Welcome to theleansubmariner.com
Over 581,000 visitors since the beginning of the blog
as of December 3rd, 2025, over 921,000 views
Over 1300 Posts as of December 3rd, 2025
More than 213 Countries
(July 2011 – December 2025)
Thank you all for your visits!
As of August 1, 2023, I am officially retired for the third time
It was with a great deal of sadness, but for many health reasons, I decided to retire for the third time.
It’s interesting that it occurs on the same Calander day as my first retirement from the Navy.
This will be the last retirement. I promise.
I hope you have a chance to read some of the stories about life on and around submarines posted here.
The web site is searchable and with over 1,260 stories, my subjects range from early submarine development all the way to present day.
There are some “Lean and Six SIgma stories but the majority of the most read stories focus on submarines.
There are two featured stories that are currently being shared which represent the true spirit of the American Submarine Force.
The first was written in 2014 and is called “The Submariner’s Lament” (When you remember).
The Second is a poem I wrote in dedication to the men who were lost on the
USS Thresher and USS Scorpion
One of the most visited posts that started it all:
Finally, let me know you were here.
Like us on Facebook or repost the stories on your other social media accounts.
Thanks for dropping by.
Mister Mac
About: Who is the leansubmariner?
(Who I Was)
Retired Navy Chief Warrant Officer (Submarine Engineering Technician) previously Machinist Mate Chief Petty Officer with over twenty years of service.
Served on board five nuclear submarines (USS George Washington SSBN598, USS Halibut SSN 587, USS San Francisco SSN711, USS Ohio SSBN726 and USS Indianapolis) and two submarine support vessels (USS Los Alamos AFDB7 and USS Hunley AS31)
Former Chief of Staff, Westmoreland County Commissioner Douglas Chew
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(Who I Am Now)
Retirement 3.0
Writer and Speaker
(Still available for Speaking, Story Telling and Master of Ceremony duties)
Contact directly at bobmac711@live.com
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(Who I Think I Should Be)
Military Historian ~ Submarine History ~ World War 1 ~ World War 2 ~ Cold War ~Naval History
Scottish, Irish and English History, Stories and Customs
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(Organizations that allow me to be a member assuming I pay my membership fees)
Associations:
Life Member USSVI Submarine Veterans ~
American Legion – US Naval Institute – United States Navy League Charleston
Naval Submarine League – Fleet Reserve Association – Life Member Disabled American Veterans
International Submariners Association USA
USSV Charitable Fund Ambassador, Charleston SC Submarine Veterans
Del Webb Cane Bay Veteran’s Club President
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What the Lean in theleansubmariner is about… (congratulations if you have made it this far)
Lean Manufacturing has spread from the factory floor to every segment of the working community. More and more people are discovering that teamwork, standardization, built-in quality, just in time, and continuous improvement are critical in driving waste out of their systems and giving them a critical advantage in the ever-competitive marketplace.
This Blog will show some ways to adapt the principles and tools. The experience of life aboard submarines prepared me for an eventual role in lean manufacturing with many of the world’s best-known names. Now I would like to return the service to those who are on their own lean journeys. I hope the illustrations and stories are useful to you.
I am eternally grateful to all those who have sailed beneath the ocean blue and those who are “On Watch” even as you read this.
theleansubmariner 
Bien, tres bien, Messieur MacPherson.
Je vois cette blog c’est nouveau. Et, je voudrais un bon voyage pour cette blog et votre nouveau business. Merci, JA Esq
Robert – just checking in after 7-15-11 post above. Just made a referral to your blog. Glad to see you are still blogging and enjoying it. Sis
So tell me where you are practicing Lean. I also spent time on Submarines and now I am a Lean Black Belt. Sounds like our sub days were around the same time.
Thanks for your service shipmate. I have updated my “About” page which gives a better picture of what I have been doing recently. I was recently given a great opportunity to seek new adventures and in a number of discussions right now. I appreciate the feedback.
Good morning –
I thought I’d let you know that your blog entry was included in USEND – Undersea Enterprise News Daily – which is published by the Submarine Force Public Affairs Office. The link to subscribe (if you or anyone is interested is to e-mail marlowe.dix@navy.mil and include in the subject line ‘subscribe to usend.’
I’m a retired Ships Clerk Warrant Officer. I became the Deputy PAO at SUBLANT after retiring in 1995 and enjoyed working there for five years. I’m now the PAO for Naval Network Warfare Command.
Thanks John and certainly thanks for your service then and now. I also appreciate the bump for TLS.
Bob MacPherson
If you are ever in northern New Jersey, come see the USS Ling (SS-297). She’s a balao class submarine that we keep in very good shape at the New Jersey Naval Museum. I give tours through her, create museum trainign documentation and write the free newsletter, “Ling Log”. Contact me, matthew.milsop@yahoo.com if you are interested in recieving it.
HOO-YAH Submariner Warrant! Had the honor myself of “getting to do whatever I wanted” as a Nuke Warrant, serving 34 years, just retiring June 2010.
LEAN? Leveraging Efficiency Against Notionals, Norms, & Nuckleheads.
Enjoyed what I’ve read so far; will have to hang out at your spot some more. Always ready to learn something new about leadership and how to apply it on the deckplate.
Welcome aboard Warrant and thanks for a great 34 years.
When were you on Hunley shipmate? I was there in teh early 80s, I left just before whe was relieved by the Simon Lake. I was also at the commissioning of the North Carolina – are you from the Wilmingotn area?
Hi Mark. I was on her from 91 – 94 and helped to put her into retirement. She did me the same favor in return. Great group of people and lots of memories.
Mac
Mark, I just read your post to mstrmac and I am from NC. Born in Roseboro, lived Varnamtown, and served as Postmaster of Supply, NC for 12 years. I was in the Navy SEABEES and helped erect the AFDB-7 LOS ALAMOS in Holy Loch, Scotland in 1961 which serviced Polaris subs for 30 year. Mrtrmac posted an article by me on theleansubmariner back on April 4, 2014 even though I have never served on a sub. Check it out by entering AFDB-7 LOS ALAMOS in the search box at the top right of the blog. Thank you for your service.
Norman Rachels
Hello Mark Craft. I seem to remember a Mr. Craft from the Hunley days 81-86. I made CPO while on Hunley and also qualified Subs as a surface puke. I was HTC Gantt – Remember SGI teams. Retired in 95 as CWO3.
Hello there,
Thank you very much for subscribing to my blog. I hope my posts don’t disappoint you and that your visits in my blog will always be an enjoyable experience.
Thank you again, and have a lovely day, my friend! 🙂
Subhan Zein
Thank you for your service!
Thank you for your service. I was part of the other arm of ASW during the cold war. I flew as an air crewman on the Lockheed Neptune with VP-18 out of Jacksonville Florida in the early 1960s. I’m now following your blog and look forward to reading more of your posts.
Welcome aboard. Thank you for your service as well. I thought the Neptune was a great plane. Growing up, I read every Naval Institute Proceedings magazine I could find and remember reading about that plane many times
I’ve been reading with great interest some of your posts, comments and replies about the submarine’s mission and some of the crews conducting those activities. Do you happen to know of a website such as yours that is focused on airborne ASW then and how it has evolved into modern day?
Navy to Navy, thank you for your service my brother.
Thanks my friend. Thanks to you as well
Veteran of the Submarine Force myself, E-1 to LCDR (1972-2002) and served on three submarines and two submarine tenders, two tours at COMSUBPAC, tours at CSS8, CSG10 and NTCC Crystal Plaza. USS JOHN MARSHALL (SSBN 611) 72-76, USS MEMPHIS (SSN 691) 76-79, and USS BATON ROUGE (SSN 689) 81-85. Also spent 7 years as a government employee at SPAWAR and several years in private industry with AMSEC LLC. Whew……now I am enjoying retirement.
Thanks for the note Richard and definitely thanks for your service. I al looking forward to my own retirement someday in the not so distant future.
Veteran of the Submarine Force, E-1 to SCPO. and served on three (diesel boats,USS REDFIN SSR-272 (55-59), USS SENNET SS-408 (60-61), SSBN-611 (61-64). USS LEWIS AND CLARK, SSBN-644 (64-68), USS SALMON (TAD) (69) CSF 7, YOKOSUKA, VIETNAM MEDAL 1 STAR. Submarine Special Communications Washington, DC (69-71),
SPECCOMDIV GUAM (71-73). RMCS(SS) RETIRED
Hi,my father recently passed,he was a submariner on the USS Thomas Jefferson and I believe he is a plank owner.Does anyone know if that info is available somewhere?