Edwin Earl Kintner (May 1, 1920 – May 7, 2010) was an American nuclear pioneer and engineer and a

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

captain who was in charge of de-contamination of the

Three Mile Island accident The Three Mile Island accident was a partial nuclear meltdown of the Unit 2 reactor (TMI-2) of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station, located on the Susquehanna River in Londonderry Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Londonderry T ...

Biography

Kintner was born on May 1, 1920 in Paris, Ohio. Kintner graduated with a B.S. degree from the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as United States Secre ...

in Annapolis with the Class of 1942 on December 19, 1941. He subsequently earned a series of master's degrees in naval construction, ocean engineering, and physics at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

. Kintner completed his first M.S. degree in naval architecture and marine engineering advised by Ascher H. Shapiro in 1946. After World War II, Kintner was selected by Vice Admiral

Hyman G. Rickover Hyman G. Rickover (27 January 1900 – 8 July 1986) was an admiral in the United States Navy. He directed the original development of naval nuclear propulsion and controlled its operations for three decades as director of the U.S. Naval Reacto ...

to serve on a secret Navy team that developed the experimental reactor used in the first nuclear-powered submarine, the . He completed his second M.S. degree in physics focused on nuclear engineering advised by Clark Goodman in 1950. Kintner was promoted to captain effective July 1, 1951. After he retired from the Navy in August 1963, Kintner had a distinguished career in the public sector, serving on the senior staff of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and later as the head of the Department of Energy's fusion program, where he oversaw the construction of reactors and the development of nuclear power as an alternate source of energy. His scientific role at the AEC led to his involvement in the Israeli nuclear program. On at least two occasions between 1968 and 1969, Kintner was member of the U.S. inspection teams sent to Israel to ascertain the nature of the Israeli nuclear reactor at Dimona. During the inspection process, he earned a reputation as a no-nonsense inspector. In 1983, Kintner was appointed the executive vice president of General Public Utilities Nuclear Corporation, which owns the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant. In his capacity as executive vice president, Kintner oversaw the remaining cleanup of the damaged reactor and worked to standardize nuclear reactor training and operations. In 1990, Kinther was elected to the

National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American Nonprofit organization, nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. It is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), along with the National Academ ...

"for significant contributions to the development of nuclear submarine propulsion, nuclear power operation, and management of magnetic fusion programs."Memorial Tributes: National Academy of Engineering, Volume 15 (2011);Edwin E. Kintner;by Philip Clark
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/ref> ttps://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/05/24/AR2010052404117.html Washington Post:Edwin E. Kintner, 90, dies; led Three Mile Island cleanup;Tuesday, May 25, 2010/ref> Kintner died from prostate cancer in

Exeter, New Hampshire Exeter is a New England town, town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. Its population was 16,049 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county ...

on May 7, 2010. He was interred at Arlington National Cemetery on September 10, 2010.

Bibliography

Cohen, Avner. "The Avner Cohen Collection." Edwin E. Kintner. NPIHP, The Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars, 03 Oct. 2013. Web. 05 Nov. 2013. .

References

Additional Sources

Interview with Edwin Kintner by Avner Cohen at The Nuclear Proliferation International History Project.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kintner, Edwin E. 1920 births 2010 deaths People from Stark County, Ohio United States Naval Academy alumni Military personnel from Ohio United States Navy personnel of World War II Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni American nuclear engineers United States Navy captains Three Mile Island accident Members of the United States National Academy of Engineering Deaths from cancer in New Hampshire Burials at Arlington National Cemetery