What is the name of the first nuclear-powered submarine in history?

• A. USS Nautilus
• B. USS Seawolf
• C. USS Triton
• D. USS Los Angeles

Answer: (A)

Nuclear propulsion changes submarine operations by letting a boat stay submerged for long periods without needing to surface for air or refuel. The first submarine to prove this was USS Nautilus. It was built to be powered by a compact nuclear reactor, a General Electric S2W pressurized-water reactor, which allowed sustained underwater speed and endurance that diesel-electric boats could not match.

Nautilus demonstrated the power of this approach in dramatic fashion, making submerged voyages that were impossible with prior propulsion methods, including a historic submerged transit under the Arctic ice toward the North Pole. This showed that a submarine could operate for long durations underwater, travel great distances, and maneuver at speed beneath the surface without reliance on surface support or air-breathing engines.

Later nuclear boats, like the one that completed a submerged global circumnavigation, built on the same idea, continued to push these capabilities. The other ships listed came from later generations and did not hold the distinction of being the first to be powered by a nuclear reactor.