The Rickover Effect: The Inside Story of How Adm. Hyman Rickover Built the Nuclear Navy [Paperback]

Theodore Rockwell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 11, 1995

"A notable, anecdote-rich biography of the controversial 'father of the nuclear navy.'"—Publishers Weekly

"This thought-provoking, well-written, and stimulating book . . . is an honest tribute to a man whose greatness will one day be recognized even more than it is today."—Associated Press

"Together with Rhodes's definitive account of the race . . . to develop a nuclear bomb, these two works constitute the most important contributions to date on the history of atomic energy."—Nuclear News

"The consummate inside story of Rickover's team: how they developed nuclear power, how they worked together, and their relationships with a revered, though controversial, boss."—Captain Edward L. Beach, USN (Ret.), author of Run Silent, Run Deep

In less than a decade, Hyman G. Rickover created the world's first nuclear submarine, the USS Nautilus, and built the world's first atomic power station. His unprecedented technological achievements overcame both natural and human obstacles and gave new meaning to the concept of industrial quality control.

Here is the critically acclaimed, authentic inside story, told by the man who worked at Rickover's side for fifteen years. Theodore Rockwell takes us behind the "zirconium curtain" to see the emergence of the commercial nuclear industry through the eyes of those who shaped it and to discover why Rickover provoked a storm of controversy. The Rickover Effect is a riveting tale of genius and dedication told in intimate, human terms.

Theodore Rockwell is an editor and author, as well as an expert on nuclear reactors who worked with Admiral Rickover from 1949 to 1964. He served as technical director of the U.S. Naval Reactors Program from 1954 to 1964.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Reporting directly to Rickover for 15 year and his technical director for the last 10, the author describes what it was like to work beside this remarkable man and why he was bitterly opposed by so many powerful people. Explains, in plain English, how Rickover succeeded in creating the nuclear navy and built the world's first commercial atomic power station in a single decade. Details the genius of Rickover to get things accomplished on a large scale.

From the Back Cover

"A notable, anecdote-rich biography of the controversial 'father of the nuclear navy.'"—Publishers Weekly

"This thought-provoking, well-written, and stimulating book . . . is an honest tribute to a man whose greatness will one day be recognized even more than it is today."—Associated Press

"Together with Rhodes's definitive account of the race . . . to develop a nuclear bomb, these two works constitute the most important contributions to date on the history of atomic energy."—Nuclear News

"The consummate inside story of Rickover's team: how they developed nuclear power, how they worked together, and their relationships with a revered, though controversial, boss."—Captain Edward L. Beach, USN (Ret.), author of Run Silent, Run Deep

In less than a decade, Hyman G. Rickover created the world's first nuclear submarine, the USS Nautilus, and built the world's first atomic power station. His unprecedented technological achievements overcame both natural and human obstacles and gave new meaning to the concept of industrial quality control.

Here is the critically acclaimed, authentic inside story, told by the man who worked at Rickover's side for fifteen years. Theodore Rockwell takes us behind the "zirconium curtain"to see the emergence of the commercial nuclear industry through the eyes of those who shaped it and to discover why Rickover provoked a storm of controversy. The Rickover Effect is a riveting tale of genius and dedication told in intimate, human terms.

Theodore Rockwell is an editor and author, as well as an expert on nuclear reactors who worked with Admiral Rickover from 1949 to 1964. He served as technical director of the U.S. Naval Reactors Program from 1954 to 1964."

Product Details

• Paperback: 411 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (August 11, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471122963
• ISBN-13: 978-0471122968
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #189,467 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

He's written many technical papers and popular articles, including "Frontier Life Among the Atom Splitters" (SatEvePost, Dec 1, 1945), "Bred for Fury," (first color stroboflash pictures of fighting cocks in action; (True, July 1946), "Heresy, Excommunication and Other Weeds in the Garden of Science" (New Realities, Dec 1981), and "Vice Versa," three one-act plays professionally produced as a staged reading at Washington's Source Theater. He's a Life Member of the Philosophical Society of Washington (founded by Joseph Henry in 1875), and for 12 years was the official representative of the Parapsychological Association to the American Assn for the Advancement of Science.

He is an honorary member of the Shanghai Qigong Research Center, and is listed in various references such as "World Who's Who in Science from Antiquity to Present," and "Who's Who in Theology and Science." His writings have been translated into Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish and German.

He's the first Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecturer to be sponsored by the National Academy of Engineering, and was Invited Distinguished Lecturer at the World Nuclear University Summer Sessions in Stockholm (2006) and Cheongju, Korea (2007).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Detailed, but biased account of a Navy maverick, April 8, 2000

By 

Joseph T. Reeves - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rickover Effect: The Inside Story of How Adm. Hyman Rickover Built the Nuclear Navy (Paperback)

"The Rickover Effect" is a fascinating depiction of Admiral Hyman Rickover's efforts to build the nuclear Navy. This book is not intended to serve as a comprehensive chronicle of Rickover's career and private life, but as a chronicle of Rickover's accomplishments in bringing nuclear power to the Navy as viewed by a subordinate. Within these self-admitted limitations, the book succeeds, but Theodore Rockwell also attempts to turn Rickover's leadership style into some sort of management primer.

Rockwell examines various anecdotes and discusses the effectiveness of Rickover's management acumen in dealing with both political and technical problems. This attempt to explain "The Rickover Effect" is rather clumsy and unnecessary. The reader can judge for him or herself the success of Rickover's abilities.

Readers unfamiliar with Rickover's personality must keep in mind that this account is written by someone who obviously admired and respected Rickover a great deal. Rockwell's close association with Rickover has caused him to see the Admiral through biased eyes. Rockwell sees Rickover as firm but fair, which isn't entirely accurate. Although truly a visionary, Rickover was extremely difficult for most military personnel to get along with and prone to frightening fits of rage. Although he was often the target of attacks on his character, Rickover often treated his political enemies and detractors cruelly, and at times led his own vicious attacks. Rockwell appears sincere in his treatment of Rickover, but it is obvious he doesn't see the Admiral as an outsider would.

With these limitations in mind, this is actually a very entertaining account of how the nuclear Navy started.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Paradigm of Operational Excellence & High-Reliability, July 20, 2003

By 

Patrick W. O'Hara "taparaho" (Salt Point, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Rickover Effect: The Inside Story of How Adm. Hyman Rickover Built the Nuclear Navy (Paperback)

Many biographies have been written about Hyman Rickover, the father of the Nuclear Navy, which focus on his dictatorial idiosyncrasies and leave the reader wondering how anyone could have ever worked for him. In "The Rickover Effect: How One Man Made A Difference" author Ted Rockwell discusses how Rickover's leadership style created a paradigm shift among all of the organizations he came in contact with focusing away from the status quo and toward operational excellence and high-reliability. Rockwell, who worked for Rickover from 1949 to 1964 and served as the Technical Director of the U.S. Naval Reactors Program (NR) between 1954 and 1964 is certainly in one of the best positions to discuss his perceptions of Rickover's personality, work ethic, and style.

One of the quotes from the book that impressed me very much was that Rickover questioned how people who admitted they could never have accomplished what he had done -- building the first atomic submarine from abstract concept to reality in record time - could question his leadership and management style. Critics generally focus on Rickover's demanding style as ruthless and insensitive, when in reality he was building a committed organization and shaking out those that were not as dedicated as he was. It is quite obvious that Rickover would never had asked anyone to do anything he was not willing to do.

Rockwell's story encompasses his recruitment out of the post Manhattan Project at Oak Ridge until Rickover's death. While Rockwell left the Naval Reactors program 1964, he continues to write about how Rickover's influence shaped his management and technological paradigm and allowed he and two of his co-workers at NR to open an engineering firm delivering outside of the Navy the same operational excellence and high-reliability systems they had developed in NR. Rockwell also discusses how leaving Rickover's program changed their relationship.

Rockwell's book is a pleasant read, as his story is not overly technical and draws readers into an appreciation of how the Naval Reactors program influenced work systems and quality management. This book should be of interest not just to those interested in the life of Hyman Rickover and the Nuclear Navy, but persons studying leadership and culture management, technological advancement, and the career of Ted Rockwell - one of the unsung heroes of nuclear technology. I also encourage readers to check out Rockwell's new book, "Creating the New World: Stories and Images From the Dawn of the Atomic Age."

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Biased, but readable and interesting, January 15, 1999

By 

M. Broderick "mikebinok" (Oklahoma City, OK USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Rickover Effect: The Inside Story of How Adm. Hyman Rickover Built the Nuclear Navy (Paperback)

The author holds Admiral Rickover in extremely high regard, so much so that the book reads more like advertising than non-fiction. I can't recall a single case in the book where Rickover is described as making a mistake, being unreasonable, or doing something dumb! People in a position to know tell me that Rickover was extremely difficult to work with, especially when challenged by a subordinate, but you'd never guess at such problems from Rockwell's book! Rickover is presented as stern and demanding, but always fair. Despite my nit-picking, this is still a worthwhile book for someone interested in the subject. Rickover definitely knew how to get things done, and deserves great credit for his work on making nuclear power reactors into a working concept. It is highly readable, and the Rickover quotes sprinkled through the pages are worth the purchase price. A lengthy, but more balanced account is in Norman Polmar's book, Rickover.