I knew the legendary Rickover only by reputation. He was the father of the nuclear Navy, wore the stars of an admiral, and at the same time held a civilian government position of equal power. His icy intellect and abrupt manner scared the hell out of people. The admiral took the NR-1 project beyond "Top Secret," and hid the design, cost, and planned operations behind thick curtains of Cold War classification. The preliminary design work on the NR-1 was well under way by the time the radioactive dust settled in Spain. The little boat would be different from anything else afloat or submerged. Big lights, a grappling arm that looked like a dinosaur claw, underwater viewing ports, and wheels! All new hardware that had to be bought or built, and then tested in salt water.