Cold War Stories – Homecoming 1946

Homecoming 1946 Nearly eight million men and women served in the United States Armed Forces during the second world war. Many recent articles in various news outlets and television stories highlight the hundred plus years the few remaining survivors are celebrating this year. But the numbers are diminished greatly with the passing of time. They […]

Cold War Stories – Prepare to Snorkel

Cold War Stories – Prepare to Snorkel When the word is passed “Prepare to Snorkel” on a submarine, a number of actions need to be taken immediately. The boat has to be at the correct depth, valves need to be adjusted and of course, the diesel operator needs to do some preliminary actions. The snorkel […]

Cold War Stories: Atomic Submarines that could Dive Deeper than ever

Cold War Stories: Atomic Submarines that could Dive Deeper than ever Most Mondays I get a chance to share stories with students from the Naval Nuclear Power Training Unit that are based at the Weapons Station in Goose Creek in South Carolina. The young people are the best and brightest of their generation and will […]

Every Moment Mattered – The Life and Death of Cassin Young, Captain, USN MOH Recipient – Chapter Fifteen: If you are in a boat, you are more afraid of fire than you are of water. (Japanese Proverb)

Chapter Fifteen: If you are in a boat, you are more afraid of fire than you are of water. (Japanese Proverb) The Japanese radio station at Iwaki signaled to the Radio Corporation of America’s local station that Yokohama was on fire. The massive earthquake that struck the empire of Japan on September first demonstrated the power […]

Every Moment Mattered – The Life and Death of Cassin Young, Captain, USN MOH Recipient – Chapter Twelve: Pig Boats at the Panama Canal

Chapter Twelve Pig Boats at the Panama Canal From the Annual Report of the Navy Department (1921/22), an accurate description of life on board any of the submarines of the day: “Submarines, from their size and peculiarities of construction and operation, are far less habitable than the usual types of surface craft. They do not […]

Every Moment Mattered – The Life and Death of Cassin Young, Captain, USN MOH Recipient – Chapter Thirteen: While one Navy shrinks an enemy secretly grows

Chapter Thirteen: While one Navy shrinks an enemy secretly grows Between the years of 1920-1921, the United States was shedding the weight of the forces it had mustered to answer the call to action in the Great War. After the Wilsonian years and massive growth and investment, the Republican leadership clung to the new idea that […]

Every Moment Mattered – The Life and Death of Cassin Young, Captain, USN MOH Recipient – Chapter Eleven: Mosquitos, sand flies and ants shall inherit the earth

Chapter 11: Mosquitos, sand flies and ants shall inherit the earth “Information on living conditions in the Canal Zone. Atlantic Side. Any officer ordered to the Canal Zone should, if possible, leave his family in the States until he has investigated the situation described above” These words of caution were written in a pamphlet published by […]

Every Moment Mattered – The Life and Death of Cassin Young, Captain, USN MOH Recipient – Chapter Ten: She married a Submariner

Chapter Ten: She married a Submariner There was a custom that existed when ships were at sea to drink a toast at dinner on Saturday night to officer’s wives and sweethearts. The second stanza to one of those toasts (that dated back to the Royal Navy) said: Sweethearts and wives, those precious names That make […]

Every Moment Mattered – The Life and Death of Cassin Young, Captain, USN MOH Recipient – Chapter Nine: “A cowardly, underhanded weapon”

Chapter Nine: “A cowardly, underhanded weapon” As Cassin Young and his classmates were being trained in the art and science of submarine warfare in the summer of 1919, forces across the Atlantic Ocean were gaining strength to try and cut short his and many other’s careers on submarines. The British had been particularly hard hit […]

Every Moment Mattered – The Life and Death of Cassin Young, Captain, USN MOH Recipient – Chapter Eight: Peace and prosperity equal equally poor prospects for promotion

Chapter Eight (1918 – 1919): Peace and prosperity equal equally poor prospects for promotion Lieutenant Cassin Young faced a dismal future in the cold winter month of December 1918. He had been in the navy since his academy days and had spent most of his days learning the art of warfare on a navy ship. The […]