Steel Boats, Iron Men and their stories (plus a bit more)
How do you describe a Submariner? If you are a qualified submariner, you probably have a standard description when people ask about your life when you were on the boats. The most common responses I get are “Oh, I could never do that” or “Weren’t you afraid?” But nearly everyone of a certain age has […]
Read More The Submariner StereotypeReaching back once more into the time vault, we find the Navy struggling to determine what the next step for submarine warfare will be in 1952. The successes of the Second World War were obvious. A determined group of submariners had proven the lethality of the weapon in helping to defeat a powerful enemy. With […]
Read More All that was new in 1952 – Submersibles – yesterday, TODAY, TOMORROW?Arguably one of the most influential American Submariners that ever lived was Admiral Chester W. Nimitz. As a young man, he was significantly influenced by his German-born paternal grandfather, Charles Henry Nimitz, a former seaman in the German Merchant Marine, who taught him, “The Sea – like life itself – is a stern taskmaster. The […]
Read More The Vision of a Man Named Nimitz – The American Submarine Story in the 20th CenturyIn 1947, the United States Navy was the predominant Navy in the entire world. The buildup of American naval forces during the Second World War resulted in an excess of ships when the war was finally brought to a conclusion. The quiet revolution that came to be known as the Cold War was just beginning […]
Read More MEN AGAINST ICE – ALL HANDS January 1947 USS Sennet SS 408 and Operation HighjumpEvery once in a while, a request comes across my desk that I just can’t say no to. Submarine reunions are one of my favorite past times since I know that the men who gather (and their ever faithful ever suffering wives) are going to get a chance to relive some of their younger […]
Read More Tribute to a WW2 and Cold War Warrior – USS Sennet SS 408 (2019 Reunion Information included)What’s in a name? : USS Clamagore SS 343 It’s been hard the last few years seeing the struggle of the Clamagore. There are so few submarines from her era still afloat and even the thought of losing one is hard for those of us who know their place in history. These articles are from […]
Read More What’s in a name? : USS Clamagore SS 343May 7th is the anniversary of one of the most significant seagoing tragedies in the annals of submarine history. The sinking of the Lusitania in 1915. (Note: The article is a good read for a day when you can have some quiet… at the end of the article is a link to a classic documentary […]
Read More Oil, cabbages and very little oxygen… Life aboard a WWI Unterseeboot1967 – Five years before I raised my right hand for the very first time This article was written for the Navy Magazine ALL HANDS. As I look back at the history of the submarine force and what was happening during 1967, it is easy to understand why the Navy would want to put such […]
Read More “Why do Navymen volunteer for Submarine Duty?” one story from 1967Nuclear Submarines at Ten Years This article from ALL HANDS MAGAZINE did a very nice job capturing the development of the Nuclear Submarine Navy during the first ten years. Looking back nearly fifty five years later, it is stunning to see what was accomplished considering the technology they had available at the time. Think about […]
Read More Ballistic Missile Nuclear Submarines in 1964The old Submariner The old Submariner knows a thing or two about what Submariners are all about. But the definition is generational and the definition has changed a time or two. The original old Submariner remembers clothes smelling of sweat and gasoline. The air was putrid and the battery acid ate right through his clothes. […]
Read More Who are you calling old?
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