Naval Submarine Base New London by the Submarine Escape Immersion Equipment in the 2000s. On January 21, 1954 the first nuclear-powered submarine, , was launched from Groton. "Nautilus" became the first vessel to transit the North Pole during a historic trip across the Arctic in 1958. "Nautilus" spent most of her career assigned to Submarine Squadron 10 located at State Pier in New London. It was retired from service in 1980. In 1982 "Nautilus" was designated a National Historic Landmark in Groton. It is permanently moored south of the main gate, attached to the U.S. Submarine Force Museum. Self-guided tours are available to the public
Nuclear submarine reactor pump (used to circulate reactor coolant), also creates noise, as opposed to a conventional submarine, which can move about on almost silent electric motors. Some of the most serious nuclear and radiation accidents by death toll in the world have involved nuclear submarine mishaps. To date, all of these were units of the former Soviet Union. Reactor accidents that resulted in core damage and release of radioactivity from nuclear-powered submarines include: Nuclear submarine A nuclear submarine is a submarine powered by a nuclear reactor. The performance advantages of nuclear submarines over "conventional" (typically diesel-electric) submarines are considerable. Nuclear propulsion,