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84-710: The Naval Nuclear Power Training Command (NNPTC) is a program element of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program and is responsible for educating enlisted and commissioned personnel of the US nuclear naval program. NNPTC's mission is to train officer and enlisted students in science and engineering fundamental to the design, operation, and maintenance of naval nuclear propulsion plants. NNPTC houses Nuclear Field "A" School and Naval Nuclear Power School . These two schools were formerly independent entities run by separate commanding officers and structures. NNPTC

168-492: A rare personal interview with Diane Sawyer in 1984. In 1973, though his role and responsibilities remained unchanged, Rickover was promoted to the rank of four-star admiral . This was the second time (after Samuel Murray Robinson ) in the history of the U.S. Navy that an officer with a career path other than an operational line officer achieved that rank. Because his responsibilities did not include direct command and control of combatant naval units, technically Rickover

252-578: A Deputy Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration . Hyman G. Rickover Hyman G. Rickover (January 27, 1900 – July 8, 1986) was an admiral in the United States Navy . He directed the original development of naval nuclear propulsion and controlled its operations for three decades as director of the U.S. Naval Reactors office. In addition, he oversaw the development of

336-581: A Polish Jewish family from Maków Mazowiecki in Vistula Land . His parents changed his name to "Hyman" which is derived from Chayyim , meaning "life". He did not use his middle name Godalia (a form of Gedaliah ), but he substituted "George" when at the Naval Academy. Rickover made passage to New York City with his mother and sister in March 1906, fleeing anti-Semitic Russian pogroms during

420-407: A basic text for the U.S. submarine service. On 17 July 1937, he reported aboard the minesweeper Finch at Qingdao , China , and assumed what would be his only ship command with additional duty as Commander, Mine Division Three, Asiatic Fleet. The Marco Polo Bridge Incident had occurred ten days earlier. In August, Finch stood out for Shanghai to protect American citizens and interests from

504-503: A congressional hearing Rickover testified that: I do not believe that nuclear power is worth it if it creates radiation. Then you might ask me why do I have nuclear powered ships. That is a necessary evil. I would sink them all. I am not proud of the part I played in it. I did it because it was necessary for the safety of this country. That's why I am such a great exponent of stopping this whole nonsense of war. Unfortunately limits—attempts to limit war have always failed. The lesson of history

588-424: A flag rank for nearly 30 years (1953 to 1982), ending his career as a four-star admiral. His years of service exceeded that of each of the U.S. Navy's five-star fleet admirals— Leahy , King , Nimitz and Halsey —all of whom served on active duty for life after their appointments. Rickover's total of 63 years of active duty service makes him the longest-serving naval officer, as well as the longest-serving member of

672-573: A high regard for the quality of the education he received at Columbia, as demonstrated in this excerpt from a speech he gave at the university some 52 years after attending: Columbia was the first institution that encouraged me to think rather than memorize. My teachers were notable in that many had gained practical engineering experience outside the university and were able to share their experience with their students. I am grateful, among others, to Professors Morecroft, Hehre, and Arendt. Much of what I have subsequently learned and accomplished in engineering

756-507: A light as his neighbor operated a machine. Later, he delivered groceries. He graduated from grammar school at 14. Rickover attended John Marshall Metropolitan High School in Chicago and graduated with honors in 1918. He then held a full-time job as a telegraph boy delivering Western Union telegrams, through which he became acquainted with Congressman Adolph J. Sabath , a Czech Jewish immigrant. Sabath nominated Rickover for appointment to

840-449: A long-term Engineering Duty Officer such as Rickover. In keeping with Rickover's promotion to four-star admiral, those who were subsequently selected for assignment to Director, Naval Reactors are promoted to this same rank, but also on active duty status. Historian Francis Duncan, who for over eight years was granted generous access to diverse numbers and levels of witnesses—including U.S. presidents—as well as Rickover himself, came to

924-606: A longtime supporter of Rickover, later publicly associated a debilitating stroke suffered by the admiral to his having been censured and "dragged through the mud by the very institution to which he rendered his invaluable service." By the late 1970s, Rickover's position seemed stronger than it had ever been. Over many years, powerful friends on both the House and Senate Armed Services Committees ensured that he remained on active duty long after most other admirals had retired from their second careers. Jimmy Carter 's admiration for Rickover

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1008-428: A nuclear navy? Do you have any regrets?": I do not have regrets. I believe I helped preserve the peace for this country. Why should I regret that? What I accomplished was approved by Congress—which represents our people. All of you live in safety from domestic enemies because of security from the police. Likewise, you live in safety from foreign enemies because our military keeps them from attacking us. Nuclear technology

1092-466: A part in determining who shall fail of selection for promotion (thus also violating the system), never before or since have pressures from outside the Navy overturned this form of career-termination. Regardless of the challenges faced in developing and operating brand-new technology, Rickover and the team did not disappoint: the result was a highly reliable nuclear reactor in a form-factor that would fit into

1176-680: A submarine hull with no more than a 28-foot (8.5 m) beam . This became known as the S1W reactor . Nautilus was launched and commissioned with this reactor in 1954. Later Rickover oversaw the development of the Shippingport Atomic Power Station , the first commercial pressurized water reactor nuclear power plant. Kenneth Nichols of the AEC decided that the Rickover-Westinghouse pressurized-water reactor

1260-612: A year at the Naval Postgraduate School and further coursework at Columbia. At the latter institution, he met Ruth D. Masters, a graduate student in international law, whom he married in 1931 after she returned from her doctoral studies at the Sorbonne in Paris. Shortly after marrying, Rickover wrote to his parents of his decision to become an Episcopalian , remaining so for the remainder of his life. Rickover had

1344-430: Is based on the solid foundation of principles I learned from them. Rickover preferred life on smaller ships, and he also knew that young officers in the submarine service were advancing quickly, so he went to Washington and volunteered for submarine duty. His application was turned down due to his age, at that time 29 years. Fortunately for Rickover, he encountered his former commanding officer from Nevada while leaving

1428-615: Is headed by a Navy four-star admiral . The director serves for a nominal eight-year term of office, the longest standard assignment in the U.S. military. The program was originally created under Executive Order 12344 by the President Ronald Reagan , on February 1, 1982. The director was concurrently assigned as the deputy administrator for Naval Reactors for the National Nuclear Security Administration via Pub. L.   98–525 ( 50 U.S.C.   § 2406 ) on October 19, 1984 in order to assist them in

1512-461: Is when a war starts every nation will ultimately use whatever weapon it has available. ... Every time you produce radiation, you produce something that has a certain half-life, in some cases for billions of years. ... It is important that we control these forces and try to eliminate them. A few months later, following his retirement, Rickover spoke more specifically regarding the questions "Could you comment on your own responsibility in helping to create

1596-562: The Atomic Energy Commission and assigning it responsibilities for nuclear reactor plant development.  Later that month, Chief of Naval Operations, Fleet Adm. Chester W. Nimitz, approved a program for the design and development of nuclear power plants in submarines.    As of 1947, there was only limited experience with nuclear reactors. The United States had three reactors for producing nuclear material for atomic weapons, and five small research reactors. There

1680-586: The Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock , both major nuclear ship contractors for the Navy. Secretary Lehman admonished him in a non-punitive letter and stated that Rickover's "fall from grace with these little trinkets should be viewed in the context of his enormous contributions to the Navy." Rickover released a statement through his lawyer saying his "conscience is clear" with respect to the gifts. "No gratuity or favor ever affected any decision I made." Senator William Proxmire of Wisconsin,

1764-499: The Oak Ridge National Laboratory ) to develop a nuclear electric generating plant. Realizing the potential that nuclear energy held for the Navy, Rickover applied. Rickover was sent to Oak Ridge through the efforts of his wartime boss, Rear Admiral Earle Mills, who became the head of the Navy's Bureau of Ships that same year. Rickover became an early convert to the idea of nuclear marine propulsion , and

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1848-582: The Revolution of 1905 . They joined Abraham, who had made earlier trips there beginning in 1897 to become established. Rickover's family lived initially on the East Side of Manhattan but moved two years later to North Lawndale, Chicago , which was a heavily Jewish neighborhood at the time, where Rickover's father continued work as a tailor. Rickover took his first paid job at age nine, earning three cents an hour (equivalent to $ 1.02 in 2023) for holding

1932-503: The Shippingport Atomic Power Station , the world's first commercial pressurized water reactor used for generating electricity. Rickover is also one of four people who have been awarded two Congressional Gold Medals . Rickover is known as the "Father of the Nuclear Navy," and his influence on the Navy and its warships was of such scope that he "may well go down in history as one of the Navy's most important officers." He served in

2016-503: The United States Naval Academy . Rickover was only a third alternate for appointment, but he passed the entrance exam and was accepted. Rickover's naval career began in 1918 at the Naval Academy; at this time, attending military academies was considered active duty service, due in part to World War I . On June 2, 1922, Rickover graduated 107th out of 540 midshipmen and was commissioned as an ensign . He joined

2100-405: The destroyer La Vallette on September 5, 1922. Rickover impressed his commanding officer with his hard work and efficiency, and was made engineer officer on June 21, 1923, becoming the youngest such officer in the squadron . He next served on board the battleship Nevada before earning a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering from Columbia University in 1930 by way of

2184-625: The Bureau of Engineering in Washington, D.C. Once there, he took up his duties as assistant chief of the Electrical section of the Bureau of Engineering on August 15, 1939. On April 10, 1942, after America's entry into World War II , Rickover flew to Pearl Harbor to organize repairs to the electrical power plant of USS  California . Rickover had been promoted to the rank of commander on January 1, 1942, and in late June of that year

2268-521: The Chief of Naval Operations, Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz , also a former submariner. Nimitz immediately understood the potential of nuclear propulsion in submarines and recommended the project to the Secretary of the Navy, John L. Sullivan . Sullivan's endorsement to build the world's first nuclear-powered vessel, USS  Nautilus , later caused Rickover to state that Sullivan was "the true father of

2352-500: The Manhattan Project, Mills was anxious to have a very determined man involved. He knew that Rickover was "not too easy to get along with" and "not too popular," but in his judgement Rickover was the man on whom the Navy could depend "no matter what opposition he might encounter". While his team and industry were completing construction of Nautilus , Rickover was promoted to the rank of rear admiral in 1953. However, this

2436-605: The Navy John Lehman was partly motivated to seek the agreement in order to continue to focus on achieving President Reagan 's goal of a 600-ship Navy . But Rickover was extremely bitter over the General Dynamics yard being paid hundreds of millions of dollars, and he lambasted both the settlement and Secretary Lehman. This was not Rickover's first clash with the defense industry; he was historically harsh in exacting high standards from defense contractors. It

2520-651: The Nuclear Navy." Subsequently, Rickover became chief of a new section in the Bureau of Ships , the Nuclear Power Division reporting to Mills. He began work with Alvin M. Weinberg , the Oak Ridge director of research, to initiate and develop the Oak Ridge School of Reactor Technology and to begin the design of the pressurized water reactor for submarine propulsion. In February 1949 he

2604-523: The Rickover problem. Rickover's legendary achievements were in the past. His present viselike grip on much of the navy was doing it much harm. I had sought the job because I believed the navy had deteriorated to the point where its weakness seriously threatened our future security. The navy's grave afflictions included loss of a strategic vision; loss of self-confidence, and morale; a prolonged starvation of resources, leaving vast shortfalls in capability to do

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2688-606: The Senate failed to give its usual perfunctory approval of the Navy admiral promotion list, and the press was outraged because Rickover's name was not on it. ... Ultimately an enlightened Secretary of the Navy, Robert B. Anderson , ordered a special selection board to sit. With some shuffling of feet it did what it had been ordered to do.... Ninety-five percent of Navy captains must retire regardless of how highly qualified because there are only vacancies for 5 percent of them to become admirals, and although vindictiveness has sometimes played

2772-475: The Shippingport commercial reactor. Both of these official documents necessarily contain a good deal of information on Rickover's choices, methods and technical philosophy in the development of practical nuclear power, but are not biographies. While Rickover cooperated to provide real-time access to facilities, people and records, according to the authors he did not edit; Rickover was in-fact deceased before

2856-537: The Soviet ones in the crucial area of stealth, and Rickover's obsessive fixation on safety and quality control gave the U.S. nuclear Navy a vastly superior safety record to the Soviet one. Given Rickover's single-minded focus on naval nuclear propulsion, design, and operations, it came as a surprise to many in 1982, near the end of his career, when he testified before the U.S. Congress that, were it up to him what to do with nuclear powered ships, he "would sink them all." At

2940-485: The U.S armed forces in history. Having become a naval engineering duty officer (EDO) in 1937 after serving as both a surface ship and submarine-qualified unrestricted line officer , his substantial legacy of technical achievements includes the United States Navy's continuing record of zero reactor accidents. Rickover was born Chaim Gdala Rykower to Abraham and Rachel/Ruchla Lea (nee Unger) Rykower,

3024-500: The U.S. Navy's continuing record of zero reactor accidents (defined as the uncontrolled release of fission products to the environment resulting from damage to a reactor core). He made it a point to be aboard during the initial sea trial of almost every nuclear submarine completing its new-construction period. Following the Three Mile Island accident on March 28, 1979, Admiral Rickover was asked to testify before Congress in

3108-424: The U.S. Navy. President Reagan was not in attendance. Rickover has been called "the most famous and controversial admiral of his era." He was hyperactive, blunt, confrontational, insulting, and a workaholic, always demanding of others without regard for rank or position. Moreover, he had "little tolerance for mediocrity, none for stupidity." Even while a captain, Rickover did not conceal his opinions, and many of

3192-920: The United States national and global future," Rickover founded the Center for Excellence in Education following his retirement in 1983. Additionally, Rickover founded the Research Science Institute (formerly the Rickover Science Institute) in 1984, a summer science program hosted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for high school seniors from around the world. In the early 1980s, structural welding flaws in submarines under construction were covered up by falsified inspection records, and

3276-557: The United States, Rickover developed a decades-long and outspoken interest in the educational standards of the US as being a national security issue, particularly as compared during the Cold War era to Soviet Russia . An example of his passion for education from his 1959 Report on Russia in the context of comparative educational systems: There is no room here (in nuclear powerplant development) for lofty theories which do not work out in practice. We would not get anywhere if we had

3360-416: The admiral's nearly insubordinate stance against paying the General Dynamics submarine construction claims, as well as his advanced age and waning political leverage. On July 27, 1981, Lehman was handed the final impetus for ending Rickover's career by way of an operational error on the admiral's part: a "moderate" loss of ship control and depth excursion while performing a submerged "crash back" maneuver during

3444-893: The building, who interceded successfully on his behalf. From 1929 to 1933, Rickover qualified for submarine duty and command aboard the submarines S-9 and S-48 . While aboard S-48 he was addressed a letter of commendation from the Secretary of the Navy "for rescuing Augustin Pasis… from drowning at the Submarine Base, Coco Solo , Canal Zone ." While at the Office of the Inspector of Naval Material in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania in 1933, Rickover translated Das Unterseeboot ( The Submarine ) by World War I German Imperial Navy Admiral Hermann Bauer . Rickover's translation became

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3528-542: The conclusion that the man was best understood with respect to a guiding principle that Rickover invoked foremost for both himself and those who served in the U.S. Navy's nuclear propulsion program: "exercise of the concept of responsibility." This is further evidenced by Rickover listing responsibility as his first principle in his final-years paper and speech, Thoughts on Man's Purpose in Life. Rickover's stringent standards are largely credited with being responsible for

3612-543: The conflict between Chinese and Japanese forces. On September 25, Rickover was promoted to lieutenant commander, retroactive to July 1. In October, his designation as an engineering duty officer became effective, and he was relieved of his three-month command of Finch at Shanghai on October 5, 1937. Rickover was assigned to the Cavite Navy Yard in the Philippines, and was transferred shortly thereafter to

3696-500: The end of the war he had won the rank of captain. He had also won a reputation as a man who gets things done. In December 1945, Rickover was appointed Inspector General of the 19th Fleet on the west coast, and was assigned to work with General Electric at Schenectady , New York , to develop a nuclear propulsion plant for destroyers. In 1946, an initiative was begun at the Manhattan Project 's Clinton Laboratory (now

3780-588: The general context of answering the question as to why naval nuclear propulsion had succeeded in achieving a record of zero reactor-accidents, as opposed to the dramatic one that had just taken place. The accident-free record of United States Navy reactor operations stands in some very stark contrast to those of the Soviet Union, which had fourteen known reactor accidents . As stated in a retrospective analysis in October 2007: U.S. submarines far outperformed

3864-409: The job; and too few ships to cover a sea so great, all resulting in cynicism, exhaustion, and an undercurrent of defeatism. The cult created by Admiral Rickover was itself a major obstacle to recovery, entwining nearly all the issues of culture and policy within the navy. Secretary Lehman eventually attained enough political clout to enforce his decision to retire Rickover. This was in part assisted by

3948-523: The loose, hazy thinking you encounter when you bring out the obvious failures of the American educational system. ... there are times when it is irresponsible to avoid criticizing something which one knows to be wrong and dangerous for the Nation as a whole. I feel that every one who has a position of responsibility in this country and who can see and understand what is happening not only has the right, he has

4032-458: The obligation and the duty to speak. ... This is why I feel so strongly about education—about our failure to give our children as good an education as they deserve and need. ... It is my considered opinion that there is no problem that faces the Congress or the country that is as important. Rickover believed that US standards of education were unacceptably low. His first book centered on education

4116-532: The officers whom he regarded as unintelligent eventually rose to be admirals and were assigned to the Pentagon. Rickover frequently found himself in bureaucratic combat with these senior naval officers, to the point that he almost missed becoming an admiral; two selection boards passed him over for promotion, and it took the intervention of the White House, U.S. Congress, and the Secretary of the Navy before he

4200-474: The organization had moved from almost nothing to put into operation the nation's first power reactor in an astounding engineering achievement. The following four years would see three more nuclear submarines and two reactor plant prototypes operating and another seven ships and two prototypes being built. To date, more reactors have been built and safely operated by the NR program than any other US program. The office

4284-808: The organization's unique (for government) personnel practices. NR staff and alumni (including Admiral Rickover himself) have often been called by Congress, the President and other government agencies to provide expert opinion and management support to other important government programs, most notably the large scale reviews following the destruction of the Space Shuttles Columbia and Challenger . NR alumni have also founded or led numerous corporate and industrial organizations, for example MPR Associates, Inc. [1] , founded by three of Admiral Rickover's leading technical managers in NR's early days. The Director of Naval Reactors also concurrently serves as

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4368-593: The organization, the Bureau of Ships has transitioned since the 1950s to become the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), within which NR is Code 08, usually abbreviated NAVSEA 08 or SEA 08. Admiral Rickover parlayed an impressive personal publicity effort and intensive links with the United States Congress into an unprecedented tenure as head of Naval Reactors whereby he could not be relieved by conventional military procedures. He

4452-460: The potential of using nuclear energy to power ships.  The Navy group organized themselves under then Captain Rickover and embraced Philip Abelson 's concept of a nuclear-powered submarine.  The consensus of the group was that the technical difficulties could be overcome, and nuclear power could be used as a means for propelling Navy ships. On January 1, 1947, Congress established

4536-566: The principal early advocate of nuclear marine propulsion . In February 1949 he received an assignment to the Division of Reactor Development, United States Atomic Energy Commission and then assumed control of the Navy's effort as Director of the Naval Reactors Branch in the Bureau of Ships. Progress was made quickly with countless technological and engineering questions being raised, assessed, and resolved. The whole program

4620-509: The radio. According to former President Jimmy Carter , several weeks following his retirement, Rickover "was invited to the Oval Office and decided to don his full dress uniform. He told me that he refused to take a seat, listened to the president [Reagan] ask him to be his special nuclear advisor, replied 'Mr. President, that is bullshit,' and then walked out." The Navy's official investigation of General Dynamics' Electric Boat division

4704-415: The reactor and its associated steam plant had to fit within the confines of the comparatively small hull, and be able to withstand extreme battle shock incident to the operation of combatant ships. The propulsion plant had to be operated and maintained at sea by Naval officers and enlisted men who, although specially trained, were not physicists or scientists. Although application of nuclear power to submarines

4788-581: The research, design, development, health, and safety matters pertaining to naval nuclear propulsion plants via 42 U.S.C.   § 7158 . Executive Order 12344 was made a permanent federal program via Pub. L.   106–65 (text) (PDF) of October 5, 1999 ( 50 U.S.C.   § 2511 ). In June 1946, the Chief of Naval Operations, Fleet Adm. Chester W. Nimitz decided to send five officers (including then Captain Hyman Rickover) and three civilians to Oak Ridge , Tennessee, to study

4872-719: The resulting scandal led to significant delays and expenses in the delivery of several submarines being built at the General Dynamics Electric Boat Division shipyard in Groton, Connecticut . The yard tried to pass on the vast cost overruns to the Navy, while Rickover demanded that the yard make good on its "shoddy" workmanship. The Navy settled with General Dynamics in 1981, paying out $ 634 million of $ 843 million in Los Angeles -class submarine cost overrun and reconstruction claims. Secretary of

4956-507: The sea trials of the newly constructed USS  La Jolla . Rickover was the actual man-in-charge during this specific performance test, and his actions and inactions were judged to have been the causal factor. On January 31, 1982, five weeks after his 82nd birthday, Rickover was forced to retire from the Navy after 63 years of service under 13 presidents ( Woodrow Wilson through Ronald Reagan ). According to Rickover, he first learned of his firing when his wife told him what she heard on

5040-616: The second document was completed. These are: (1) Nuclear Navy, 1946-1962 by AEC staff historians Richard G. Hewlett and Francis Duncan, and (2) Rickover and the Nuclear Navy: The Discipline of Technology by Francis Duncan. The AEC makes both of these documents directly available to the public in digital form. Many books (including those referenced below) and articles have been written about core NR management principles such as attention to detail and adherence to rigidly-defined standards and specifications, as well as

5124-495: The tens of thousands; over 14,000 interviews were with recent college-graduates alone. The interviewees ranged from midshipmen and newly commissioned ensigns destined for nuclear-powered submarines and surface combatants, to very senior combat-experienced Naval Aviator captains who sought command of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. The content of most of these interviews has been lost to history, though some were later chronicled in several books on Rickover's career, as well as in

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5208-605: The war, his service as head of the Electrical Section in the Bureau of Ships brought him a Legion of Merit and gave him experience in directing large development programs, choosing talented technical people, and working closely with private industry. Time magazine featured him on the cover of its January 11, 1954 issue. The accompanying article described his wartime service: Sharp-tongued Hyman Rickover spurred his men to exhaustion, ripped through red tape, drove contractors into rages. He went on making enemies, but by

5292-527: Was "the best choice for a reactor to demonstrate the production of electricity" with Rickover "having a going organization and a reactor project under way that now had no specific use to justify it." This was a reference to the first core used at Shippingport originating from a cancelled nuclear-powered aircraft carrier . This was accepted by Lewis Strauss and the Commission in January 1954. Rickover

5376-486: Was a collection of essays calling for improved standards of education, particularly in math and science, entitled Education and Freedom (1959). In it, he stated that "education is the most important problem facing the United States today" and "only the massive upgrading of the scholastic standards of our schools will guarantee the future prosperity and freedom of the Republic." A second book, Swiss Schools and Ours (1962)

5460-530: Was a major challenge, it was generally recognized that success would transform submarine warfare. Submerged operation of submarines of the World War II era was limited by battery power and was measured in hours to a few days. Because nuclear fission produced heat without consuming oxygen, a true submarine was possible, one which could remain submerged and steam at sustained high speed for long periods. Captain (later Admiral) Hyman G. Rickover quickly became

5544-467: Was a prime example of what would now be called concurrent engineering with the prototype being prepared as the design progressed and construction of the first nuclear powered submarine ( SSN 571 Nautilus ) progressing close behind. The results were an astoundingly successful and a testament to Rickover's style of management and getting complex engineering done. The results achieved from 1949 - 1955 speak for themselves: Within seven years of its inception,

5628-422: Was a scathing comparison of the educational systems of Switzerland and America. He argued that the higher standards of Swiss schools, including a longer school day and year, combined with an approach stressing student choice and academic specialization produced superior results. Recognizing that "nurturing careers of excellence and leadership in science and technology in young scholars is an essential investment in

5712-644: Was already under development in other countries. My assigned responsibility was to develop our nuclear navy. I managed to accomplish this. When he was a child still living in Russian-occupied Poland, Rickover was not allowed to attend public schools because of his Jewish faith. Starting at the age of four, he attended a religious school where the teaching was solely from the Tanakh , i.e., Old Testament , in Hebrew . Following his formal education in

5796-570: Was anything but routine, and occurred only after an extraordinary chain of events: [Rickover's] peers in the Navy’s engineer branch thought to get rid of him through failure of promotion above captain. This would entail automatic retirement at the thirty-year mark. But someone made the case to the U.S. Senate, charged by the Constitution with formal confirmation of military promotions. In that year, 1953, two years before Nautilus first went to sea,

5880-402: Was appointed to the grade of admiral on the retired list so as to provide some clarity on this issue. This was also done to avoid affecting the maximum-authorized number of admirals (O-10) on the "active list." As head of Naval Reactors, Rickover's focus and responsibilities were dedicated to reactor safety rather than tactical or strategic submarine warfare training. However, this extreme focus

5964-530: Was assigned to the Atomic Energy Commission 's Division of Reactor Development, and then assumed control of the Navy's effort within the AEC as Director of the Naval Reactors Branch. This twin role enabled him to lead the effort to develop Nautilus . The original selection of Rickover as head of development of the nation's nuclear submarine program ultimately rested with Admiral Mills. According to Lieutenant General Leslie Groves , director of

6048-474: Was created in 1993 to streamline the command structures of both schools, with each school ultimately reporting to a single commanding officer of NNPTC. NNPTC was originally created when the two schools were located at the former Naval Training Center Orlando (Florida). The NNPTC's first commanding officer was Captain Steven G. Slaton (USN Ret), who was the commanding officer of Nuclear Field "A" School when NNPTC

6132-709: Was created in 1993. When NNPTC graduated its final class in Orlando, in December 1998, the organization moved to Naval Weapons Station Charleston in Goose Creek, South Carolina , which is a suburban community of Charleston, South Carolina. In 1989, NNPTC buried a time capsule on their grounds. On 22 September 2014, it was dug up to reveal its contents: an old NNPTC command ball cap, a command name tape, multiple newspapers from that day, and other unidentified items. Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program Naval Reactors

6216-450: Was ended shortly afterward. According to Theodore Rockwell, Rickover's Technical Director for more than 15 years, more than one source at that time stated that General Dynamics officials were bragging around Washington that they had "gotten Rickover." On February 28, 1983, a post-retirement party honoring Admiral Rickover was attended by all three living former U.S. Presidents at the time: Nixon , Ford , and Carter, all formerly officers in

6300-556: Was later publicly announced by a former General Dynamics employee on 60 Minutes with Mike Wallace that Rickover was right that General Dynamics was lying to the Navy, but by then Rickover's public image was already damaged. A Navy Ad Hoc Gratuities Board determined that Rickover had received gifts from General Dynamics over a 16-year period valued at $ 67,628, including jewelry, furniture, exotic knives, and gifts that Rickover had in turn presented to politicians. Charges were investigated that gifts were provided by General Electric and

6384-491: Was made a temporary captain . In late 1944 he appealed for a transfer to an active command. He was sent to investigate inefficiencies at the naval supply depot at Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania , then was appointed in July 1945 to command of a ship repair facility on Okinawa . Shortly thereafter, his command was destroyed by Typhoon Louise , and he subsequently spent some time helping to teach school to Okinawan children. Later in

6468-427: Was no readily available knowledge on operating a reactor that would produce power in a usable form.  Developing a power reactor would require new corrosion resistant metals which could sustain prolonged periods of intense radiation, thick shielding to protect personnel from radiation, and new components which would operate safely and reliably. These problems were even more difficult for submarine application since

6552-550: Was originally a joint activity of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and the U.S. Navy's Bureau of Ships. When the AEC was abolished, Naval Reactors became a joint effort of the Navy and the Energy Research and Development Administration , which partly replaced the AEC. In 1977, ERDA was combined with the Federal Energy Administration to form the U.S. Department of Energy. On the Navy side of

6636-414: Was promoted to vice admiral in 1958, the same year that he was awarded the first of two Congressional Gold Medals . He exercised tight control for the next three decades over the ships, technology, and personnel of the nuclear Navy, interviewing and approving or denying every prospective officer being considered for a nuclear ship. Over the course of Rickover's career, these personal interviews numbered in

6720-528: Was promoted, partially as a result of Congressional involvement, until he reached the rank of full Admiral and held the position for over 30 years from 1949 to February 1, 1982 (when he was retired). The history of nuclear propulsion and Rickover's influence and involvement is substantial. Due to the importance and impact of nuclear power, the AEC commissioned the creation of two related historical records to capture important facts of both naval nuclear propulsion and

6804-466: Was promoted. Rickover's military authority and congressional mandate were absolute with regard to the U.S. fleet's reactor operations, but his controlling personality was frequently a subject of internal Navy controversy. He was head of the Naval Reactors branch, and thus responsible for signing off on a crew's competence to operate the reactor safely, giving him the power to effectively remove

6888-468: Was shown by the fact that the title of Carter's autobiography was based on a question that Rickover had asked Carter when the latter was in the Navy ("Why Not The Best?"). However, Secretary of the Navy John Lehman felt that Rickover was hindering the well-being of the navy. As Lehman stated in his book, Command of the Seas : One of my first orders of business as Secretary of the Navy would be to solve ...

6972-464: Was the driving force for shifting the Navy's initial focus from applications on destroyers to submarines. Rickover's vision was not initially shared by his immediate superiors: he was recalled from Oak Ridge and assigned "advisory duties" with an office in an abandoned ladies' room in the Navy Building. He subsequently went around several layers of superior officers, and in 1947 went directly to

7056-556: Was well known during Rickover's era as a potential hindrance to balancing operational priorities. One way that this was addressed after Rickover retired was that only the very strongest, former at-sea submarine commanders have held Rickover's now unique eight-year position as NAVSEA-08 , the longest chartered tenure in the U.S. military. From Rickover's first replacement, Kinnaird R. McKee , to today's head of Naval Reactors, William J. Houston , all have held command of nuclear submarines, their squadrons and ocean fleets, but none have been

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