First of all, let me say that I was young — very young.
Barely out of diapers.
Still, amazingly, I remember it well.
It was blazing hot and the sea breeze had yet to kick in. We were barely under way when my brothers, sisters and I were already eying the old barrel-shaped, plaid Skotch Kooler that held the Coca-Colas.
My mom, who wasn’t really fond of going out in the boat, had packed a picnic lunch, and we’d all piled into our 16-foot wooden runabout with my dad at the helm to join thousands of other spectators — on the water and lining the riverbanks — in greeting the Nuclear Ship Savannah as she sailed into port on her maiden voyage from Yorktown, Va.
I don’t know what I was expecting, but I remember being dazzled by the size and beauty of the world’s first nuclear-powered cargo ship. It was so white it was almost hard to look at in the bright August sun and so big — especially from our water-level view — we had to strain our heads upward to see her bridge.
With boat horns blaring, people cheering and helicopters hovering overhead, it was pretty exciting — and a little scary from a child’s perspective as, even from a safe distance, the Savannah’s enormous wake took our little boat and dozens of others on a waterborne roller coaster ride.
Has it really been 50 years?
The NS Savannah was definitely in her glory that summer day in 1962 — a glory that unfortunately would prove to be short-lived.
A white elephant?
First proposed in 1955 as part of President Eisenhower’s “Atoms for Peace” initiative, the Savannah was designed to be a combination cargo and passenger ship. It had 30 air-conditioned staterooms, each with its own bath. It looked more like a sleek luxury cruise liner than the bulky cargo ships of the day.
That hybrid design — intended to make her a showpiece for nuclear propulsion — proved to be the ship’s undoing, as neither function proved economically viable.
In 1972, facing a budget crunch, the U.S. Maritime Administration decided against converting the ship to either all-cargo or all-passenger and took her out of service.
At first, Savannah had big plans for its namesake — a floating museum, a hotel, a restaurant. The city would chip in funds and the state would help, too. But that fizzled a few years later when then-Gov. Jimmy Carter decided the project was a white elephant and pulled the funding.
By the 1980s, the Savannah was berthed in Charleston, eventually ending up at Patriot’s Point with the Yorktown, where interest in her as a museum also fizzled. Next came a 12-year stint in Newport News, Va., where she languished among the rusting hulks of the James River Reserve Fleet, commonly known as the “Ghost Fleet.”
Moved eventually to Baltimore, the Savannah remains there today at the Canton Marine Terminal under a contract with the U.S. Maritime Administration, which owns the ship.
Because the NS Savannah has been designated a National Historic Landmark, the maritime administration has expressed interest in offering the ship for preservation once all decommissioning, decontamination and radiologic work has been completed.
So far, however, no investors have come forward.
A celebration
Although it’s been three decades since she was last here, the Savannah has not been forgotten by her namesake city.
At 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 22 — exactly 50 years to the day the ship made her maiden voyage into Savannah — the Georgia Historical Society, in collaboration with the Savannah Ocean Exchange and Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum, will unveil a new historical marker commemorating that event at the Savannah International Trade and Convention Center.
The marker dedication will include a keynote address from Paul “Chip” Jaenichen, the Maritime Administration’s new deputy maritime administrator. A public reception, sponsored by the Propeller Club, will follow.
Two local exhibits also will honor the Savannah.
Georgia Historical Society’s exhibit features memorabilia provided by the Sayler family of Savannah. Gen. Henry Sayler, a high-ranking official in the Eisenhower administration, was instrumental in having the ship named after Savannah and also in recruiting then-First Lady Mamie Eisenhower to christen her. The collection includes a photo album and invitation from the Savannah’s 1959 christening and launch in Camden, N.J. The exhibit is open from noon to 5 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the first and third Saturdays.
Savannah City Hall also has a NS Savannah exhibit that was presented at Thursday’s City Council meeting and will be on display in council chambers through the end of the year. Representing contributions from the U.S. Maritime Administration, Ships of the Sea Museum, Coastal Heritage Society, the Savannah Morning News, the Georgia Historical Society and the City of Savannah archives, the exhibit includes photographs, brochures, serving pieces, uniforms, memorabilia, souvenirs, etc. from the ship’s launching, its 1962 visit to Savannah and world travels.
The exhibit will be open on City Council meeting days and during public tours of City Hall given the first Tuesday of each month. To register for a tour or for more information on the City Hall exhibit, contact Luciana Spracher at 912-651-6411 or Lspracher@savannahga.gov.
Senior business reporter Mary Carr Mayle covers the ports for the Savannah Morning News. She can be reached at 912-652-0324 or at mary.mayle@savannahnow.com.
IF YOU GO
WHAT: Unveiling of the historical marker commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Nuclear Ship Savannah’s first voyage to its home port.
WHEN: 5 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 22
WHERE: Savannah International Trade and Convention Center
WHAT ELSE: Keynote speaker will be Paul “Chip” Jaenichen, Deputy Administrator for the U.S. Maritime Administration. A public reception, sponsored by the Propeller Club, will follow.
SHIPPING SCHEDULE
These are the ships expected to call on Georgia Ports Authority’s Garden City and Ocean Terminals in the next week. Sailing schedules are provided by Georgia Ports Authority and are subject to change.
Terminal Ship name Arrival
GCT MSC MONTEREY Today
GCT MSC CARACAS Today
GCT IBRAHIM DEDE Today
GCT VANCOUVER BRIDGE Today
GCT BAHIA CASTILLO Today
GCT XIN WU HAN Today
GCT AL NOOF Today
GCT MSC REGINA Saturday
GCT MSC TOKYO Saturday
GCT APL PEARL Saturday
GCT MSC STELLA Saturday
GCT EVER DIADEM Saturday
GCT ARNOLD MAERSK Saturday
GCT WASHINGTON EXPRESS Saturday
GCT ZIM INDIA Saturday
GCT ZIM ONTARIO Sunday
OT STAR FUJI Sunday
GCT ROME EXPRESS Monday
GCT YM ELIXIR Monday
GCT CMA CGM MANET Monday
GCT KOBE EXPRESS Monday
GCT NYK RIGEL Monday
GCT MAERSK DHAHRAN Monday
OT TIGER Monday
GCT MOL EFFICIENCY Tuesday
GCT HANJIN VALENCIA Tuesday
GCT MOL EXPERIENCE Tuesday
GCT ZIM CONSTANZA Tuesday
GCT MSC TORONTO Tuesday
GCT CMA CGM L’ETOILE Tuesday
GCT LIONS GATE BRIDGE Tuesday
GCT NEW ORLEANS EXPRESS Wednesday
GCT HYUNDAI VOYAGER Wednesday
GCT MOL TYNE Wednesday
GCT HUDSON RIVER Wednesday
GCT SEA-LAND METEOR Wednesday
GCT KIEL EXPRESS Wednesday
OT TALA Wednesday
GCT OOCL KAOHSIUNG Thursday
GCT UASC JEDDAH Thursday
GCT MSC LUDOVICA Thursday
GCT ZIM PANAMA Thursday
GCT NYK LAURA Thursday
GCT MAERSK DENPASAR Thursday
GCT BAVARIA Thursday
GCT OOCL ANTWERP Thursday
GCT STADT FREIBURG Thursday
GCT MAERSK ROUBAIX Thursday
OT LAVENDER ACE Thursday
OT STAR HARMONIA Thursday
OT SLAVNIK Thursday