USS Pittsburgh – An Honored Name for Ships that Have Defended their Nation

The Pittsburgh Name has an Honored Place in Naval History The City of Pittsburgh in western Pennsylvania is geographically located far from the open oceans. Despite the busy Three Rivers that offer pathways for shipping and recreation, no ocean going US Navy ships can easily navigate their way to the Point where the three rivers […]

The confession followed an all-night grilling. Justice in America 1921

Note: This story was deeply disturbing for me to write. Not only because of the seeming failures of the Justice Department but because I am afraid the United States Navy participated in a horrendous miscarriage of justice in the persecution of one of its sailors. I encourage you to look at the story and see […]

January 1921: Battleship Still the Fleet’s Backbone, In Opinion of US, Naval Experts

The New York Herald, Sunday January 30, 1921 published an article about the future of the United States Navy and the ships and submarines that would propel the country forward into the global race for supremacy at sea. From the article: “Vessels Of The North Carolina Class When Completed Will Put United States In Advance […]

Propaganda you pay for – A closer look in January 1941

In recent years, there have been a lot of accusations that countries have been actively trying to influence America and her direction. The idea that Russia or China could easily influence Americans through social media has become widely accepted. It’s especially prevalent during the periods before our elections. The difficulty of having a relatively free […]

Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Shipbuilding – January 3 1941

In January 1941, it was becoming obvious that the weapon that created so much trouble in the First World War was once again raising its ugly Spector: The German U-boat. In 1939, 165 ships were sunk and by December 1940, 563 more would join them at the bottom of the ocean. Britain was heavily dependent […]

When Coal Was King – Harsh Realities in 1941 for a Nation that Needed Expansion

Since the beginning of the industrialized era of mankind, one of the key elements that has both enhanced and limited progress is the humble material called coal. Coal played an important part in the growth of America and all of the industrialized nations. Coal also played a part in the eventual destruction of the Imperial […]

What’s in a name Part 3 – USS Wahoo and USS Tang

I have previously talked about how submarine naming protocol has changed in the 120 years since the United States Navy accepted her first submarine. The Holland was named after her builder and for the next few decades the Navy shifted between Numbers and names of fishes. The journey up until recently was captured in one […]

Letters to the Editor (That would be me)

As of today, there are about 950 posts on theleansubmariner. (Some have been archived for now) I started writing the blog in 2011 and its been a joy to share stories that I have created, stories from history, stories about national and international events and stories about subjects that mean something to me and apparently […]

Low Cost Submarines

By 1939, the state of the US Navy’s readiness was in question. The treaties of the past twenty years and the economic conditions had stunted the growth of the force that was realizing the threat of a two ocean war. The war in Europe had not reached its peak yet but the shadows of the […]

The Tanaka Memorial – Real or Imagined? Part 2

Part Two: Admiral Taussig. Yes, Senator. Shall I proceed with my statement? The Chairman. Proceed. Admiral Taussig. In spite of our desires to remain aloof from international problems, we cannot do so. The world has shrunk too much. Can we look on a development in the Far East such as out lined above with detached interest, as a matter of no immediate concern to us as […]