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Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory


Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory is a U.S. Government-owned research and development facility in the Pittsburgh suburb of West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, that works exclusively on the design and development of nuclear power for the U.S. Navy. It was one of the leaders in creating the nuclear navy.

The laboratory, which is part of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, a joint U.S Navy-Department of Energy program responsible for the research, design, construction, operation and maintenance of U.S. nuclear-powered warships is operated by Bechtel Marine Propulsion Corporation.

The laboratory was founded in 1949 on the site of the former Bettis Field, named after Cyrus Bettis. It covers approximately 207 acres (0.84 km2). From the Lab's founding until 1998, it was run by Westinghouse Electric Corporation. Bechtel Corporation won the contract to run the laboratory on September 19, 2008 and assumed operation on February 1, 2009, first under its subsidiary Bechtel Bettis, Inc., later under Bechtel Marine Propulsion Corporation.

The laboratory developed Oak Ridge National Laboratory's original design of the pressurized water reactor (PWR) for operational naval use. It built the nuclear propulsion plants for the first U.S. nuclear submarines and surface ships including the USS Nautilus (SSN-571), the USS George Washington (SSBN-598), the USS Long Beach (CGN-9), and the USS Enterprise (CVN-65) .


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