The Rickover Effect: The Inside Story of How Adm. Hyman Rickover Built the Nuclear Navy 1st Edition

by Theodore Rockwell (Author)

12 ratings

ISBN-13: 978-0471122968

ISBN-10: 0471122963

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"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.

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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

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.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Wiley; 1st edition (August 25, 1995)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 411 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0471122963
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0471122968
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.44 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.18 x 1.15 x 9.19 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,125,765 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #604 in Military Sciences
- #1,475 in Nuclear Weapons & Warfare History (Books)
- #2,025 in Military History (Books)

Customer Reviews:
12 ratings

About the author

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Theodore Rockwell

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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).

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Nana of 12

Very Good overall book about this Naval program.

Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2019

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Well written and true to life. Really shows the excellence needed and put into practice in the Naval submarine program.

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Sailor B

Great Read for business or history

Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2014

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I was in the nuclear navy for about 8 years. Rickover was a legend and the stories often depicted him as a slightly mad admiral. However, this book sheds light on one of the most important american industrymen and engineer. It's a first person account of Rickover's methods and management style. Today's business leaders would do well to take a few notes on how Rickover handled everything from quarrels with unions to building entire supply chains. This is an excellent read.

2 people found this helpful

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Wayne B.

Rickover Effect Continues to Teach Leadership

Reviewed in the United States on August 17, 2015

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For those interested in Nuclear Power, Leadership and people who know how to get things done, they will love this book. Rickover is known to most as the father of the Nuclear Powered Submarine, but he was much more and a man who's experiences and actions continue to teach future generations. A must read for any leader in any industry.

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Leonard C. Johnson

Admiral Rickover's foresight and persistence acknowledged and rewarded.

Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2015

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A very informative account of Admiral Hyman persistent efforts (beginning while he held the rank of Captain) to utilize nuclear engines as prime movers of submarines. History has richly vindicated his efforts, in that aircraft carriers and other capital navy ships also are now nuclear power driven.

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Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2015

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Excellent book

2 people found this helpful

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Top notch writing

Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2017

Admiral Rickover reshaped the military-industrial complex. This book shows how he consistently rooted out bureaucratization and lazy regulations across multiple disciplines for two generations. Excellent biography, includes interesting personal an e does as well as well-researched historical information.

Discover emphasized the selection and training of quality people, systematically imprinting on his personnel the need for excellence, quality, professionalism, and integrity. The book has great quotes throughout and a few photos and graphs.

In the end, Rickover is responsible for providing humanity with a basic new source of energy. He worked to develop nuclear energy for weapons use, then turned the technology to provide commercial and residential power. He worked to upgrade the quality of American industry.

Excellent biography.

One person found this helpful

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Taparaho

The Paradigm of Operational Excellence & High-Reliability

Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2003

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."

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The Rickover Effect: The Inside Story of How Adm. Hyman Rickover Built the Nuclear Navy 1st Edition

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