Not long ago, a new member here, one oldbiker, dropped me a line to say he was working on the restoration of the NS Savannah in a shipyard down around Norfolk, VA.. He had seen the picture of the ship on my profile.
The NS Savannah was the world's first and only nuclear merchant ship and I was lucky enough to be a part of that whole story. I worked on her when she was built at New York Shipbuilding in Camden, New Jerssey, sailed on her during the sea trials out of Yorktown VA, got hung up in Galveston, TX for a year while they trained a whole new crew during a labor dispute then sailed on her as an officer to all the major Euriopean ports for another year. Even survived a mini-Posiden adventure when the reactor shut down in the middle of a hurricane. By the time it was all over, I was barely 24 and a definite precursor to Forrest Gump.
I started to write a book about all of it back in the 70's and I take it out from time to time and write a little bit more when I can. It never got finished.
A few days ago I got a letter from the head of the NS Savannah Project at the Maritime Adminstration asking me to come to a reunion of all the officers, crew and project people who are still around on National Maritime day in May. The reunion will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the laying of the Savannah's keel in Camden.The ship is being restored to it's former cosmetic glory sans the reactor and will be a floating museum somewhere on the east coast.
I can't believe I'm that old. I strill feel like a wide-eyed kid looking for my next adventure.
So I'll attend the reunion and visit for a day or so with my salty old friends. Share a few stories. Remember those who have already sailed into the sunset. Then pack my old seabag for one last time and head home. Maybe I can finish that book when I get back....
Tags: Ship Nuclear Savannah Norfolk Ocean
