Ten days ago – 100,000 hits Today: 125,000 hits

Thanks for the visits. Thanks for the feedback. The submarine community and those that support the community have shown a very special kind of support. A few years ago, I wrote a book about my Dad’s service in the Navy (“Love your son Butch”) It was a son’s way of honoring an uncommon man who […]

Miscellaneous… 1940

Miscellaneous… The Bluejackets Manual has been the mainstay for educating sailors since 1902. Prior to that time, the sailors were considered to be too illiterate to merit having a manual with instructions on how to be an American Bluejacket. For a hundred and twelve years, the manual has undergone a number of revisions to reflect […]

“hey… you have the next watch”

Watches in the military have been around since the beginning of recorded time. The Jews, like the Greeks and Romans, divided the night into military watches instead of hours, each watch representing the period for which sentinels or pickets remained on duty. The proper Jewish reckoning recognized only three such watches, entitled the first or […]

USS Somerset (LPD 25) Honoring America’s Heroes

The USS Somerset will be commissioned on March 1 2014 in Philadelphia PA. The ship is named after the County where our brave fellow citizens demonstrated courage and sacrifice in a way that is remarkable. If you have not been to the Site near Shanksville, you owe it to yourself and your family to […]

Our company commander is missing, Sir

Originally posted on theleansubmariner:
June of 1972 was a pivotal month and year for many people. Watergate, Hurricane Agnes, Vietnam bombings, Nixon’s reelection, and the month I entered the Navy. Through all the years since then, I have managed to hang onto “The Keel” which is the graduation cruise book they gave out back in…

“Ever a Submariner” by Jody Durham, MM2/SS (A Gang)

I am obviously a sucker for a great submarine story. I spend much of my free time researching stories about a rare breed of men who chose voluntarily to sail on ships designed by their creators to sail beneath the oceans surface. I was recently introduced to Jody Durham, a fellow Cold War sailor (and […]

100,000 hits… wow.. that is humbling

Thanks to all who have visited Mister Mac

Tally-Ho… An unhappy Valentine ’s Day for the UIT – 23

Many of my early days of submarining were spent in and around areas that are considered choke points for global navigation. Without revealing too many details, the hunting near certain places has always been richer because of the availability of certain vessels of interest.The Bluejackets manual I received in Boot Camp at Great Lakes Illinois provided the […]

Fringes of the Fleet

Rule Britannia, Britannia rules the waves When your country is an island, it is only natural that you would come to rely on the ocean for commerce with others. When that island is vulnerable to attacks form others, it is even more natural that the ocean would serve as a means for your defense. To […]

Welcome Aboard Undersea Warfare Magazine

If you look to the right where I list my Blogroll, you will see some new additions. Some folks at the Magazine liked my latest blog (Grand Theft Submarine – Stealing the U-111) and asked for a salute on the page. I really like their Facebook Page and back in the day spent a lot […]