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Nuclear Submarines & RadiationBy: Jackie Fuller

+How does it work? Submarines must generate their own electricity and propel

themselves underwater for months at a time. Burning fuel requires oxygen, but there is no way to provide

enough usable oxygen underwater to fuel lengthy trips, therefore nuclear reactions are used to power submarines.

Some of its energy is also used to generate electricity to operate the equipment and make life possible for the crew

Oxygen gas and freshwater are made from seawater using energy generated by nuclear reactions.

+History of Nuclear Submarines The U.S. developed the world’s first nuclear-powered

submarine, the Nautilus. Its first nuclear-powered journey took place January 21, 1954. The Nautilus became the first submarine to sail beneath the

arctic ice, reaching the North Pole on Aug. 3, 1958. Nuclear submarines came about as a result of technological

advances; their use after creation, however, was a result of the Cold War.

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