USS Omaha (SSN 692) Memorial Park

April 19 is a special day for all former Omaha Crew members and the city of Omaha. There will be a dedication ceremony for the park at 3:30. I wish them well in recognizing this proud ship and crew. Navy’s USS Omaha Destined for New Memorial Park Ketv.com, April 18 OMAHA, Neb. – Key pieces […]

Submarine Force Issues 2013

Its probably no coincidence that submarines are the focus of this article during a week that marks the highs and lows of US Navy submarine history. Save Our Subs: Prioritizing The Attack Submarine By Rep. Randy Forbes and Rep. Joe Courtney AOL Defense, April 9, 2013 For a host of security and economic reasons, […]

It’s just a little scar

For fifty years, I have had a little scar on my forehead that is a reminder of an incident that happened in the woods near my home. I’ve talked before about how much fun it was venturing into the woods with my friends and fellow siblings but that scar is a gentle reminder that not […]

A day to remember … coming soon

The U.S. Navy’s involvement with the submarine dates from 1888 when the Bureau of Construction and Repair (BUC&R) sponsored a design competition that brought John Holland a naval contract to build the experimental Plunger. As the new century dawned, prominent American naval leaders like Admiral George Dewey called the submarine a real threat to international […]

5S Boot Camp

In the many lean implementations I have been involved with, establishing a discipline of 5S has always been one of the foundations sought after. The term “5S” of course comes from the Toyota system of lean but for anyone who ever went through boot camp or basic training, it has a number of other descriptions. […]

Russian Submarine Base Pictures

In all of my years on submarines, I can never remember pulling into an underground submarine base. Probably because we didn’t have any! The Russians apparently did have a big underground submarine base and docks once in the USSR. After the Soviet Union collapsed and the Russian army left Ukraine it was partly abandoned and […]

Submarines; Scourge of the Seas or Sentinels of Liberty? (It depends on who is at the helm)

At the outset of the war between the states, the weight of sea power rested with the Northern states both in actual number of existing ships and the capacity to manufacture new ones. The industrial capacity of the north had matured because of many reasons up to that point. Availability of raw materials and capacity […]

USS San Francisco SSN 711 Reunion

1MC: Attention All Hands, this is the Big Mac. The Reunion is On for 2013 Location: Norfolk Marriott Waterside, Norfolk Virginia Date: September 6-8 2013 Venue: Reservations: To receive the guaranteed rate of $100 per night, you must contact Marriott at either 1-800-228-9290 or 757-627-4200 anytime after 1 PM on June 28 or before […]

Spiritual Moments… what was your most memorable moment?

The Pastor this morning asked us to stop and think about the spiritual moments in our lives. Like many people, I think I have had my share. The first time I came face to face with my belief in something greater than myself. The day my Dad died. The day I discovered […]

Strategic Deterrence – 3500 patrols and counting

When most people look back at the fifties, it was a mixture of many different themes. On the one hand, we had the growth of the so called middle class into suburbia as returning GI’s and their counterparts in the other services came home as victors to a nation ready to grow. Home ownership became […]