As Rolls-Royce celebrates its 100th anniversary in Derby, its marine division in Raynesway is also marking a significant landmark.
It was 50 years ago this month that an agreement was signed between America and Britain to share knowledge about nuclear-powered submarines. Out of this was born Rolls-Royce and Associates, which moved to Derby 46 years ago. Robin Johnson reports.
Although the majority of Rolls-Royce's core business in Derby is involved in producing aero engines, the city is also home to the firm's marine power division. Since 1962, the company has had its marine business in Raynesway.
Today, that part of Rolls-Royce continues to go from strength to strength, using cutting-edge nuclear technology to produce power for submarines.
But Rolls-Royce may never have had a submarine business if it had not been for an agreement signed 50 years ago.
On July 3, 1958, the Agreement for Co-operation on Uses of Atomic Energy for Mutual Defence Purposes - commonly known as the Mutual Defence Agreement - was signed.
It basically granted Britain access to America's atomic weapons and test sites, which would allow it to develop its own submarine technology. The agreement led to the founding of a new company - Rolls-Royce and Associates. That company moved to Derby in 1962 and has been here ever since.
But in the run-up to the agreement, some believed that it would never happen. In the 1940s, the superpowers were waking up to the capabilities of nuclear technology.
During the Second World War, America had proved the devastating capabilities of the atomic bomb.
And in 1949, Russia exploded its first such weapon. Britain was determined to develop its own nuclear weapons capability and there were practical reasons for a go-it-alone policy: The 1946 US Atomic Energy Act effectively prevented Britain gaining access to US nuclear information and materials.
At the same time, engineers on both sides of the Atlantic recognised another potential role for nuclear energy - powering ships, aircraft and submarines. The benefits for submarines were perhaps the most obvious.
Previous diesel-electric-powered submarines needed to surface regularly to take on air to keep the propulsion system in operation. Nuclear power eliminated that need and would allow submarines to remain submerged almost indefinitely, making them far more effective. America was making big strides in turning that theory into reality.
By 1952, the keel was laid for the US Navy's first nuclear-powered submarine, USS Nautilus, which was commissioned in 1954. The achievement left British naval chiefs and leading engineers under pressure.
Rolls-Royce, under the leadership of chairman Lord Hives, had begun research into power systems, both for air and sea. That early research was carried out by Rolls-Royce engineers in Derbyshire. They were initially based at Duffield Bank House, near Little Eaton, then at Old Hall, Littleover.
By 1956, it was becoming clear that Britain needed some form of nuclear alliance if it were to have early access to both nuclear warhead and submarine propulsion technology. It realised it would have to work with the Americans if real progress was to be made.
The success of the negotiations hinged on the relationship of two legendary individuals - the US Navy's then Rear Admiral Hyman Rickover and Lord Mountbatten, Britain's First Sea Lord.
They were men with two very different backgrounds. Rickover, born in Russian- occupied Poland in 1900, had emigrated to the US in 1906. He had risen through the naval ranks through phenomenal drive and attention to detail. He had a certain distrust of title and privilege.
Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas George Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, was the great-grandson of Queen Victoria. He had been the last Viceroy of India, prior to its independence, and then its first Governor General.
Could the son of a Polish tailor work with a member of the British aristocracy?
Their respective teams could have been forgiven for fearing the worst, especially as Rickover had already vetoed plans to take Mountbatten on a trip in the USS Nautilus in 1955.
Prospects for co-operation may have seemed gloomy when the two first met in August 1956.
But to the surprise of all parties, the pair quickly developed a rapport - through a mutual interest in technology.
Their relationship grew when Rickover discovered that despite Lord Mountbatten's title, he was a keen member of the Institution of Electronics and Radio Engineers. A similar thaw in relations took place when Rickover visited Rolls-Royce senior executives. Rickover insisted on talks with the company's chief engineer, Adrian Lombard.
But Lord Hives, who had been a leading proponent of nuclear technology, also attended. Any concerns Rickover may have had at meeting another aristocrat would have been eased when Lord Hives assured him that despite his title, he was just "a bloody mechanic".
Finally, on July 3, 1958, the Mutual Defence Agreement was signed.
Rolls-Royce and Associates was formed in 1959 to oversee the supply of the Westinghouse reactor which powered Britain's first nuclear submarine, HMS Dreadnought, launched in 1960. The first submarine to be powered by a Rolls-Royce-produced core was HMS Valiant.
Rolls-Royce and Associates moved to Raynesway, Derby, in 1962, where the submarines business remains today.
Since then, the company has continued to develop reactor technology. The firm has created the long-life core, which can power a submarine for its entire lifetime without the need to refuel.
Source: Derby Evening Telegraph
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