Amid environmental unhappiness over her presence in South African waters, the giant, nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt sailed quietly into Table Bay on Saturday, dropping anchor within sight of controversial Koeberg nuclear power station. Any thought of nuclear fallout was far from the minds of excited Capetonians who flocked in their thousands to stare in wonderment at the floating giant, the first nuclear-powered ship to visit the Mother City in more than 35 years. South Africa’s Nuclear Energy Regulator had rubber-stamped the Nimitz-class vessel’s visit at the invitation of the SA Navy. The City of Cape Town put a plan in place to allow for emergency contingencies, city merchants eagerly anticipated raking in the greenbacks while environmental groups threatened protests outside the port.
