Eugene Parks Wilkinson

Eugene P. Wilkinson was a United States Naval officer who was selected for two historic command assignments. The first, in 1954, was as the fist Commanding Officer of the USS Nautilus, the world's first nuclear submarine. The second was in 1961, where Admiral Rickover selected him to serve as the first Commanding Officer of the USS Long Beach.

At 1100 on 17 January, 1955, after getting underway, CDR Wilkinson signaled "Underway on Nuclear Power." This historic message ushered in the nuclear age for the U.S. Navy, as well as the world. CDR was the first commanding officer in a nuclear fleet that would eventually cover most of the aircraft carriers, several cruisers, and the entire submarine fleet for the U.S. Navy.