S4G
The S4G was used operationally only on the USS Triton (SSN-586). Triton is the only U.S. submarine to have two reactors. The propulsion plant consisted of 2 x S4G (SAR-2) General Electric PWRs rated @ 78 MWt, arranged fore-and-aft in the hull; 2 x steam turbines rated @ a combined 34,000 shp (est), driving 2 x shafts.
Both reactors were located in the same reactor compartment. The #1 (forward) reactor supplied steam to the forward engine room and the starboard propeller shaft. The #2 (aft) reactor supplied steam to the aft engine room and the port propeller shaft. ?The two steam plants could be cross-connected as required.
When autoclave testing determined that the bolts connecting the lead screws to the control rods could fracture if the reactor was scrammed dry or with steam, the first of those two reactors was disassembled and the fuel replaced. The replacement was performed in two weeks, start to finish. The same crew of tradespeople who had performed the three previous assemblies was used.
USS Triton was built as a radar picket submarine for operation in conjunction with a carrier task force. It was unique in that it was the only US submarine ever built with two reactor plants. In addition, until the commissioning of the Ohio-Class Ballistic Missile Submarines, the Triton was the longest submarine ever built by the US Navy.
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