Made How
Nuclear Submarine
A nuclear submarine is a ship powered by atomic energy that travels
primarily under-water, but also on the surface of the ocean. Previously,
conventional submarines used diesel engines that required air for moving
on the surface of the water, and battery-powered electric motors for
moving beneath it. The limited lifetime of electric batteries meant that
even the most advanced conventional submarine could only remained
submerged for a few days at slow speed, and only a few hours at top speed.
On the other hand, nuclear submarines can remain under-water for several
months. This ability, combined with advanced weapons technology, makes
nuclear submarines one of the most useful warships ever built.
The first serious proposal for a ship designed to travel underwater was
made by the English mathematician William Bourne in 1578. Bourne suggested
using two hulls, one of wood and one of leather, but this device was never
actually built. The first working submarine was built by the Dutch
inventor Cornelis Drebbel in 1620. Using a design similar to the one
proposed by Bourne, this device was propelled beneath the surface of the
Thames River by eight wooden oars.
During the early eighteenth century, several small submarines were built
using similar designs. In 1747, an unknown inventor suggested attaching
goatskin bags to a submarine. Filling the bags with water would lower the
submarine, and ejecting water from the bags would raise it. The same basic
concept is used in modern ballast tanks.
The submarine was first used in warfare during the American Revolution.
The Turtle,
designed by Yale student David Bushnell, attempted to attach an explosive
to a British warship, but failed to penetrate the copper sheathing on the
ship's hull. In 1801, the American inventor Robert Fulton built the
a submarine constructed of copper sheets over iron ribs. The Nautilus,
which could carry a crew of four, succeeded in sinking ships in tests,
but was rejected by both France and England. Fulton was working on a
steam-powered submarine that could carry a crew of one hundred when he
died in 1815.
During the American Civil War, Horace L. Hunley financed the building of
submarines for the Confederacy. The third of these vessels, the H. L. Hunley,
attacked and sank the Union ship Housatonic
on February 17, 1864, but was itself destroyed in the resulting
explosion.
During the late nineteenth century, numerous submarines were built in the
United States and Europe. Methods of moving the submarine evolved from
hand-operated propellers to steam engines, gasoline engines, and electric
motors. Submarines using diesel engines for surface travel and electric
batteries for underwater travel were used successfully in World War I and
The development of nuclear power after World War II revolutionized
submarine technology. Under the direction of Hyman Rickover, an engineer
and officer in the U.S. Navy, American inventors Ross Gunn and Philip
Abelson designed the Nautilus,
the first nuclear submarine that was launched in 1954. By 1959, some
nuclear submarines, known as strategic submarines, were used to carry missiles with nuclear warheads. Other nuclear
submarines, known as attack submarines, were designed to sink enemy ships
and submarines. Strategic submarines and attack submarines became a vital
part of naval forces worldwide. The first use of a nuclear submarine in
active combat took place in 1982, when the British attack submarine Conqueror
sank the Argentine ship General Belgrano
during the conflict over the Falkland Islands.
Robert Fulton, best known for his work in steamboat technology, was born
in Little Britain, Pennsylvania, in 1765. As a child, Fulton enjoyed
building mechanical devices. His interest turned to art as he matured,
and although he managed to support himself through his sales of
portraits and technical drawings, the general response his work received
was disappointing and convinced him to concentrate on his engineering
In 1797 while researching canals in Paris, France, Robert Fulton became
fascinated with the notion of a "plunging boat," or
submarine, and began designing one based on the ideas of American
inventor David Bushnell. Fulton approached the French government, then
at war with England, with the suggestion that his submarine could be
used to place powder mines on the bottom of British warships. After some
persuasion, the French agreed to fund the development of the boats and,
in 1800, Fulton launched the first submarine, the Nautilus,
at Rouen.
The 24.5 ft (7.5 m) long, oval-shaped vessel sailed above the water like
a normal ship, but the mast and sail could be laid flat against the deck
when the craft was submerged to a depth of 25 ft (7.6 m) by filling its
hollow metal keel with water. Fulton's plan was to hammer a spike
from the metal conning tower into the bottom of a targeted ship. A
time-released mine attached to the spike was designed to explode once
the submarine was out of range. Although the system worked in the
trials, British warships were much faster than the sloop used in the
experiments and thus managed to elude the slower submarine. The French
stopped funding the project after the failed battle attempt, but the
British, who considered the technology promising, brought Fulton over to
their side. Unfortunately, once again the submarine worked well in
tests, but proved unsatisfactory on practical situations. After its
failure in the Battle of Trafalgar (1805), the British too abandoned the
After these experiences, the undaunted Fulton turned to a new area of
exploration - steam. Through his contacts in Paris, Fulton met
Robert Livingston (1746-1813), the American foreign minister to France
who also owned a 20-year monopoly on steam navigation in New York State.
In 1802, the two decided to form a business partnership. The following
year, they launched a steamboat on the Seine river that was based on the
design of fellow American John Fitch.
Fulton returned to New York later in 1803 to continue developing his
designs. After four years of work, Fulton launched the Clermont,
a steam-powered vessel with a speed of nearly five miles per hour. The
partnership between Fulton and Livingston thrived, and Fulton had at
last achieved a recognized success.
Fulton's persistence and belief in his ideas helped steam-boats
become a major source of transportation on the rivers in the United
States, and resulted in a significant reduction of domestic shipping
The main material used in manufacturing a nuclear submarine is steel.
Steel is used to make the inner hull that contains the crew and all the
inner workings of the submarine, and the outer hull. Between the two hulls
are the ballast tanks, which take in water to make the submarine sink and
eject water to make the submarine rise.
A typical submarine. In addition to steel, various parts of a nuclear submarine are made from
other metals, such as copper, aluminum, and brass. Other materials used to
manufacture the thousands of components which make up a fully equipped
nuclear submarine include glass and plastic. Electronic equipment includes
semiconductors such as silicon and germanium. The nuclear reactor that
powers the submarine depends on uranium or some other radioactive element
as a source of energy.
The Manufacturing
Preparing for manufacture
1 Because nuclear submarines are only manufactured for military use, the
decision to build them is made by a national government. In the United
States, the Undersea Warfare Division of the Navy is responsible for
requesting that a group of submarines, known as a flight, be
manufactured.
2 The Navy accepts bids from thousands of companies to manufacture the
many components which make up a nuclear submarine. The hull of the
submarine is generally made by the Electric Boat Division of the General
Dynamics Corporation. (The original Electric Boat Company made the first
submarines used by the United States Navy in 1900.)
3 Funding for nuclear submarines is included in the defense budget
presented by the President to Congress. If approved, the manufacturing
process begins. The nuclear reactor is supplied by the
government's Naval Reactor project. The methods used to
manufacture these nuclear reactors are closely guarded and disclosure
would be considered a breech of national security.
Making the hull
4 Steel plates, approximately 2-3 in (5.1-7.6 cm) thick, are obtained
from steel manufacturers. These plates are cut to the proper size with
acetylene torches.
5 The cut steel plates are moved between large metal rollers under tons
of pressure. The rollers, each about 28 in (71.1 cm) in diameter and
about 15 ft (4.6 m) long, are set up so that one roller rests on two
others. As the steel plate moves under the top roller and over the two
bottom rollers it is bent into a curve. The plate is rolled back and
forth until the desired curvature is obtained.
6 The curved steel plates are placed around a wooden template that
outlines the shape of the hull. They are then welded together by hand to
form a section of the hull. The section is lifted by a crane and placed
next to another section. The two sections are rolled slowly under an
automatic welder, which seals them together. The rotating sections move
beneath the welder several times, resulting in an extremely strong seam.
7 The welded sections are strengthened by welding curved, T-shaped steel
ribs around them. These are made by heating The manufacture of a submarine is highly complex and utilizes both
manual and automated processes. Large sheets of steel are rolled and
welded into the shape of the inner and outer hulls. Scaffolding is
erected during manufacture so accessibility remains unencumbered.
Every aspect of manufacture is checked by inspection and quality
control measures. For example, welded steel components are inspected
with x rays. Pipes are filled with helium in order to check for
leaks. As a result, the Naval Reactors program is considered to have
the best safety record of any nuclear power program. bars of steel until they are soft enough to bend. Automatic hammers
strike the ends of the bar, producing a curve matching the hull.
8 Welding several sections together produces an inner hull. The same
process is repeated to form an outer hull. The inner hull is welded to
steel ribs that are then welded to the outer hull. The steel ribs
separate the two hulls, allowing space for the ballast tanks that
control the depth of the submarine. The outer hull only extends as far
as the bottom and sides of the inner hull, allowing the submarine to
remain upright.
9 Meanwhile, steel plates are welded in place inside the inner hull in
order to divide the submarine into several watertight compartments.
Steel decks and bulktheads are also welded in place. Exterior welding
seams are polished by high-speed grinding wheels, making them smooth.
Not only does this improve the surface for painting, but it also
provides the submarine with a streamlined surface that experiences
little friction during travel. The hull is then painted with layers of
protective coatings.
Finishing the exterior
10 External components such as rudders and propellers are made using
various metalworking techniques. One important method used for many
metal components is sand casting. This process involves making a wood or
plastic model of the desired part. The model is then surrounded by
tightly packed, hardened sand held in a mold. The halves of the mold are
separated, allowing the model to be removed. The shape of the desired part remains as a cavity in the hardened sand. Molten metal is
poured into the cavity and allowed to cool, resulting in the desired
11 The hull is surrounded by scaffolding, allowing workers to reach all
parts of it. The external components are welded or otherwise attached.
Certain components, such as sonar equipment, are attached to the hull
then covered with smooth sheets of steel in order to reduce friction
during underwater travel.
Finishing the interior
12 Large equipment is placed within the inner hull as it is being built.
Smaller equipment is brought into the inner hull after it is completed.
The submarine is launched before much of the interior equipment is
installed. After the launching ceremony, the submarine is towed into a
fitting-out dock, where work on the interior continues. Vital components
such as periscopes, snorkels, engines, and electronic equipment are
installed. Equipment for the comfort of the crew, such as refrigerators,
electric stoves, air conditioners, and washing machines are also
installed at this time.
13 The nuclear reactor begins operating as the submarine begins its
first sea trials. The crew is trained during an Atlantic Ocean cruise.
Weapons are launched and tested, often in waters off Andros Island in
the Bahamas. The submarine is officially commissioned in a ceremony
which changes its designation from "Precommissioning Unit"
(PCU) to "United States Ship" (USS). The submarine then
undergoes a shakedown cruise before entering active service.
The vital role it plays in national defense, the fact that the lives of
its crew depend on its proper functioning, and the dangers inherent in its
nuclear reactor ensure that quality control is more important for a
nuclear submarine than for almost any other manufactured product. Before
construction begins, the materials which will be used to build various
components are inspected for any structural flaws. Previously when a new
design for a nuclear submarine was proposed, a scale model was built to
see if any improvements could be made. Scale drawings of the new design
were made, then expanded into full-size paper patterns that allowed small
details to be studied closely. A full-sized mockup of the interior was
made in order to give builders a chance to adjust the location of
components in order to save space or make them more readily accessible.
Presently, design modeling, modification, and simulation are all enhanced
by the use of computers.
When the steel plates are cut and rolled to form the hull, they are
inspected to ensure that all dimensions are accurate to within one
sixteenth of an inch (0.16 cm); smaller parts may need to be accurate to
within one ten-thousandth of an inch (0.00025 cm) or less. Proper welding
of all steel components is inspected with x rays. Pipes are inspected by
filling them with helium and checking for leaks. Every instrument is
tested to ensure it works properly. In particular, the nuclear reactor
undergoes stringent tests to ensure that it is safe. As a result of these
precautions, the Naval Reactors program is considered to have the best
safety record of any nuclear power program.
After the submarine is commissioned, it undergoes a shakedown cruise to
see how it would operate in wartime conditions. The speed and
maneuverability of the submarine is tested to ensure that it meets the
necessary requirements.
Byproducts/Waste
The greatest concern dealing with wastes produced by nuclear submarines
involves the radioactive waste produced by nuclear reactors. Although the
waste produced by a nuclear submarine is much less than that produced by a
larger nuclear power plant, similar problems of disposal exist. The Naval
Reactors program has an excellent record of safely storing radioactive
wastes. Some environmentalists, however, have expressed concern about the
possibility of radioactive material being released if a nuclear submarine
is sunk by accident or during military operations.
Nuclear submarines are expected to remain a vital part of naval defense
systems for many years to come. Future designs will feature new ways to improve the
speed and depth capabilities of nuclear submarines. Research will also
lead to an improved ability to detect enemy ships while remaining
undetected. With the demise of the Soviet Union, leading to reduced
defense budgets, the U.S. Navy faces the challenge of reducing the cost of
nuclear submarines while retaining their effectiveness. With this goal in
mind, the New Attack Submarine program was devised in the 1990s, with the
goal of replacing large and expensive Seawolf
attack submarines with smaller, less expensive, yet equally effective
nuclear submarines.
Where to Learn More
Clancy, Tom. Submarine: A Guided Tour Inside a Nuclear Warship.
Berkley, 1993.
George, Glenn R., and Lisa Megargle George. "The Naval Reactor
Program: From Nautilus to the Millennium." Nuclear News
(October 1998): 26-33.
Newman, Richard J. "Breaking the Surface." U. S. News and World Report
(April 6, 1998): 28-31.
Wilson, Jim. "Run Silent, Run Deep." Popular Mechanics
(January 1998): 62-66.
"Nuclear Submarines of the World." January 24, 1998. 
Also read article about Nuclear Submarine from Wikipedia
1 Francisco CorderoMar 7, 2006 @ 2:14 pmIn main terms, your article is pretty accurate and easy to understand, except by one fact: USN nuclear subs are of the "single hull" type... and don't try to explain to an USN submariner the advantages of double hull in submarines design: as Stan Zimmerman wrotes in "Submarine Technology for the 21st Century" (Trafford Publishing, 2000), page 97, that's the best way to start a fight with him...
Wonderfull and very interesting web page 2 VictorAug 31, 2008 @ 2:14 pmYou could have used actual pictures instead of simple drawings for your illustrations. Comment about this article, ask questions, or add new information about this topic:
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