Evening star., 1951-08-22
First Atom Submarine
Contract LET by Navy;
Details Kept Secret
Bv John A. Giles

Inc navy mas let q contract 1Or
the first atomic powered sub
marine "a craft which experts
have predicted would have almost
unlimited range and a speed
ranging up to so knots. faster than
any major-type warship.
A one-Sentence announcement
by the Navy Bureau of Ships late
yesterday gave no details as to
cost or possible completion date.
1t will be built by the Electric
Boat Co. of Groton. Conn.
Formal plans for building hull
for a nuclear-powered submersible
followed some official expressions
of optimism over the prospects of
completing a power plant for such
underseaS craft.
Work on the power plant has
been underway for more than al
year. Several designs and several
companies have been involved, in
cluding the Westinghouse Corp,
working in cooperation with the
Argonne National Laboratories
and the General Electric Co. A
land model of the projected plant
is said to have been assembled
and tested at the Atomic Energy
Commissions Arco udaho) in
stallation.
Announcement Unexpected.
In its most recent renort the
Acc guardedly mentioned con-
Struction of building and facilities
in connection with work on two
prototype submarine reactorS.
But the brief announcement
came somewhat earlier than had
been expected. In March the
Navy had hoped to start the first
such craft by the end of the year.
The warship, it is believed. will
be a 2,500-ton vessel, somewhat
larger than present conventional
type submarines. But neither the
Navy nor Acc is likely to give any
hint as to performance-asSum-
ing it is successful-until after
extensive tests.
It has been estimated that the
cost of developing a nuclear power
plant for a submarine would be
about $26 million. When Presi-
dent Truman sent his $50 billion
military budget for this fiscal year
in April it included $29.5 million
for an atomic submarine. But
this was believed to cover the hull
construction cost only.
The Electric Boat Co. has been
making extensive plans for build
ing the craft. The most recentI
estimate on the date for compile
ton of the sub was late 1853 or
early 1854, but there have been
suggestion that work was pro-
ceeding ahead of schedule.
Chairman Mcmahon of the SEN
ate-House Atomic Energy Commit
tee has said the project has i'm
mense military implications.
And Vice Admiral Charles A.
Lockwood, retired wartime COM
mander of Pacific Fleet Subma-
rineS, has predicted that it would
outrun, Outright and outmaneuver
the most advanced snorkel types
that Russia is building behind
the iron curtain or is likely to-
build"
Senator Magnuson, Democrat,
of Washington recently said Navy
officers had told him so to so
knots on the surface would not
be "out of the ordinary" for an
atomic submarine. The most
modern subs in use today have a
surface speed lin excess of 20
knots" Forty knots is usually con-
sidered the top speed for the
fastest of major surface vessels.
No major warship of any class has
a speed of so knots.
Work to Start at Once.
At Groton, Vice President and
General Manager o. Pomeroy
Robinson, jr., of the Electric Boat
Co, said about 1000 additional
employees will be needed to handle
the new task.
Today Navy Secretary Kimball
said the Navy probably would ask
approval of construction of addi- |
tional super aircraft carriers in
the next six to eight months if
model tests prove successful.
Model to Be Tested.
He told a news conference that
q model of the 60,000-ton f1attopI
already approved would be tested
and on that basis the department
would make it's decision.
Mr.. Kimball said the test would
be accurate and that it would not
LOST.
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