Nuclear Ship Savannah

This website is the result of many interested individuals and groups who expressed interest in consolidating information on the SAVANNAH from the hundreds of sources to provide a single forum for information and news on the ship itself and the future of nuclear power in merchant shipping. Much of the text and photographs are in the public venue or are considered fair use. We have documented our sources for other material in as much as possible and welcome discussions with those individuals or entities that believe they have rights to any specific text or photograph.

This site also supports and reports on the activities of the U.S. Maritime Administration, the owner/licensee of the ship. The logo at left in the header was adopted by MARAD's Savannah Technical Staff, a group charged with responsiblility for ship custody, husbanding, and routine radiological surveillance and monitoring. The logo is named "The McCready Shield" and was developed by John Spears (2005) from an original sketch by RADM Lauren McCready, USMS. This website also supports and reports on the activities of the N/S SAVANNAH Association, Inc., a non-profit corporation dedicated to preserving the ship.

The following individuals have teamed to bring you this website:

Dave Freeman, Webmaster - Dave is a 1957 graduate of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. He joined the N/S Savannah program in March 1959 for training at Lynchburg College in Virginia and at the Army’s SL-1 reactor in Idaho. He spent two years at the New York Shipbuilding Corporation in New Jersey supporting the Savannah’s construction and test program and another two years as engineering officer during sea trials in Virginia and maiden voyages to the west coast and Hawaii.

Brett Radford, Editor - Born in 1959, the same year as the NS Savannah was launched, Brett is a pilot for a major airline and a U.S. Army Reserve vessel master of tugboats and cargo vessels. Brett has had a lifelong interest in the Savannah sparked by articles he read about this great ship as a young man in the National Geographic and the Popular Mechanics magazines. His interest was rekindled after seeing the ship on the James River while on an Army training cruise and subsequently talking his way onto the vessel for a private tour.

Neal S. Elosge, Editor - Neal is a 1978 graduate of the University of Tampa. He joined the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corp. serving as construction supervisor on 688 class submarines and as ship superintendent on the Trident (726) program. Following Electric Boat, Neal moved from naval reactors to commercial nuclear power where he worked at most pressurized water reactor sites within the USA for General Public Utilities, Babcock & Wilcox, and Framatome. Neal has had a long interest in the N/S Savannah, collecting data and supporting photographs for a website. He has agreed to join out team and allow his material to be added to our website. We look forward to his assistance in making this website a unique source of information.

TECHNICAL ADVISORS - Our advisors are individuals from private industry and government who have had significant experience with the N/S Savannah and are intimately involved in its current operations. Click on their names to access a more detailed description of their organizations.

Jon Stouky - Serves as Nuclear Advisor and acting Facility/Site Manager for the N/S SAVANNAH decommissioning project. He has been involved with the N/S SAVANNAH in various capacities since 1962 when he helped establish the Galveston, TX service facilities and commissioned the NSV ATOMIC SERVANT (service barge). Jon was licensed on the reactor and assisted in returning the ship to service in 1963-64 managing special maintenance and engineering functions. He currently serves as Chairman of the N/S SAVANNAH Association, Inc.

Erhard W. Koehler - Manager, Nuclear Ship Savannah Programs, U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration and Senior Technical Advisor, N.S. Savannah - acting as the agency's designated licensee to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Erhard is responsible for all activities related to the ship; including ship custody, husbanding, routine radiological surveillance and monitoring, the nuclear decommissioning project, and the Savannah historic preservation program.