@gunrunnerjohn posted:Odd that the Navy can operate nuclear power but we can't seem to get it right in civilian life.
I served in two nuclear powered ships. The Navy constantly trains nuclear plant operators and tests their skills several times per year. Emergency drills are constant. Everything in a Navy nuclear plant is maintained at the highest level and is constantly monitored. The slightest flaw in a piece of equipment is immediately corrected.
Nuclear Navy friends of mine who joined civilian nuclear power plant programs after leaving the Navy were shocked at how lax the civilian companies were about both training and maintenance. The civilians ran their plants to make a profit at least cost instead of operating them to maximize safety. One former Navy nuclear engineer told me that the civilian companies think they can run a nuclear plant like it is a coal fired plant.
I retired from the Navy over 30 years ago. I am confident that the Navy plants are still run with the same care today as they were in the past. Admiral Rickover's policies for training, quality construction, and maintenance are just as relevant today as in the past.
I don't know of the status of today's civilian nuclear plants. NH Joe
