An official Atomic Energy Commission historian assigned to Admiral Rickover's office, Duncan draws on files, documents, and interviews to chronicle the introduction of nuclear powered ships into the US Navy. Covers the period from the mid-1950s to the early 1980s. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

A riveting exploration of the brilliant, combative, and controversial “Father of the Nuclear Navy” “A superb and even-handed treatment of a complex, brilliant, and driven admiral who inspired both awe and loathing across the Navy he fundamentally reshaped.”—Admiral James Stavridis, former Supreme Commander, NATO, and author of 2034 Known as the “Father of the Nuclear Navy,” Admiral Hyman George Rickover (1899–1986) remains an almost mythical figure in the United States Navy. A brilliant engineer with a ferocious will and combative personality, he oversaw the invention of the world’s first practical nuclear power reactor. As important as the transition from sail to steam, his development of nuclear-propelled submarines and ships transformed naval power and Cold War strategy. They still influence world affairs today. His disdain for naval regulations, indifference to the chain of command, and harsh, insulting language earned him enemies in the navy, but his achievements won him powerful friends in Congress and the White House. A Jew born in a Polish shtetl, Rickover ultimately became the longest-serving U.S. military officer in history. In this exciting new biography, historian Marc Wortman explores the constant conflict Rickover faced and provoked, tracing how he revolutionized the navy and Cold War strategy.

Contents: (1) Intro. and Issue for Congress; (2) Background: Nuclear and Conventional Power for Ships; Nuclear Power for a Surface Combatant; Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program; Current Navy Nuclear-Powered Ships; CG(X) Cruiser Program; Reactor Plant for a Nuclear-Powered CG(X); Construction Shipyards; Nuclear-Capable Shipyards; Surface Combatant Shipyards; 2006 Navy Alternative Propulsion Study; (3) Potential Issues for Congress: Cost; Development and Design Cost; Procurement Cost; Operational Effectiveness; Ship Construction; Shipyards; Nuclear-Propulsion Component Manufacturers; Environmental Impact; (4) Potential Options for Congress; (5) Legislative Activity for FY 2010. Charts and tables.

Tells the story of the growing Chinese Navy - The People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) - and its expanding capabilities, evolving roles and military implications for the USA. Divided into four thematic sections, this special collection of essays surveys and analyzes the most important aspects of China's navel modernization.

Chapter 1 ELECTRICAL REVIEW 1.1 Fundamentals Of Electricity 1.2 Alternating Current Theory 1.3 Three-Phase Systems And Transformers 1.4 Generators 1.5 Motors 1.6 Motor Controllers 1.7 Electrical Safety 1.8 Storage Batteries 1.9 Electrical Measuring Instruments Chapter 2 ELECTRONICS REVIEW 2.1 Solid State Devices 2.2 Magnetic Amplifiers 2.3 Thermocouples 2.4 Resistance Thermometry 2.5 Nuclear Radiation Detectors 2.6 Nuclear Instrumentation Circuits 2.7 Differential Transformers 2.8 D-C Power Supplies 2.9 Digital Integrated Circuit Devices 2.10 Microprocessor-Based Computer Systems Chapter 3 REACTOR THEORY REVIEW 3.1 Basics 3.2 Stability Of The Nucleus 3.3 Reactions 3.4 Fission 3.5 Nuclear Reaction Cross Sections 3.6 Neutron Slowing Down 3.7 Thermal Equilibrium 3.8 Neutron Density, Flux, Reaction Rates, And Power 3.9 Slowing Down, Diffusion, And Migration Lengths 3.10 Neutron Life Cycle And The Six-Factor Formula 3.11 Buckling, Leakage, And Flux Shapes 3.12 Multiplication Factor 3.13 Temperature Coefficient...

Universally praised for its powerfully authentic depiction of submarine warfare, Run Silent, Run Deep was an immediate success when published in 1955 and shot to the top of best-seller lists nationwide. In 1958, Hollywood adapted the novel for the big screen starring Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster. The New York Timessaid of the novel, “If ever a book had a ring of reality, this is it . . . combat passages rank with the most exciting written about any branch of the service.” The Saturday Review called the book “a classic,” and many reviewers compared its author to such greats as C. S. Forester and Erich Remarque. Today these accolades still ring true for Edward L. Beach’s gripping first novel of American submariners confronting a formidable Japanese navy in a vicious battle to control the Pacific. Beach’s taut and dramatic narrative, told with the intimacy of a confession, deals with two strong-headed men, Edward Richardson, the commander of the USS Walrus, and his executive officer, Jim Bledsoe. Bound together by wartime duty, the two are divided by jealousy, pride, and love for a beautiful woman. But long after the details of this famous novel fade from memory, what remains with us is a startling realization of the way it was, really was, in the silent service during World War II. Unlike many war novels, here is a story that deals with war from the perspective of command. With fidelity, Beach creates the anguish, agony, and triumphs of command decisions. Commander Richardson embodies all that is fine and human in an excellent naval officer. This is a monument, not to the misfits and the mistakes, but to those men who rose to greatness under the sometimes unbearable tensions of action.