NOVA Online | Submarines, Secrets, and Spies

See Inside a Submarine

Here's your chance to lead yourself on an unsupervised stroll through a nuclear-powered attack submarine. These stunning 360-degree photographs, or Quicktime VRs, will give you unprecedented views of everything from the torpedo room to the crew's mess. Click on the links below to tour either the USS Springfield, an active Los Angeles-class sub, or the USS Nautilus, the world's first nuclear submarine.

You will need QuickTime to be able to view the QuickTime VRs. See below for non-QTVR versions.

Tour the USS Springfield (SSN 761)
Commissioned on January 9, 1993, USS Springfield is a Los Angeles-class nuclear powered Attack Submarine (SSN). A controlled nuclear reaction generates the heat which turns water into the steam that drives the sub's engine. While the design of the nuclear reactor is still classified, much of the remainder of the sub can now be viewed. We invite you to take a "virtual walk" through this active nuclear powered submarine.

Crew: 14 Officers, 18 Chief Petty Officers, 109 Enlisted
Armament: Four torpedo tubes; Twelve vertical launch tubes
MK-48 Torpedoes, Tomahawk missiles and mines
Length: 362 feet
Beam (hull diameter) 33 feet
Maximum depth: In excess of 800 feet
Power plant: One pressurized-water nuclear reactor
Speed: In excess of 25 knots (or 29 miles per hour)

Tour the USS Nautilus (SSN 571)
"Underway on nuclear power." With these words, Commanding Officer Eugene P. Wilkinson ordered all lines cast off the first nuclear-powered submarine in the world, the USS Nautilus, on January 17, 1955. Nautilus' nuclear generator allowed it to dive longer, faster, and deeper than any submarine before it. Nautilus continued to break records in 1958 by becoming the first vessel to cross the North Pole. Decommissioned in 1980, the sub was converted into a museum in 1985. Stairs and glass walls were added to allow visitors to pass through and marvel at this historic vessel. Today, in Groton, Connecticut, all of the Nautilus (save the engine room) is open to the public.

Crew: 11 officers, 100 enlisted
Armament: 6 torpedo tubes
Length: 319 feet
Beam (hull diameter): 27 feet
Maximum depth: In excess of 400 feet
Power plant: Steam (nuclear)
Speed: In excess of 20 knots (23 miles per hour)

Non-QTVR USS Springfield Tour
Non-QTVR USS Nautilus Tour

Photos: US Navy

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