What was the name of the first nuclear powered submarine launched in 1954?

Launched in January 1954, the USS Nautilus (SSN-571) was the world's first nuclear-powered submarine. Its atomic fuel source gave for the U.S Navy a dramatic increase in both range and operational flexibility. A few years later, the Nautilus achieved another historical first: she was the first vessel to complete a submerged transit to the North Pole, on August 3, 1958.

In addition to the above, the Nautilus was specifically constructed under the direction of U.S. Navy Captain Hyman G. Rickover, a Russian-born engineer who joined the U.S. atomic program in 1946. In 1947, he was put in charge of the navy’s nuclear-propulsion program. He immediately began work on a nuclear submarine.

Regarded as a fanatic by his detractors, Rickover succeeded in developing and delivering the world’s first nuclear submarine years ahead of schedule. In 1952, the Nautilus‘ keel was laid by President Harry S. Truman, and in January 1954, first lady Mamie Eisenhower broke a bottle of champagne across its bow as it was launched into the Thames River at Groton, Connecticut. Shortly thereafter, the submarine was commissioned. It first ran under nuclear power on the morning of January 17, 1955.

The Nautilus stretched 319 feet and displaced 3,180 tons. Its engine needed no air and very little nuclear fuel. Its uranium-powered nuclear reactor produced steam that drove propulsion turbines, allowing the Nautilus to travel underwater at speeds in excess of 20 knots. It was decommissioned in 1980.