USS Nautilus
Fuel enrichment
93% U-235
HEU
USS Nautilus is a nuclear-powered submarine operated by United States Navy, powered by S2W of about 10 MWt. Retired.
The first nuclear-powered vessel of any kind, and the origin of the pressurised water reactor as a product. Every PWR operating today, 743 of them by fuel family, descends from a programme to make a submarine that never had to surface. The civil industry inherited naval engineering, not the other way round.
Propulsion
| Reactor | S2W |
|---|---|
| Reactors per vessel | 1 |
| Thermal output | 10MWt |
| Fuel enrichment | 93% U-235HEU |
| Refuelling | Core life of about 900 hours at full power |
Vessel
| Category | submarine |
|---|---|
| Role | SSN |
| Operator | United States Navy |
| Country | United States |
| Vessels in class | 1 |
| In service from | 1955 |
| Status | Retired |
Other submarines
| Class | Enrichment | Status |
|---|---|---|
| AUKUS submarines | HEU | Planned |
| Alfa class | HEU | Retired |
| Arihant class | HEU | Operating |
| Astute class | HEU | Operating |
| Borei class | HALEU | Operating |
| Dreadnought class | HEU | Under construction |
| Ohio class | HEU | Operating |
| Suffren class (Barracuda) | LEU | Operating |
| Type 093 and 094 (Shang and Jin) | LEU | Operating |
| Virginia class | HEU | Operating |
| Yasen class | HALEU | Operating |
Sources
- World Nuclear Association, Nuclear-Powered Ships · retrieved 2026-09-07