October 16, 1962 – The Day the World Found Itself on the Brink

I was eight years old on October 16, 1962. It was a Tuesday and I was in grade school probably day-dreaming about anything but the world coming to an abrupt end. But on that day, President Kennedy was shown some pictures of Soviet Missiles being assembled in a place called Cuba. It may has well […]

Warshot Loaded – Why Every Submariner is a Warrior

I know I have been MIA for a while. Sorry about that. Lots of personal stuff going on which I will share later. I recently rejoined the Veterans of Foreign Wars. My service on board two Boomers allowed me to be eligible to join. I have always thought that the organization was missing the boat […]

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 […]

We had Rickover – They had Gorshkov; The whole world watched

Soviet Submarine Threat: Part 1 The flag of the Soviet Navy flies over the oceans of the world. Sooner or later the United States will have to understand it no longer has mastery of the seas. Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union S. G. GORSHKOV I’m sure some people wonder why I spend […]

1959 – Why do you need so damn many submarines?

Why do you need so damn many submarines? I can almost hear the Air Force Brass asking that question of the Navy as they were presented the “threat” profile developed by the intelligence agencies in 1959. 1959 was a pivotal year for submarine development in the United States. The military in general was going through […]

Make no wild claims about Polaris – Burke (CNO PERSONAL NO. 35 SECRET – Personal For Official Use Only)

During his time as Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Arleigh Burke communicated with his top leadership team using Secret Memos. Many of those memos are now declassified. CNO Personal Number 35 was issued to discuss the increase of Soviet submarine activity in the Atlantic region as well as to discuss the coming Polaris Missile system. […]

So they fired first. Could you push the button in response?

The aftermath of the Cuban Missile Crisis on America I was in the second grade when the Cuban Missile Crisis broke. Over the years there have been a number of great documentaries about what really happened during the crisis, but even now, I am not sure I know what really happened. The Cold War was […]

All that was new in 1952 – Submersibles – yesterday, TODAY, TOMORROW?

Reaching 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 […]

Why it mattered – Voices from the edge of the Abyss (June 1969)

Why it mattered – Voices from the edge of the Abyss (June 1969) Looking back over the years we called the Cold War, the danger and consequences are easier to see now than during the time they were occurring. During much of the period, there were so many changes and movements that pulled our attention […]

USS James Monroe SSBN 622 – Watchful Waiting

The James Monroe was built in the early days of the Polaris program and typified the boats that were launched during that time. With each successive weapons upgrade, she would be retrofitted with more powerful weapons and equipment to support her primary mission: deterrence. A little over ten years after she was commissioned, Admiral Rickover […]