Nuclear-Powered Ships Recycling Program
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The Nuclear-Powered Ships Recycling Program is a program responsible for the dismantling and disposal of nuclear-powered U.S. submarines and cruisers.
All nuclear-powered ships and submarines are dismantled at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard at Bremerton, Washington. The vessel is placed in a stand down status while the reactor is defuelled, the system de-energized and drained, and any re-usable equipment is removed. The vessel is decommissioned and stricken once it has been defuelled and the removed nuclear fuel is sent to Arco, Idaho for reprocessing.
All equipment is removed from the hull which is then cut into manageable pieces and any hazardous material is removed or destroyed. The scrap metal is sold to commercial metals purchasers for melting down and re-use while the reactor compartment is packaged and shipped to Hanford, Washington where it is buried in a trench.
The completion date is the official date that the vessel in question ceases to exist as an entity.