Reactor life within a nuclear carrier's service life

Does reactor-vessel life make nuclear ships an exception to the usual limits on service life?

The reactor forms part of the propulsion plant, so reactor life is already included in engine life. Refuelling brings inspections and potential component replacement, while loss of a viable power plant can still end the ship's service.

The reactor forms part of a nuclear carrier's propulsion plant, so its condition belongs within the wider calculation of engine life. Reactor vessels are intended to outlast the ship, with refuelling roughly every twenty years. Refuelling brings extensive tests and replacement work where necessary. The examples recalled from open sources concern replacement of sections, with no confirmed example of replacing an entire reactor vessel. Careful operators replace doubtful components even when the assessed risk of failure is very small. If the power plant is no longer viable, the ship's service life ends.