The Development of Nuclear Propulsion in the Royal Navy, 1946-1975/История разработки ядерной энергии в качестве двигателя в Королевском Военно-Морском флоте, 1946-1975 гг.

Книга на английском языке
This book examines the development of nuclear propulsion in the Royal Navy from the first proposal in 1946 to the start-up of the last core improvement for the first submarine reactor power plant PWR 1 in December 1974. Drawing from unreleased records and archives, the book answers questions around three main themes. Political: what problems were encountered in transferring nuclear knowledge from the USA to the UK in the post-war period, and how much support was there for the development of nuclear propulsion? Military: why was there a requirement to develop nuclear propulsion, and in particular, why submarines? Technical: were the problems associated with nuclear energy fully appreciated, and did the UK have the technical and engineering capability to develop nuclear propulsion? Aside from the political considerations and military motives for developing nuclear propulsion in the Royal Navy, the author focuses on the technical problems that had to be overcome by all participants in theRoyal Navy’s development of nuclear propulsion, adding significantly to naval historiography. Providing a critical analysis of the political, technological, operational and industrial issues of introducing nuclear propulsion into the Royal Navy, the author situates his research in the context of the evolving Cold War, changing Anglo-American relations.

Contents
1 Introduction
Overview
Chapters
Literature Review
Nuclear Historiography
The Nuclear Submarine in Context
Summary
2 Improving the Submersible
Introduction of World War II Submarine Developments
The Soviet Submarine Threat
Conversions to “Fast Battery Drive”
HTP and Air-Independent Engines
The Discovery of Nuclear Fission and Its Application to Submarines
Discussions on the Development of the Nuclear “Engine”
3 The Nuclear Option
Tube Alloys, US Cooperation and the McMahon Act
Acquiring an Experienced Team
Harwell and the Admiralty
Initial Considerations
The Mark I Enriched Reactor
Metropolitan-Vickers and the Problem of Scale
The End of the Beginning
4 The Pressurised Water Reactor
The Reactor Technical Challenge
The Brontosaurus in the Museum: Qiiality Assurance
Industry Joins the Project
Miracle Metals
The Fuel Element Decision
Neptune: The Zero Energy Experimental Reactor
5 HMS/m Dreadnought
Admiral Hyman G. Rickover USN
What Price Exchange of Information?
The Offers to Purchase a US Submarine Reactor
Choices and Decision
Mountbatten Corrections
Management and Establishment of the Dreadnought Project Team
Purchase of the S5W Reactor
Final Adjustments
6 Nuclear Training and Dounreay
Training Facilities
Off to School
Practical Training and Jason
Dounreay Submarine Prototype (DS/MP)
Dounreay's Future Question
A Very Serious Snag
HMS/m Valiant
7 Future Developments
Refueling Preparations
The Strength of Steel
Core Development
Amended Access Agreements
Core Development Programme (CORDEP)
Nuclear Development (Submarines): NuDe(S)
NuDe(S) II—FLIP—ANP
Core Z
Secondary Machinery Improvement
Reporting the Nuclear Navy Project Cost
8 Conclusions
Political Problems and Indifference
Теchnical Considerations
The Military Situation
The Nuclear Propulsion Legacy
Research in the “Secret (Nuclear) State”
Appendix A
Appendix B
Glossary
Bibliography
Index