Danger or not: The Navies Must Possess the Terror – Submarines in 1902

A little over two years into America’s experiment with the submarine, one of the early weaknesses was ending up becoming a newsworthy problem. Gasoline The use of gasoline engines for primary power on the surface was problematic to say the least. The fuel was very toxic and explosive and unfortunately unpredictable. Since the fumes were […]

The Little Devils of the Deep – American Submarines in June 1900

In June of 1900, the American seagoing world was still adapting to the idea that a practical submarine machine had been brought into the family. With the Spanish American War in the rear-view mirror, 1900 was exploding with changes of all kinds. The twentieth century would come to be known as the American Century since […]

“The men who go down into the waters in these boats must take their lives in their hands.” Holland’s Invention in 1898

Sunday, April 24, 1898, the San Francisco papers and papers across the country were filled with the latest news about the Spanish American War that was already underway. America woke up that morning to the realization that it had seacoasts that stretched from north to south in both the east and the west. There was […]

May you live long enough that you long for your past despite the hardships and difficulties.

The definition for nostalgia that comes from Webster’s Dictionary include these: a wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period of irrecoverable condition the state of being homesick With apologies to Webster and company, this is my definition: May you live long enough that you long for your past despite […]

Erin go Bragh – The Story of the Fenians Ram

Well, the best laid plans of men and mice often go awry. I am reposting a link that will take you to the original story about the Fenian’s Ram celebrating the first Submarine Day, March 17 Hopefully this works Fenian Ram: The Green Submarine – theleansubmariner

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 […]

The Daring Gambler Held All the Cards – The Plunger Legacy

There are few other submarine names that show the progression of the growth of America’s submarine propulsion power as clearly as the family of boats named Plunger I wanted to end Submarine Month (April 2020) with a classic story and a tribute to one of the most decorated submarines of the Cold War at the […]

The Battle of Bull Run and the First Official Submariner

The Battle of Bull Run and the First Official Submariner Since April is Submarine Month, I thought I would add to the history of our great institution. Warning: This is a long article… I struggled to cut it down to size and even thought about doing a two part story. But the more I found […]

The creation of a disordered mind… Holland’s submarine boat

The creation of a disordered mind Centuries of dreams had surrounded the desire and even the need to conquer the underwater world. The industrial age brought with it many new inventions and ideas that were changing the world. The mastery of electricity and modern engines were just part of the growth that propelled man from […]

No One is Laughing Now Mr. Holland

April is submarine month in the United States and April 11, 1900 is traditionally celebrated as the day the submarine force was started with the purchase of the Holland Submarine. This year, I have spent a lot of time researching through the national archives for stories from 1900 or at least from the early part […]