NUCLEAR PROPULSION - SUBMARINES
Powered by nuclear reactors (not diesel engine) -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_submarine
The performance advantages of nuclear submarines over "conventional" (typically diesel-electric) submarines are considerable: nuclear propulsion, being completely independent of air, frees the submarine from the need to surface frequently, as is necessary for conventional submarines; the large amount of power generated by a nuclear reactor allows nuclear submarines to operate at high speed for long durations; and the long interval between refuellings grants a range limited only by consumables such as food. Current generations of nuclear submarines never need to be refueled throughout their 25-year lifespans.
1954 - USS Nautilis, first nuclear submarine (Westinghouse)
Construction of the Nautilus was made possible by the successful development of a nuclear propulsion plant by a group of scientists and engineers at the Naval Reactors Branch of the Atomic Energy Commission.
1958 - USSR launches its first nuclear sub
From the late 1950s through the end of 1997, the Soviet Union, and later Russia, built a total of 245 nuclear submarines, more than all other nations combined.
[B]July 26, 2009[B/] - India launches first indigenously built ballistic missile nuclear powered submarine
http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-07-26-voa13.cfm
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The nuclear triad -
Attack submarines
Cruise Missile submarines
Ballistic missile submarines - designed for stealth, invisibility (slang-US boomers; UK bombers)
SSBN is the United States Navy's hull classification symbol for a nuclear-powered, ballistic nuclear missile-carrying submarine.[1] The SS denotes a "submersible ship", the B denotes "ballistic missile," and the N denotes "nuclear powered."
Many navies use two crews per boat to maximize patrol time. The U.S. Navy calls them 'blue' and 'gold' crews; the Royal Navy calls them 'port' and 'starboard' crews; and the French Navy uses 'blue' and 'red' designations.
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Today, six countries deploy some form of nuclear-powered strategic submarines: the United States, Russia, France, the United Kingdom, People's Republic of China, and India. Several other countries, including Argentina and Brazil, have ongoing projects in different phases to build nuclear-powered submarines.
In the United Kingdom, all former and current nuclear submarines for the Royal Navy have been constructed in Barrow-in-Furness (at BAE Systems Submarine Solutions or its predecessor VSEL).
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COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS FOR SUBS
Low frequency transmission to penetrate water depths. Here's an article on Rense.
The HAARP system is a high powered PWM transmitter and phased array antenna system. It is about experiments on the upper layers of the ionosphere. Some of the experiments look into its use as a deep penetration communications system for nuclear subs, some of the experiments look into changing the ion density and reaction rates of pollutants in the upper atmosphere, and some is aimed at understanding conduction effects in the ion layers.
http://www.rense.com/general45/reee.htm
The main challenge in radio communications systems was to develop over-the-horizon transmission capabilities, which bouncing signals off the ionosphere accomplishes.
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COMMERCIAL NUCLEAR-POWERED VESSELS
Air pollution from commercial shipping kills 60,000 people per year. Converting all commercial ships to run on nuclear power would be economic even without considering carbon taxes or fees. In 2000, there were 6800 container ships in the world. At the cold war peak the Soviets had or had almost built about 400 nuclear powered ships and the USA had over 200.
http://nextbigfuture.com/2009/07/com...world-oil.html