Every Moment Mattered – The Life and Death of Cassin Young, Captain, USN MOH Recipient (Introduction and Prologue)

Did you ever get interested enough in a particular subject that you would gladly spend hundreds if not thousands of hours researching that subject? That pretty much describes my passion for the story of Cassin Young. I can’t remember when I started researching and writing a proposed book about Cassin Young. It seems like it’s […]

The Holland Movie

I have spent a lot of time harvesting information about the early days of submarining both here and abroad. Over the past few years, I have tried to take a deeper look at the Holland submarine and its impact on the US Navy. A few of those articles are here: https://theleansubmariner.com/2022/03/30/the-men-who-go-down-into-the-waters-in-these-boats-must-take-their-lives-in-their-hands-hollands-invention-in-1898/ https://theleansubmariner.com/2020/04/09/the-creation-of-a-disordered-mind-hollands-submarine-boat/ Recently I signed […]

A Japanese Submarine operating in the Indian Ocean – From The archives

This black and white video comes from the National Archives. It shows life on board a Japanese submarine in the Indian Ocean. Some interesting features include firing their deck gun, riding on the surface at night, sleeping arrangements (yes, they slept next to their torpedoes), off watch activities like playing cards and other games, preparing […]

Pre-war Footage of a Japanese Submarine

I was cruising through the National Archives today and found a short video clip of a Japanese submarine in operation. There is no sound to the clip, but it is pretty fascinating to observe the crew and the boat in action. Based on her configuration, only one of the pre-war submarines I identified in Jane’s […]

“Information from other sources sheds rather a different light on the matter.” Underestimating any enemy can be dangerous

“Information from other sources sheds rather a different light on the matter.” Underestimating any enemy can be dangerous. Recently, I was browsing through the national archives and found some declassified documents dating back to the 1920’s about submarine development abroad. During that time frame, there was a great desire on all parts of the world […]

“If they have to go, I’m glad they died under the flag.” Twin Gold Stars

September 28 is a day where the nation recognizes Gold Star mothers and families. While the starting date occurred officially in 1936, the tradition of remembering lost ones with a gold star dates back to World War 1. Losing a child or family member that is serving a higher purpose has always had an impact […]

What a Great Week – Orlando 2025 USSVI Convention in the Rear View Mirror

After a few days of winding down, I am ready to give a brief report on the USSVI 2025 Convention in Orlando. First, I have to give a huge shout out to our hosts. The Central Florida, South Lake Florida and Snug Harbor Bases were outstanding in their support, and it was awesome to see […]

Patriots Point Gardens of Stone – A Cold War Submarine Memorial

Since moving to the Low Country, I have spent a lot of time rediscovering many treasures of the Charleston area. One of the most significant is the Cold War Submarine Memorial at Patriot’s Point. Because most of my earlier life was living through the Cold War, the place has pretty significant memories for me. I […]

You say you want a revolution? You might want to crack open a history book first!

Mac Note: If you are a big fan of progressivism and socialism, stop reading right now. This is one of those rare times where I invoke writer’s privilege – after all, it is my blog One other thing: Some of the pictures are pretty graphic. SO, if you are easily upset, just another reason to […]

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 […]