Simon Lake Was a Dreamer

“Every man seen was at his station” – The tragic loss of the S-51

Every man seen was at his station – The tragic lass of the S-51 Caution – The descriptions are pretty graphic. I have written about the sinking of the S-51 before but today is the hundredth anniversary of the beginning of her recovery and restoration. In their day, the U. S. submarines S-50 and S-51 were the latest and […]

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 […]

You know you have a problem when the Wall Street Journal features your problem – Submarine Repair Crisis

This morning, an article online caught my eye. It was about the situation we face today in our capacity to build and repair submarines and ships. https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/u-s-navy-ships-are-languishing-in-repair-yards/ar-AA1JOIYV?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=ae81c26819274e929a7c8de2a36283ba&ei=22 This was my response to the writer Alistair What a great article about the debacle that we face in relation to submarine and ship repairs. Our country has […]

In the beginning… building a submarine despite the odds (1900)

In the beginning… building a submarine despite the odds (1900) The 125th Anniversary of the United States Submarine force will occur in April of 2025. This is one of a number of articles related to that celebration. I spend a lot of time researching history and my favorite source material comes from the National Archives. […]

1908 – Submarines Floating on a Sea of Champaign

1908 – Submarines floating on a sea of Champaign In the winter of 1908, Connecticut House of Representative Member George L. Lilley brought a scathing accusation against members of the House of Representatives and a whole host of people who had been involved with the previous year’s submarine competition. The competition had determined that the […]

1907 – Sunken, Silent Stilettos of the Deep to Deal Deadliest Blows in Future Warfare on the Sea

1907 was an important time for the American Navy. The building program championed by President Theodore Roosevelt following the Spanish-American War had yet to fully bear fruit. The Navy in 1907 was still growing, still challenging Germany for second place among the world’s naval powers. The organization of the Navy at this time also reflects […]

“Cooped up in These Steel Cylinders, The Combatants Would Go to Their Graves beneath the waves, and the details of the Death Fight Never Be Known.” Submarines in 1898

1898 The Spanish Threat I grew up during the Cold War. The threat of nuclear destruction was drilled into us from the time we hit grade school until sometime in the early seventies when people just realized that there would be no place to really hide if the bombs started going off. That was particularly […]

Promises made, promises kept – The Polaris Story 1967

Promises made, promises kept – The Polaris Story 1967 There have only been a few times that I have posted stories from shipmates. Each had value all by themselves but their content certainly made them worth sharing. The story of the installation of the AFDB 7 USS Los Alamos floating dry dock in Scotland, https://theleansubmariner.com/2014/04/04/afdb-7-los-alamos-holy-loch-scotland-in-the-beginning/ […]