What Happened To Nuclear Cruise Ships?
With sleek, futuristic lines and shining red and white paint, the world’s first nuclear passenger ship N/S Savannah was designed to stand out but what
Captain John Konrad is the founder and CEO of gCaptain, one of the world’s most-read maritime news websites, and a member of the Pentagon Press Corps. He holds a USCG Master Unlimited license. John studied naval architecture at the U.S. Naval Academy before graduating from SUNY Maritime College with a degree in Marine Transportation. He is also a Y Combinator Startup School alumnus. His decade at sea included service aboard Military Sealift Command-operated ships, crude-oil supertankers running to Valdez, and dynamically positioned drillships supporting deepwater projects. In industry leadership roles, he participated in major offshore exploration and drilling campaigns, including the KG-D6 discovery with Reliance Industries and world record-setting deepwater work with Chevron. On April 20, 2010, John had finished overseeing the $750 million Deep Ocean Ascension newbuild project for BP when the Deepwater Horizon exploded. His seven years at Transocean and personal ties to members of the Horizon crew drove him to investigate the disaster, resulting in Fire on the Horizon (HarperCollins, 2011). In 2025, he co-authored Returning from Ebb Tide: Renewing the United States Commercial Maritime Enterprise for Marine Corps University Press. John has contributed to publications including Forbes, CIMSEC, Lloyd’s List, and the U.S. Coast Guard Compass, and has appeared on outlets including NPR and the BBC. He has also consulted for major newsrooms and public institutions on maritime reporting and offshore industry topics. His reporting draws on primary documents, official maritime records, and on-the-record sources cultivated over two decades in the industry. He is an Associate Fellow of the Nautical Institute and a member of the Council of American Master Mariners and the Navy League of the United States. His work has been recognized with the U.S. Navy Combined Maritime Forces Naval Support Award and SUNY Maritime’s Distinguished Alumnus of the Year award.
With sleek, futuristic lines and shining red and white paint, the world’s first nuclear passenger ship N/S Savannah was designed to stand out but what
by Captain John Konrad (gCaptain) Yesterday NATO’s Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) issued an urgent warning to ships operating in the Black Sea. The
This week Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the release of a refreshed UK National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSbS), laying out plans for a £4 billion ($5.2B
As gCaptain reported early this week, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced that Hawaii’s Red Hill bunker storage depot, the world’s
by Captain John Konrad (gCaptain) Yesterday, while Joe Biden shutdown US ports to Russian oil, Frontline tankers (NYSE: FRO), founded by the billionaire John
by John Konrad (gCaptain) Today US secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin announced the closure of the Red Hill fuel storage depot in Hawaii, which is the
The US Coast Guard icebreaker Polar Star reached a position of 78 degrees, 44 minutes, 1.32 seconds south latitude in February holding a distance of
By Captain John Konrad (gCaptain) In the early days of the war, the rapid intermodal supply of materials via roads, rail, and airports is important for winning
by Gus Trompiz (Reuters) CMA CGM on Friday said intense shipping demand that swelled its earnings last year was continuing in early 2022 but the war in
by John Konrad (gCaptain) Yesterday Vice Admiral Jack Buono is resigning his position as Superintendent of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), ending a
The United States Navy has recovered a state-of-the-art F-35C Lightning that fell into the South China Sea after a landing mishap in January. The aircraft was
UPDATE: “The Estonian-owned cargo ship Helt SUNK on Thursday off the Ukrainian port of Odesa after an explosion,” Igor Ilves, managing
by John Konrad (gCaptain) NATO’s Allied Maritime Command today said there is a high risk of collateral damage on civilian shipping in the northwestern
by Captain John Konrad (gCaptain) While the US Navy and large NATO powers remain notably absent from the Black Sea few assets are available in the region to
UPDATE: Scroll down to find the US Coast Guard’s official response to this article. by John Konrad (gCaptain) The senior ship pilot of a major American
COPENHAGEN/LONDON, Feb 28 (Reuters) – Ocean Network Express (ONE) on Monday suspended container bookings to and from Russia hours after Maersk
Editors’ Note: According to the 9/11 commission report, the United States and its allies suffered from a failure imagination prior to the attacks. This
Today the Guardian reported that the UK may restrict Russian ships from using British ports after it emerged that an oil tanker owned by Sovcomflot,
In the last hour several media outlets worldwide began reporting that Turkey closed the Dardanelles and Bosphorus straits to Russian ships, but, Reuters is now
Despite being beautiful and useful, rivers, lakes, harbors, and oceans are not always the best places to build. Tools and construction materials work better
Essential news coupled with the finest maritime content sourced from across the globe.
Sign Up