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71 comments on "Energy Resources and Our Future" - Speech by Hyman Rickover in 1957

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westexas on June 30, 2007 - 12:08pm Permalink | Subthread | Comments top

Not really relevant to Peak Oil, but the "Rickover Interviews" were legendary in the Navy. Rickover insisted on personally interviewing candidates for the Navy nuclear power program, and there was no way to predict what would happen.

At one time, I was on track for a Rickover interview, majoring in nuclear engineering, on a Navy scholarship at Texas A&M, and we heard lots of the stories of interviews with midshipmen and newly commissioned ensigns. (I decided to change majors and major in geophysics.)

In any case, one story we heard went as follows: ensign walks in and sits down. Rickover stares at ensign for a few moments. Rickover says, "Make me mad." Befuddled ensign says "Sir?" Rickover says, "Make me mad, or you are out of the program." Ensign scatters papers around Rickover's desk. Rickover: "You haven't made me mad yet." Ensign see prized model of the USS Nautilus (first nuclear powered submarine), grabs the model and breaks it in two. Rickover: "Now you've made me mad; get out of here." The ensign was accepted into the program.

There is wide disagreement in the nuclear Navy about the Rickover legacy, but it's hard to argue with the Navy's nuclear power plant safety record.

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Mad Max-Out on June 30, 2007 - 1:20pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

I went into the US Navy's nuke programme but washed out and ended up as a "hole snipe". Someone's got to operate the ship's powerplant system! Talk about wasting fossil fuel energy. I was on the USS Belknap (license plate:CG-26) for 4 years as it was used as the 6'th Fleet flagship.

One fine day, we did an "economy run" to check the optimum heating oil mileage. It got 15 miles per 1,000 gallons of fuel. It used F-76, or what we would call No-1 heating oil. But it could JP-5, jet fuel. Fun hint: The JP-5 was also used for diesel-driven liberty boats and emergency generators. This is why I frequently call jet fuel diesel.

Shortly before I left (April 2 1992 @ time 1600) the US Navy was starting to go "single-fuel". That is, use the one and the same fuel for diesel engines, the Tomcats, and the ships. This is why I consider jet fuel, diesel, and heating oil to be all the same substance. Also, I once knew a bloke from Michigan who mentioned that home heating oil works in diesel vehicles but is made red with a dye. That only verified what I already knew about the "JP-5". The US Navy sure will succeed.

Because the three fuels are effectively one and the same, I get to check the newspaper and look up "heating oil" and know what the airlines pay for their diesel to run the jet planes. Fun fact: The military will use "JP-4" which is a mix of petrol and diesel so it won't solidify in the cold of very high altitude. That is the stuff Steve Fossett used when he drove around the world in his plane on one load of fuel. (one "tank of gas")

The result? If I were to drive a Lear Jet or similar plane, I'd be liable to say "Fill 'er up with 800 gallons of diesel, mate!".

Petrol prices high enough yet? Just wait!

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The Chimp Who Can Drive on June 30, 2007 - 5:07pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top

he probably figured if the kid could make him mad, he would not be likely to be they typical "yes man" just looking to get by and not make waves.

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71 comments on "Energy Resources and Our Future" - Speech by Hyman Rickover in 1957

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