I like Ike
and his nuclear ship
I have come to believe that Ike was the last really great Republican President. He had a deep understanding of how the world works…why and how people do the things they do. As General and Supreme Commander he beat Hitler and his Nazi war machine and crushed the 1000 year Reich.
As President he faced off with the Soviets and Chinese and kept the world relatively safe…and he acknowledged the far reaching power of our own Military Industrial Complex.
I believe he was honestly trying to stabilize the world as best he could.
There is a significant historic artifact here in Baltimore that Ike was responsible for. The Nuclear Ship Savannah. The ship was the roving ambassador part of Ike’s “Atoms for Peace” project. He wanted to prove to the world that atomic power could be harnessed and used for positive peaceful purposes…not just be horribly powerful bombs.
The NS Savannah toured the world during the 60’s and was visited by a lot of foreign kings, queens and dignitaries.
The ship has beautiful lines and was designed to be a combination cargo ship and high quality passenger cruise ship. Nat Geo did an extensive article about her.
It has a pool, a cocktail lounge
a grand piano…
you could dine in style with the Captain
…take tours of the engine room. It had a nuclear reactor midships and a control room.
There was one near nuclear accident during a hurricane at sea, but the crew averted the disaster… (this story would make a great film)
The ship feels like a 1960’s time capsule and you expect James Bond to show up in his tux with some beautiful woman on his arm…and a Soviet spy lurking somewhere nearby.
Right now the ship is managed by MARAD and is in the last stages of decommissioning. She will soon be available to be preserved…or reefed…or scrapped.
I’m hoping we have the appropriate sense of history to preserve this beautiful piece of Ike’s Atoms for Peace initiative. It should be a lasting part of his legacy. The ship will be open to tour on Nov 16 at Pier 13 in Baltimore. Find out more at:
https://www.ns-savannah.com/
Peace
I remember Ike and Adlai Stevenson as presidential candidates when I was a kid - '52 and '56. Even as a little tyke I knew that Ike was to be the overwhelming winner. The Democrats had to field someone. Adlai was a hopeless candidate. He did his duty. He was a good guy.
And upon reflection, I also knew that either candidate was trustworthy, sane and had the best interests of the country at heart. "Those were the days...my friend..."
Ike's famous farewell address concerning the rise of the Military-Industrial Complex was indeed prescient. So much so that 70 years later, we still haven't grasped its full significance.