What was the smallest surface ship equipped with nuclear power?
Short answerUSS Truxtun is the tentative choice at roughly 8,600 tons. A later comparison puts Mutsu about 150 tons heavier, while treating the figures as approximate.
NotesUSS Truxtun is the tentative choice for the smallest nuclear-powered surface ship, using a displacement of roughly 8,600 tons. The comparison excludes submarines and considers Bainbridge, Savannah, nuclear icebreakers, and the larger California-class cruisers. Early American nuclear escorts complicate the terminology because ships later called cruisers belonged to a development lineage associated with destroyer leaders. A later comparison brings the Japanese nuclear ship Mutsu close to Truxtun, with a difference put at about 150 tons. The displacement figures remain approximate, so the identification is a provisional comparison.