I can credit Charlie Stross and Pluvialis for my interest in the Aircraft Nuclear Propulsion program. My interest in seaplanes has been with me as long as I can remember – it may have started with seeing floatplanes at my grandparent’s cottage on Trout Lake (outside of North Bay, Ontario).

The two things came together in 1950’s San Diego at the offices of Convair.

Track one – a tornado damaged B-36 (six turning, four burning)

is rebuilt as the NB-36H Crusader.

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The cockpit was well shielded (I hope).

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Track two started with some design work on Betta 1 and Betta 2 (1950)

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which led to the F2-Y Sea Dart.

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Put them together and you get the Model 23B Atomic Seaplane:

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Scan from Convair Advanced Designs: Secret Projects from San Diego, 1923-1962.

As they say – what could go wrong?