A nuclear submarine is a submarine powered by a nuclear reactor, but not necessarily nuclear-armed. Nuclear submarines have considerable performance advantages over "conventional" submarines. Nuclear propulsion, being completely independent of air, frees the submarine from the need to surface frequently, as is necessary for conventional submarines. The large amount of power generated by a nuclear reactor allows nuclear submarines to operate at high speed for long periods, and the long interval between refuelings grants a range virtually unlimited, making the only limits on voyage times being imposed by such factors as the need to restock food or other consumables.
Edmund Peter Giambastiani Jr. is a retired United States Navy admiral who served as the seventh vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2005 to 2007. He retired in 2007, after 37 years of service.
Charles Robert Larson was an Admiral of the United States Navy.
David Kern, an officer of the United States Navy, was the first commanding officer of USS Virginia (SSN-774).
Kirkland Hogue "Kirk" Donald is a retired Admiral in the United States Navy, who in his last assignment served as the dual-hatted position of Director of Naval Nuclear Propulsion and Deputy Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration. Donald previously served as Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, and Commander, Submarine Allied Command, Atlantic. He retired from active duty on November 2, 2012.
Vice Admiral Melvin Gene Williams Jr. is an American retired officer in the United States Navy. He is the former Commander, U.S. Second Fleet and former Director, Combined Joint Operations from the Sea Center of Excellence.
Rear Admiral Jay Allan DeLoach served as the Director of Naval History and Director of the Naval History and Heritage Command and the Curator of the Navy from 2008 to 2012. He was an American submarine officer who played a role in implementing a visionary "Memorandum of Understanding" between the Submarine Force Active component and the Reserve component. He helped pioneer many key initiatives that have since been adopted Navy-wide. DeLoach was the Assistant Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Resources, Requirements and Assessments.
United States ship naming conventions for the U.S. Navy were established by congressional action at least as early as 1862. Title 13, section 1531, of the U.S. Code, enacted in that year, reads, in part,
The vessels of the Navy shall be named by the Secretary of the Navy under direction of the President according to the following rule: Sailing-vessels of the first class shall be named after the States of the Union, those of the second class after the rivers, those of the third class after the principal cities and towns and those of the fourth class as the President may direct.
Kenneth Monroe Carr was a U.S. Navy vice admiral who was Deputy and Chief of Staff to the Commander in Chief Atlantic Command and the Commander in Chief of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet. He retired from the navy on May 1, 1985. He became Chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on July 1, 1989 having been a member of the Commission since August 14, 1986.
Kinnaird Rowe McKee was an American United States Navy four star admiral who served as Director, Naval Nuclear Propulsion from 1982 to 1988. He also served as Superintendent, United States Naval Academy from 1975 to 1978.
Patrick Hahler Brady is a retired United States Navy rear admiral who in July 2007 became the first person of Hispanic descent to be named Commander of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center. At the time, he was one of four admirals of Hispanic descent who were serving in the United States Navy. He later served four years as head of the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command.
Henry Goodman Chiles Jr. is a retired United States Navy four star admiral who served as Commander in Chief, United States Strategic Command (USCINCSTRAT), from 1994 to 1996, the first naval officer to command all of the strategic nuclear forces of the United States.
Bruce DeMars is a retired United States Navy four star admiral who served as Director, Naval Nuclear Propulsion from 1988 to 1996.
John Michael Richardson is a retired four-star admiral in the United States Navy who previously served as the 31st Chief of Naval Operations. He served as the Director of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program from November 2, 2012 to August 14, 2015. While serving as Director of Naval Nuclear Propulsion, Richardson was responsible for the command and safe, reliable operation of the United States Navy's nuclear propulsion program and for all the current United States naval reactors deployed for usage as well as all facilities needed to ensure safe operations. On May 13, 2015, United States Secretary of Defense, Ashton Carter, announced Richardson's nomination to succeed Admiral Jonathan Greenert as Chief of Naval Operations. Richardson served as the 31st Chief of Naval Operations from September 18, 2015 to August 22, 2019. On October 25, 2019, Boeing announced that Richardson had been elected to its Board of Directors as a member of the Aerospace Safety Committee and the Special Programs Committee. In November 2019, Richardson was named as a Senior Fellow at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.
James Franklin "Frank" Caldwell Jr. is an admiral in the United States Navy who currently serves as director of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, a job once held by the program's creator, Admiral Hyman G. Rickover. He previously served as Naval Inspector General.
Robert Peter Burke is a retired United States Navy admiral who last served as the commander of United States Naval Forces Europe-Africa and Allied Joint Force Command Naples from 17 July 2020 to 27 June 2022. He served as Vice Chief of Naval Operations from 10 June 2019 until 29 May 2020, having previously served as the 58th Chief of Naval Personnel from 27 May 2016 to 23 May 2019.
James Gordon Foggo III is a retired United States Navy admiral who last served as commander of United States Naval Forces Europe-Africa and commander of Allied Joint Force Command Naples. He previously served as the director of Navy Staff. Prior to that, he served as the commander of United States Sixth Fleet. He assumed his last assignment on October 20, 2017. On July 17, 2020, he relinquished command of United States Naval Forces Europe-Africa and Allied Joint Forces Command Naples to Admiral Robert P. Burke.
Shannon D. Cramer Jr. was a United States Navy Vice Admiral. He was second director of the Defense Mapping Agency from September 1974 to August 1977. From April to September 1974, he was deputy director for Plans, Defense Intelligence Agency.
David Matthew Kriete is a retired vice admiral in the United States Navy who last served as the deputy commander of the United States Fleet Forces Command. He is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and holds a Master’s degree in Engineering Management from Old Dominion University.
Randy B. Crites is a vice admiral in the United States Navy, serving as Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Integration of Capabilities and Resources since May 15, 2020. He previously served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Budget, and as director of the Fiscal Management Division in Washington, D.C., until he was promoted to the rank of vice admiral in 2020.
