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141-579: Hyman G. Rickover (January 27, 1900 – July 8, 1986) was an admiral in the United States Navy . He directed the original development of naval nuclear propulsion and controlled its operations for three decades as director of the U.S. Naval Reactors office. In addition, he oversaw the development of the Shippingport Atomic Power Station , the world's first commercial pressurized water reactor used for generating electricity. Rickover

282-470: A mass-production basis, they opened the door for more compact devices. The first integrated circuits were the hybrid integrated circuit invented by Jack Kilby at Texas Instruments in 1958 and the monolithic integrated circuit chip invented by Robert Noyce at Fairchild Semiconductor in 1959. The MOSFET (metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor, or MOS transistor) was invented by Mohamed Atalla and Dawon Kahng at BTL in 1959. It

423-769: A professional body or an international standards organization. These include the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET, formerly the IEE). Electrical engineers work in a very wide range of industries and the skills required are likewise variable. These range from circuit theory to

564-486: A rare personal interview with Diane Sawyer in 1984. In 1973, though his role and responsibilities remained unchanged, Rickover was promoted to the rank of four-star admiral . This was the second time (after Samuel Murray Robinson ) in the history of the U.S. Navy that an officer with a career path other than an operational line officer achieved that rank. Because his responsibilities did not include direct command and control of combatant naval units, technically Rickover

705-406: A basic text for the U.S. submarine service. On 17 July 1937, he reported aboard the minesweeper Finch at Qingdao , China , and assumed what would be his only ship command with additional duty as Commander, Mine Division Three, Asiatic Fleet. The Marco Polo Bridge Incident had occurred ten days earlier. In August, Finch stood out for Shanghai to protect American citizens and interests from

846-412: A clear distinction between magnetism and static electricity . He is credited with establishing the term "electricity". He also designed the versorium : a device that detects the presence of statically charged objects. In 1762 Swedish professor Johan Wilcke invented a device later named electrophorus that produced a static electric charge. By 1800 Alessandro Volta had developed the voltaic pile ,

987-503: A congressional hearing Rickover testified that: I do not believe that nuclear power is worth it if it creates radiation. Then you might ask me why do I have nuclear powered ships. That is a necessary evil. I would sink them all. I am not proud of the part I played in it. I did it because it was necessary for the safety of this country. That's why I am such a great exponent of stopping this whole nonsense of war. Unfortunately limits—attempts to limit war have always failed. The lesson of history

1128-509: A degree is usually four or five years and the completed degree may be designated as a Bachelor of Science in Electrical/Electronics Engineering Technology, Bachelor of Engineering , Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Technology , or Bachelor of Applied Science , depending on the university. The bachelor's degree generally includes units covering physics , mathematics, computer science , project management , and

1269-415: A forerunner of the electric battery. In the 19th century, research into the subject started to intensify. Notable developments in this century include the work of Hans Christian Ørsted , who discovered in 1820 that an electric current produces a magnetic field that will deflect a compass needle; of William Sturgeon , who in 1825 invented the electromagnet ; of Joseph Henry and Edward Davy , who invented

1410-679: A four-star admiral from the lower-ranking admirals who may also be referred to as "Admiral". The United States Navy did not have any admirals until 1862, because many people felt the title too reminiscent of royalty—such as the British Royal Navy —to be used in the new nation's navy. Others saw the need for ranks above captain, among them John Paul Jones , who pointed out that the Navy had to have officers who "ranked" with army generals. He also felt there must be ranks above captain to avoid disputes among senior captains. The various secretaries of

1551-583: A full-time job as a telegraph boy delivering Western Union telegrams, through which he became acquainted with Congressman Adolph J. Sabath , a Czech Jewish immigrant. Sabath nominated Rickover for appointment to the United States Naval Academy . Rickover was only a third alternate for appointment, but he passed the entrance exam and was accepted. Rickover's naval career began in 1918 at the Naval Academy; at this time, attending military academies

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1692-643: A general electronic component. The most common microelectronic components are semiconductor transistors , although all main electronic components ( resistors , capacitors etc.) can be created at a microscopic level. Nanoelectronics is the further scaling of devices down to nanometer levels. Modern devices are already in the nanometer regime, with below 100 nm processing having been standard since around 2002. Microelectronic components are created by chemically fabricating wafers of semiconductors such as silicon (at higher frequencies, compound semiconductors like gallium arsenide and indium phosphide) to obtain

1833-459: A huge number of specializations including hardware engineering, power electronics , electromagnetics and waves, microwave engineering , nanotechnology , electrochemistry , renewable energies, mechatronics/control, and electrical materials science. Electrical engineers typically hold a degree in electrical engineering, electronic or electrical and electronic engineering. Practicing engineers may have professional certification and be members of

1974-407: A large number—often millions—of tiny electrical components, mainly transistors , into a small chip around the size of a coin . This allowed for the powerful computers and other electronic devices we see today. Microelectronics engineering deals with the design and microfabrication of very small electronic circuit components for use in an integrated circuit or sometimes for use on their own as

2115-447: A long-term Engineering Duty Officer such as Rickover. In keeping with Rickover's promotion to four-star admiral, those who were subsequently selected for assignment to Director, Naval Reactors are promoted to this same rank, but also on active duty status. Historian Francis Duncan, who for over eight years was granted generous access to diverse numbers and levels of witnesses—including U.S. presidents—as well as Rickover himself, came to

2256-600: A longtime supporter of Rickover, later publicly associated a debilitating stroke suffered by the admiral to his having been censured and "dragged through the mud by the very institution to which he rendered his invaluable service." By the late 1970s, Rickover's position seemed stronger than it had ever been. Over many years, powerful friends on both the House and Senate Armed Services Committees ensured that he remained on active duty long after most other admirals had retired from their second careers. Jimmy Carter 's admiration for Rickover

2397-428: A nuclear navy? Do you have any regrets?": I do not have regrets. I believe I helped preserve the peace for this country. Why should I regret that? What I accomplished was approved by Congress—which represents our people. All of you live in safety from domestic enemies because of security from the police. Likewise, you live in safety from foreign enemies because our military keeps them from attacking us. Nuclear technology

2538-414: A part in determining who shall fail of selection for promotion (thus also violating the system), never before or since have pressures from outside the Navy overturned this form of career-termination. Regardless of the challenges faced in developing and operating brand-new technology, Rickover and the team did not disappoint: the result was a highly reliable nuclear reactor in a form-factor that would fit into

2679-407: A position bearing that rank, they have no more than 60 days to be appointed or reappointed to a position of equal importance before they must involuntarily retire. Historically, officers leaving four-star positions were allowed to revert to their permanent two-star ranks to mark time in lesser jobs until statutory retirement, but now such officers are expected to retire immediately to avoid obstructing

2820-499: A profession in the later 19th century. Practitioners had created a global electric telegraph network, and the first professional electrical engineering institutions were founded in the UK and the US to support the new discipline. Francis Ronalds created an electric telegraph system in 1816 and documented his vision of how the world could be transformed by electricity. Over 50 years later, he joined

2961-575: A submarine hull with no more than a 28-foot (8.5 m) beam . This became known as the S1W reactor . Nautilus was launched and commissioned with this reactor in 1954. Later Rickover oversaw the development of the Shippingport Atomic Power Station , the first commercial pressurized water reactor nuclear power plant. Kenneth Nichols of the AEC decided that the Rickover-Westinghouse pressurized-water reactor

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3102-518: A surface ship and submarine-qualified unrestricted line officer , his substantial legacy of technical achievements includes the United States Navy's continuing record of zero reactor accidents. Rickover was born Chaim Gdala Rykower to Abraham and Rachel/Ruchla Lea (nee Unger) Rykower, a Polish Jewish family from Maków Mazowiecki in Vistula Land . His parents changed his name to "Hyman" which

3243-426: A variety of industries. Electronic engineering involves the design and testing of electronic circuits that use the properties of components such as resistors , capacitors , inductors , diodes , and transistors to achieve a particular functionality. The tuned circuit , which allows the user of a radio to filter out all but a single station, is just one example of such a circuit. Another example to research

3384-405: A warship from active service, which he did on several occasions. The view became established that he sometimes exercised power to settle scores. Author and former submariner Edward L. Beach Jr. referred to him as a "tyrant" with "no account of his gradually failing powers" in his later years. Admiral (United States) Since the five-star grade of fleet admiral has not been used since 1946,

3525-462: Is a pneumatic signal conditioner. Prior to the Second World War, the subject was commonly known as radio engineering and basically was restricted to aspects of communications and radar , commercial radio , and early television . Later, in post-war years, as consumer devices began to be developed, the field grew to include modern television, audio systems, computers, and microprocessors . In

3666-491: Is also one of four people who have been awarded two Congressional Gold Medals . Rickover is known as the "Father of the Nuclear Navy," and his influence on the Navy and its warships was of such scope that he "may well go down in history as one of the Navy's most important officers." He served in a flag rank for nearly 30 years (1953 to 1982), ending his career as a four-star admiral. His years of service exceeded that of each of

3807-444: Is an engineering discipline that deals with the convergence of electrical and mechanical systems. Such combined systems are known as electromechanical systems and have widespread adoption. Examples include automated manufacturing systems , heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems , and various subsystems of aircraft and automobiles . Electronic systems design is the subject within electrical engineering that deals with

3948-429: Is based on the solid foundation of principles I learned from them. Rickover preferred life on smaller ships, and he also knew that young officers in the submarine service were advancing quickly, so he went to Washington and volunteered for submarine duty. His application was turned down due to his age, at that time 29 years. Fortunately for Rickover, he encountered his former commanding officer from Nevada while leaving

4089-549: Is derived from Chayyim , meaning "life". He did not use his middle name Godalia (a form of Gedaliah ), but he substituted "George" when at the Naval Academy. Rickover made passage to New York City with his mother and sister in March 1906, fleeing anti-Semitic Russian pogroms during the Revolution of 1905 . They joined Abraham, who had made earlier trips there beginning in 1897 to become established. Rickover's family lived initially on

4230-798: Is still important in the design of many control systems . DSP processor ICs are found in many types of modern electronic devices, such as digital television sets , radios, hi-fi audio equipment, mobile phones, multimedia players , camcorders and digital cameras, automobile control systems, noise cancelling headphones, digital spectrum analyzers , missile guidance systems, radar systems, and telematics systems. In such products, DSP may be responsible for noise reduction , speech recognition or synthesis , encoding or decoding digital media, wirelessly transmitting or receiving data, triangulating positions using GPS , and other kinds of image processing , video processing , audio processing , and speech processing . Instrumentation engineering deals with

4371-461: Is their power consumption as this is closely related to their signal strength . Typically, if the power of the transmitted signal is insufficient once the signal arrives at the receiver's antenna(s), the information contained in the signal will be corrupted by noise , specifically static. Control engineering focuses on the modeling of a diverse range of dynamic systems and the design of controllers that will cause these systems to behave in

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4512-567: Is very useful for energy transmission as well as for information transmission. These were also the first areas in which electrical engineering was developed. Today, electrical engineering has many subdisciplines, the most common of which are listed below. Although there are electrical engineers who focus exclusively on one of these subdisciplines, many deal with a combination of them. Sometimes, certain fields, such as electronic engineering and computer engineering , are considered disciplines in their own right. Power & Energy engineering deals with

4653-461: Is when a war starts every nation will ultimately use whatever weapon it has available. ... Every time you produce radiation, you produce something that has a certain half-life, in some cases for billions of years. ... It is important that we control these forces and try to eliminate them. A few months later, following his retirement, Rickover spoke more specifically regarding the questions "Could you comment on your own responsibility in helping to create

4794-585: The American Civil War than any international considerations. Two years later, Congress authorized the appointment of a vice admiral from among the nine rear admirals: David Farragut . Another bill allowed the President of the United States to appoint Farragut to admiral on July 25, 1866, and David Dixon Porter to vice admiral . When Farragut died in 1870, Porter became admiral and Stephen C. Rowan

4935-569: The Atomic Energy Commission 's Division of Reactor Development, and then assumed control of the Navy's effort within the AEC as Director of the Naval Reactors Branch. This twin role enabled him to lead the effort to develop Nautilus . The original selection of Rickover as head of development of the nation's nuclear submarine program ultimately rested with Admiral Mills. According to Lieutenant General Leslie Groves , director of

5076-645: The East Side of Manhattan but moved two years later to North Lawndale, Chicago , which was a heavily Jewish neighborhood at the time, where Rickover's father continued work as a tailor. Rickover took his first paid job at age nine, earning three cents an hour (equivalent to $ 1.02 in 2023) for holding a light as his neighbor operated a machine. Later, he delivered groceries. He graduated from grammar school at 14. Rickover attended John Marshall Metropolitan High School in Chicago and graduated with honors in 1918. He then held

5217-574: The Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock , both major nuclear ship contractors for the Navy. Secretary Lehman admonished him in a non-punitive letter and stated that Rickover's "fall from grace with these little trinkets should be viewed in the context of his enormous contributions to the Navy." Rickover released a statement through his lawyer saying his "conscience is clear" with respect to the gifts. "No gratuity or favor ever affected any decision I made." Senator William Proxmire of Wisconsin,

5358-485: The Oak Ridge National Laboratory ) to develop a nuclear electric generating plant. Realizing the potential that nuclear energy held for the Navy, Rickover applied. Rickover was sent to Oak Ridge through the efforts of his wartime boss, Rear Admiral Earle Mills, who became the head of the Navy's Bureau of Ships that same year. Rickover became an early convert to the idea of nuclear marine propulsion , and

5499-533: The President from any eligible officers holding the rank of rear admiral (lower half) or above, who also meets the requirements for the position, under the advice and/or suggestion of their respective department secretary, service secretary, and if applicable the joint chiefs. For some specific positions, statute allows the President to waive those requirements for a nominee whom he deems would serve national interests. The nominee must be confirmed via majority vote by

5640-558: The Senate before the appointee can take office and thus assume the rank. The standard tour length for most four-star positions is three years, bundled as a two-year term plus a one-year extension, with the following exceptions: Extensions of the standard tour length can be approved, within statutory limits, by their respective service secretaries, the secretary of defense, the President, and/or Congress but these are rare, as they block other officers from being promoted. Some statutory limits under

5781-665: The Spanish–American War by authorizing the President to appoint him Admiral of the Navy . He held that rank until he died in 1917. Nobody has since held that title. In 1944, Congress approved the five-star grade of fleet admiral . The first to hold it were William D. Leahy , Ernest J. King , and Chester W. Nimitz . The Senate confirmed their appointments December 15, 1944. Fleet Admiral William F. Halsey got his fifth star in December 1945. None has been appointed since. The sleeve stripes now used by admirals and vice admirals in

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5922-490: The United States date from March 11, 1869, when General Order Number 90 specified that for their "undress" uniforms admirals would wear a two-inch stripe with three half-inch stripes above it and vice admirals the two-inch stripe with two half-inch stripes above it. The rear admiral got his two-inch stripe and one half-inch stripe in 1866. The sleeve stripes had been more elaborate. When the rear admiral rank started in 1862

6063-780: The Z3 , the world's first fully functional and programmable computer using electromechanical parts. In 1943, Tommy Flowers designed and built the Colossus , the world's first fully functional, electronic, digital and programmable computer. In 1946, the ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer) of John Presper Eckert and John Mauchly followed, beginning the computing era. The arithmetic performance of these machines allowed engineers to develop completely new technologies and achieve new objectives. In 1948, Claude Shannon published "A Mathematical Theory of Communication" which mathematically describes

6204-692: The battleship Nevada before earning a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering from Columbia University in 1930 by way of a year at the Naval Postgraduate School and further coursework at Columbia. At the latter institution, he met Ruth D. Masters, a graduate student in international law, whom he married in 1931 after she returned from her doctoral studies at the Sorbonne in Paris. Shortly after marrying, Rickover wrote to his parents of his decision to become an Episcopalian , remaining so for

6345-548: The compression , error detection and error correction of digitally sampled signals. Signal processing is a very mathematically oriented and intensive area forming the core of digital signal processing and it is rapidly expanding with new applications in every field of electrical engineering such as communications, control, radar, audio engineering , broadcast engineering , power electronics, and biomedical engineering as many already existing analog systems are replaced with their digital counterparts. Analog signal processing

6486-654: The doubling of transistors on an IC chip every two years, predicted by Gordon Moore in 1965. Silicon-gate MOS technology was developed by Federico Faggin at Fairchild in 1968. Since then, the MOSFET has been the basic building block of modern electronics. The mass-production of silicon MOSFETs and MOS integrated circuit chips, along with continuous MOSFET scaling miniaturization at an exponential pace (as predicted by Moore's law ), has since led to revolutionary changes in technology, economy, culture and thinking. The Apollo program which culminated in landing astronauts on

6627-516: The electrical relay in 1835; of Georg Ohm , who in 1827 quantified the relationship between the electric current and potential difference in a conductor ; of Michael Faraday , the discoverer of electromagnetic induction in 1831; and of James Clerk Maxwell , who in 1873 published a unified theory of electricity and magnetism in his treatise Electricity and Magnetism . In 1782, Georges-Louis Le Sage developed and presented in Berlin probably

6768-452: The generation , transmission , and distribution of electricity as well as the design of a range of related devices. These include transformers , electric generators , electric motors , high voltage engineering, and power electronics . In many regions of the world, governments maintain an electrical network called a power grid that connects a variety of generators together with users of their energy. Users purchase electrical energy from

6909-448: The transmission of information across a communication channel such as a coax cable , optical fiber or free space . Transmissions across free space require information to be encoded in a carrier signal to shift the information to a carrier frequency suitable for transmission; this is known as modulation . Popular analog modulation techniques include amplitude modulation and frequency modulation . The choice of modulation affects

7050-429: The 1850s had shown the relationship of different forms of electromagnetic radiation including the possibility of invisible airborne waves (later called "radio waves"). In his classic physics experiments of 1888, Heinrich Hertz proved Maxwell's theory by transmitting radio waves with a spark-gap transmitter , and detected them by using simple electrical devices. Other physicists experimented with these new waves and in

7191-442: The 1860s wore the same number of stars on their shoulders as admirals of corresponding grades do today. In 1899, the navy's one admiral (Dewey) and 18 rear admirals put on the new shoulder marks, as did the other officers when wearing their white uniforms, but kept their stars instead of repeating the sleeve cuff stripes. During the 20th century, the ranks of the modern U.S. admiralty were firmly established. An oddity that did exist

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7332-607: The Bureau of Engineering in Washington, D.C. Once there, he took up his duties as assistant chief of the Electrical section of the Bureau of Engineering on August 15, 1939. On April 10, 1942, after America's entry into World War II , Rickover flew to Pearl Harbor to organize repairs to the electrical power plant of USS  California . Rickover had been promoted to the rank of commander on January 1, 1942, and in late June of that year

7473-512: The Chief of Naval Operations, Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz , also a former submariner. Nimitz immediately understood the potential of nuclear propulsion in submarines and recommended the project to the Secretary of the Navy, John L. Sullivan . Sullivan's endorsement to build the world's first nuclear-powered vessel, USS  Nautilus , later caused Rickover to state that Sullivan was "the true father of

7614-491: The Manhattan Project, Mills was anxious to have a very determined man involved. He knew that Rickover was "not too easy to get along with" and "not too popular," but in his judgement Rickover was the man on whom the Navy could depend "no matter what opposition he might encounter". While his team and industry were completing construction of Nautilus , Rickover was promoted to the rank of rear admiral in 1953. However, this

7755-633: The Moon with Apollo 11 in 1969 was enabled by NASA 's adoption of advances in semiconductor electronic technology , including MOSFETs in the Interplanetary Monitoring Platform (IMP) and silicon integrated circuit chips in the Apollo Guidance Computer (AGC). The development of MOS integrated circuit technology in the 1960s led to the invention of the microprocessor in the early 1970s. The first single-chip microprocessor

7896-587: The Navy John Lehman was partly motivated to seek the agreement in order to continue to focus on achieving President Reagan 's goal of a 600-ship Navy . But Rickover was extremely bitter over the General Dynamics yard being paid hundreds of millions of dollars, and he lambasted both the settlement and Secretary Lehman. This was not Rickover's first clash with the defense industry; he was historically harsh in exacting high standards from defense contractors. It

8037-636: The Navy, the chief of naval operations and vice chief of naval operations are admirals; for the Coast Guard the commandant of the coast guard and vice commandant of the coast guard are admirals; for the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, the Assistant Secretary for Health is an admiral if they hold an appointment to the regular corps. There are several exceptions to these limits allowing more than allotted within

8178-635: The Nuclear Navy." Subsequently, Rickover became chief of a new section in the Bureau of Ships , the Nuclear Power Division reporting to Mills. He began work with Alvin M. Weinberg , the Oak Ridge director of research, to initiate and develop the Oak Ridge School of Reactor Technology and to begin the design of the pressurized water reactor for submarine propulsion. In February 1949 he was assigned to

8319-447: The President's discretion during time of war or national emergency. Four-star grades go hand-in-hand with the positions of office they are linked to, so these ranks are temporary. Officers may only achieve four-star grade if they are appointed to positions that require the officer to hold such a rank. Their rank expires with the expiration of their term of office, which is usually set by statute. Admirals are nominated for appointment by

8460-518: The Rickover problem. Rickover's legendary achievements were in the past. His present viselike grip on much of the navy was doing it much harm. I had sought the job because I believed the navy had deteriorated to the point where its weakness seriously threatened our future security. The navy's grave afflictions included loss of a strategic vision; loss of self-confidence, and morale; a prolonged starvation of resources, leaving vast shortfalls in capability to do

8601-569: The Royal Academy of Natural Sciences and Arts of Barcelona. Salva's electrolyte telegraph system was very innovative though it was greatly influenced by and based upon two discoveries made in Europe in 1800—Alessandro Volta's electric battery for generating an electric current and William Nicholson and Anthony Carlyle's electrolysis of water. Electrical telegraphy may be considered the first example of electrical engineering. Electrical engineering became

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8742-408: The Secretary of Defense can defer a four-star officer's retirement until the officer's 66th birthday and the President can defer it until the officer's 68th birthday. Since there are a limited number of four-star slots available to each service, typically one officer must leave office before another can be promoted. Maintaining a four-star rank is a game of musical chairs ; once an officer vacates

8883-602: The Senate failed to give its usual perfunctory approval of the Navy admiral promotion list, and the press was outraged because Rickover's name was not on it. ... Ultimately an enlightened Secretary of the Navy, Robert B. Anderson , ordered a special selection board to sit. With some shuffling of feet it did what it had been ordered to do.... Ninety-five percent of Navy captains must retire regardless of how highly qualified because there are only vacancies for 5 percent of them to become admirals, and although vindictiveness has sometimes played

9024-531: The Soviet ones in the crucial area of stealth, and Rickover's obsessive fixation on safety and quality control gave the U.S. nuclear Navy a vastly superior safety record to the Soviet one. Given Rickover's single-minded focus on naval nuclear propulsion, design, and operations, it came as a surprise to many in 1982, near the end of his career, when he testified before the U.S. Congress that, were it up to him what to do with nuclear powered ships, he "would sink them all." At

9165-421: The U.S. Code can be waived in times of national emergency or war. Admiral ranks may also be given by act of Congress but this is extremely rare. Other than voluntary retirement, statute sets a number of mandates for retirement. Four-star officers must retire after 40 years of service unless reappointed to grade to serve longer. Otherwise all flag officers must retire the month after their 64th birthday. However,

9306-490: The U.S. Navy's continuing record of zero reactor accidents (defined as the uncontrolled release of fission products to the environment resulting from damage to a reactor core). He made it a point to be aboard during the initial sea trial of almost every nuclear submarine completing its new-construction period. Following the Three Mile Island accident on March 28, 1979, Admiral Rickover was asked to testify before Congress in

9447-408: The U.S. Navy's five-star fleet admirals— Leahy , King , Nimitz and Halsey —all of whom served on active duty for life after their appointments. Rickover's total of 63 years of active duty service makes him the longest-serving naval officer, as well as the longest-serving member of the U.S armed forces in history. Having become a naval engineering duty officer (EDO) in 1937 after serving as both

9588-419: The U.S. Navy. President Reagan was not in attendance. Rickover has been called "the most famous and controversial admiral of his era." He was hyperactive, blunt, confrontational, insulting, and a workaholic, always demanding of others without regard for rank or position. Moreover, he had "little tolerance for mediocrity, none for stupidity." Even while a captain, Rickover did not conceal his opinions, and many of

9729-814: The United States national and global future," Rickover founded the Center for Excellence in Education following his retirement in 1983. Additionally, Rickover founded the Research Science Institute (formerly the Rickover Science Institute) in 1984, a summer science program hosted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for high school seniors from around the world. In the early 1980s, structural welding flaws in submarines under construction were covered up by falsified inspection records, and

9870-549: The United States, Rickover developed a decades-long and outspoken interest in the educational standards of the US as being a national security issue, particularly as compared during the Cold War era to Soviet Russia . An example of his passion for education from his 1959 Report on Russia in the context of comparative educational systems: There is no room here (in nuclear powerplant development) for lofty theories which do not work out in practice. We would not get anywhere if we had

10011-416: The admiral's nearly insubordinate stance against paying the General Dynamics submarine construction claims, as well as his advanced age and waning political leverage. On July 27, 1981, Lehman was handed the final impetus for ending Rickover's career by way of an operational error on the admiral's part: a "moderate" loss of ship control and depth excursion while performing a submerged "crash back" maneuver during

10152-549: The amplifier tube, called the triode . In 1920, Albert Hull developed the magnetron which would eventually lead to the development of the microwave oven in 1946 by Percy Spencer . In 1934, the British military began to make strides toward radar (which also uses the magnetron) under the direction of Dr Wimperis, culminating in the operation of the first radar station at Bawdsey in August 1936. In 1941, Konrad Zuse presented

10293-815: The applications of computer engineering. Photonics and optics deals with the generation, transmission, amplification, modulation, detection, and analysis of electromagnetic radiation . The application of optics deals with design of optical instruments such as lenses , microscopes , telescopes , and other equipment that uses the properties of electromagnetic radiation. Other prominent applications of optics include electro-optical sensors and measurement systems, lasers , fiber-optic communication systems, and optical disc systems (e.g. CD and DVD). Photonics builds heavily on optical technology, supplemented with modern developments such as optoelectronics (mostly involving semiconductors ), laser systems, optical amplifiers and novel materials (e.g. metamaterials ). Mechatronics

10434-865: The building, who interceded successfully on his behalf. From 1929 to 1933, Rickover qualified for submarine duty and command aboard the submarines S-9 and S-48 . While aboard S-48 he was addressed a letter of commendation from the Secretary of the Navy "for rescuing Augustin Pasis… from drowning at the Submarine Base, Coco Solo , Canal Zone ." While at the Office of the Inspector of Naval Material in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania in 1933, Rickover translated Das Unterseeboot ( The Submarine ) by World War I German Imperial Navy Admiral Hermann Bauer . Rickover's translation became

10575-598: The commander of that command is also the Supreme Allied Commander , Europe. Officers serving in certain intelligence positions are not counted against either limit, including the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency . The President may also add admirals to the Navy if they are offset by removing an equivalent number of four-stars from other services. Finally, all statutory limits may be waived at

10716-534: The conclusion that the man was best understood with respect to a guiding principle that Rickover invoked foremost for both himself and those who served in the U.S. Navy's nuclear propulsion program: "exercise of the concept of responsibility." This is further evidenced by Rickover listing responsibility as his first principle in his final-years paper and speech, Thoughts on Man's Purpose in Life. Rickover's stringent standards are largely credited with being responsible for

10857-528: The conflict between Chinese and Japanese forces. On September 25, Rickover was promoted to lieutenant commander, retroactive to July 1. In October, his designation as an engineering duty officer became effective, and he was relieved of his three-month command of Finch at Shanghai on October 5, 1937. Rickover was assigned to the Cavite Navy Yard in the Philippines, and was transferred shortly thereafter to

10998-413: The cost and performance of a system and these two factors must be balanced carefully by the engineer. Once the transmission characteristics of a system are determined, telecommunication engineers design the transmitters and receivers needed for such systems. These two are sometimes combined to form a two-way communication device known as a transceiver . A key consideration in the design of transmitters

11139-510: The curvature of the Earth. Marconi later transmitted the wireless signals across the Atlantic between Poldhu, Cornwall , and St. John's, Newfoundland , a distance of 2,100 miles (3,400 km). Millimetre wave communication was first investigated by Jagadish Chandra Bose during 1894–1896, when he reached an extremely high frequency of up to 60   GHz in his experiments. He also introduced

11280-493: The design of devices to measure physical quantities such as pressure , flow , and temperature. The design of such instruments requires a good understanding of physics that often extends beyond electromagnetic theory . For example, flight instruments measure variables such as wind speed and altitude to enable pilots the control of aircraft analytically. Similarly, thermocouples use the Peltier-Seebeck effect to measure

11421-561: The design of new hardware . Computer engineers may also work on a system's software. However, the design of complex software systems is often the domain of software engineering, which is usually considered a separate discipline. Desktop computers represent a tiny fraction of the devices a computer engineer might work on, as computer-like architectures are now found in a range of embedded devices including video game consoles and DVD players . Computer engineers are involved in many hardware and software aspects of computing. Robots are one of

11562-577: The desired manner. To implement such controllers, electronics control engineers may use electronic circuits , digital signal processors , microcontrollers , and programmable logic controllers (PLCs). Control engineering has a wide range of applications from the flight and propulsion systems of commercial airliners to the cruise control present in many modern automobiles . It also plays an important role in industrial automation . Control engineers often use feedback when designing control systems . For example, in an automobile with cruise control

11703-420: The desired transport of electronic charge and control of current. The field of microelectronics involves a significant amount of chemistry and material science and requires the electronic engineer working in the field to have a very good working knowledge of the effects of quantum mechanics . Signal processing deals with the analysis and manipulation of signals . Signals can be either analog , in which case

11844-491: The end of the war he had won the rank of captain. He had also won a reputation as a man who gets things done. In December 1945, Rickover was appointed Inspector General of the 19th Fleet on the west coast, and was assigned to work with General Electric at Schenectady , New York , to develop a nuclear propulsion plant for destroyers. In 1946, an initiative was begun at the Manhattan Project 's Clinton Laboratory (now

11985-500: The first Department of Electrical Engineering in the United States. In the same year, University College London founded the first chair of electrical engineering in Great Britain. Professor Mendell P. Weinbach at University of Missouri established the electrical engineering department in 1886. Afterwards, universities and institutes of technology gradually started to offer electrical engineering programs to their students all over

12126-583: The future it is hoped the devices will help build tiny implantable medical devices and improve optical communication . In aerospace engineering and robotics , an example is the most recent electric propulsion and ion propulsion. Electrical engineers typically possess an academic degree with a major in electrical engineering, electronics engineering , electrical engineering technology , or electrical and electronic engineering. The same fundamental principles are taught in all programs, though emphasis may vary according to title. The length of study for such

12267-576: The general context of answering the question as to why naval nuclear propulsion had succeeded in achieving a record of zero reactor-accidents, as opposed to the dramatic one that had just taken place. The accident-free record of United States Navy reactor operations stands in some very stark contrast to those of the Soviet Union, which had fourteen known reactor accidents . As stated in a retrospective analysis in October 2007: U.S. submarines far outperformed

12408-589: The grade of admiral is the highest appointment an officer can achieve in the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, and the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. Formally, "Admiral" is always used when referring to a four-star admiral, and informally "Full Admiral", "Four-star Admiral" (or simply four-star), or "O-10" (in reference to pay grade). The informal terms are used to distinguish

12549-533: The grid, avoiding the costly exercise of having to generate their own. Power engineers may work on the design and maintenance of the power grid as well as the power systems that connect to it. Such systems are called on-grid power systems and may supply the grid with additional power, draw power from the grid, or do both. Power engineers may also work on systems that do not connect to the grid, called off-grid power systems, which in some cases are preferable to on-grid systems. Telecommunications engineering focuses on

12690-453: The international standardization of the units volt , ampere , coulomb , ohm , farad , and henry . This was achieved at an international conference in Chicago in 1893. The publication of these standards formed the basis of future advances in standardization in various industries, and in many countries, the definitions were immediately recognized in relevant legislation. During these years,

12831-408: The job; and too few ships to cover a sea so great, all resulting in cynicism, exhaustion, and an undercurrent of defeatism. The cult created by Admiral Rickover was itself a major obstacle to recovery, entwining nearly all the issues of culture and policy within the navy. Secretary Lehman eventually attained enough political clout to enforce his decision to retire Rickover. This was in part assisted by

12972-514: The loose, hazy thinking you encounter when you bring out the obvious failures of the American educational system. ... there are times when it is irresponsible to avoid criticizing something which one knows to be wrong and dangerous for the Nation as a whole. I feel that every one who has a position of responsibility in this country and who can see and understand what is happening not only has the right, he has

13113-399: The management skills of a project manager . The tools and equipment that an individual engineer may need are similarly variable, ranging from a simple voltmeter to sophisticated design and manufacturing software. Electricity has been a subject of scientific interest since at least the early 17th century. William Gilbert was a prominent early electrical scientist, and was the first to draw

13254-446: The mid-to-late 1950s, the term radio engineering gradually gave way to the name electronic engineering . Before the invention of the integrated circuit in 1959, electronic circuits were constructed from discrete components that could be manipulated by humans. These discrete circuits consumed much space and power and were limited in speed, although they are still common in some applications. By contrast, integrated circuits packed

13395-511: The multi-disciplinary design issues of complex electrical and mechanical systems. The term mechatronics is typically used to refer to macroscopic systems but futurists have predicted the emergence of very small electromechanical devices. Already, such small devices, known as microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), are used in automobiles to tell airbags when to deploy, in digital projectors to create sharper images, and in inkjet printers to create nozzles for high definition printing. In

13536-430: The navy repeatedly recommended to Congress that admiral ranks be created because the other navies of the world used them and American senior officers were "often subjected to serious difficulties and embarrassments in the interchange of civilities with those of other nations." Congress finally authorized nine rear admirals on July 16, 1862, although that was probably more for the needs of the rapidly expanding navy during

13677-519: The new Society of Telegraph Engineers (soon to be renamed the Institution of Electrical Engineers ) where he was regarded by other members as the first of their cohort. By the end of the 19th century, the world had been forever changed by the rapid communication made possible by the engineering development of land-lines, submarine cables , and, from about 1890, wireless telegraphy . Practical applications and advances in such fields created an increasing need for standardized units of measure . They led to

13818-453: The obligation and the duty to speak. ... This is why I feel so strongly about education—about our failure to give our children as good an education as they deserve and need. ... It is my considered opinion that there is no problem that faces the Congress or the country that is as important. Rickover believed that US standards of education were unacceptably low. His first book centered on education

13959-520: The officers whom he regarded as unintelligent eventually rose to be admirals and were assigned to the Pentagon. Rickover frequently found himself in bureaucratic combat with these senior naval officers, to the point that he almost missed becoming an admiral; two selection boards passed him over for promotion, and it took the intervention of the White House, U.S. Congress, and the Secretary of the Navy before he

14100-514: The passage of information with uncertainty ( electrical noise ). The first working transistor was a point-contact transistor invented by John Bardeen and Walter Houser Brattain while working under William Shockley at the Bell Telephone Laboratories (BTL) in 1947. They then invented the bipolar junction transistor in 1948. While early junction transistors were relatively bulky devices that were difficult to manufacture on

14241-401: The process developed devices for transmitting and detecting them. In 1895, Guglielmo Marconi began work on a way to adapt the known methods of transmitting and detecting these "Hertzian waves" into a purpose-built commercial wireless telegraphic system. Early on, he sent wireless signals over a distance of one and a half miles. In December 1901, he sent wireless waves that were not affected by

14382-399: The promotion flow. Electrical engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems that use electricity , electronics , and electromagnetism . It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the latter half of the 19th century after the commercialization of the electric telegraph ,

14523-500: The radio. According to former President Jimmy Carter , several weeks following his retirement, Rickover "was invited to the Oval Office and decided to don his full dress uniform. He told me that he refused to take a seat, listened to the president [Reagan] ask him to be his special nuclear advisor, replied 'Mr. President, that is bullshit,' and then walked out." The Navy's official investigation of General Dynamics' Electric Boat division

14664-615: The remainder of his life. Rickover had a high regard for the quality of the education he received at Columbia, as demonstrated in this excerpt from a speech he gave at the university some 52 years after attending: Columbia was the first institution that encouraged me to think rather than memorize. My teachers were notable in that many had gained practical engineering experience outside the university and were able to share their experience with their students. I am grateful, among others, to Professors Morecroft, Hehre, and Arendt. Much of what I have subsequently learned and accomplished in engineering

14805-692: The resulting scandal led to significant delays and expenses in the delivery of several submarines being built at the General Dynamics Electric Boat Division shipyard in Groton, Connecticut . The yard tried to pass on the vast cost overruns to the Navy, while Rickover demanded that the yard make good on its "shoddy" workmanship. The Navy settled with General Dynamics in 1981, paying out $ 634 million of $ 843 million in Los Angeles -class submarine cost overrun and reconstruction claims. Secretary of

14946-501: The sea trials of the newly constructed USS  La Jolla . Rickover was the actual man-in-charge during this specific performance test, and his actions and inactions were judged to have been the causal factor. On January 31, 1982, five weeks after his 82nd birthday, Rickover was forced to retire from the Navy after 63 years of service under 13 presidents ( Woodrow Wilson through Ronald Reagan ). According to Rickover, he first learned of his firing when his wife told him what she heard on

15087-421: The service's active-duty general or flag officers may have more than two stars, and statute sets the total number of four-star officers allowed in each service. This is set at 6 four-star Navy admirals. However, exceptions to this limit are made to meet operational needs. As of July 2020, there were 9 four star admirals serving on active duty with the U.S. Navy. Some of these slots are reserved by statute. For

15228-425: The signal varies continuously according to the information, or digital , in which case the signal varies according to a series of discrete values representing the information. For analog signals, signal processing may involve the amplification and filtering of audio signals for audio equipment or the modulation and demodulation of signals for telecommunications. For digital signals, signal processing may involve

15369-448: The sleeve arrangement was three stripes of three-quarter-inch lace alternating with three stripes of quarter-inch lace. It was some ten inches from top to bottom. The vice admiral, of course, had even more stripes and when Farragut became admiral in 1866, he had so many stripes they reached from his cuffs almost to his elbow. On their dress uniforms the admirals wore bands of gold embroidery of live oak leaves and acorns. The admirals of

15510-496: The statute. A Navy admiral serving as Chairman or Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff does not count against the Navy's flag-officer cap. A Navy admiral serving in one of several joint positions does not count against his or her service's four-star limit; these positions include the commander of a unified combatant command , the commander of U.S. Forces Korea , and the deputy commander of U.S. European Command but only if

15651-411: The study of electricity was largely considered to be a subfield of physics since early electrical technology was considered electromechanical in nature. The Technische Universität Darmstadt founded the world's first department of electrical engineering in 1882 and introduced the first-degree course in electrical engineering in 1883. The first electrical engineering degree program in the United States

15792-461: The telephone, and electrical power generation, distribution, and use. Electrical engineering is divided into a wide range of different fields, including computer engineering , systems engineering , power engineering , telecommunications , radio-frequency engineering , signal processing , instrumentation , photovoltaic cells , electronics , and optics and photonics . Many of these disciplines overlap with other engineering branches, spanning

15933-444: The temperature difference between two points. Often instrumentation is not used by itself, but instead as the sensors of larger electrical systems. For example, a thermocouple might be used to help ensure a furnace's temperature remains constant. For this reason, instrumentation engineering is often viewed as the counterpart of control. Computer engineering deals with the design of computers and computer systems . This may involve

16074-495: The tens of thousands; over 14,000 interviews were with recent college-graduates alone. The interviewees ranged from midshipmen and newly commissioned ensigns destined for nuclear-powered submarines and surface combatants, to very senior combat-experienced Naval Aviator captains who sought command of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. The content of most of these interviews has been lost to history, though some were later chronicled in several books on Rickover's career, as well as in

16215-478: The theoretical basis of alternating current engineering. The spread in the use of AC set off in the United States what has been called the war of the currents between a George Westinghouse backed AC system and a Thomas Edison backed DC power system, with AC being adopted as the overall standard. During the development of radio , many scientists and inventors contributed to radio technology and electronics. The mathematical work of James Clerk Maxwell during

16356-424: The use of semiconductor junctions to detect radio waves, when he patented the radio crystal detector in 1901. In 1897, Karl Ferdinand Braun introduced the cathode-ray tube as part of an oscilloscope , a crucial enabling technology for electronic television . John Fleming invented the first radio tube, the diode , in 1904. Two years later, Robert von Lieben and Lee De Forest independently developed

16497-557: The use of transformers , developed rapidly in the 1880s and 1890s with transformer designs by Károly Zipernowsky , Ottó Bláthy and Miksa Déri (later called ZBD transformers), Lucien Gaulard , John Dixon Gibbs and William Stanley Jr. Practical AC motor designs including induction motors were independently invented by Galileo Ferraris and Nikola Tesla and further developed into a practical three-phase form by Mikhail Dolivo-Dobrovolsky and Charles Eugene Lancelot Brown . Charles Steinmetz and Oliver Heaviside contributed to

16638-485: The vehicle's speed is continuously monitored and fed back to the system which adjusts the motor's power output accordingly. Where there is regular feedback, control theory can be used to determine how the system responds to such feedback. Control engineers also work in robotics to design autonomous systems using control algorithms which interpret sensory feedback to control actuators that move robots such as autonomous vehicles , autonomous drones and others used in

16779-596: The war, his service as head of the Electrical Section in the Bureau of Ships brought him a Legion of Merit and gave him experience in directing large development programs, choosing talented technical people, and working closely with private industry. Time magazine featured him on the cover of its January 11, 1954 issue. The accompanying article described his wartime service: Sharp-tongued Hyman Rickover spurred his men to exhaustion, ripped through red tape, drove contractors into rages. He went on making enemies, but by

16920-414: The world's first form of electric telegraphy , using 24 different wires, one for each letter of the alphabet. This telegraph connected two rooms. It was an electrostatic telegraph that moved gold leaf through electrical conduction. In 1795, Francisco Salva Campillo proposed an electrostatic telegraph system. Between 1803 and 1804, he worked on electrical telegraphy, and in 1804, he presented his report at

17061-553: The world. During these decades the use of electrical engineering increased dramatically. In 1882, Thomas Edison switched on the world's first large-scale electric power network that provided 110 volts— direct current (DC)—to 59 customers on Manhattan Island in New York City. In 1884, Sir Charles Parsons invented the steam turbine allowing for more efficient electric power generation. Alternating current , with its ability to transmit power more efficiently over long distances via

17202-514: Was "the best choice for a reactor to demonstrate the production of electricity" with Rickover "having a going organization and a reactor project under way that now had no specific use to justify it." This was a reference to the first core used at Shippingport originating from a cancelled nuclear-powered aircraft carrier . This was accepted by Lewis Strauss and the Commission in January 1954. Rickover

17343-481: Was a collection of essays calling for improved standards of education, particularly in math and science, entitled Education and Freedom (1959). In it, he stated that "education is the most important problem facing the United States today" and "only the massive upgrading of the scholastic standards of our schools will guarantee the future prosperity and freedom of the Republic." A second book, Swiss Schools and Ours (1962)

17484-421: Was a scathing comparison of the educational systems of Switzerland and America. He argued that the higher standards of Swiss schools, including a longer school day and year, combined with an approach stressing student choice and academic specialization produced superior results. Recognizing that "nurturing careers of excellence and leadership in science and technology in young scholars is an essential investment in

17625-624: Was already under development in other countries. My assigned responsibility was to develop our nuclear navy. I managed to accomplish this. When he was a child still living in Russian-occupied Poland, Rickover was not allowed to attend public schools because of his Jewish faith. Starting at the age of four, he attended a religious school where the teaching was solely from the Tanakh , i.e., Old Testament , in Hebrew . Following his formal education in

17766-562: Was anything but routine, and occurred only after an extraordinary chain of events: [Rickover's] peers in the Navy’s engineer branch thought to get rid of him through failure of promotion above captain. This would entail automatic retirement at the thirty-year mark. But someone made the case to the U.S. Senate, charged by the Constitution with formal confirmation of military promotions. In that year, 1953, two years before Nautilus first went to sea,

17907-401: Was appointed to the grade of admiral on the retired list so as to provide some clarity on this issue. This was also done to avoid affecting the maximum-authorized number of admirals (O-10) on the "active list." As head of Naval Reactors, Rickover's focus and responsibilities were dedicated to reactor safety rather than tactical or strategic submarine warfare training. However, this extreme focus

18048-435: Was considered active duty service, due in part to World War I . On June 2, 1922, Rickover graduated 107th out of 540 midshipmen and was commissioned as an ensign . He joined the destroyer La Vallette on September 5, 1922. Rickover impressed his commanding officer with his hard work and efficiency, and was made engineer officer on June 21, 1923, becoming the youngest such officer in the squadron . He next served on board

18189-449: Was ended shortly afterward. According to Theodore Rockwell, Rickover's Technical Director for more than 15 years, more than one source at that time stated that General Dynamics officials were bragging around Washington that they had "gotten Rickover." On February 28, 1983, a post-retirement party honoring Admiral Rickover was attended by all three living former U.S. Presidents at the time: Nixon , Ford , and Carter, all formerly officers in

18330-554: Was later publicly announced by a former General Dynamics employee on 60 Minutes with Mike Wallace that Rickover was right that General Dynamics was lying to the Navy, but by then Rickover's public image was already damaged. A Navy Ad Hoc Gratuities Board determined that Rickover had received gifts from General Dynamics over a 16-year period valued at $ 67,628, including jewelry, furniture, exotic knives, and gifts that Rickover had in turn presented to politicians. Charges were investigated that gifts were provided by General Electric and

18471-485: Was made a temporary captain . In late 1944 he appealed for a transfer to an active command. He was sent to investigate inefficiencies at the naval supply depot at Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania , then was appointed in July 1945 to command of a ship repair facility on Okinawa . Shortly thereafter, his command was destroyed by Typhoon Louise , and he subsequently spent some time helping to teach school to Okinawan children. Later in

18612-413: Was promoted to vice admiral in 1958, the same year that he was awarded the first of two Congressional Gold Medals . He exercised tight control for the next three decades over the ships, technology, and personnel of the nuclear Navy, interviewing and approving or denying every prospective officer being considered for a nuclear ship. Over the course of Rickover's career, these personal interviews numbered in

18753-431: Was promoted to vice admiral. Even after they died, Congress did not allow the promotion of any of the rear admirals to succeed them, so there were no more admirals or vice admirals by promotion until 1915 when Congress authorized an admiral and a vice admiral each for the Atlantic, Pacific and Asiatic Fleets. There was one admiral in the interim, however. In 1899, Congress recognized George Dewey 's accomplishments during

18894-457: Was promoted. Rickover's military authority and congressional mandate were absolute with regard to the U.S. fleet's reactor operations, but his controlling personality was frequently a subject of internal Navy controversy. He was head of the Naval Reactors branch, and thus responsible for signing off on a crew's competence to operate the reactor safely, giving him the power to effectively remove

19035-462: Was shown by the fact that the title of Carter's autobiography was based on a question that Rickover had asked Carter when the latter was in the Navy ("Why Not The Best?"). However, Secretary of the Navy John Lehman felt that Rickover was hindering the well-being of the navy. As Lehman stated in his book, Command of the Seas : One of my first orders of business as Secretary of the Navy would be to solve ...

19176-484: Was started at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the physics department under Professor Charles Cross, though it was Cornell University to produce the world's first electrical engineering graduates in 1885. The first course in electrical engineering was taught in 1883 in Cornell's Sibley College of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanic Arts . In about 1885, Cornell President Andrew Dickson White established

19317-486: Was that the navy did not have a one-star rank except briefly during World War II when Congress established a temporary war rank of commodore . The one-star rank was later established permanently in 1986. U.S. law limits the number of four-star admirals that may be on active duty at any time. The total number of active-duty flag officers is capped at 162 for the Navy. For the Army, Navy, and Air Force, no more than about 21% of

19458-454: Was the Intel 4004 , released in 1971. The Intel 4004 was designed and realized by Federico Faggin at Intel with his silicon-gate MOS technology, along with Intel's Marcian Hoff and Stanley Mazor and Busicom's Masatoshi Shima. The microprocessor led to the development of microcomputers and personal computers, and the microcomputer revolution . One of the properties of electricity is that it

19599-455: Was the driving force for shifting the Navy's initial focus from applications on destroyers to submarines. Rickover's vision was not initially shared by his immediate superiors: he was recalled from Oak Ridge and assigned "advisory duties" with an office in an abandoned ladies' room in the Navy Building. He subsequently went around several layers of superior officers, and in 1947 went directly to

19740-474: Was the first truly compact transistor that could be miniaturised and mass-produced for a wide range of uses. It revolutionized the electronics industry , becoming the most widely used electronic device in the world. The MOSFET made it possible to build high-density integrated circuit chips. The earliest experimental MOS IC chip to be fabricated was built by Fred Heiman and Steven Hofstein at RCA Laboratories in 1962. MOS technology enabled Moore's law ,

19881-552: Was well known during Rickover's era as a potential hindrance to balancing operational priorities. One way that this was addressed after Rickover retired was that only the very strongest, former at-sea submarine commanders have held Rickover's now unique eight-year position as NAVSEA-08 , the longest chartered tenure in the U.S. military. From Rickover's first replacement, Kinnaird R. McKee , to today's head of Naval Reactors, William J. Houston , all have held command of nuclear submarines, their squadrons and ocean fleets, but none have been

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