Hackaday · Creativity & design

The US Army's First Floating Nuclear Power Station

In the 1960s, the US Army converted a World War II Liberty Ship into the MH-1A, the world's first floating nuclear power station, to provide electricity to remote areas.

The MH-1A, named the USS Sturgis, housed a 10-megawatt pressurized water reactor built by Martin Marietta. Its propulsion system was removed, as it was designed for stationary operation.

The reactor first became critical in January 1967 and was accepted into Army service six months later. It initially supplied power to Fort Belvoir for 11 months.

In 1968, the USS Sturgis was deployed to the Panama Canal to supplement power during a water shortage, helping to maintain canal operations and aid US logistics during the Vietnam War.

The Sturgis remained at the Panama Canal until 1975, when it was replaced by land-based generators. It was retired from service in 1976.

After returning to the US in 1977, its fuel was removed, and the ship was placed in the James River Reserve Fleet. A contract to decommission and scrap the vessel was completed by 2019.

While the Sturgis was a pioneering project, few floating nuclear power stations have been developed since, with Russia's Akademik Lomonsov being a notable exception launched in 2019. The limited demand and complexity of deployment appear to be factors.

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