[en] In September 1963 the construction of the only German nuclear ship to date, NS Otto Hahn, started in Kiel. For the 50^th anniversary, atw remembers an important part of nuclear technology history in Germany: The research and freight ship shows one thing above all in retrospect: The technology ran reliably. But cost pressure and reservations shattered the dream of a nuclear power shipping era. Until it was decommissioned in 1979 the ship travelled a total of 650,000 sea miles and called at 33 harbours in 22 countries. On the research level, the 'Otto Hahn' could satisfy expectations, however, it could not ring in an era of nuclear shipping - the atomic boat could never cover its operating costs with its freight trips and permission to call at foreign ports were rare. However, on the one hand, the ship's journeys, sometimes under hard weather conditions, demonstrated just how robust and durable the 'progressive pressurized water reactor' on board was, on the other hand, the 'Otto Hahn' had by all means been a prototype which under other market conditions could have been a model for nuclear container ships. In any case, it proved the performance capacity of the then still young German and European nuclear technology industry, that did not need to hide behind the Russian and American competition. (orig.)