April 10, 1963 -“Experiencing minor difficulty. Have positive up angle. Attempting to blow.”

“Experiencing minor difficulty. Have positive up angle. Attempting to blow.” I wasn’t quite nine years old when the USS Thresher went down for its final dive on April 10, 1963. I am sure I remember the news but I am also sure the significance of the tragedy did not reach all the way inside of […]

March 1946 – The Navy Gains a Foothold in the Atomic Field

In March of 1946, the country was still struggling to come to terms with the realization that the atom had been partially mastered. When the atomic bombs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were used to help end the war in the Pacific, the eyes of the world suddenly were opened to the fact that nothing was […]

Everything Old is New Again – Life in the Nuclear Shadow

Everything Old is New Again I’ve spent a great deal of time over the past few years studying about the development of nuclear power for use by the US Navy. One of the most informative documents was written in the early nineteen sixties titled Nuclear Navy 1946-1962 written principally by Richard G. Hewlett and Francis […]

A sign of the times… Got Shelters?

Sunday March 4, 1962 was a cool and cloudy day in Washington DC. The front page of the paper had several stories about Marine Colonel John Glenn, Jr., recent space traveler visiting his hometown in Ohio to happy throngs of people. Other front-page stories talked about government corruption, unrest overseas, and of course, across the […]

From the Deep – The Story of America’s Boomers

Once upon a time, I lived and worked on the very first ballistic missile submarine known as the USS George Washington (SSBN 598). It was a unique experience that allowed me to become a submariner and experience things that most never will. The GW was already about 14 years old by the time I got […]

2022 Fast Attack Submarine Report – Defending Freedom from Beneath the Waves

Fast Attack Submarines Defending a nation like the United States has never been an easy task. From the very beginning of the country, we have faced extreme challenges from powerful ocean going powers like Great Britain at it’s zenith, to the Imperial Japanese Navy that emerged from Pearl Harbor in December 1941 as the most […]

It is the one thing that brings us all together

Caution: Sensitive subject matter with some salty language. If you are easily offended, turn in your dolphins and stop reading this right now. Submariners are a unique brand of people. In my lifetime, I have seen the Navy go from conventional powered diesel boats to the most modern form of nuclear powered boats imaginable. Its […]

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 […]

1987 – The Counterpunch for a growing Soviet threat

1987 – The Counterpunch for a growing Soviet threat When I became a Machinist Mate Chief Petty Officer in August of 1987, I celebrated having served on a fair representation of Cold War submarines and stations. The journey took me from New London to Charleston to Pearl Harbor to Mare Island. Then the trip continued […]

And the rocket’s “Red” glare – Soviet Submarines (Part 2)

(Part Two of the Soviet Union Submarine series) https://theleansubmariner.com/2020/03/27/we-had-rickover-they-had-gorshkov-the-whole-world-watched/ In April 1972, I raised my right hand swore allegiance to the United States of America as a brand new member of the United States Navy. It would be the first of many times I repeated the oath. During that time, the War in Vietnam had […]