EMINENT AMERICANS Namesakes of the Polaris Submarine Fleet (41 for Freedom)

Polaris 1959 This year is the year of the Polaris Program. It has been 60 years since the program burst onto the submarine scene and its impact is still felt today. The marriage of so much technology to convincingly prove to the Soviet Union and the world that a reliable part of the Strategic […]

A Pocket-sized Nuclear Reactor on a Mini-Submarine? (almost) circa 1958

The world’s atomic agencies were watching America’s Naval Atomic program closely and with great interest in 1959 In late 1958, the focus on atomic submarines was still centered on what came to be known as the fast attack. In this report that highlighted all of the sea going efforts at harnessing nuclear power, the author […]

Was that Regular mail delivery or Regulus mail delivery?

Air Mail like None Other Of all the submarine stories I have ever read, this one ranks with the most unusual. In 1959, the world was still reacting to the Soviet advances in space. The Navy had invested a significant amount of money on the Regulus Missile system as a way to counter Soviet threats. […]

The Emergency Meeting: January 1, 1959

The Emergency Meeting: January 1, 1959 The following transcript, (heavily redacted for security reasons) is a record of an emergency meeting held at the office of Manpower for the United States Navy Bureau of Personnel on New Year’s Day 1959. This meeting was held in the strictest secrecy and portions of the meeting have only […]

A decade that changed the world – FBM history from 1959-1969

A decade that changed the world – FBM history from 1959-1969 Nearly a decade of progress changed the face of submarine warfare and nuclear deterrence. Between 1959 and 1969, the Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarines went from concept to reality in a way that fundamentally changed the way two major powers viewed warfare and strategic deterrence. […]

The Boomer Pin Turns 50 – (Does that mean it can finally join the Holland Club?)

The Boomer Pin turns 50 in 2019 One of the most divisive subjects in the American submarine family is the breast insignia know by most as the Boomer pin. This little device has been a part of my uniform since January 1974 when I completed my first ballistic missile patrol. Wearing the pin by itself […]

What’s in a name? (a short explanation of how naming submarines got so fishy fifty years ago)

Growing up, I read nearly every book I could get my hands on that contained US Navy ships. I especially loved the stories about the Second World War. It was so cool to be able to know that Battleships were always named after states, cruisers bore the names of cities and destroyers were honored with […]

LOOKING BACK: NINETEEN HUNDRED AND FIFTY- EIGHT is gone. (How the submarine force pivoted in 1958 to win the Cold War)

Cold War 1 – How the American Navy Pivoted its Submarine Force to Win the Day I love this time of year. Perspectives on the achievements of the past year reign supreme in the press and on almost all manner of media. With the advances of social media, the avalanche of looking back articles will […]

Teach your children well

You learn a lot sitting around the Christmas Dinner Table Probably one of the more impactful songs from my youth came from a Crosby Stills Nash and Young album. I still play the song on my IPod and it takes me back to a time when this country was divided by generations and by a […]

The Secret of the Art: The Holland in 1898

Its been a busy month gearing up for the holidays so its also been hard to sit down and post stories. I am finishing up a couple of other projects (including my book on Cassin Young) but ran across this story while researching old Navy stories. Traditionally, the official start of the American Submarine Service […]