National Gallery of Art

About

Launched in 1959 at the New York Shipbuilding Corporation yard in Camden, New Jersey, NS Savannah was the world's first nuclear-powered merchant ship. Built as the flagship of President Eisenhower's "Atoms for Peace" program, the vessel was christened by First Lady Mamie Eisenhower. From 1962 onward, Savannah carried both passengers and cargo across international shipping routes, powered by a single onboard nuclear reactor — a technical first for a commercial vessel. She sailed for roughly a decade before being withdrawn from active service in the early 1970s. Today the ship rests at berth in Baltimore's Canton neighborhood, preserved as a National Historic Landmark museum ship. Owned by the U.S. Maritime Administration, she is kept open to visitors through tours run by the nonprofit NS Savannah Association.