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It's not public opinion, is economics: -Reactors are extremely capital-intense to produce and manpower-intense to operate. Security costs would also be high.

It's not public opinion, is economics: -Reactors are extremely capital-intense to produce and manpower-intense to operate. Security costs would also be high. -Merchant ships have a build-scrap cycle of ca. 30 years. That's a lot of reactors to regularly decommission, a very expensive task. -A reactor running on low-enriched uranium would not be useful for making a nuclear weapons, but a malicious actor could make a dirty bomb. The US Navy used to have nuclear-powered cruisers, and phased then out because it wasn't really worth it. Nuclear propulsion only makes sense for a few tactical cases, like submarines (which can't use air-breathing motors underwater) and carriers (huge ships that routinely steam into the wind at very high speed for flight operations).

Retric 7y ago
The issue with carriers is they want to carry as much jet fuel, supplies, and munitions as possible to minimize the amount of refining and resupplying they need to continue operating. Plus space for their crew, aircraft storage and repair etc. On top of this they need vast amounts of electrical power for internal operations and the ~6,000 personnel onboard. It’s so bad the Navy is seriously looking into generating jet fuel onboard via Nuclear power. Even if it’s not cost effective it would be a huge logistics benefit.
greedo 7y ago
USN phased out the CGNs mostly during the collapse of the military after the Soviets quit. CGNs are extremely useful, and as directed energy weapons become common, will have a place in the Navy.
- nradov 7y ago
  The US Navy has no plans to use nuclear power in the Large Surface Combatant program. Those are the only cruisers they're likely to get over the next several decades. Regardless of potential advantages the budget just isn't sufficient for nuclear.
  - greedo 7y ago
    The LSC will never float anyways. We'll just continue to build Burkes. Columbia, Ford-Class CVNs and Virginia SSNs will eat all of the Navy's shipbuilding budget. 2020-2030 is going to be a hard time for the USN.
    - DuskStar 7y ago
      I'd add the FFG(X) frigate program in there too, but that'll probably just end up taking the place of a few Burkes.
      - greedo 7y ago
        I think we'll see FFG(X). Odds are the shipyards building the execrable LSC will win the contract, and the Congresscritters will want to keep those jobs going. Depending on the chosen config, the FFG(X) might end up being a good vessel; we'll need lots of them.

Retric 7y ago

The issue with carriers is they want to carry as much jet fuel, supplies, and munitions as possible to minimize the amount of refining and resupplying they need to continue operating. Plus space for their crew, aircraft storage and repair etc. On top of this they need vast amounts of electrical power for internal operations and the ~6,000 personnel onboard. It’s so bad the Navy is seriously looking into generating jet fuel onboard via Nuclear power. Even if it’s not cost effective it would be a huge logistics benefit.

greedo 7y ago

USN phased out the CGNs mostly during the collapse of the military after the Soviets quit. CGNs are extremely useful, and as directed energy weapons become common, will have a place in the Navy.

nradov 7y ago
The US Navy has no plans to use nuclear power in the Large Surface Combatant program. Those are the only cruisers they're likely to get over the next several decades. Regardless of potential advantages the budget just isn't sufficient for nuclear.
- greedo 7y ago
  The LSC will never float anyways. We'll just continue to build Burkes. Columbia, Ford-Class CVNs and Virginia SSNs will eat all of the Navy's shipbuilding budget. 2020-2030 is going to be a hard time for the USN.
  - DuskStar 7y ago
    I'd add the FFG(X) frigate program in there too, but that'll probably just end up taking the place of a few Burkes.
    - greedo 7y ago
      I think we'll see FFG(X). Odds are the shipyards building the execrable LSC will win the contract, and the Congresscritters will want to keep those jobs going. Depending on the chosen config, the FFG(X) might end up being a good vessel; we'll need lots of them.