Why is nuclear-powered the standard for submarines, when not for ferry, small ships and vessels ?
In: Engineering
Nuclear is a giant pain in the arse. It is expensive, it has proliferation implications, you need very specialised crew, and if you crash you have a nuclear disaster on your hands.
It has only one advantage: it eliminates the need to refuel.
Why does this matter for submarines but not surface ships? You can get a diesel ship with ranges of thousands of miles.
Well to burn 1kg of diesel, you need about 2kg of oxygen. Which needs cryogenic storage, and loves to explode…
If you want to burn diesel long term, you need to access the atmosphere. Which means you stop being a submarine, which means people can find you, which means you die (or the entire point of hiding with nuclear missiles is pointless).
For short range subs however, a mix of batteries and stored oxygen is enough, so European defensive navies love these type of subs.
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