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Just because something is non-trivial doesn't mean it's impossible or a bad idea. The reactor would be sealed in a way that isn't practical for submarines that

Just because something is non-trivial doesn't mean it's impossible or a bad idea. The reactor would be sealed in a way that isn't practical for submarines that have both space and serviceability constraints - so it would survive the ship sinking and remain sealed for eventual recovery. Also, putting a nuclear reactor on a submarine in the 1950s is a significantly different undertaking than putting a nuclear reactor on a transport ship in the 2020s. The piracy concern isn't a big one, IMO. What would they do? The fissible material in a reactor isn't bomb grade, but might still be fun for a dirty bomb. However, it's incredibly difficult to get at without enjoying a quick and extremely painful death. Also, the reactor stays on the ship and the ship can't disappear into the desert, like hostages can. All that said, obviously, there are a whole different set of issues to a nuclear commercial vessel, but I don't see that it's obviously out of the realm of the possible.

dredmorbius 12y ago
Rickover on paper reactors vs. real reactors: An academic reactor or reactor plant almost always has the following basic characteristics: 1. It is simple. 2. It is small. 3. It is cheap. 4. It is light. 5. It can be built very quickly. 6. It is very flexible in purpose. 7. Very little development will be required. It will use off-the-shelf components. 8. The reactor is in the study phase. It is not being built now. On the other hand a practical reactor can be distinguished by the following characteristics: 1. It is being built now. 2. It is behind schedule. 3. It requires an immense amount of development on apparently trivial items. 4. It is very expensive. 5. It takes a long time to build because of its engineering development problems. 6. It is large. 7. It is heavy. 8. It is complicated. http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Hyman_G._Rickover http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Hyman_G._Rickover Pirates typically ransom things. A nuke is a pretty considerable thing to ransom. Sometimes they seize and sell them. A nuke is an interesting thing to sell.

dredmorbius 12y ago

Rickover on paper reactors vs. real reactors: An academic reactor or reactor plant almost always has the following basic characteristics: 1. It is simple. 2. It is small. 3. It is cheap. 4. It is light. 5. It can be built very quickly. 6. It is very flexible in purpose. 7. Very little development will be required. It will use off-the-shelf components. 8. The reactor is in the study phase. It is not being built now. On the other hand a practical reactor can be distinguished by the following characteristics: 1. It is being built now. 2. It is behind schedule. 3. It requires an immense amount of development on apparently trivial items. 4. It is very expensive. 5. It takes a long time to build because of its engineering development problems. 6. It is large. 7. It is heavy. 8. It is complicated. http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Hyman_G._Rickover http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Hyman_G._Rickover Pirates typically ransom things. A nuke is a pretty considerable thing to ransom. Sometimes they seize and sell them. A nuke is an interesting thing to sell.