# Should we encourage nuclear proliferation? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 17, 2016, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-encourage-nuclear-proliferation/774948 "2016-12-17T17:42:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-encourage-nuclear-proliferation/774948/41 "2016-12-19T09:37:03Z")
> [@Ramira](#): > > It explains why you linked to such a source, if no other thing. I think the expression learned here is the one: ‘Cool story’ Got any facts to share? Please, by all means educate us on the wonders of nuclear power. Why is it we aren’t swimming in a nuclear wonderland, pray tell us. ---
**Author:** ![Ramira](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ramira/32/344_2.png) [@Ramira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ramira)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-encourage-nuclear-proliferation/774948/42 "2016-12-19T09:42:42Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > Got any facts to share? Please, by all means educate us on the wonders of nuclear power. Why is it we aren’t swimming in a nuclear wonderland, pray tell us. It is very telling your reaction that finding fault with a heavy bias means one has the opinion that there are “wonders” of the nuclear power… it says immediately it is not a good use of time to pretend to have any rational conversation in this context. Cool story. ---
**Author:** ![Ramira](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ramira/32/344_2.png) [@Ramira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ramira)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2016, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-encourage-nuclear-proliferation/774948/43 "2016-12-19T10:03:56Z")
> [@coremelt](#): > > Forget piracy, it’s just simple economics. 99% of large commercial vessels do not spend months at sea\* They go straight from port to port with anywhere from 3 to 14 days between ports. Yes agreed. There is not very much of the extra value in very long term autonomy from the refueling. > [@](#): > > So placing the nuclear reactor on land and using the electricity from that to create transportable fuel (liquid hydrogen or something else) makes much more sense than putting the nuclear reactor on the ship. See the article I linked above on marine fuel cells being developed. Yes, and combined with perhaps the hybrid wind/sail solutions to save on consumption at cost efficiency, this is a more econonomically likely route. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2016, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-encourage-nuclear-proliferation/774948/44 "2016-12-20T03:10:28Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Ships - particularly container ships - these days are much more massive than the 1960s. Yes, but on the other hand, they operate with an incredibly small (and poorly paid) crew. I’m not sure, assuming they could afford the reactor itself, that they could afford too the required engineers to run it. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2016, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-encourage-nuclear-proliferation/774948/45 "2016-12-20T03:28:21Z")
> [@Ramira](#): > > It is very telling your reaction that finding fault with a heavy bias means one has the opinion that there are “wonders” of the nuclear power… > > it says immediately it is not a good use of time to pretend to have any rational conversation in this context. > > Cool story. Yeah, cool story. Facts aren’t facts when they don’t fit your fact-free bias. ---
**Author:** ![Ramira](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ramira/32/344_2.png) [@Ramira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ramira)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2016, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-encourage-nuclear-proliferation/774948/46 "2016-12-20T10:21:22Z")
It is good that you recognize the error of your responses. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2016, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-encourage-nuclear-proliferation/774948/47 "2016-12-20T11:23:22Z")
> [@clairobscur](#): > > Yes, but on the other hand, they operate with an incredibly small (and poorly paid) crew. I’m not sure, assuming they could afford the reactor itself, that they could afford too the required engineers to run it. Probably the best reason. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2016, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-encourage-nuclear-proliferation/774948/48 "2016-12-20T19:54:43Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Define “encourage”. Nuclear ship propulsion is stupidly uncompetitive economically with conventional oil-fired powerplants. Interesting- I had thought that nuclear power was over the long run cheaper, since a nuke-powered aircraft carrier only refuels once every 40 years while the diesel fueled aircraft carrier’s fuel costs exceed the reactor’s over decades. ---
**Author:** ![quimper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7c8e57/32.png) [@quimper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quimper)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2016, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-encourage-nuclear-proliferation/774948/49 "2016-12-20T20:34:08Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Interesting- I had thought that nuclear power was over the long run cheaper, since a nuke-powered aircraft carrier only refuels once every 40 years while the diesel fueled aircraft carrier’s fuel costs exceed the reactor’s over decades. I think it’s something closer to 20 years, and they have to use highly enriched fuel to get that longevity (something like 93% :eek:), which besides being prohibitively expensive opens it’s own can of worms. (The USN is fueled by decommissioned warheads so it’s one of those ‘peace dividend’ / ‘sunk cost’ thingamabobs) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-we-encourage-nuclear-proliferation/774948.md?page=2)