Each year the Navy would put Admiral Rickover’s name on the retirement list. Each year Admiral Rickover would call his friends in Congress and have his name removed from the list.
Finally after 63 years of active duty, 30 of them as an Admiral, and reaching the age of 82, Rickover allowed his retirement to proceed.
Hyman Rickover was born in Makow, Poland, then part of the Russian Empire, in 1900. His family fled the Russian pogroms against Jews and Rickover arrived in America at the age of six. He worked at various jobs as a young man delivering groceries and telegrams. His telegram deliveries led to his acquaintance with Congressman Adolph J. Sabath, a Czech Jewish immigrant who nominated Rickover to the U.S. Naval Academy.
Rickover was a 1922 graduate of the Naval Academy. In 1930, he was awarded a Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering at Columbia University via the Navy’s postgraduate school program. In 1933, he translated “Das Unterseeboot” from German into English. That document became a basic text for the U.S. submarine service.
In his early career Rickover served as an engineering officer aboard surface ships and two submarines, the S9 and the S48. His only service as a Commander was aboard the minesweeper, USS Finch.
In the early 1950s, nuclear reactors were as large as a small shopping center. Admiral Rickover was convinced that the Navy could develop a fleet of nuclear powered ships capable of sailing the oceans for decades without the need for refueling. He faced a daunting problem – making a reactor small enough to fit into a ship but with still enough shielding to protect the crew. He created the Navy’s nuclear program and exercised total control of it. He personally interviewed and approved or denied each Navy officer applying for the program. His rigorous standards made him both admired and hated. His fiefdom was often seen as a separate part of the Navy. He personally made every important decision for the program. One of the young Naval Academy graduates he interviewed showed great promise. He had an outstanding record and seemed to have a firm grasp of the challenges facing nuclear propulsion. Also, he had already served aboard submarines. He hired the Lieutenant and enrolled him in the required nuclear training programs. Unfortunately, a family tragedy struck, leading the officer to resign his commission. He returned to Georgia and was later elected the 39th President of the United States. The two would remain lifelong friends.
Working with private industry as well as naval engineers, Rickover succeeded. His first accomplishment was the nuclear powered submarine, Nautilus, commissioned in 1955 followed a few years later by the aircraft carrier, Enterprise. Today, the Navy includes a fleet of more than 80 nuclear powered warships. Some will sail the seas for as much as 50 years without refueling. All because of the vision of a single individual who dedicated his life and energy to making his Navy the strongest in the world.
Author: Staff
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