Much water has flown over the Thames since the Nautilus entered service.All five original nuclear powers now have N-subs of both varieties(SSBN & SSN) & India will certainly have atleast 3 in service by 2010.Japan & Brazil have always not abandoned plans for N-boats.
D/E boats have also got better in armament & the introduction of air independent propulsion modules(by Germany,France,Sweden & Russia) which radically increase underwater endurance,while maintaining quietness.
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Besides the Jules Verne-like breakthrough in naval and nuclear engineering, Nautilus was only the beginning. She was followed by generations of nuclear submarines — and, eventually, surface ships. (Today, 11 of the Navy's 13 aircraft carriers are nuclear-powered.)
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The Aircraft Carrier USS Kennedy, while a relatively new Carrier, is/was not nuclear powered, it should never have been and that's probably the primary reason it's being retired ...rto
It can be seen at Groton, CT. It is worth seeing.
I was stationed TDY in Groton in the late 80's as a Master at Arms and used to take work crews into the Nautilus for cleaning duties. Man, those guys who were on it were true American heroes. It's unbelievable how small and cramped those spaces were, just for a couple of hours. To imagine being in them for a few months at a time (and under the ice of the Arctic, too???)
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I had the uncomfortable, but very memorable experience of meeting Admiral Hyman Rickover back in 1968. I was an ETN-2 trying to repair an essential piece of equipment on one of his boomers and he was looking over my shoulder asking how long it would take before they could get underway on their shake-down cruise.
later ping