Naval History and Heritage Command

Chaim G. Rickover was born 27 January 1900 in Maków Mazowiecki, Kingdom of Poland [Poland]. Four years later, Rickover, his mother and sister fled and outbreak of anti-Semitic pogroms and joined his father Abraham in New York City. In 1908 the Rickover family again moved westward to Chicago, Illinois. Upon his high school graduation in February 1918, Rep. Adolph Sabath (D-Ill.) nominated Rickover for appointment to the United States Naval Academy. Initially only a third alternate for appointment, Rickover nevertheless passed the entrance examination and entered the Academy on 29 June 1918. Four years later, he graduated 107th out of a class of 540, with the Naval Academy Class of 1922 and was commissioned ensign.

Assigned to the destroyer La Vallette (DD-315) home-ported at San Diego, Calif., Rickover briefly returned home to Chicago on leave before traveling to New York and boarding the transport Argonne (AP-4) on 16 July 1922. Unfortunately, his ship was at sea when Rickover arrived on the west coast on 13 August, and the Navy temporarily assigned him to the destroyer Percival (DD-298). Detached from temporary duty approximately a week later, Rickover boarded the storeship Arctic (AF-7), steamed northward to San Francisco, Calif., and reported for duty on board La Vallette on 5 September 1922.

Assigned the duties of assistant torpedo officer, commissary officer and supply officer and watch officer, Rickover spent his precious few off-duty hours reading, or studying La Vallette’s propulsion system, dedication that contributed to his appointment as the ship’s engineering officer on 21 June 1923. Over the next several months, the destroyer steamed southward along the South American coast, through the Panama Canal and into the Caribbean. Unfortunately, after La Vallette returned to San Diego in April 1924, Rickover fell ill. Relieved of his duties as engineering officer in August, he reported to the Mare Island Naval Hospital in Vallejo, Calif., a month later. Detached on 5 November 1924, he took leave for the remainder of the year.

On 21 January 1925, Rickover reported to his next duty station, the battleship Nevada (BB-36). Unfortunately, his illness quickly returned, forcing him to transfer to the hospital ship Relief (AH-1) for treatment on 1 May and his return to San Diego a month later. He returned to the ship in September and served as her electrical officer until April 1927.

On 28 April 1927, Rickover detached from Nevada and reported to the Naval Postgraduate School in Annapolis. After a year’s instruction, he traveled north to New York and earned a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Columbia University.

In 1929, Rickover received orders to report to the battleship California (BB-44) as her electrical officer. Because he had already served in that position, he requested that his orders be changed, and subsequently volunteered for the submarine branch. Shortly after he reported to the submarine base at New London, Conn., the Navy temporarily assigned Rickover to S-9 (SS-114) on 10 October until the start of the next submarine training course in January 1930.

Shortly after his successful completion of the six-month submarine training course, on 21 June 1930, the Navy assigned Rickover to S-48 (SS-159) as the boat’s engineer and electrical officer. After several months of rather uneventful service, on February 20, 1931, S-48 got underway from New London en route to the Panama Canal. Just over a week later, the boat moored at the submarine base at Coco Solo, C.Z., on 1 March. Two months later, Rickover was promoted to the boat’s executive officer and navigator. Later that fall, he took leave, returned to the United States and married Dr. Ruth Masters, PhD., in Litchfield, Conn., a union that would produce one son, Robert.

After three years of submarine service, Rickover was relieved as S-48’s executive officer on 2 June 1933 and assigned to the Office of the Inspector of Naval Material for the next two years. Despite once again being reassigned to sea duty in 1935, Rickover did not return to the submarine service. Instead, he served as the assistant engineering officer on board the battleship New Mexico (BB-40) until June 1937.

Promoted to the rank of lieutenant commander, Rickover assumed command of the minesweeper Finch (AM-9) on 17 July 1937. Assigned to the Asiatic Fleet and homeported in Tsingtao, China, Rickover took command of his ship only ten days after the Incident at Marco Polo Bridge sparked war between the Japanese and Chinese, hostilities that spread to Shanghai in August. Unfortunately, his shipboard command proved short lived. Relieved on 5 October 1937, the Navy re-assigned Rickover to the Cavite Navy Yard, Philippine Islands, where he would spend the next two years.

In August 1939, Rickover returned to the United States and reported to the Bureau of Engineering in Washington, D.C., where he would spend most of World War II. Shortly before the end of the war in the Pacific, in July 1945, the Navy finally gave him command of the ship repair facility at Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands. After the end of the war, Rickover became the Nineteenth Fleet inspector general in San Francisco, Calif.

In May 1946, the Navy assigned Rickover to the Manhattan Project at Oak Ridge, Tenn. Several months later, in November, he addressed the Submarine Officer’s Conference and forcefully advocated the construction of nuclear-powered submarines. Less than a year later, Rickover returned to Washington as a member of Rear Adm. Earle Mills’ staff at the Bureau of Ships (BuShips).

Frustrated by the Atomic Energy Commission’s lack of interest in nuclear naval propulsion, on 4 August 1948, Mills established a Nuclear Power Branch, led by Rickover, within BuShips. Rickover added to his responsibilities in February 1949 when the Atomic Energy Commission appointed him to their Division of Reactor Development.

Despite having already been passed over for promotion twice, Rickover was selected for promotion to rear admiral on 1 July 1953. While on active duty, he would be promoted once again to vice admiral on 24 October 1958. After 63 years of service, he retired from the Navy on 31 January 1982. He passed away in Arlington, Virginia on 8 July 1986 and was buried in section five, grave 7000 at Arlington National Cemetery three days later.

(SSN-709: displacement 6,090 tons (surfaced), 6,927 tons (submerged); length 360'; beam 33'; draft 32'; speed 20+ knots (surfaced), 20+ knots (submerged); compliment 134; armament 4 21-inch torpedo tubes; class Los Angeles)

Hyman G. Rickover (SSN-709) was laid down on 23 July 1981 at Groton, Conn., by the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corp.; launched on 27 August 1983, and sponsored by Cmdr. Eleonore Bednowicz Rickover, USN (Ret.), wife of Adm. Hyman G. Rickover.

Commissioned at the Submarine Base, New London, Groton, Conn, on 21 July 1984, Capt. Fredrik Spruitenburg in command, Hyman G. Rickover conducted a brief shakedown in the waters off New England. On 6 August, the submarine headed southward for the Caribbean Sea, where she conducted weapons system accuracy tests and made port calls at Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico (10-15 August), and Frederiksted, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands (17-20 August). She subsequently successfully completed Mk. 48 torpedo firing certification tests from 30 October-2 November before making a port visit to Cape Canaveral, Fla., from 3-7 November. After departing the Sunshine State, the submarine steamed northward, successfully completed her first Operational Reactor Safeguards Evaluation (ORSE) on 11-12 December and then moored at the Submarine Base, New London, for the next several months.

On 3 May 1985, the Navy assigned Hyman G. Rickover to Submarine Squadron (SubRon) Eight. Shortly thereafter, the submarine got underway and steamed southward for additional weapons and systems tests, as well as port visits to Port Everglades, Fla. (31 May-1 June), Roosevelt Roads (4-10 June) and St. Croix (11-16 June). At the conclusion of these tests she steamed to her new homeport at Naval Station Norfolk, Norfolk, Va.

Hyman G. Rickover got underway from Norfolk on her first deployment to the Mediterranean Sea on 25 October 1985. While on deployment, she made port calls at Naples (13-17 December) and La Maddalena, Italy (19-31 December). Following a January 1986, ORSE in which she scored above average, the submarine moored alongside the submarine tender Proteus (AS-19) at La Maddalena from 7-25 February for routine maintenance and a port call. She subsequently made a port call at Toulon, France (8-11 March) prior to setting a course for the United States. She returned home to Norfolk on 21 March 1986.

The submarine stood out of Norfolk again on 5 May 1986, for exercises with Norfolk (SSN-714), Phoenix (SSN-702) and the destroyer Caron (DD-970). She subsequently made port calls at Cape Canaveral (19-21 May) and Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., (28-30 May). After her departure from south Florida, Hyman G. Rickover steamed northward and made a short port call at Charleston, S.C. on 3 June. For most of the remainder of the month, she served as a training boat for Midshipmen from the Naval Academy and the Naval Reserve Midshipmen’s School. On 27 June, the submarine interrupted her training schedule and conducted a dependents cruise for 87 friends and family members of her crew.

Throughout July 1986, Hyman G. Rickover successfully completed nuclear weapons certification, torpedo proficiency certification and Mk. 48 torpedo service weapons tests. In early August, she stood out from Norfolk and proceeded northward. During the cruise, the submarine made port visits at New London (7 and 13 August) and Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada (10-12 August.) She subsequently returned to Norfolk, moored alongside Emory S. Land (AS-39) and prepared for deployment throughout September.

On 17 October 1986, Hyman G. Rickover departed Norfolk on her second deployment, a two-month anti-submarine warfare operation, at the conclusion of which, the submarine made a port visit to Faslane, Scotland (24-28 November.) She returned to Norfolk and ended the patrol on 11 December. For her performance during the year, she received the Atlantic Fleet Golden Anchor Award and SubRon Eight’s anti-submarine warfare white “A” and engineering red “E” awards.

Hyman G. Rickover got underway again, in company with Atlanta (SSN-712) and Jacksonville (SSN-699) on 5 January 1987. She returned to Norfolk just over three weeks later, on 25 January and began a Selected Restricted Availability (SRA) that included drydocking in the medium auxiliary floating dry dock Resolute (AFDM-10). With repairs completed, she returned to the fleet that spring.

On 25 May 1987, the submarine departed Norfolk along with the guided missile frigate John L. Hall (FFG-32) and the guided missile cruiser Wainwright (CG-28) for Fleet Exercise (FleetEx) 2-87. During the evolution, Hyman G. Rickover acted as an aggressor submarine against Saratoga (CV-60), after which she served as a torpedo target for Boston (SSN-703), conducted Tomahawk Land Attack Cruise Missile training off Puerto Rico, as well as two weapons tests off Eglin Air Force Base and Port Everglades. Later that summer, she served as an aggressor submarine against the battleship Iowa (BB-61) during FleetEx 3-87. She ended the summer with a dependents’ cruise for 78 family members and friends of the crew, including the ship’s sponsor. Following the cruise, she returned to Norfolk and spent the remainder of the month moored alongside the tender Hunley (AS-31).

Hyman G. Rickover departed Norfolk on 8 September 1987 and proceeded to Groton for refresher training for her crew and a three-day rapid deployment exercise. She returned to her homeport in mid-September and remained there for the next month. On 14 October, the submarine departed on a two-month deployment highlighted by a port visit to Holy Loch, Scotland. She ended the patrol and moored in Norfolk on 21 December.

After spending the holidays in port, Hyman G. Rickover deployed on 8 February 1988 in support of operations conducted by Patrol Wing Eleven. In early March, she steamed northward into the Gulf of Maine and served as a training target for Norfolk. Approximately three weeks later, on 25 March, she began two-weeks training for another ORSE, which she successfully completed with an above average grade. Following that, the submarine participated with the Forrestal (CV-59) Battle Group in FleetEx 1-88 and exercise Ocean Venture (1-22 April). At the conclusion of the exercise, she enjoyed a two-day port visit at St. Croix (23-24 April) before returning home to Norfolk and mooring alongside the tender Hunley (AS-31).

In early June 1988, Hyman G. Rickover stood out of Norfolk for multiple training exercises. Over the next three weeks, the submarine provided target services for Baton Rouge (SSN-663), Ray (SSN-653) and Gallery (FFG-26). Near the end of the month, she moored at Port Everglades for a three-day port call (21-24 June) before once again returning to Norfolk.

After a month of pre-deployment upkeep alongside Hunley, on 10 November 1988, Hyman G. Rickover proceeded to Groton for refresher training. On 30 December, the submarine began a five-month deployment. While underway, the submarine conducted multiple exercises and seven special operations. Because of the length of the deployment, she conducted three upkeep periods (3-9 February, 6-13 March and 25 April-12 May) moored at La Maddalena, and made port visits at Toulon (15-20 March), Ashdod, Israel (10-14 April) and Naples, Italy (19-24 April). For her performance during this deployment, Commander, Sixth Fleet (ComSixthFlt) awarded Hyman G. Rickover the prestigious “Hook ‘Em” award for ASW excellence. Commander, Submarine Force Mediterranean stated that during her deployment the boat “set the standard by which other submarines in the Mediterranean are being measured.”

Hyman G. Rickover departed the Mediterranean on 17 May 1989 and began a ten-day exercise with the America (CV-66) Battle Group. She subsequently completed another ORSE before returning to Norfolk. Shortly after her return, the submarine began a lengthy maintenance period.

In early August 1989, the submarine returned to duty and deployed for approximately three weeks of training exercises. She subsequently steamed to the waters off Puerto Rico and participated in Fleet Ex 4-89 from 24 August-9 September before returning to Norfolk.

Following a three-week maintenance period, Hyman G. Rickover participated in exercises with the Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) Battle Group, before enjoying a port call at Cape Canaveral from 7-10 October. The submarine subsequently returned home and spent the remainder of the year in SRA.

Hyman G. Rickover returned to the fleet and began several weeks of training off the coast of Virginia in early January 1990. On 21 March, she deployed for an extended cruise in the North Atlantic which involved “operations vital to the security of the United States.” While deployed, the submarine made port calls at Holy Loch (28-29 May), Portsmouth, United Kingdom (31 May-7 June) and Brest, France (8-12 June). The boat ended the deployment and moored in Norfolk on 29 June.

After a five-week maintenance period, Hyman G. Rickover returned to the fleet in August 1990 and conducted exercises with the John F. Kennedy (CV-67) Battle Group, followed by a port call at Cape Canaveral (24-27 August.) She subsequently steamed northward to Annapolis, Md., where she provided tours and training to Naval Academy Midshipmen from 1-6 September. She then underwent a Defense Nuclear Safety Inspection, which necessitated port calls at Cape Canaveral (20-22 September) and Port Everglades (25-29 October). After the conclusion of the nuclear safety inspection, the boat conducted training operations in the waters off the Sunshine State and made three port calls at Roosevelt Roads (5-7 November, 11-13 November followed by a short visit on 16 November). She finally returned home to Norfolk on 20 November and began five weeks of upkeep and maintenance.

On 6 February 1991, Hyman G. Rickover got underway from Norfolk en route to the North Atlantic. During her three-month patrol, the submarine made port calls at Rosyth, Scotland (10-12 April), Rotterdam, Netherlands (15-19 April) and Lisbon, Portugal (23-26 April). She ended the patrol and moored in Norfolk on 10 May.

After a brief upkeep period, Hyman G. Rickover spent the majority of June and July supporting training operations for Asheville (SSN-758), Atlanta, Minneapolis-St. Paul (SSN-708) and Baton Rouge. After a brief port call at Port Everglades (18-21 June) she briefly returned to Norfolk before steaming to Charleston for a midshipman training cruise (17-20 August).

On 31 January 1992, Hyman G. Rickover entered Dry Dock No. 2 at Norfolk Naval Shipyard for overhaul and modernization. Beginning on 1 March, the boat received multiple upgrades to her BQQ-5D sonar system, TB-23 towed array, communications systems and her Electronic Suspended Gyro Navigation (ESGN) system.

Nearly a year after she entered the shipyard, Hyman G. Rickover began post-overhaul sea trials on 6 February 1993. Later that month, she conducted a week-long exercise with America before mooring in Bermuda on 5 March for a four-day port call. She subsequently proceeded to Port Everglades, where she conducted a Weapons Systems Acceptance Test from 12-22 March. On 12 April, the submarine entered dry dock for maintenance and would not put to sea again for another three months.

In July 1993, Hyman G. Rickover finally put to sea once again for sonar training with Miami (SSN-755) and a four-day port visit to Port Everglades (16-20 July). She subsequently underwent a month of weapons certifications tests and sound trials before returning to Norfolk in September. On 6 October the submarine departed on a dependents cruise to Port Everglades, where she participated in the Broward County Navy Day festivities from 9-12 October. She subsequently returned to Norfolk where she remained for the rest of the year.

On 3 January 1994, Hyman G. Rickover stood out to sea on a dependents cruise once again and set course for Naval Submarine Base, Kings Bay, Georgia. She arrived off the Peach State two days later and immediately entered dry dock for repairs to her sonar dome.

Repairs completed, Hyman G. Rickover returned to sea on 21 January 1994. The next day, the submarine joined the George Washington (CVN-73) Battle Group for a Composite Training Unit Exercise (ComTUEx) and FleetEx 1-94 off Puerto Rico until 9 February. She subsequently made a port visit to Roosevelt Roads before returning home to Norfolk.

On 20 May 1994, Hyman G. Rickover deployed alongside the rest of the George Washington battle group en route to the Mediterranean. Over the next six months, the submarine participated in NATO exercises Swordfish (10-14 June) and Dynamic Guard (29 September-15 October). She also made port visits to La Maddalena (18-26 July, 16-24 September, 17-30 October); Lisbon, Portugal (2-9 June) for festivities commemorating the 600th birthday of Infante Dom Henrique of Portugal, Duke of Visu, better known as Prince Henry the Navigator; Gibraltar (7-14 July); Naval Support Activity, Souda Bay, Crete, Greece (5-10 August); Toulon for festivities commemorating the 50th anniversary of the liberation of southern France during World War II (16-19 August) and Taranto, Italy (26-29 September). She departed the Mediterranean on 14 November, completed an ORSE and moored in Norfolk three days later. The submarine spent the remainder of the year, and the first three months of 1995 in port or conducting local operations.

On 28 March 1995, Hyman G. Rickover entered Norfolk Naval Shipyard for overhaul. She returned to the sea once again on 12 June for sea trials and Midshipmen training exercises. The submarine enjoyed a port call at Cape Canaveral (30 June-4 July), where she embarked friends and family for a dependents cruise back to Norfolk.

In August 1995, Hyman G. Rickover deployed for training operations in Narragansett Bay as well as a lengthy port visit at Groton (18 August-1 September). She subsequently returned to Norfolk and spent the remainder of the year preparing for deployment.

On 10 January 1996, Hyman G. Rickover proceeded out of Norfolk en route to the North Atlantic, where she completed Passing Exercise 1-96, followed by a port visit to Haakansvern, Norway (13-17 March) followed by a two-day VIP cruise for Norwegian Minister of Defense Jørgen Kosmo. She returned home on 30 March.

After two months in port, Hyman G. Rickover got underway again in early June 1996 and conducted nearly three weeks of midshipman training exercises off Cape Canaveral from 3-27 June. She subsequently returned to Norfolk, until Hurricane Bertha forced her back to sea for three days (11-14 July).

On 12 September 1996, Hyman G. Rickover got underway and set course for the waters off Cape Canaveral. Over the next two weeks, the submarine conducted multiple exercises, including a test launch of a Tomahawk TLAM. She returned to the waters off Florida for additional exercises from 3-22 November. For her performance in 1996, the boat earned the SubRon Eight Battle Efficiency “E” and Golden Anchor awards.

Hyman G. Rickover spent the first quarter of 1997 conducting local operations in the Virginia capes, followed by a training cruise up the Atlantic coast that was highlighted by port visits at Halifax (18-21 May) and Groton (24 May-9 June).

On 6 December 1997, Hyman G, Rickover began a three-month deployment to the North Atlantic. During the cruise, the submarine made port visits at Tromsø, Norway (19-23 January) and Brest (9-16 March) and completed an ORSE before returning to Norfolk on 28 March 1998. Following a lengthy post-deployment stand down, on 26 May 1998 she began a three-week ASW exercise. Following the conclusion of the exercise, the submarine made a port call at Port Everglades (17-22 June) before returning home. She subsequently conducted several midshipman training exercises and a dependents cruise (18 July) followed by a six-week upkeep period.

On 23 September 1998, Hyman G. Rickover steamed northward and anchored in the Chesapeake Bay. Over the next five days, the submarine conducted tours for over 700 Americans, including historians from the Naval Historical Center. She got underway again on 28 September for CNO Project Testing, highlighted by two port visits to Roosevelt Roads (30 October-3 November and 7-9 November).

On 1 January 1999, Hyman G. Rickover entered Norfolk Naval Shipyard for a scheduled overhaul. She returned to the sea just over three months later, on 6 April. On 9 July, the boat steamed to Groton for two weeks of pre-deployment training followed by a POM upkeep (6 August-13 September), acoustic trials and pre-overseas movement certification (15-23 November).

Hyman G. Rickover deployed en route to the North Atlantic on 10 December 1999. Over the next several months she conducted independent operations and made port visits at Bergen, Norway (17-21 February 2000), Faslane (2-15 March), Tromsø (6-7 April) and Wilhelmshaven, Germany (18-22 May) before returning home. She subsequently conducted multiple local training operations throughout the summer as well as a dependents cruise from 18-21 July. Later that fall, the submarine underwent a two-month long SRA.

Hyman G. Rickover spent the majority of the first quarter in dry dock for a resin discharge. She returned to the sea again in May and enjoyed a port call at Cape Canaveral (18-21 May 2001). Several months later, on 5 October, the boat deployed en route to the North Atlantic. She once again made a port call at Faslane (19 November-4 December), as well as the Norwegian cities of Tromsø (14-18 December) and Bergen (28 January-5 February 2002). She ended the patrol and moored in Norfolk on 5 April.

Following her return, the submarine remained in port until June 2002. From 20-24 June, Hyman G. Rickover made a port call at Cape Canaveral, after which she conducted a training exercise with Philadelphia (SSN-690). The submarine conducted the exercise and entered dry dock at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard on 22 August. She remained there for the remainder of the year.

Hyman G. Rickover exited the shipyard and began four days of sea trials on 9 January. After a brief return to Norfolk Naval Shipyard, she conducted a second trial from 26-28 January. For the next two months the boat alternated maintenance periods and local operations, including the completion of acoustic trials (3-6 February) and TRE (14-17 March.). Just over two months later, on 20 May, the boat proceeded to Groton for pre-deployment training. Following the completion of training on 5 June, she completed another ORSE and returned to Norfolk.

On 10 October 2003, Hyman G. Rickover deployed from Norfolk en route to the North Atlantic. She once again made port calls to Tromsø (18-21 November and 2-12 February 2004) and Portsmouth (2-17 December). The submarine returned home and moored in Norfolk on 10 April. Over the next several months, she conducted local operations, including a Nuclear Weapons Acceptance Inspection (6-8 July), a Quality Assurance Service Test (10-15 July) and Operation Smart Search ̍̍04 (24 August-6 September). On 1 October, she entered Norfolk Naval Shipyard Dry Dock No. 1 and remained there into the New Year.

Hyman G. Rickover deployed to the North Atlantic on her final patrol on 1 June 2006. During the patrol she made port calls at Haakonsvern, Norway and Faslane before returning to Norfolk on 11 October.

Just over two months after her return to Norfolk, the Navy inactivated the submarine on 14 December 2006. She was decommissioned on 17 December 2007 at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, Kittery, Maine.

Christopher J. Martin

27 May 2020