NukeWorker Forum
Career Path => Navy Nuke => Navy:Getting In => Topic started by: Fla Jackal on May 14, 2006, 09:21
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What are some good books to read before going to nuke school? im currently in dep and dont ship till october so i want to learn as much as possible now before going to my school.
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well lets see.....
cathcer in the rye
any shakespeare(preferably the four tragedies)
beowulf
lord of the flies
1984
of mice of men
rime of the ancient mariner
the know it all
for whom the bell tolls
a farewell to arms
to name a few.......well u werent specific about what subject of books so that is my lst of books ive enjoyed in high school lol....but on a serious matter im not sure what to read either.
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There's really no way to prepare. Just concentrate on enjoying your remaining time as a civilian.
Mike
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There's really no way to prepare. Just concentrate on enjoying your remaining time as a civilian.
Mike
True, true. Whatever you study for will be covered and tested within a matter of a few days. Its usually not the knowledge that some people have problems with, its the speed at which you have to "digest" it.
....but if you are really, really bored, and haven't already signed up to be a mechanic, you might want to find some lite reading on Electricity. Basic stuff like Ohm's law, Kirchoff's voltage/current laws, things like that. If you took any highschool/college level physics classes, it may have been covered already. Read about capacitors, inductors, and basic solid state componants, things like that.
If you are going in knowing you will be a mechanic, look at fluid-flow equations involving mass flow rate, volume displacement, density/pressure/volume relationships, gate/globe/check valve constuction......the list keeps going.
Keep in mind that the Navy Nuclear program covers a lot of topics, but it has narrowed and distilled these topics to cover only the material that is applicable to its own designs. Many of these designs may seem inefficent, laborious, and overly complex (think anti-buisness), but they are meant to be that way.
You may have been taught that the world see's the glass half-full. In the Nuclear Navy, you will be taught to see it as half-empty; ready to spontaneously break at any moment.
...Good luck! ;)
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Thanks every one thats alot of good advice and insight.
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..its called the PLUTONIUM FILES........great book about 'the Manhatten Project", mostly, but about how our government used Americans as guinea pigs for the investigation of the effects of Plutonium on people (pregnant women in Oak Ridge, children in Rochester and inmates in Washington)
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Iron Coffins
Inside the Aquarium
Devil's Guard
If This Be Glory
Cross of Iron
1984
Brave New World
Seven Days in January
Vasily Grossman: Writer at War
Blind Man's Bluff
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Courses in writing and such are useful, but if you want to get the feel for the Navy way you need to wait to see it.
If you get bored, you can rent all the Cold War / WWII films that highlight subs or carriers. "Ice Station Zebra" was pretty bad, but "Red October" was pretty good. It will show you what you can do when you are finally qualified!
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Heck, just buy the 15 volume History Of Naval Operations In WW2 by Samuel Eliot Morisson, best dang history every and highly readable!
Mama Mike scored HUGE points when she bought me this for X Mas 2 years ago.
I wouldn't study physics or anything like that, they'll be past what you study within a week anyways.
Mike
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Mama Mike scored HUGE points when she bought me this for X Mas 2 years ago.
Mike,
Picturing your Mama, which would be you with longer hair and even more Big Orange T's, may keep me awake tonight!
Jackal,
History and traditions of the Navy might be worth examination at this stage of your pre-career.
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ill have to check out the 15 volume History Of Naval Operations In WW2. and i already read the hunt for red october and saw the movie thats why i have a fascination with the navy that and i like whatching the history channel. I guess ill look at the history of naval operations or ill go find another tom clancy book to read.
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LOL at Roll Tide!!!
For honeycomb and Fla Jackal. Morisons history might be the best for WW2. Morison was a Harvard Professor and a friend of FDR. He felt WW2 was going to be a Naval war, wanted to write a history and felt it should be done real time and while the key players were still alive. FDR felt it was a great idea, Morison was commissioned into the Military and the key players were told to fully cooperate. Morison was actually at many of the battles and had access to lots of info that many didn't have access to for years. Morison also took the time to go through all the interogations of Germans and Japanese post war. He was also willing to correct his books between editions based on sailors and soldiers who gave additional information. The result is a highly readable and enjoyable 15 volume history. He does it in a campaign by campaign fashion.
Keep in mind the following. WW2 was a very racial war and Morisons books reflect it. It's not overt or nasty, but it's there. So when he calls the Italian Navy the WOP Navy don't say I didn't warn you. However he does give credit where credit is due.
Also, classified info that wasn't released until after Morisons death in 1979 sort of changes some of what he wrote, but even without that info you'll see he was pretty much dead on.
He also writes in an older somewhat cheerleader style, it's obvious he idolizes Admirals King, Halsey and Nimitz, but he will admit to their shortcomings. On the other hand it's VERY obvious he's very fond of the average USN Bluejacket and it comes through.
I think it's available on Amazon. If you'd care to get a condensed version he took the highlights and turned them into a book called The Two Ocean War which is roughly 1000 pages which is very good. It doesn't go into the detail his 15 volume set goes into, but he gets it down right. His maps of the battles are superior. The pictures are good too. Roll Tide talks about knowing the tradition of the Navy, Morisons books catch it very well and make you proud to be in or have been in the Navy.
Of all the books I've ever read these are among the best only equaled by Dreadnought and Castles Of Steel (Books about WW1). By the way, after Morison read the last two I mentioned, or heck read them first.
Mike
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The Prize, The Epic Quest for Oil, Money and Power...Yergin
The Making of the Atomic Bomb...Rhodes
Dreadnought...Massie
Rise and Fall of the Third Reich...Shrirer
Guns of August...Tuchman
Discoverers...Boorstin
Course of Empire...DeVoto
Peace to End All Peace...Fromkin
World Lit Only By Fire...Manchester
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Making Of The Sun, also by Rhodes. I liked it a bit better than Making Of The Atomic Bomb.
It covers the research and espoinage that went along with the Developement of the Hydrogen Bomb. The thing you'll take from it, they really had no idea what they were dealing with when they created Hydrogen weapons. Of particular interest is one of the first tests when a whole island was destroyed
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I'm a nuke ET and I *just* got done with prototype up in New York. I bought "The complete idiot's guide to Submarines" not too long ago and started reading it, and I realized that a LOT of the information in the book I had previously learned in nuclear power school and prototype. Had I known this when I first joined, I probably would have put a lot fewer hours in during power school =P
The book explains as simply as possible generally how the nuclear reactor actually works and how it provides propulsion for a fast attack submarine. It's written by Michael DiMercurio, a former submarine officer (so he went to power school and prototype too) on a fast attack sub. I recommend this book if you really want to prepare for your training. Keep in mind though to teach yourself how to study and all the things that everyone else has mentioned. Those definitely count.... I can give you a first hand example. My roommate was very smart (scored a 99 on the ASVAB and was learning japanese) however he didn't manage his time and never really learned anything in A school. He's now an undesignated seaman on a frigate =P I'm nowhere near as smart as him, but I got all my work done and got sufficient sleep. I guess he valued watching tons of anime and movies over making it through the pipeline.
I hope this helps =)
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Alas Babylon......Author Pat Frank
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Running Critical: The Silent War, Rickover, and General Dynamics by Patrick Tyler.
Awesome book that provides major insight into "The Father of the Nuclear Navy," as well as the funny happenings within General Dynamics (primarily EB) back in the day (anybody remember the names Takis Veliotis and Fritz Tovar???) and how Rickover basically made GD/EB and the Navy dance to his own personal tune.
Of course, they all got the last laugh when they slighted Hymie by only naming a fast boat in his honor.
Also definitely read the first book listed by Hamsamich: Iron Coffins is a top-notch, first-hand account of what it was like to be a U-Boat officer. I think I've read that book four or 5 times over the years...so far.
It's good to know your (future) roots.
Dave
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Forget reading books. Eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow you join the yacht club...
You could take up golf...
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My roommate was very smart (scored a 99 on the ASVAB and was learning japanese) however he didn't manage his time and never really learned anything in A school. He's now an undesignated seaman on a frigate =P I'm nowhere near as smart as him, but I got all my work done and got sufficient sleep. I guess he valued watching tons of anime and movies over making it through the pipeline.
How long did he last in power school? Did he just flunk out, or get kicked out for discplinary problems?
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Obsessive Genius...Goldsmith
Case for Nuclear Generated Electricity...Heaberlin
Nuclear Power from Outer Space to Underseas...Simpson
McPhee...The Curve of the Binding Energy
Trinity's Children...Bartimus
A Brighter Tomorrow...Domenici
Building the Bombs...Loeber
Making a Real Killing...Ackland
The Uranium People...Libby
The Angry Genie...Morgan
Three Mile Island...Walker
Edward Teller...Goodchild
J. Robert Oppenheimer...Cassidy
Nuclear Inc....Hertsgaard
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I agree with taterhead. Enjoy your summer.
BY the way, Running CRitical is a great book, but take what Patrick Tyler says with a grain of salt, for the most part he's ok but isn't above distorting facts in order to help his story along. Keep in mind his main source is an indicted criminal on the run for fraud.
Iron Coffins is superior. I actually know the author. I'm a naval History Buff, I'd heard the author of Iron Coffins was living in Florida. I gave the guy a call and sure enough it was him. We've exchanged Christmas Cards.
Another good old bird is Teddy Briggs, the last survivor of the HMS Hood, a Brit Battlecruiser that was sunk by the Germans on my birthday. I called him a few years back, he told me about his days on the Hood. (the call by the way lasted hours and cost me 135 bucks but it was worth it!). He gets extremely emotional when he thinks about his ship sinking and his lost shipmates.
A great book to read is Battle Ship Bismarck: A Survivors Story by Baron Von Mullenheim-Rechberg who was one of the few officers to survive her sinking. It's a great first hand perspective of life aboard a German warship in WW2, and is a fascinating read. The cool thing is when I talked with Mr Briggs he offered to set me up with as phone call to the Baron. They became friends post WW2. The Baron was not a Nazi and they shared a common bond in that their ships faced each other in battle and were sunk within days of each other. I found the Baron to be a nice man, full of good stopries about being a sailor. Both men were gratified an ex USN sailor from the modern era respected their position in history enough to want to talk with two old men about the experiences of their youth. Sadly the Baron died about 18 months or so ago. I sent flowers to his family for which I got a nice card from his wife.
Mike
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I read Tom Clancy's: A Guide through a Nuclear Submarine and The Rickover Effect while I was in DEP. The Rickover Effect is much better after you get through the pipeline because then you'll speak the language. Don't forget to get pumped up with some good diggit movies. My favorites are Das Boot, The Enemy Below, Operation Pacific (w/ the Duke), Run Silent, Run Deep, and for us boomer warriors/janitors, Crimson Tide. Good luck!
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Is The Rickover Effect the book written by Theodore Rockwell?
Mike
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Yes, it is.
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I read that book. It's ok. Rockwell designed just about every radiation shielding scheme used in commercial and naval nuke power. He's about as smart a man as there is. He used to be on the Detroit Edison Board that oversaw Fermi. I got to meet him when he retired from that board. In fact I still have (somewhere) his 10 fundamental precepts of nuclear operations.
Having said that I did enjoy the book, but he doesn't really have an Objective View of Rickover, he's a bit too much on the cheerleader side.
On the other hand read Polmars book on Rickover. It's a good biography but Polmar obviously has an ax to grind because Uncle Hymie refused to give him inside info on the Thresher disaster.
Avoid Clay Blairs book on Rickover. It's blatant cheerleading. On the other hand if you get a chance read Blairs 3 books on the Submarine campaigns of WW2. They're priceless.
Mike
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I read Norman Polmar's book "Death of the USS Thresher". He did seem to have a bone to pick with Rickover. He even concludes in the end that the root cause of the accident was Naval Reactors failure to implement a fast recovery startup procedure.
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My opinion, but after reading numerous books of all types on WW2, it seems more personal accounts (like Iron Coffins, Up Front and Writer at War) make for a better understanding of history. Many historians trying to write summaries of what happened include a political bias and errors in trying to pinpoint what really happened, some of which Broadzilla pointed out. For instance in Band of Brothers by Ambrose, elements of Easy Company are supposed to be the first ones to make it to the Eagles Nest, but I don't think they were according to other sources. The 7th regiment of 3rd division (the "Cottenbailers") seem to be the first according to other more reliable sources. I don't know about other historians, and I'm not saying that it is a bad way to learn, but first hand accounts of those who were actually "right there" are grade A on my list to get a better view of what happened. They aren't always available, but I like to go to them first. Of course, even the people that were "there" are prone to bias, but you have a better chance of understanding and teasing out that bias since much of the book will be based on the view of one person, which you will get to know from reading the book, instead of an omniscient-type of viewpoint from a historian who may or may not have an unknown or unconscious ax to grind. For a good example of ways to pinpoint books like this, take "Up Front", by Bill Mauldin. This author was a trying one for the US Army, who did not like his writing and cartoons because they wre too forthright. That tells me that Bill Mauldin knew what he was talking about and got a good sense of what the real average foot soldier was facing. When other authors were demonizing German fighting men in 1944, Mauldin lumped them in with Allied soldiers as guys just trying to get this war over with and get back home ("Up Front" page 20). But I have to admit, I really enjoyed reading the Time Life Series on WW2.