I think one reason Uncle Stan used Columbus and a nuclear submarine is that in the 15th century, the idea of atoms making up matter was not even generally known, let alone accepted, and the models of how that works were many generations removed from even the physics of Newton, who of course pre-dated Einstein by a similarly vast historical gulf. So in order to begin to explain to someone in that time what was going on in a nuclear submarine, fist you would have to somehow educate them in the physical paradigm in use presently. How long would that take? Uncle Stan was, of course, a nuclear physicist so it's no surprise he chose such a scenario for his analogy.
Or maybe it really is something simple powering flying saucers, like the spinning magnetic fields the contactees were always telling us about. Hmmm... I may have to undertake a series of experiments with old car alternators, three phase motors, or even try to repeat some of Wilbert Smith's experiments with modern rare earth magnets. Wilbert, as I recall, used a vacuum cleaner motor to spin whatever magnets he used but gave it 220 volts instead of the 110 it was designed for. It didn't last very long, but he got some interesting results. I believe they spent considerable time building some kind of containment structure in case of things flying apart. I've considered using a router mounted to a plywood disc, screwed onto the bead of a truck tire buried in the dirt. If the tire levitates or heads for some other dimension, then unplug the contraption before it assplodes and get serious about the idea. I generally go for the quick and dirty approach when conducting experiments in physics. Also cheap. Could be part of the reason for my distinct lack of scientific breakthroughs.