ADMIRAL HYMAN G. RICKOVER - TYPED LETTER SIGNED 10/10/1977 - HFSID 251372

HYMAN G. RICKOVER
Rickover signed this typed letter while at sea on USS Memphis letterhead to Congressman John E. Moss after the sub's sea trials in 1977.
Typed letter signed "H.G. Rickover". 1 page, 7¾x10¼, on letterhead of USS Memphis, c/o Fleet Post Office, New York City. Written "At Sea/North Atlantic", Oct. 10, 1977. Addressed to the Honorable John E. Moss, U. S. House of Representatives. Lightly toned, soiled and creased. Lightly stained near top left corner. Staple holes near upper left corner. Folded twice and unfolded. Otherwise in fine condition. Accompanied by: Original mailing envelope from Rickover's personalized USS Memphis stationery. Postmarked Newport News, Virginia, Oct. 10, 197. Addressed to the Honorable John E. Moss, Washington, DC. With one 13¢ American flag stamp affixed. Lightly toned and soiled. Left edge is stained. Staple hole in upper left corner. Otherwise in fine condition. This letter was written after the first sea trials of the USS Memphis, the U. S. Navy's 68th nuclear attack submarine in a total submarine fleet (at that time) of 109. Rickover discusses the sub's mission and goes into detail about its five namesakes and their accomplishments, dating back to a steamer chartered by the U. S. Navy in 1858 to demand an apology from Paraguay for shelling another American steamer. The USS Memphis, also designated SS-691, is a Los Angeles-class nuclear attack submarine. Her keel was laid on June 23, 1973, and the sub was commissioned on Dec. 17, 1977. She's still a part of the Navy, with two 2005 polar transits and a 2006 Iraq deployment to her credit. Head of the United States Navy's electrical division in World War II, HYMAN G. RICKOVER (1900-1986, born in Makov, Russia) moved to the Atomic Energy Commission in 1947 and developed the first nuclear-powered submarine, the Nautilus, in 1954. He presided over the build-up of the U.S. nuclear-powered Navy. He also presided over the construction of the one-of a kind, super-secret NR-1 nuclear submarine. Despite cost overruns during its development, which earned the wrath of the General Accounting Office, the NR-1 fulfilled Rickover's fondest hopes. The story of the craft has now been told in Dark Waters: An Insider's Account of the NR-1, the Cold War's Undercover Nuclear Submarine by Don Davis and original crewmember Lee Vyborny (2002). Rickover was promoted to rear admiral in 1953, vice-admiral in 1959 and admiral in 1973. Democrat JOHN E. MOSS (1915-1997, born in Hiawatha, Utah) represented California's 3rd Congressional District in the U. S. House of Representatives from 1953 to 1978. He's probably best known for sponsoring the Freedom of Information Act and the Consumer Product Safety Act.