A1W reactor
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The A1W nuclear reactor was a Westinghouse-built naval reactor power plant, installed in the Naval Reactor Facility in the desert of Idaho. It first operated in October 1958.
This reactor plant was actually two reactors operated in tandem so that the steam produced by both reactors was used to power one turbine connected to a drive shaft. The A1W designation means that it was the prototype for the first nuclear reactor designed by Westinghouse for an aircraft carrier. The USS Enterprise (CVN-65) was the first nuclear powered carrier and used 4 of the A1W power plants. The Enterprise power plants were designated A2W and were of slightly different design from the A1W plant.
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