What a new nuclear cruiser would require ashore

Clarke suggests that a nuclear cruiser could provide a route to ships carrying demanding electrical systems and lasers. Another panelist distinguishes the reactor's stored energy from the power available after steam-turbine conversion. A new surface-warship program would also require a suitable nuclear-certified building yard. Establishing one on the American west coast is challenged on practical grounds: sheltered sites, rail and highway links, existing development, and approval processes restrict the options. Returning Bremerton to new construction is suggested as a possibility, while acknowledging that the Navy had left direct shipbuilding.