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With sleek futuristic lines and shining red and white paint, NS Savannah was designed to stand out. But what really set it apart was it’s powerplant. At the heart of the ship was a 74 megawatt Pressurized Water Reactor, making Savannah the world’s first nuclear powered merchant ship. Launched in the summer of 1959, Savannah was built to prove that nuclear energy could safely power civilian ships of the future, promising to make cargo and cruise ships more economical, reliable and faster. It would also allow them to travel for years before needing to refuel, offering increased flexibility and operating time. As the first of its kind, Savannah carried both passengers and cargo to demonstrate the safety and reliability of nuclear propulsion for all kinds of civilian uses. When it came to engineering, Savannah was an undeniable engineering success as it outperformed even it’s designers expectations when it came to speed and reliability. Savannah also helped inspire other countries to buil

By the mid-1950’s, the United States had developed a state-of-the-art, all jet-powered bomber force. The newly introduced Boeing B-52 Stratofortesss could reach the Soviet Union from just about anywhere in the world. The soon-to-be-introduced supersonic Convair B-58 Hustler could dash to supersonic speeds. Both aircraft were engineering marvels. But even so, they were expected to perform poorly over Soviet airspace. The B-52 flew too slowly to stand a chance against the latest generation of Soviet interceptors, while the supersonic B-58 lacked the required range and payload to be truly effective. The U.S. Air Force needed a next generation bomber that would combine the capabilities of both these aircraft. A plane that could fly at supersonic speeds, travel long distances and carry large payloads. To meet their new bomber requirements, the Air Force contracted leading aerospace companies to explore radical new technologies, like nuclear powered jet engines for extending aircraft range

When the first hovercraft debuted in the summer 1959, it stunned the world as it appeared to almost magically float over any surface. It was a new kind of machine that could travel almost anywhere, on land, water, or just about any other surface. The first prototype hovercraft, designed by British engineer Christopher Cockerell, was a mere demonstrator for the technology, but in just a few short years hovercraft would go from being a curiosity to promising to herald in a new transport revolution. Britain, the United States, and France poured millions into hovercraft development, both for civilian and military purposes. The British would quickly emerge as leaders in hovercraft development and adoption. Small scale hovercraft transport services began popping up throughout the country only two years after the hovercraft first made its debut. The pinnacle of British hovercraft design was the enormous SR.N4. The largest version was capable of transporting sixty cars and as many passenger

At the start of the 1940’s, flying wing aircraft seemed destined to be the next evolution in aircraft design. By eliminating structural components typically found on conventional aircraft, such as engine nacelles, fuselage and tail, parasitic drag would be reduced down to its absolute minimum. The result would be a high-lift, low-drag aircraft with unequaled speed, range and efficiency. Despite earlier efforts around the world to develop all-wing aircraft designs, arguably no single person was more committed to the concept than pioneering American aircraft designer Jack Northrop. Beginning in the 1920’s Northrop studied the concept, drawing up countless designs for flying wing aircraft. By 1940, he had successfully produced two prototypes, the Model 1 (“X216H”) in 1929 and the Northrop N-1M in 1940. But Northrop’s ambitions went far beyond just experimental planes. Responding to an urgent need for the United States to develop the first ever intercontinental bomber, in 1941 Northrop p

In the late 1940’s and early 1950’s the Soviet Union was in critical need of newer, more modern civil airliners. Existing aircraft like the Lisunov Li-2 (a license-build derivative of the Douglas DC-3) and Ilyushin Il-12 were small, slow, and outdated when compared to their western counterparts. Travelling across the vast expanses of the Soviet Union was measured in days due multiple refueling stops, and often unpredictable weather. By 1953 plans were underway to solve the Soviet Union's airliner shortfall, but one pioneering aircraft designer named Andrei Tupolev was committed to propelling Soviet civil aviation well into the future. By 1953, the British de Havilland Comet was beginning to prove itself in passenger service. It flew nearly twice as fast as the latest generation of piston powered airliners, and much higher. With its speed and ability to fly above most weather, the Comet was proving to be much more convenient and comfortable. Tupolev was convinced that jet power was exa

In the late 1950’s a new threat emerged from the Soviet Union for which the Americans were seemingly caught off guard. The latest generation of Soviet nuclear-powered submarines could reach incredible speeds. The Alfa-Class submarine under development at the time would eventually be capable of travelling at 41 knots (76 kph/47 mph) while fully submerged. At such speeds, these submarines could follow American fleets while easily evading ASW ships. Large, fast, ocean-going hydrofoils seemed like the answer.