Evening star., 1960-06-26

0O ~ - oOA41C"4AdG pACAIid
about atomic powered mer-
chant fleets simply because rev.
olutionary submersibles are
prowling the oceans. unham-
pered by refueling requirements.
Submarines and merchant YES
sells exist for different reasons,
and what may be an ideal
power plant for the one is not
necessarily good for the other.
This is what makes the
sparkling new nuclear ship Sa-
vannah just little bit pitiful.
Savannah is the first atomic
merchant" vessel in the world.
A lot of people are willing to
bet she will be the last for
some time to come.
The Atomic Energy Commis-
sion is keeping a stiff upper
lip about the Savannah. The
commissions shipbuilder chair
man, John A. McCone, insists
that is is not fair to compare
this vessel with conventional
ships Of equivalent size that
are powered conventionally.
The principal difference is that
Savannah can carry about
so passengers against a NOR
NAL" IL.
Fair or not, the comparison
is difficult to avoid because Of
the juxtaposition Of two craft
In the New York Shipbuilding
Corps yard at Camden, N. j.
One is Savannah; the other is
q typical American Export OIL
fired cargo carrier.
Costly Pioneer
Savannah's holds have a ca
pacity of 1890 tons of dry
cargo; the conventional ship on
the adjoining ways is similarly
rated at 10000 tons. At $42
million, the nuclear ship is
costing nearly four times as
much, ton-for-ton cargo space,
as its neighbor.
It should be emphasized that
the Savannah was not built as
a competitive entry in the mar
itine sweepstakes, but as a
showcase item in furtherance of
President Eisenhower's Atoms
for Peace" policy. Thus, if the
extra $50 million cost cannot
be written of in any other way,
it can always be charged to
propaganda. (Of course, no
one knows until she starts ply
ing the trade lanes, where she
will be welcomed and where
excluded.)
Savannah has a presSurized-
water reactor not unlike those
that power atomic submarines,
but with something less than
one-third Nautilus power. Sa-
vannah enthusiasts do not like
to talk about it, but the vessel
also has a "take-home engine"
"a small, oil-powered motor
that will assure steerageway If
anything goes wrong with the
reactor.
New York Ship officials are
reasonably proud of the Savan-
nah's hull, as well they might
be. Even in the disarray of
outfitting, as viewed this spring
she was a trim and attractive
lass. Like so many trim, at
tractive lasses, however, she
will be expensive to support.
Ship Is Criticized
"Obsolete steam technology"
is one disadvantage chalked up
against Savannah by ship
builders. Unlike Nautilus, whose
atomic reactor completes against
inefficient, weak storage bat
teries, Savannah's must COM
pete against high efficiency, oil
fired, high-temperature steam
plants.
This thing" said a New
York Ship official, pointing to
the reactor deep in Savannah's
innards, has set turbine en-
gineering back 80 years"
But just because Savannah
is not the answer to the atomic
ship problem does not mean
one must give up hope. Per-
haps her power plant is not
suitable; perhaps the type OF
vessel itself is wrong.
There is some hope for the
future Of very large, very long
range, atomic powered oil tank
ers, perhaps using high-tem-
perature, gas-cooled reactors
instead of water heaters fol
steam generation.
A maritime gas cooled reac'
tor is now under development
by the General Atomic Division
of General Dynamics Corp II
Southern California. It's de-
sign specifications indicate
that NIGER, using helium a.
its coolant, would be abou
one-third again as efficient a
Savannah's plant. Each woult
develop $4,000 shaft horsepow
er, but NIGER would do it will
81 million watts of heat
against SO million for the Sa
vannah reactor.
Good for Distance
An atomic tanker is attrac
tive because of what tanker
do. They make long-distance
sustained runs with bulk car
goes. Every bit of cargo Spac
not used for fuel means jus
that much more profit in tn