Rickover: The Birth of Nuclear Power

Overview

Dive into the life of the father of the nuclear Navy: Hyman Rickover. Combative, provocative, and blunt, Admiral Hyman G. Rickover was a flamboyant maverick and a unique American hero. When few thought it possible, then-Captain Rickover harnessed the power of the atom to drive the first nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, whose trip under the polar ice pack was one of the great adventure stories of the 1950s. Later, Rickover built the world's first nuclear aircraft carrier and the first commercial nuclear power plant at Shippingport, PA. Rickover's achievements made him into a national celebrity, and he appeared on the cover of Time magazine. Many wonder whether America can maintain its technological pre-eminence and whether we can still build and manage large-scale projects. To understand these issues, Rickover considers the story of the man who created the nuclear Navy as well as the civilian nuclear power industry: Hyman G. Rickover.

Where to Watch

Stream

PBS Documentaries Amazon Channel

Free

KanopyHoopla

Rent

Amazon VideoApple TV StoreGoogle Play MoviesYouTube

Buy

Amazon VideoApple TV StoreGoogle Play MoviesYouTube

View all watch options

Powered by JustWatch

Trailer

Cast

Joan Allen

Narrator (voice)

Michael Stewart Allen

Dunford

Joel Briel

Caspar Weinberger

James Cronin

Chief of Staff

Jonathan Fielding

Midshipman #1

Jonathan Forte

Rickover's Aide

Antony Hagopian

Anderson

Torsten N. Hillhouse

Beach

Lauren Hubbell

Engineer #2

David Lavine

Ted Rockwell