Nuclear submarine nuclear-powered submarine was first proposed in the United States Navy by the Naval Research Laboratory's Ross Gunn in 1939. Construction of the world's first nuclear powered submarine 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 Bureau of Ships and the Atomic Energy Commission. In July 1951 the U.S. Congress authorized construction of the first nuclear-powered submarine, "Nautilus", under the leadership of Captain Hyman G. Rickover, USN (sharing names with Captain Nemo's fictional submarine in Jules Verne's "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea",
UC3 Nautilus August 2008, "Nautilus" could sail on its own, as the main diesel engine drive train and steering was completed. On its maiden voyage, the submarine was driven by former crewmen of the now-defunct Royal Danish Navy submarine division. The objective was to sail "Nautilus" and evaluate her maneuverability, and the appraisal was favourable. In October 2008, Nautilus was submerged for the first time. "Nautilus" can be crewed by up to eight people for surface operation and four when diving. The submarine moves at five to six knots, depending on conditions and whether it was submerged. It has two tanks for