October 4, 1957:

Under the Ice Warfare: Kill or Be Killed

In my career I received the Order of the Ditch and was a Shellback. The first means that I transited the Panama Canal and of course the second means that I crossed the Equator. Going across the equator involves a lot of pomp and circumstances surrounded by a great deal of silliness. I will freely […]

REPORT ON THE U.S. SUBMARINE PROGRAM – 1968

During the period from 1966 through 1968, the Cold War was producing a heightened level of activity on both sides of the global divide. The Soviets were building their submarine fleet with increased attention to both quantity and quality. The west was trying to make sure its qualitative edge would be enough to counter that […]

Staying on station is crucial

Hide and Seek at Sea – 1961-1962

Hide and Seek at Sea Ever since the launch of the Nautilus, advances in nuclear propulsion helped catapult the American naval efforts ahead of the rest of the world. Adding the technology surrounding the Polaris program was critical in answering a growing Soviet land and space program. From 1961-1962, the explosive growth of the fleet […]

Cold War Stories: Submarines: Past, Present And Future Of Silent Service (1962)

In April of 1962, I had not even turned ten years old. But I already had a fascination with submarines But I was conscious of many of the things that were going on in the world. I read every book I cold find in the library about the wars that came earlier in the century. […]

Cold War Stories – Torpedo in the water

From the beginning of the Cold War, the idea of using nuclear power for propulsion was something discussed on both sides of the conflict. But just as important was the idea that having weapons delivery systems tied to submarines would be a game changer in any future hot conflict. The devastating effect of unrestricted submarine […]

Cold War Stories – “The atomic age is here to stay. The question is: Are we?”

General Omar Bradley is known for saying, “Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants. We know more about war than about peace, more about killing than we know about living.” Bradley would go on to become the head of the joint chiefs before retiring from the Army. The turbulent times after the […]

Cold War Stories – The next war will be fought on our own soil

Cold War Stories – The next war will be fought on our own soil In 1984, there was a fictional movie called Red Dawn that portrayed an invasion of the United States. It was a very interesting look at what would happen in the country if an enemy was successfully able to bypass all of […]

Cold War Stories – Sharing Atomic Secrets in 1946

Cold War Stories – Sharing Atomic Secrets in 1946 Even prior to the formation of the United Nations organization in 1945, the shifting sands of power around the globe were creating doubts about the visions of the founders. Franklin Roosevelt had made the formation of this new organization one of his highest priorities. He had […]