(Hanford WA Oct 26 2026)Two more defueled reactor compartments from retired nuclear-powered submarines arrived at the Port of Benton this fall for safe, permanent disposal at the Hanford Site.

These compartments once powered two 361-foot-long Los Angeles-class submarines: the USS Norfolk (SSN-714) and the USS Bremerton (SSN-698).

The submarines were decommissioned in 2014 and 2021, respectively, and transported to the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS & IMF) for recycling.

As part of the Navy’s recycling program, the defueled reactor compartments are secured in robust shipping packages that meet all federal and state regulatory requirements. They then begin a 700-mile journey by barge from Bremerton, down the Washington coast, and up the Columbia River to Richland. From there, the compartments are transferred to a multi-wheeled transporter for the final trip to Trench 94, a Central Plateau Cleanup Company managed facility designed for long term, secure disposal.

Since 1986, the U.S. Navy has safely delivered nearly 150 Reactor Compartment Disposal packages to Hanford.