News Investors Careers Contact Us About Nuclear Energy Government Services Advanced Technologies HISTORY BWXT traces its history back to the 1850s with the invention of the water tube boiler. Operating for many years as a part of The Babcock & Wilcox Company, our company has long been at the forefront of the commercial nuclear power generation and government nuclear industries, achieving an impressive number of firsts in both businesses. In 2015, The Babcock & Wilcox Company spun off its power generation business to allow BWXT to focus on government and nuclear operations. Trademarks of Babcock & Wilcox Enterprises, Inc. and its subsidiaries and affiliates (“B&W”) are used with permission, and such use does not indicate any endorsement by B&W of BWXT products or services or affiliation between the companies. A TIMELINE OF BWX TECHNOLOGIES, INC. 1856 POWER GENERATION OPERATIONS Stephen Wilcox patented the water tube boiler 1867 CORPORATE Stephen Wilcox and George Babcock established Babcock, Wilcox & Company 1879 POWER GENERATION OPERATIONS Published the first edition of Steam: its generation and use. It is the longest continuously published engineering text of its kind in the world, now in its 42nd edition 1881 POWER GENERATION OPERATIONS First central electrical station in the US, operated by the Brush Electric Light Company in Philadelphia, is powered by four 73-horsepower B&W boilers 1882 POWER GENERATION OPERATIONS Thomas Edison’s Pearl Street Station in New York City, powered by four B&W boilers, ushered in the concept of a public utility and the age of electricity for lighting, transportation and industry 1888 POWER GENERATION OPERATIONS Thomas Edison wrote that the B&W boiler is “the best boiler god has permitted man yet to make” 1889 POWER GENERATION OPERATIONS Marine boiler business is launched with the installation of a new boiler built for Stephen Wilcox’s steam yacht Reverie 1891 CORPORATE B&W’s international business was consolidated with the founding of Babcock & Wilcox Limited, headquartered in London, England. The US-based B&W retained no management interest in Babcock & Wilcox Limited 1893 CORPORATE Stephen Wilcox died in November. George Babcock died 19 days later. 1902 POWER GENERATION OPERATIONS New York City's first subway powered by B&W boilers 1906 POWER GENERATION OPERATIONS Purchased the Stirling Consolidated Boiler Company plant in Barberton, Ohio, to manufacture boilers for industrial applications 1907 POWER GENERATION OPERATIONS Teddy Roosevelt's Great White Fleet powered by B&W boilers 1923 CORPORATE B&W and Goldie-McColloch incorporated in Canada, setting the stage for the company’s eventual establishment of Babcock & Wilcox Canada, Ltd., located in Cambridge, Ontario 1930 POWER GENERATION OPERATIONS Contracted to construct penstocks for Hoover Dam 1943–1945 GOVERNMENT & NUCLEAR OPERATIONS Provided components, materials and process development for Manhattan Project 1946 GOVERNMENT & NUCLEAR OPERATIONS Awarded first contract to research propulsion systems for US Navy 1949 POWER GENERATION OPERATIONS Awarded contracts to design and build boilers for the SS United States, the first American superliner 1953–1955 GOVERNMENT & NUCLEAR OPERATIONS Designed and fabricated components for USS Nautilus, world’s first nuclear-powered submarine 1956–1957 GOVERNMENT & NUCLEAR OPERATIONS Manufactured components for the first full-scale peacetime nuclear power plant in the US – the Shippingport Atomic Power Station in Pennsylvania 1956 GOVERNMENT & NUCLEAR OPERATIONS Designed and built first privately licensed commercial Critical Experiment Laboratory and began operations at Lynchburg Research Center, the first privately financed US nuclear facility 1957 POWER GENERATION OPERATIONS Constructed first supercritical pressure coal-fired boiler 1958 GOVERNMENT & NUCLEAR OPERATIONS Began fabricating research and test reactor fuel for universities and national laboratories 1959 GOVERNMENT & NUCLEAR OPERATIONS World’s first nuclear merchant ship NS Savannah is launched with a B&W-manufactured nuclear reactor 1962 GOVERNMENT & NUCLEAR OPERATIONS Designed and furnished reactor systems for Indian Point, thus entering commercial nuclear market 1962 GOVERNMENT & NUCLEAR OPERATIONS Site at Mount Vernon, Indiana, developed for manufacturing large, heavy nuclear steam supply components 1964 GOVERNMENT & NUCLEAR OPERATIONS Concluded design work on Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) at Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) 1966 GOVERNMENT & NUCLEAR OPERATIONS Initiated design and fabrication of components for Nimitz-class aircraft carriers 1975 GOVERNMENT & NUCLEAR OPERATIONS Designed and built components for liquid metal fast breeder reactor 1978 CORPORATE Acquired by J. Ray McDermott & Co., Inc. 1981–1985 GOVERNMENT & NUCLEAR OPERATIONS Decontaminated and decommissioned first commercial plutonium laboratory in the US 1987 GOVERNMENT & NUCLEAR OPERATIONS Awarded contract to design space nuclear thermal propulsion system 1991 GOVERNMENT & NUCLEAR OPERATIONS Selected to manage and operate Specific Manufacturing Capability (SMC) at Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory 1993 GOVERNMENT & NUCLEAR OPERATIONS Issued patent for solar bi-modal space power and propulsion system 1993 GOVERNMENT & NUCLEAR OPERATIONS Awarded management and operating contract of Strategic Petroleum Reserve as part of DynMcDermott 1993 GOVERNMENT & NUCLEAR OPERATIONS Initiated design and fabrication of heavy-equipment components for Virginia-class submarine 1994 GOVERNMENT & NUCLEAR OPERATIONS Awarded first major US Department of Energy site management and operating contract at Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory as part of winning team 1995 GOVERNMENT & NUCLEAR OPERATIONS Awarded contract to downblend HEU (Highly Enriched Uranium) from Project Sapphire 1997 GOVERNMENT & NUCLEAR OPERATIONS Awarded first prime contract from the US Department of Energy to manage and operate the Mound Site in Ohio 1999 GOVERNMENT & NUCLEAR OPERATIONS Awarded contract to develop fuel cells and hydrogen reformers for US Navy 2000 GOVERNMENT & NUCLEAR OPERATIONS Awarded contract to manage and operate Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas 2000 CORPORATE B&W and some subsidiaries file a voluntary petition in the US Bankruptcy Court to reorganize under Chapter 11 2003 GOVERNMENT & NUCLEAR OPERATIONS Supported development of reactor plant for Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter (JIMO) 2004 GOVERNMENT & NUCLEAR OPERATIONS Awarded contract to manage and operate Idaho National Laboratory as part of Battelle Energy Alliance 2005 GOVERNMENT & NUCLEAR OPERATIONS Awarded contract to manage and operate Los Alamos National Laboratory as part of Los Alamos National Security, LLC 2006 POWER GENERATION OPERATIONS Began developing oxy-fuel technology for carbon capture at fossil-fueled power plants 2007 CORPORATE Consolidated B&W and BWXT operations under the name The Babcock & Wilcox Company. 2007 GOVERNMENT & NUCLEAR OPERATIONS Acquired Marine Mechanical Corporation in Euclid, Ohio 2008 GOVERNMENT & NUCLEAR OPERATIONS Acquired Nuclear Fuel Services, Inc. in Erwin, Tennessee, as a subsidiary 2009 GOVERNMENT & NUCLEAR OPERATIONS Began small modular reactor design for commercial nuclear industry 2010 CORPORATE Spun off from McDermott International as standalone, publicly traded company 2010 GOVERNMENT & NUCLEAR OPERATIONS Awarded contract by the US Department of Energy for uranium conversion operations at the Paducah and Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plants 2011 GOVERNMENT & NUCLEAR OPERATIONS Provided consulting services for nuclear reactor recovery efforts at Fukushima, Japan 2011 GOVERNMENT & NUCLEAR OPERATIONS Awarded management and operating contract at US Department of Energy’s Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project 2011 POWER GENERATION OPERATIONS Awarded Waste-to-Energy power generation plant contracts in West Palm Beach, Florida 2014 GOVERNMENT & NUCLEAR OPERATIONS Signed Memorandum of Understanding for support for the development of TerraPower’s Generation IV traveling wave reactor 2015 CORPORATE B&W spun off power generation business. Government and nuclear operations continue under BWX Technologies, Inc. About Safety Business Units Vision, Mission, Core Values Operations & Locations Ethics Government Affairs History Library Community Management Team © 2015 BWX Technologies, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Terms Of Use Contact The products and services described herein are provided by the subsidiaries of BWX Technologies, Inc.