Remarks by Admiral F. L. “Skip” Bowman, U.S. Navy

50th Anniversary NAUTILUS Commissioning
Submarine Force Museum
Groton, Connecticut
Thursday, 30 September 2004 — 1100

Thank you, Jeff, for that warm introduction.

Admiral Wilkinson, Admiral Carr, Mrs. Rickover, officers and crew of USS NAUTILUS (SSN 571), past and present, all of you who have gathered to celebrate this great ship’s contribution to American naval history and to freedom, this icon of American sea power, ingenuity, and industry—thank you all for being here today.

As I stand on this deck and look out at this gathering of NAUTILUS alumni and many proud Americans, I’m awestruck by the realization that so much of what makes our Navy today the most powerful on Earth can be traced right here . . . to this very ship.

And what have we accomplished with the benefit, the blessing, of that great Navy? Merely, I would argue, the prosperity we enjoy today . . . the freedom and the security that is the United States . . . the fact that we prevailed in that long and difficult Cold War . . . just as we will prevail in this war on terror.

Many are the times I sailed the Thames River, our backdrop, aboard USS CITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI (SSN 705), both to sea to begin another submarine mission of vital importance to our Nation’s security . . . and, just as USS ALBUQUERQUE (SSN 706) did as she sailed by this morning, homebound with a proud sense of accomplishment for the Submarine Force, the Navy, and the American people.

But I was certainly not the first to ply these waters on an SSN, not the first to embark on a vital mission that only an SSN could accomplish—in fact, the sailors of this ship NAUTILUS had already blazed that trail.

As we do today, they were the first to demonstrate—and they did so convincingly—that the stealth, the endurance, and the agility of a nuclear-powered submarine (an “SSN”) would make this revolutionary warship and all SSNs that followed, crucial assets in an unstable world.

Just 2 months ago, I traveled down this river once again . . . this time on the maiden voyage of our newest submarine, VIRGINIA. Let me tell you, VIRGINIA is ready. She is our Navy’s only operational combatant specifically designed for today’s missions. However, it’s fitting today that we turn the calendar back a half-century and talk about NAUTILUS and the pioneers who sailed in her. Because without NAUTILUS, I again would argue, there could be no ALBUQUERQUE, no CITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI, and no VIRGINIA.

When you plankowners of NAUTILUS hoisted her commissioning pennant for the first time, much of our world suffered in the dark and growing shadow of communism, and two powerful armies faced each other across the plains of Europe. The Cold War dominated world events, with no resolution in sight.

Fifty years ago, this historic warship joined the Fleet, making clear that she was not simply an exercise in advanced engineering. She was transformation of the very highest order . . . a change that would forever alter the naval contribution to our national security. NAUTILUS earned her place in history alongside the ironclads MONITOR and VIRGINIA … the first flight at Kitty Hawk . . . and the aircraft carrier LANGLEY (CV-1).

We can begin to describe our NAUTILUS by using the words of Jules Verne’s fictitious Captain Nemo, who called his submarine “the perfection of vessels.” But in truth, all we can say of the fictitious Nautilus is that her creator was brilliantly imaginative.

Of our NAUTILUS, this NAUTILUS, we can certainly say that the inventors of that nuclear propulsion plant that made her a true submarine were a credit to American ingenuity and determination in the face of enormous obstacles. These were the men and women of Naval Reactors and the Bettis and Argonne laboratories, led by then-Captain Hyman G. Rickover.

• At a time when “atomic” meant bombs of unimaginable destructive power . . .
• When experiments in harnessing the power of the atom were just that—experiments . . .
• When there were no industries to manufacture the specialized materials, components, or machinery that would go into this hull . . .
• When there were no reactor physics textbooks, nor radiation shielding manuals, nor even knowledge of the effects of radiation. . .

Admiral Rickover took it upon himself to build a nuclear-powered submarine—a project that historian Francis Duncan called “the most significant naval engineering program of all time.”

Having succeeded in his task of turning an improbable idea into reality, he transformed naval warfare and distinguished himself as one of the greatest engineers of the 20th century.

Of our NAUTILUS, we can say that the craftsmen who built her were a credit to American skill and hard work. These were the artisans of Electric Boat, Westinghouse, and hundreds of other industry and Navy partners.

What an incredible achievement: little more than 4 years from Congressional authorization (July 1951)—just a little over 3 years from keel laying (14 June 1952)—to commissioning on September 30, 1954, NAUTILUS joined the Fleet, bringing radically new technologies and capabilities.

To recognize this triumph, 50 years ago today, the Commander of the Atlantic Fleet, Admiral Wright, stood on this same deck and proclaimed, "Today the Navy turns a channel marker in the course of history." How right his words proved to be.

And of our NAUTILUS, we can say that the pioneers who sailed in her were tireless in their efforts to master this totally new technology . . . and wholly committed to making this revolution in naval warfare a success. From the very first skippers, Dennis Wilkinson and William Anderson, and their crews; all the way through the last skipper, Dick Riddell, and his crew, this ship was manned by the best submariners in the world.

Why did then-Captain Rickover choose a submarine as the first nuclear-powered vessel?

• Historians tell us that Rickover chose a submarine because the combination of nuclear power and submarining would offer the greatest military utility. The reality is that Rickover wanted to make much more than an engineering contribution. He also understood the height of the mountain in naval warfare that was to be climbed.
• He chose a submarine because providing unlimited underwater endurance would make an enormous contribution to naval warfare. Additionally, the choice of a submarine offered the greatest engineering challenge—something his Naval Reactors team and the shipbuilders lived for.
• And most of all, he chose a submarine because he felt that submariners were best suited as the pioneers of the atomic age. He knew they were disciplined, tenacious men who understood the importance of attention to detail.

What prepared and disciplined them for the challenge ahead had nothing to do with nuclear power . . . but everything to do with being submariners. They had learned their skills under the influence of something even more powerful than nuclear energy: the culture of the Submarine Force—a heritage developed by men like Fluckey, O’Kane, Morton, and Street. Indeed, some of the NAUTILUS plankowners had seen combat in the Fleet boats of World War II, including Skipper Dennis Wilkinson.

They had the right stuff to take NAUTILUS and nuclear power to sea for the first time . . . and to operate an unforgiving technology. As Nemo said of his fictitious crew, we can also say of the men who sailed in this ship: “On the Nautilus, men’s hearts never fail them.”

When NAUTILUS joined the Fleet, a revolution was at hand. Captain Rickover correctly described her as “. . . not merely an improved submarine. She is the most potent and deadly submarine afloat. She is, in fact, a new weapon. Her impact on naval tactics and strategy may well approach that of the airplane.”

This is perhaps the only time that Admiral Rickover was guilty of understatement.

So in developing this submarine, Hyman Rickover not only distinguished himself as one of the greatest engineers in the 20th century, but now we realize he also distinguished himself as one of the greatest naval tacticians in history.

Dennis Wilkinson wrote of his ship and crew’s performance at sea, “The results of the tests so far conducted definitely indicate that a complete re-evaluation of submarine and anti-submarine strategy will be required. Its ultimate impact on Navy warfare should not be underestimated.”

NAUTILUS represented harnessing the power of the atom for useful work . . . in the same sense that a thoroughbred is harnessed.

This wondrous ship shattered submerged speed and endurance records. In the 84 hours of her shakedown cruise, she traveled submerged 1,300 miles to San Juan, Puerto Rico, averaging about 16 knots. In that journey, she traveled continuously submerged 10 times farther than any previous submarine; and 84 times longer than any submarine had done at such a high submerged speed.

Even today, so called “air independent propulsion” diesel submarines measure their stationary endurance in weeks . . . and conventionally-powered surface combatants measure theirs in days.

NAUTILUS steamed for 2 years and over 62,000 nautical miles—more than Jules Verne’s 20,000 leagues—on her first reactor core.

Because of her nuclear propulsion plant, NAUTILUS and her intrepid crew ventured into waters that were denied to every other vessel. Most famously, she reached the North Pole in 1958—in a daring adventure that captured headlines and gave the United States the strategic advantage of an entire ocean at the very top of the world.

But beyond the records, the pioneering firsts, and the headlines, NAUTILUS should be best known for frontline service in the cause of America’s security and freedom for nearly a quarter century and for half a million miles safely steamed on nuclear power.

Combining her speed and endurance with unmatched stealth that only nuclear propulsion could provide, NAUTILUS was the most capable warship of her generation. There can be no doubt that NAUTILUS and those who sailed in her transformed naval warfare. They blazed the trail for future nuclear attack and ballistic missile submarine missions that were a major factor in our Cold War victory over the Soviet Union.

The success of NAUTILUS changed the equations that described a superpower. The other world powers scrambled to join this club. The process and discipline established by Rickover has allowed the United States to maintain undersea warfare superiority for the last fifty years. We simply must continue the work begun with NAUTILUS.

Long after this Cold War victory . . . long after the Berlin Wall was pulled down . . . and long after her active service ended . . . the NAUTILUS legacy continues. Our modern nuclear-powered submarines—even that revolutionary VIRGINIA—can trace their unique and indispensable capabilities back to this ship; and our submariners of today proudly acknowledge their brotherhood with those you who sailed in NAUTILUS.

This ship, then, is a monument to everyone who participated in Admiral Rickover’s life’s work:

• All who helped design and build her hull, mechanical, and electrical systems . . .
• All who meticulously designed and built parts and components for those systems . . .
• All in Congress and the Atomic Energy Commission who supported this milestone event in history . . .
• And certainly all of you who sailed in her.

All of these great Americans conquered a new frontier, affirmed the very highest standards of professionalism, and changed our Navy and the world forever. To those of you, VADM Wilkinson and the crews who sailed her, in this audience who were part of these heroic efforts, our country salutes you, and I salute you.