Rickover: The Struggle for Excellence

by Estate of Francis Duncan

Overview

As the father of the nuclear powered Navy, Adm. Hyman G. Rickover was a pivotal figure in twentieth-century American history. While many books have been written about various aspects of his career, this is the first biography to have access to private papers, family and close friends. It not only deals with the admiral's controversial naval career but with phases of his personal life that made him what he was, including his youth as a Jewish immigrant who embraced America and the opportunities it offered. The author, Francis Duncan, worked with Rickover from 1969, when he was assigned to write a history of the nuclear propulsion program, until the admiral's death in 1986. Shortly before he died, Rickover turned over his files to Duncan, including letters to his first wife that give a vivid picture of the Navy from 1929 to 1945. Rickover's second wife allowed Duncan access to letters covering important events later in his career. The author was also granted interviews with the admiral's son and sister and with individuals from the Naval Reactors, an organization headed by Rickover whose members mostly had refused to talk to other biographers. A witness to the admiral's daily activities and the programs he directed, Duncan also drew on his own considerable knowledge to present a portrait of the man that gives new insights into Rickover's genius and short-comings. The book does not go into technical detail but focuses on the admiral's fights to build and extend the nuclear fleet and the often-difficult relationships that developed in the pursuit of the goal. He shows that Rickover's efforts had a profound effect on the postwar world, that the excellence and responsibility he demanded are qualities that reach beyond the Navy, and that his influence continues to be felt today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781591142218
Publisher:	Naval Institute Press
Publication date:	10/20/2011
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	416
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range:	1 Year

About the Author

Francis Duncan, a resident of Bethesda, Maryland, and Navy veteran of World War II, was a government historian for more than twenty years. His earlier book on the admiral, Rickover and the Nuclear Navy, published by the Naval Institute in 1990, focused on the admiral's approach to managing a technical program.

Table of Contents

Foreword ix

Preface xiii

Chronology xvii

Introduction 1

1 Becoming an Officer 4

2 Sea Duty, Shore Duty, and Love 18

3 Submarines and Marriage 32

4 Engineering Duty Only 53

5 The Electrical Section and the War 71

6 Atomic Energy 93

7 Promotion 116

8 Nautilus 132

9 Shippingport Atomic Power Station 141

10 A National Figure 151

11 The Program at the End of 1960 169

12 Breakthrough on Nuclear Carriers 174

13 Meeting with Kennedy 188

14 Thresher 192

15 Every Two Years 198

16 New Classes of Surface Ships and Submarines 207

17 Troubles, Sorrow, and Happiness 222

18 The Bitter Battle: Shipbuilding Claims 240

19 The Admiral and the President 257

20 End of a Career 277

21 Death 295

22 Engineering Legacy 306

23 In Memoriam 311

Notes 315

Sources 345

Index 353

Editorial Reviews

"...a very readable cruise…" — The Journal of American History "This well-written biography traces Rickover's amazing 63-year career in the Navy." — Choice

From the Publisher