Rickover and the Nuclear Navy: The Discipline of Technology [Hardcover]

Francis Duncan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1990

An inside overview of Admiral Hyman Rickover's nuclear propulsion program. The author, an Atomic Energy Commission historian assigned to the admiral's office, spent years observing the program and its controversial leader in action. His insights reflect both his familiarity with the subject and his ability to remain an objective observer. From 1974 to the day Rickover retired in 1982, Francis Duncan had free access to files, documents, and personnel at every level of involvement. As this book clearly shows, he took full advantage of the situation to gain a unigue understanding of exactly how the program operated. The result is a thorough, balanced record of what may well be the navy's and the nation's most important and far-reaching project of the twentieth century. Duncan talked to scores of people who dealt with day-to-day operations, watched men in training and accompanied them to sea, visited civilian and naval installations, and had close contact with Rickover himself. He also interviewed former US presidents, secretaries of the navy, chiefs of naval operations, AEC chairmen, and legislative leaders who kept tabs on the program but were removed from daily activities. While the focus of the book is on the nuclear program not the man, it does provide invaluable information on how Rickover ran the program and the reasons for its success. This definitive study offers a valuable record of a program that continues to play a significant role in the nation's defence. Francis Duncan, a retired historian at the Department of Energy who lives in Bethesda, Maryland is coauthor of "Nuclear Navy, 1946 -1962", and the second volume of a history of the Atomic Energy Commission called "Atomic Shield 1947-1952".

Product Details

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: Naval Inst Pr; 1ST edition (January 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0870212362
• ISBN-13: 978-0870212369
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #652,888 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A view into the founding of Nuclear Safety Culture, September 3, 2001

By 

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

This review is from: Rickover and the Nuclear Navy: The Discipline of Technology (Hardcover)

I have recently been doing some research on ethnographics, trying to better understand how the operating culture of nuclear power plants evolved. I was directed toward biographies of Admiral H.G. Rickover, and I found Duncan's work to be one of the most enjoyable readings on Rickover. Duncan gives an inside view to the Admiral and the history that led to the success of the Nuclear Navy through a historical account. The author's relationship with the Admiral, which was probably closer than many other biographers, shows Rickover a hard-driven centrist leader who stressed technical competence and sought excellence and integrity, as well as a respect and dedication for the high-risk technology. My only criticism would be that other biographies of Rickover dealve more into the Admiral's idiosincracies and somewhat odd expectations -- traits that leave the reader wondering if Rickover was crazy or a genius. I look forward to reading Duncan's new book "Rickover: A Struggle for Excellence" when it is released November 2001.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Disciplined, February 15, 2011

By 

Bluebonnet - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Rickover and the Nuclear Navy: The Discipline of Technology (Hardcover)

Rickover persisted against the nay sayers and proved that nuclear energy is safe and imported to our subs the means to remain under water for long periods of time; eliminating the necessity of rising to the surface for fuel and being detected.