Submariners are certainly a unique group of people. I belong to a number of Veteran’s groups including the VFW and American Legion. I’m semi active with the Navy and Submarine League as well as Military Officer’s Association. But USSVI remains one of the best organizations as a whole. I am a life member and looking forward to the day when I can participate again with a group that is close enough where I can be active and is a welcoming branch.

The stories we tell and the memories that we share are definitely unique. But family is a key word in all of it. My brothers from my boats over the past fifty years will always be my brothers. I have a few sisters that serve now but the men I directly served with feel like blood.

The request: A son of an Ethan Allen Veteran who has passed is seeking information about his Dad. After a brief outline of the boat, there is a copy of the request he sent me. Please do me a favor and read both parts. 

Several years ago, I compiled the information about the Ethan Allen as part of my series on the “Forty One For Freedom” boats.  Ethan Allen was unique since it was the only boomer to ever actually launch a live missile and have it detonate down range.

USS ETHAN ALLEN (SSBN 608) (March 29, 2019) https://theleansubmariner.com/2019/03/29/surrender-in-the-name-of-the-great-jehovah-and-the-continental-congress-uss-ethan-allen-ssbn-608/

The Launch

At 1417 on 6 May 1962, the submarine, USS Ethan Allen (SSBN-608), launched the missile while submerged about 1,500 nmi (about 2,790 km) east-northeast of Christmas Island.

The warhead travelled about 1,020 nmi (1,890 km) toward the island, detonating as an airburst. This test was called Frigate Bird and was the only live proofing test of Polaris missile carrying a nuclear war head.

Before this operational test of the Polaris weapon system, there had been a number of Polaris underwater missile launch tests off Cape Canaveral down­range into the Atlantic Ocean.

The first second-generation Polaris submarine, USS Ethan Allen, was commis­sioned in August 1961. Following five successful test missile launchings and immediately before going to its first patrol, Ethan Allen was ordered to the Pacific Ocean to be the firing submarine in shot Frigate Bird, as a part of Operation Dominic.

It was on the 3rd March 1962, that the Polaris test was apparently added to the DOMINIC series. Under orders by the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), the Chief of the Defense Atomic Support Agency (DASA). Date of the test 5th May 1962.

The safety plans for the test were as follows;

On 2 May the task force elements ran checks from test positions. Full rehearsals were conducted on 3rd and 4th May. Personnel, ships. and aircraft appeared ready. but adequate communications between Norton Sound and Head quarters of Joint Task Force 8 [JTF8] on Christmas Island could not be maintained. The communications problems had two major sources:

(1) electro­magnetic propagation anomalies present in the test area during the planned pre­dawn launch time and for several hours thereafter.

(2) interference from other Pacific Fleet transmissions.

While seeking a solution. The task group commander delayed the Polaris launch from 5th to 6th May. A two-part solution was worked out in which the launch was set for a later hour in the day and all Pacific Fleet transmissions on certain frequencies were halted, giving exclu­sive use to JTF 8.

Despite the prospect of marginal weather in both the launch and impact areas. the detonation was set for 1100 on the 6th May. About 1016, a 1-hour hold was ordered in anticipation of showers that could rain out radioactive material on fishermen near the nuclear hazard area. Search planes used the hold to further check on the fishermen’s location and WB-50s continued charting the weather developments. Two 30-minute holds were caused by the same problem followed at 1124 and 1200, pushing the detonation back to 1300. Various minor technical problems aboard the submarine, the need to reposition sampler aircraft, and clouds in the launch area pushed back the launch further.

Finally local weather reconnaissance near the launch area indicated the at about 1417 a break in the clouds would occur for a launch and detonation downrange at about 1430. At the 1417:49 the missile was launched, and its warhead detonated in the air over the nuclear hazard area at 1430:16.

The best thing about my blog is hearing from crew members or their family.

Occasionally I get requests for additional information and in this case, it comes from the son of one of the Chiefs that served on board Ethan Allen.

Subject: SSBN ETHAN ALLEN # 608

Hello, my name’s Brian White, and I’m the only surviving member of my immediate family of six.

My father was Chief Petty Officer ETC William Eugene (Bill) White.  He passed away in 2014, was a crewmember on the ETHAN ALLEN for several years when I was a kid in Mystic/New London.  I found a scrapbook containing articles regarding the ETHAN ALLEN in his dresser when he passed away in 2014.  I also just read an article of yours regarding OPERATION FRIGATE BIRD, which took place in the Pacific Ocean in May of 1962.

My inquiry is this, if you can help.  I don’t know whether he was a member of the Blue Crew which detonated the only aboveground nuclear device launched by a submerged submarine in world history, which pretty much put the soviets on their heels regarding American technology, and our willingness to use it if deemed necessary, or whether he was on the Gold Crew.

I have two grown kids of my own (early-mid 30’s) and a grown nephew (mid 40’s) (son of my oldest sister), who has two grown kids of his own, (late teens-early 20’s).  I don’t know which crew my father was serving with at that time, and though I am, and always have admired his sense of duty, would like to find out if he was on-board when they launched and detonated that missile that day, so I can relay truthfully to our younger family members the facts of my inquiry.

My father was a career submariner retiring in 1971.  He finished out his career on the USS JALLAO, where I sometimes would spend weekends with him and other crewmates on board when he was the duty officer.  Great experiences and memories for sure!  I got to ride the JALLAO from Providence Rhode Island both on surface and underwater, even got to launch an “air torpedo” as well.  Not many kids can say that.

I’m one who has always truly believed, because of these boats and their crews, they are the reasons why this country has been as free as it has because their commitment to what they believed in, and willfully risked their lives for.

Anyway, I am hoping you could enlighten me as to which crew he served with.  I’m leaning towards the Blue Crew, but just not positive to that “fact”.  I’m Hoping I can relay that “fact” to my kids and my nephew to hand down to our future generations of my father.

I truly appreciated reading your articles, and I’m hoping you may shed some light on my inquiry, and if you can’t, could you direct me to someone or some department who possibly could?

Thanks, and hoping to hear from you at your convenience.

On Wed, Nov 15, 2023, 9:03 AM I wrote:

Good morning, Brian. My thought is that if you are agreeable, I would post the email you wrote as it is and add my thoughts. Then we can share it with the USSVI network and see what comes back.

The life of a submariner is very different from any other life. I say this with little caution since I have experienced it and have spent a significant amount of time sharing stories with others who wore the Phins.

If you reply positively, I will get the ball rolling.  I was on board two SSBNs, the George Washington and Ohio and fired four missiles from each boat. But of course, ours were inert practice shots. That was what made the Ethan Allen’s mission so compelling.

Good morning, Bob, thanks for your quick response to my inquiry.

Yes, if you’d like to publish my original email to you, that’d be fine as I said, I’m very proud of my father’s dedication to his beliefs regarding our national, security and don’t want those sacrifices to go without being noted, at least by his descendants as time goes on.

I truly appreciate anything with your help to get me the answer to my question realizing how much time has passed since that day.

My father was quite embedded and proud of his career as a submariner.  Though there were many questions that I’ve asked him as a kid, and a grown man regarding things he did while in the navy, he remained extremely tight lipped on many of my questions because of the nature of secrecy demanded of those sailors on board back then.

There was himself, Karl Evans, Jim Booker, Bob Skinner, who were shipmates, serving on one crew or the other, some perhaps on different subs as well, but they were all personal family friends who’s dedication helped us all through our lives through today I believe.

I’m hoping that a crew member from that time can help Brian. If you have any information, contact me through the blog. Thanks in advance for your help.

Mister Mac