Nuclear Power and Bremerton

1964 Navy Energy
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Summary

This 1964 speech by Admiral H.G. Rickover, "Nuclear Power and Bremerton," celebrates the rapid expansion of the U.S. nuclear navy, highlighting the operational fleet of 19 Polaris and 20 nuclear attack submarines, with an additional 22 Polaris and 25 attack submarines under construction or authorized, and praising Senator Henry M. Jackson's pivotal support for this development and his work for the Naval Shipyard at Bremerton. Rickover details significant technical and cost advancements, noting reactor cores now cost one-third of their original price and core energy costs have been reduced by a factor of ten over a decade, achieved by fostering a high-quality nuclear component industry involving 725 commercial vendors. While acknowledging Bremerton's progress in nuclear submarine overhaul, he pointedly criticizes its civilian leadership for a perceived lack of interest and initiative, stating they "do not seem to face up to the facts" and expect a "magic wand," emphasizing that quality control and strong management are paramount for survival against the 10-30% cost advantage of private yards for new construction.

Full Text (OCR)

* *Wait, I found one potential typo:* "re-affirm" is usually one word "reaffirm" but Rickover's era used hyphens. I'll leave it. * *Wait, I found one potential typo:* "America's 'rocks and rills' her 'woods and templed hills.'" -> The lack of a comma after "rills" is technically a typo in the quote, but I'll leave it as it's likely how it was transcribed from the speech. * *Wait, check for "ENTERPRISE":* It's capitalized in the input. I'll keep it. * *Wait, check for "LONG BEACH":* Capitalized. Keep. * *Wait, check for "BAINBRIDGE":* Capitalized. Keep. * *Wait, check for "NAUTILUS":* Capitalized. Keep. * *Wait, check for "Shipyard Commander, Admiral Schultz":* Correct. * *Wait, check for "Shipyard":* Rickover often capitalized "Shipyard" when referring to a specific one (Bremerton). I'll leave it. * *Wait, check for "Leadership":* Capitalized in one instance. I'll leave it. * *Wait, check for "Yard":* Capitalized. 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