The Naval Reactors Facility (NRF) in Idaho, a site etched in history for its pivotal role in developing nuclear-powered submarines, is undergoing deactivation, marking the end of an era. This facility, instrumental in the creation of the world’s first nuclear submarine, the USS Nautilus, is now being decommissioned, with significant steps taken towards its final demolition.
A Look Back at the Naval Reactors Facility
Genesis of a Nuclear Navy
In the early 1950s, driven by Admiral Hyman Rickover’s vision, the U.S. Navy embarked on a mission to develop nuclear propulsion for submarines and aircraft carriers. This initiative led to the establishment of the Naval Reactors Facility in the Idaho desert, near Idaho Falls. The Idaho site was chosen over a more remote site in Montana based on socio-economic factors, namely nearby towns that could absorb new population. In April, AEC named Leonard “Bill” Johnston as its field office manager. In May, the announcement came that the commission’s headquarters would be located in Idaho Falls.
Pioneering Reactor Prototypes
The NRF was home to three nuclear propulsion prototypes: A1W, S1W, and S5G. Among these, the S1W, or Submarine Thermal Reactor, holds a special place as the prototype for the USS Nautilus’s reactor. In 1950 construction started on the Submarine Thermal Reactor which marked the birth of America’s nuclear navy. The prototype reactor, which was cooled and moderated by pressurized water, and the propulsion equipment were built at Idaho’s Naval Reactors Facility. The reactor and support systems were located inside a hull section duplicating the size and specifications of the USS Nautilus, the Navy’s first nuclear-powered submarine, which was under construction in Connecticut at the time. To facilitate shielding research, a tank of water surrounded a portion of the hull. The S1W was a 70 kW (thermal) pressurized water reactor which reached first criticality in May 1953.
Training the Nuclear Navy
From the early 1950s to the mid-1990s, the NRF played a crucial role in supporting the U.S. Navy’s nuclear-powered fleet. It served as a testing ground for reactor designs, a receiving point for spent nuclear fuel, and a training center for nearly 40,000 Navy personnel. These sailors, officers, and civilians were trained to operate the nuclear power plants of both submarines and surface ships. Along with two other prototypes at NRF, nearly 40,000 Sailors, officers and civilians completed training between 1953 and 1995.
The USS Nautilus: A Historic Leap
The S1W prototype supported development of the USS Nautilus, which was launched in 1954 as the world’s first operational nuclear-powered submarine. Because nuclear propulsion allowed it to remain submerged far longer than diesel-electric submarines, the Nautilus broke many records in its first years of operation. The USS Nautilus, commissioned on September 30, 1954, revolutionized naval operations. On January 17, 1955, it famously signaled “Underway on nuclear power,” marking a new era in maritime history. In 1958 under the Arctic ice the Nautilus went to sea. The Nuclear Navy has ties to Idaho. In the early fifties, the U.S. Navy under the leadership of Admiral Hyman Rickover was hard at work developing a nuclear-powered engine to drive submarines and aircraft carriers. The efforts created the Naval Reactors Facility in the desert outside Idaho Falls.
Deactivation and Demolition
Transfer of Responsibility
In a symbolic event, the Naval Reactors Facility transferred responsibility for the Aircraft Carrier first design by Westinghouse reactor prototype (A1W) to the Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management for demolition in a ceremony Nov. 2. Recognizing the environmental liabilities associated with the aging facility, the Office of Naval Reactors entered into an agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management to carry out the S1W facility demolition and other deactivation and decommissioning efforts.
Dismantling the S1W Prototype
Site workers are dismantling the S1W’s hull and engine compartments. They have also begun deactivating the reactor compartment and associated systems by removing shielding components to prepare the reactor vessel for eventual disposition at the Idaho CERCLA Disposal Facility at the INL Site. CERCLA stands for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act. To date, the project has sent an estimated 250 tons of non-radiological contaminated metals for recycling.
Reactor Removal
Cleanup crews have successfully removed the defueled reactor vessel from the Submarine 1st Generation Westinghouse naval nuclear propulsion prototype reactor plant, moving the plant closer to demolition. Removing such components, including the reactor vessel, has been ongoing since the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Environmental Management assumed responsibility for demolishing the S1W in 2022. That work was preceded by extensive efforts to isolate the prototype’s electrical and mechanical components and remove hazardous materials, such as asbestos and lead shielding. Crews successfully removed, transported and disposed of the prototype’s reactor vessel, one of the last heavy components from the S1W, in an onsite landfill, the Idaho CERCLA Disposal Facility (ICDF). As a result of the CERCLA regulatory process, the ICDF has stringent waste acceptance criteria.
Environmental Considerations
Throughout the deactivation and demolition process, environmental protection remains a top priority. Evaluation of the environmental data confirms that the operation of NRF continues to have no adverse effect on the quality of the environment or the health and safety of the general public. Furthermore, a conservative assessment of radiation exposure to the general public as a result of NRF operations demonstrated that the dose received by any member of the public was well below the most restrictive dose limits prescribed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
Projected Completion
The S1W deactivation and demolition (D&D) project is scheduled for completion in November 2025. Demolition of the S1W prototype reactor plant is expected to be complete by the end of 2025 and is being conducted in compliance with CERCLA.
The Legacy of NRF
A Foundation for Nuclear Power
The Naval Reactors Facility played a pivotal role in establishing the safety and effectiveness of nuclear power for naval operations. That testing in Idaho proved the Navy could use nuclear power to operate safely and effectively. That led to the world’s first nuclear submarine, the USS Nautilus. The innovations and training provided at NRF paved the way for the U.S. Navy’s nuclear-powered fleet, which has been a cornerstone of national defense for decades.
Protecting the Environment
The Navy’s disposal program has also shown that accomplishing the reactor compartment removal, missile compartment removal (for ballistic missile submarines), and recycling in a single drydocking evolution, is efficient and economical. Improved efficiency and reduced costs are achieved at the Shipyard by typically drydocking two or more ships together. The disposal of nuclear-powered ships is accomplished using proven technology and procedures which have been available at shipyards for many years. The equipment used to remove the reactor compartment is simple, rugged, and reliable. Hazardous materials such as asbestos, lead, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are controlled in a manner that assures the Navy, the regulating agencies, and the public that handling and disposing of these materials will not now or in the future pose a risk to human health or the environment. This involves meeting the complex regulatory requirements of a number of agencies including the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Washington State Department of Ecology, and the Puget Sound Air Pollution Control Agency.
A Documentary Tribute
As part of disposing of these facilities, Naval Reactors is working closely with the Idaho State Historic Preservation Office and Idaho Public Television to document and preserve this important part of our history in the form of a documentary that will eventually air on Idaho Public Television titled Idaho Experience: Idaho’s Nuclear Navy. The documentary is scheduled to air Dec. 3. Naval Reactors, with support from the State Historic Preservation Office and the City of Idaho Falls, will be hosting the premier showing of Idaho Experience: Idaho’s Nuclear Navy Nov. 30 at the Colonial Theater in Idaho Falls.
Continuing the Mission
The Expended Core Facility
The only remaining active facility at NRF is the Expended Core Facility / Dry Storage Facility, which provides for storage of spent fuel from U.S. Naval reactors. NRF is part of the Idaho National Laboratory.
Naval Reactors Today
Over the last 75 years, Naval Reactors has operated 275
