USS Long Beach: 2 Nuclear Reactors, 80,000 Horsepower, Unlimited Range. The US Navy Does Not Operate a Single Nuclear Cruiser Today.

USS Long Beach: 2 Nuclear Reactors, 80,000 Horsepower, Unlimited Range. The US Navy Does Not Operate a Single Nuclear Cruiser Today.

Commissioned on September 9, 1961, the USS Long Beach (CGN-9) was the world’s first nuclear-powered surface combatant and the only member of her class. She was also the first new American cruiser design completed after World War II. The U.S. Navy guided missile cruiser USS Long Beach (CGN-9) underway off Oahu, Hawaii (USA), 9 May 1973. Image: Creative Commons. Long Beach was also the last American cruiser constructed around a traditional cruiser…