battle groups . Soviet fast-attack submarines became capable of keeping pace with carrier groups, while their newer missile submarines could potentially overwhelm
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#17327732805566324-557: The development and use of complex algorithms previously beyond the reach of legacy processors. The use of COTS/OSA technologies and systems will enable rapid periodic updates to both software and hardware. COTS-based processors will allow computer power growth at a rate commensurate with the commercial industry. Two watertight compartments are used in the Los Angeles -class submarines. The forward compartment contains crew living spaces, weapons-handling spaces, and control spaces not critical to recovering propulsion. The aft compartment contains
6426-422: The diesel generator can be immediately loaded to 100% power output, despite design criteria cautions, at the discretion of the submarine commander on the recommendation of the submarine's engineer, if necessity dictates such actions to: (a) restore electrical power to the submarine, (b) prevent a reactor incident from occurring or escalating, or (c) to protect the lives of the crew or others as determined necessary by
6528-576: The digital Mk 48 control. The first 688 sub to be built with the Mk 117 was USS Dallas . The Mark 1 Combat Control System/All Digital Attack Center replaced the Mk 117 FCS, on which it was based. The Mk 1 CCS was built by Lockheed Martin , and gave the class the ability to fire Tomahawk missiles. The CSS internal tracker model provides processing for both towed-array and spherical-array trackers. Trackers are signal followers that generate bearing, arrival angle, and frequency reports based on information received by an acoustic sensor. It incorporated
6630-838: The direction of U.S. Navy Captain (later Admiral) Hyman G. Rickover , the design, development and production of nuclear marine propulsion plants started in the United States in the 1940s. The first prototype naval reactor was constructed and tested at the Naval Reactor Facility at the National Reactor Testing Station in Idaho (now called the Idaho National Laboratory ) in 1953. The first nuclear submarine , USS Nautilus (SSN-571) , put to sea in 1955 (SS
6732-412: The first two boats of Flight II differed from the later ones: Providence and Pittsburgh have four rows of three tubes vs. the inner two rows of four and outer two rows of two tubes found on other examples. The 688i ("improved") model submarines are capable of deploying the Mk 67 Submarine Launched Mobile Mines . Over close to 40 years, the control suite of the class has changed dramatically. The class
6834-465: The four-ship Virginia class . USS Virginia (CGN-38) was commissioned in 1976, followed by USS Texas (CGN-39) in 1977, USS Mississippi (CGN-40) in 1978 and finally USS Arkansas (CGN-41) in 1980. Ultimately, all these ships proved to be too costly to maintain and they were all retired between 1993 and 1999. SSV-33 Ural ( ССВ-33 Урал ; NATO reporting name : Kapusta [ Russian for " cabbage "])
6936-405: The fuel is contained within the nuclear reactor, so no cargo or supplies space is taken up by fuel, nor is space taken up by exhaust stacks or combustion air intakes. The low fuel cost is offset by high operating costs and investment in infrastructure, however, so nearly all nuclear-powered vessels are military. Most naval nuclear reactors are of the pressurized water type, with the exception of
7038-436: The future the nuclear regulators will wish to ensure that it is the operator of the nuclear plant that demonstrates safety in operation, in addition to the safety through design and construction. Nuclear ships are currently the responsibility of their own countries, but none are involved in international trade. As a result of this work in 2014 two papers on commercial nuclear marine propulsion were published by Lloyd's Register and
7140-430: The group's defenses with salvos of missiles. Development of the Los Angeles class commenced in 1967 as a response. The class originally had essentially the same weapons and sensors as the preceding Sturgeon class , but was approximately 50% larger with "major improvements" in stealth and speed so that they too could keep up with carrier battle groups. On 1 December 1976 General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB) submitted
7242-501: The hero, most notably Jack Ryan and John Clark , both Irish Catholics like himself. He repeatedly uses the formula whereby the heroes are "highly skilled, disciplined, honest, thoroughly professional, and only lose their cool when incompetent politicians or bureaucrats get in their way. Their unambiguous triumphs over evil provide symbolic relief from the legacy of the Vietnam War ." The Cold War epic Red Storm Rising (1986)
7344-652: The hull, using the AN/BQR-24 internal processor. The system uses FLIT (frequency line integration tracking) which homes in on precise narrowband frequencies of sound and, using the Doppler principle, can accurately provide firing solutions against very quiet submarines. The AN/BQQ-5's hull array doubled the performance of its predecessors. The AN/BQQ-5 system was replaced by the AN/BQQ-10 system. Acoustic Rapid Commercial Off-The-Shelf Insertion (A-RCI), designated AN/BQQ-10,
7446-498: The insurance agency from his wife's grandmother and wrote novels in his spare time. While working at the insurance agency, he wrote his debut novel, The Hunt for Red October (1984). Clancy's literary career began in 1982 when he started writing The Hunt for Red October , which in 1984 he sold for publishing to the Naval Institute Press for $ 5,000. The publisher was impressed with the work; Deborah Grosvenor,
7548-646: The item consumed provides much in terms of nourishment is utterly beside the point. That it tastes yummy going down more than suffices to keep customers coming back. By 1988, Clancy had earned $ 1.3 million for The Hunt for Red October and had signed a $ 3 million contract for his next three books. In 1992, he sold North American rights to Without Remorse for $ 14 million, a record for a single book. By 1997, Penguin Putnam Inc. (part of Pearson Education ) paid Clancy $ 50 million for world rights to two new books and another $ 25 million to Red Storm Entertainment for
7650-569: The lack of planning to deal with a hijacked plane being used in a suicide attack and criticized the news media's treatment of the United States Intelligence Community . Clancy appeared again on PBS 's Charlie Rose , to discuss the implications of the day's events with Richard Holbrooke , New York Times journalist Judith Miller , and Senator John Edwards , among others. Clancy was interviewed on those shows because his book Debt of Honor (1994) included
7752-453: The other members of this consortium. These publications review past and recent work in the area of marine nuclear propulsion and describe a preliminary concept design study for a 155,000 DWT Suezmax tanker that is based on a conventional hull form with alternative arrangements for accommodating a 70 MWt nuclear propulsion plant delivering up to 23.5 MW shaft power at maximum continuous rating (average: 9.75 MW). The Gen4Energy power module
7854-652: The package to $ 97 million. In 1993, Clancy joined a group of investors that included Peter Angelos , and bought the Baltimore Orioles from Eli Jacobs . In 1998, he tentatively reached an agreement to purchase the Minnesota Vikings , but had to abandon the deal because of a divorce settlement cost. The first NetForce novel, titled Net Force (1999), was adapted as a 1999 TV movie starring Scott Bakula and Joanna Going . The first Op-Center novel ( Tom Clancy's Op-Center published in 1995)
7956-628: The predominant national security values of the Reagan era." Clancy's first wife, Wanda Thomas King, was a nurse. They married in 1969 and had four children. The couple separated briefly in 1995, and they permanently separated in December 1996. Wanda Clancy filed for divorce in November 1997, which became final in January 1999. As part of the divorce, she and Clancy split his minority stake in
8058-426: The relatively high enrichment of the uranium and by incorporating a " burnable poison " in the fuel elements, which is slowly depleted as the fuel elements age and become less reactive. The gradual dissipation of the "nuclear poison" increases the reactivity of the core to compensate for the lessening reactivity of the aging fuel elements, thereby extending the usable life of the fuel. The compact reactor pressure vessel
8160-411: The ship-type is "heavy nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser" ( Russian : тяжёлый атомный ракетный крейсер ). The ships are often referred to as battlecruisers by Western defence commentators due to their size and general appearance. The United States Navy at one time had nuclear-powered cruisers as part of its fleet. The first such ship was USS Long Beach (CGN-9) . Commissioned in 1961, she
8262-400: The submarine, finally making it a true "underwater" vessel, rather than a "submersible" craft, which could only stay underwater for limited periods. It gave the submarine the ability to operate submerged at high speeds, comparable to those of surface vessels, for unlimited periods, dependent only on the endurance of its crew. To demonstrate this USS Triton was the first vessel to execute
8364-442: The technical difficulties in designing fuel elements for a seagoing nuclear reactor is the creation of fuel elements that will withstand a large amount of radiation damage. Fuel elements may crack over time and gas bubbles may form. The fuel used in marine reactors is a metal- zirconium alloy rather than the ceramic UO 2 ( uranium dioxide ) often used in land-based reactors. Marine reactors are designed for long core life, enabled by
8466-453: The top speed of Los Angeles -class submarines at about 37 knots (69 km/h; 43 mph). The U.S. Navy gives the maximum operating depth of the Los Angeles class as 650 ft (200 m), while Patrick Tyler , in his book Running Critical , suggests a maximum operating depth of 950 ft (290 m). Although Tyler cites the 688-class design committee for this figure, the government has not commented on it. The maximum diving depth
8568-454: The vessel to remain submerged for long periods of time without ventilating, including an electrolytic oxygen generator , which produces oxygen for the crew and hydrogen as a byproduct. The hydrogen is pumped overboard but there is always a risk of fire or explosion from this process. While on the surface or at snorkel depth, the submarine may use the submarine's auxiliary or emergency diesel generator for power or ventilation (e.g., following
8670-445: The vessels have powerful engines, well-suited to the task of icebreaking. The Soviet icebreaker Lenin was the world's first nuclear-powered surface vessel in 1959 and remained in service for 30 years (new reactors were fitted in 1970). It led to a series of larger icebreakers, the 23,500 ton Arktika class of six vessels, launched beginning in 1975. These vessels have two reactors and are used in deep Arctic waters. NS Arktika
8772-406: The water to reduce noise generated by the pumps. The hot water from the reactor heats a separate water circuit in the steam generator. That water is converted to steam and passes through steam driers on its way to the steam turbine . Spent steam at low pressure runs through a condenser cooled by seawater and returns to liquid form. The water is pumped back to the steam generator and continues
8874-678: The wave of decarbonization of marine shipping, which accounts for 3–4% of global greenhouse gas emissions. In December 5, 2023, the Jiangnan Shipyard under the China State Shipbuilding Corporation officially released a design of a 24000 TEU -class container ship — known as the KUN-24AP — at Marintec China 2023, a premier maritime industry exhibition held in Shanghai . The container ship
8976-493: The world—and they account for almost half of the U.S. Navy's 50 fast attack submarines. Submarines of this class are named after American towns and cities, such as Albany, New York ; Los Angeles , California; and Tucson, Arizona , with the exception of USS Hyman G. Rickover , named for the " father of the nuclear Navy ." This was a change from traditionally naming attack submarines after marine animals, such as USS Seawolf or USS Shark . Rickover explained
9078-687: Was a command and control naval ship operated by the Soviet Navy . SSV-33 ' s hull was derived from that of the nuclear-powered Kirov -class battlecruisers with nuclear marine propulsion. SSV-33 served in electronic intelligence , missile tracking, space tracking, and communications relay roles. Due to high operating costs, SSV-33 was laid up. SSV-33 carried only light defensive weapons. These were two AK-176 76 mm guns, four AK-630 30 mm guns, and four quadruple Igla missile mounts. The Poseidon ( Russian : Посейдон , " Poseidon ", NATO reporting name Kanyon ), previously known by Russian codename Status-6 ( Russian : Статус-6 ),
9180-662: Was a part-owner of his hometown Major League Baseball team, the Baltimore Orioles , and vice-chairman of their community activities and public affairs committees. Originally an insurance agent , Clancy launched his literary career in 1984 when he sold his first military thriller novel The Hunt for Red October for $ 5,000 published by the small academic Naval Institute Press of Annapolis, Maryland . His works The Hunt for Red October (1984), Patriot Games (1987), Clear and Present Danger (1989), and The Sum of All Fears (1991) have been turned into commercially successful films. Tom Clancy's works also inspired games such as
9282-459: Was a traditional hull classification symbol for U.S. submarines, while SSN denoted the first "nuclear" submarine). The Soviet Union also developed nuclear submarines. The first types developed were the Project 627, NATO-designated November class with two water-cooled reactors, the first of which, K-3 Leninsky Komsomol , was underway under nuclear power in 1958. Nuclear power revolutionized
9384-420: Was co-written (according to Clancy in the book's foreword) with fellow military-oriented author Larry Bond . The book was published by Putnam and sold almost a million copies within its first year. Clancy became the cornerstone of a publishing list by Putnam which emphasized authors like Clancy who would produce annually. His publisher, Phyllis E. Grann , called these "repeaters." Clancy has author status on
9486-427: Was commissioned in 1988. As of 2021 , it is the only nuclear-powered merchant ship in service. Civilian nuclear ships suffer from the costs of specialized infrastructure. The Savannah was expensive to operate since it was the only vessel using its specialized nuclear shore staff and servicing facility. A larger fleet could share fixed costs among more operating vessels, reducing operating costs. Despite this, there
9588-486: Was converted to diesel. The Japanese Mutsu , completed in 1972, was dogged by technical and political problems. Its reactor had significant radiation leakage and fishermen protested against the vessel's operation. All of these three ships used low-enriched uranium. Sevmorput , a Soviet and later Russian LASH carrier with icebreaking capability, has operated successfully on the Northern Sea Route since it
9690-522: Was ineligible to serve due to his myopia (nearsightedness) , which required him to wear thick eyeglasses. After graduating, Clancy earned certifications in business and insurance and worked for an insurance company in Hartford, Connecticut . In 1973, Clancy joined the O. F. Bowen Agency, a small insurance agency based in Owings, Maryland , founded by his wife's grandfather. In 1980, he purchased
9792-494: Was investigating the possibility of civilian nuclear marine propulsion and rewriting draft rules (see text under Merchant Ships ). Insurance of nuclear vessels is not like the insurance of conventional ships. The consequences of an accident could span national boundaries, and the magnitude of possible damage is beyond the capacity of private insurers. A special international agreement, the Brussels Convention on
9894-420: Was lost during overhaul due to arson . All retired boats have been or will be scrapped per the Navy's Ship-Submarine Recycling Program . In addition, two boats, La Jolla and San Francisco , have been converted to moored training ships . Nuclear marine propulsion Compared to oil- or coal-fuelled ships, nuclear propulsion offers the advantage of very long intervals of operation before refueling. All
9996-545: Was originally equipped with the Mk 113 mod 10 fire control system, also known as the Pargo display program. The Mk 113 runs on a UYK-7 computer. The Mk 117 FCS, the first "all digital " fire control system , replaced the Mk 113. The Mk 117 transferred the duties of the analog Mk 75 attack director to the UYK-7, and the digital Mk 81 weapon control consoles, removing the two analog conversions, and allowing "all digital" control of
10098-427: Was released to coincide with a 1995 NBC television miniseries of the same name starring Harry Hamlin and a cast of stars. Though the miniseries did not continue, the book series did, but later had little in common with the first TV miniseries other than the title and the names of the main characters. Clancy wrote several nonfiction books about various branches of the U.S. Armed Forces (see nonfiction listing , in
10200-570: Was the first surface vessel to reach the North Pole . For use in shallow waters such as estuaries and rivers, shallow-draft, Taymyr -class icebreakers were built in Finland and then fitted with their single-reactor nuclear propulsion system in Russia . They were built to conform to international safety standards for nuclear vessels. All nuclear-powered icebreakers have been commissioned by
10302-597: Was the second of three children to Thomas Leo Clancy (1918–1995), who worked for the United States Postal Service , and Catherine Mary Clancy ( née Langan; 1918–2001), who worked in a store's credit department. He was a member of Troop 624 of the Boy Scouts of America . Clancy's siblings are Patrick and Margaret. Clancy's mother worked to send him to Loyola High School in Towson, Maryland ,
10404-468: Was the world's first nuclear-powered surface combatant . She was followed a year later by USS Bainbridge (DLGN-25) . While Long Beach was designed and built as a cruiser, Bainbridge began life as a frigate , though at that time the Navy was using the hull code "DLGN" for " destroyer leader , guided missile , nuclear ". The last nuclear-powered cruisers the Americans would produce would be
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