Central Business District in Lynchburg, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Nuclear Ship Savannah

Nuclear Ship <i>Savannah</i> Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), August 14, 2021

1. Nuclear Ship Savannah Marker

Inscription. The NS Savannah was the world's first nuclear-powered merchant ship. Authorized in 1956 during Pres. Dwight D. Eisenhower's Atoms for Peace initiative, its purpose was to demonstrate to the world the safe and peaceful use of atomic power. The Babcock & Wilcox Company designed Savannah's nuclear propulsion system at its Kemper Street office nearby and built the system at its Mount Athos facility four miles east of here. The ship's first crew trained at Lynchburg College. From 1962 to 1970, Savannah traveled more than 450,000 miles, stopped at 45 foreign and 32 domestic ports, and received more than 1.5 million visitors. The ship was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1991.

Erected 2018 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number Q-6-51.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Peace • War, Cold • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #34 Dwight D. Eisenhower, the National Historic Landmarks, and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1956.

Location. 37° 24.937′ N,

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79° 8.571′ W. Marker is in Lynchburg, Virginia. It is in the Central Business District. It is on Main Street just east of 8th Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 800 Main St, Lynchburg VA 24504, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Virginia.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Point of Beginning (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Lynchburg History (about 300 feet away); Carter Glass (about 400 feet away); a different marker also named Lynchburg History (about 500 feet away); Lynchburg (about 500 feet away); John Lynch (about 500 feet away); Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines of the Spanish American War

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), August 14, 2021

2. Nuclear Ship Savannah Marker

(about 500 feet away); World War II (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lynchburg.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.

Also see . . . NS Savannah at Wikipedia. NS Savannah was the first nuclear-powered merchant ship. She was built in the late 1950s at a cost of $46.9 million (including a $28.3 million nuclear reactor and fuel core) and launched on July 21, 1959. She was funded by United States government agencies. Savannah was a demonstration project for the potential use of nuclear energy. (Submitted on November 7, 2021, by Byron Hooks of Sandy Springs, Georgia.)

Additional keywords. "Atoms for Peace" Nuclear Ship Savannah

Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on August 15, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 1,125 times since then and 56 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 15, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.