Happy December.

This is the time of year when we get presents in the mail and for me that includes the latest project by my friend James. C. Goodall. Jim is a former Air Force guy (Retired) who combines his photographic skills with his passion for submarines and other technical platforms to create valuable resources for past present and future submarine aficionados.

This is his 29th book project and it is a real winner.

The book covers the nuclear submarine development in the United States from its inception through today with a glimpse into the future. For the first time that I am aware of, you can trace how the US Navy designed and created what I believe is the most extensive and capable submarine fleet on the planet. While I recognize that there are others in the game, the American effort has produced a stunning amount of capability to defend the nation from aggressors.

It begins with Rickover’s Dream

I’ve written a lot about how Rickover used his indomitable will to overcome every obstacle placed in his way to achieve the goal of harnessing nuclear power for submarines and ships.

March 1946 – The Navy Gains a Foothold in the Atomic Field

This story is talked about as you begin the journey through the past nearly 70 years. The book focuses on the submarines that progressively became more and more powerful and capable. Rickover lived long enough to see the realization of some of that technology. He rode all of the boats up until the early 1980’s when he was finally forced to retire. The last time I saw him alive was when he rode the USS San Francisco (SSN 711) and gave a brilliant speech to the crew at the completion of sea trials. But for being a smaller gentleman, he was a giant in my mind.

Complete in nearly every detail

Jim thoughtfully places the stories of the Thresher and the Scorpion in the very front part of the book. Both losses resulted in painful lessons and adjustments to submarines that were in existence at the time and influenced future submarine development.  Having paid the appropriate tributes to those honorable shipmates, he begins the work of showing the growth of the Fast Attack submarines followed by the 41 for Freedom boats. The creation of the Ohio class is followed by an introduction to Columbia. I enjoyed seeing the many pictures of the five submarines I served on during my career. Jim used the pictures and writing to discuss the development of the weapons employed by each class of ship.

The details that are not covered are by design.

I’m sure that our potential adversaries are as eager to read this book as they were to try and glean any information possible from Jane’s Fighting Ships. What I hope our adversaries do take away from this work is how foolish it would be to try and beat us in a fair fight. There is no such word as fair when it comes to defending freedom. I believe the new phrase is something like “Fool around and find out”.  Although I am quite certain that the word Fool is the PG version of that phrase. If you have ever spent the midwatch underway on a submarine, you know the correct word to insert.

 

You need this book!

The publisher is http://www.ospreypublishing.com

https://www.ospreypublishing.com/us/nautilus-to-columbia-9781472856500/

If you want a one stop shop for your submarine collection, this is the book.

I want to thank Jim for the hard work and effort to assemble this documentation of our submarines.

I was born nearly seventy years ago in the same place in western Pennsylvania where some of the most critical components of nuclear submarines were designed and built. My Uncle Jack Patrick was a machinist with Westinghouse and involved with the creation of the components that made nuclear power possible. So, submarines were in my DNA from my early days on the USS George Washington to my last patrol on the USS Ohio while she was still a SSBN. Interestingly enough, one of Uncle Jack’s great granddaughters works at Electric Boat as a welder.  I know he would be proud.

Mister Mac