Having served in the US Navy Submarine Service, most of the enlisted and officers are exceptionally well trained on nuclear physics, and all aspects of onboard nuclear reactors and could have also handled that problem.
Admiral Hyman Rickover is responsible for browbeating congress to get approval for our nuclear navy and known as "The Father of the Nuclear Navy." I met him on several occasions, and he was a very eccentric, demanding, and oddball officer...in the same category as Howard Hughes. When he arrived in New London Subase, he had a whole list of candies and misc items that had to be arranged perfectly on his nightstand. The problem was some of his snacks were only available in the Bethesda/Washington DC area, so you sure as hell better have stocked up in advance. One time they forgot, and a "runner" was sent to drive the 365 miles each way just to get his mints.
