Jun 23, 2017

Photos and text by Amy Davis

: Berthed in Canton between an old coal terminal and Seagirt Marine Terminal, the futuristic white-hulled N.S. Savannah is a commanding presence at Pier 13. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: Circular cutouts, suggesting portholes, provide a glimpse of the curvy seating in the Veranda, where passengers could enjoy cocktails and dancing. T (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: A caution sign for radiation is mounted on the reactor compartment door, which provided access for refueling the reactor. The nuclear hold for the containment vessel extends to the bottom of the ship. T (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: The N.S. Savannah’s single propeller is mounted for display on a cargo hatch. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: The wine rack above the bar, designed by Jack Heaney, was inspired by the Trilinear Chart of the Nuclides, which represented nuclear data as hexagons. T (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: After climbing the gangway, passengers would arrive in the main lobby at the Purser’s desk, where the ship’s staff would greet them. T (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: A model of the N.S. Savannah has a cutaway showing the containment vessel for the reactor. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: The serving ware on display in the dining room has an atom motif and the ship’s name. T (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: Erhard Koehler, manager of N.S. Savannah programs, pauses on the Bridge, where the weather instruments, navigation and communications equipment are located. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: Visitors get a good view of the atom symbol on the N.S. Savannah as they ascend the gangway. The N.S. Savannah, the world’s first nuclear-powered merchant ship, is docked at Pier 13 at the Canton Marine Terminal. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: The ship’s bell hangs over a replica of the builder’s plate, dated May 1962. The N.S. Savannah was built by the New York Shipbuilding Corp. in Camden, N.J. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: The distinctive, asymmetrical shape of the port promenade’s windows are representative of the late 1950s space age design sensibility. Seagirt Marine Terminal is in the distance. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: The futuristic cocktail tables originally had illuminated tops. At the center of each one, emblematic of that era, was an ashtray. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: An overview of the vintage bar in the Veranda, a room with a dance floor that overlooked the swimming pool. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: The focal point above the bar was a honeycombed, illuminated wine rack, inspired by the Trilinear Chart of the Nuclides. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: Six illuminated dial clocks were mounted next to the bar. These three showed the time in Moscow, Tokyo and Honolulu. The other three showed the ship’s time, and the time in New York and London. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: The 30-inch port lights on the enclosed Promenade Deck were fitted with innovative, adjustable polarizing filters to reduce glare when looking out at the ocean. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: A refurbished stateroom with vintage modern built-ins reiterates the atomic age graphics on a screen decoration. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: The N.S. Savannah was designed by naval architect George G. Sharp. Babcock & Wilcox designed its nuclear reactor. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: The outline of the restored serpentine settee is echoed in the modernistic linoleum floor design in the Purser’s lobby of the N.S. Savannah. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: One of a pair of coffee tables made of polished, petrified wood original to the N.S. Savannah is back on display in the main lounge. The other one is at the Smithsonian. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: Passengers enjoyed many forms of entertainment on board, including a swimming pool, bar, lounge, movies, and games such as bingo and shuffleboard. 842 passengers sailed on the N.S. Savannah from its maiden voyage in 1962, until passenger service ended in 1965. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: The elliptical main lounge was used as a theater and art gallery, but no longer has its original furnishings. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: A sample dosimeter, worn to monitor exposure to radiation, dates from the time when the N.S. Savannah was operated as a museum at Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum in Mt. Pleasant, SC, from 1981 to 1994. (Amy Davis / Baltimore Sun)

: The original swimming pool on the promenade deck, in the foreground, is now covered. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: Containers stacked at Seagirt Marine Terminal can be seen in the distance behind the N.S. Savannah’s bow, inscribed with depth markings. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: The N.S. Savannah has the sculptured sleek curves of a yacht on a grander scale. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: The N.S. Savannah was named after the S.S. Savannah, the first steamship to cross the Atlantic in 1819. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: From the galley deck, visitors can look into the engine room, in front, and the control room for the nuclear reactor, in back. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

: The cargo booms used to load break bulk cargo predate the container ship era. The N.S. Savannah, the world’s first nuclear-powered merchant ship, had smaller cargo holds than convention cargo ships. (Amy Davis/Baltimore Sun)

Unlike Baltimore’s other National Historic Landmark vessels docked around the Inner Harbor, the sleek N.S. Savannah is hidden from public view at the Canton Marine Terminal. Completed in 1961 at a cost of $47 million, the N.S. Savannah was the world’s first nuclear-powered merchant ship, and the only one built in the United States. It was conceived by President Dwight D. Eisenhower as a nautical ambassador for his Atoms for Peace program, an initiative to promote the peaceful use of atomic energy as the Cold War raged.

For its first three years, the Savannah carried passengers as well as cargo on its global mission, but by 1965 the limited passenger service ended. Cargo service ceased in 1970, and the nuclear fuel was removed the next year. Its nuclear facility remains under the jurisdiction of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The reactor is no longer operable, and funding has been appropriated for the removal of all the nuclear components by 2031.

After 1970, the Savannah was in limbo for more than a decade. The peace flagship then became a museum in South Carolina until 1994, when serious deterioration required drydock repairs. The 595 ft. long, 78 ft. wide cargo liner was towed to Baltimore in 2008. The Savannah, owned by the Maritime Administration, has a small crew for its maintenance, restoration and decommissioning work. Dedicated volunteers from the N.S. Savannah Association support these efforts.

Inside and out, the Savannah is a marvel of streamlined mid-century futuristic design. Its furnishings and atomic motifs would make the perfect background for James Bond to mingle with the Star Trek crew. Perhaps some day, if funding can be found, it will become a museum again. For now, it can be toured only during the annual National Maritime Day and other special events, or by special request for groups.

N.S. Savannah: World’s first nuclear-powered merchant ship

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