Basic characteristics of a 400 feet 40 knots speed general cargo nuclear propelled submarine calculated around 1962

Speed 40 knots. Dimensions 400 (overall) x 80 (breadth of hull) x 40 (depth of hull) feet, 25,687 displacement total (T) in long tons of 2,240 pounds, 16,011 leightweight included lead ballast tons, 1,120 lead ballast tons, 4,270  liquid ballast tons, 190 free flooding water tons, 6,336less liquid ballast deadweight tons, 5,216 less ballast deadweight tons, 4,950 deadweight cargo tons, 10,175measurement tons of cargo c 40 square feet/ton, 407 bale cubic x 10cubic feet cubic, 7,100 gross tonnage, 3,730 net tonnage, Horsepower 97,000 shp. Crew 60 men. Deadweight-displacement ratio 0.193.

Voyage costs excluding stevedoring and agency fees

Sea costs -dollars per day x days 425,600

Port costs-dollars per day x days 218,600

Total cost per voyage 644,200

There were two possible routes between the east coast of the USA-Canada and Europe.

Polar route7,425 miles, Los Angeles -San Francisco- Seattle-Vancouver(BC)-Unimak Pass-Bering Straight -North Pole- North Sea-United Kingdom-France-Denmark-Germany and return.

Canal route 8,920 miles, Vancouver (BC)-Seattle-San Francisco-Los Angeles-Panama Canal-Southampton-United Kingdom-France-Denmark-Germany and return.

Details of vessel capital costs in thousands of dollars

Hull 6,330

Hull engineering 2,180

Outfitting 2,600

Machinery (1) 41,490

Inspections&owners outfit 1,050

Engineering (8%) 4,200

Lead 430

Total 58,280

(1) “Although reactor costs per shaft horsepower declines in the larger sizes, this is largely offset by rising costs of propulsion machinery, reduction gears, etc.”

Manning requirement

Deck 22

Engineering 24

Stewards 14

Total 60

Source

M. Guralnick a.o. “Potential applications of nuclear energy in unusual ocean cargo carriers” in: E.E. Duckstad. Potential applications of nuclear energy in a marine environment. Washington, August 1959.