Super conductors on the high seas [ship propulsion using superconductor motors

Abstract

This article describes a $78 million U.S. Navy effort which is returning ship propulsion to the absolute forefront of advanced technology. In a program with far-reaching implications - not only for future warships but also for the cargo, cruise ship, and conceivably even the electricity-generating businesses - the U.S. Office of Naval Research (ONR) is testing a 5 MW, 23 ton superconductor ship motor and is also already well into the design of a full-scale, 36.5 MW superconductor motor.