The return of Pigboats.com

Happy December! If you are a fan of submarines (and who isn’t) you will be happy to know that one of the granddaddies of all submarine sites is back up and running. The publishers have cleaned off the binnacles from the hull, topped off the fuel tanks and cleared the decks of all fouled gear. […]

Nautilus to Columbia by James C. Goodall

Happy December. This is the time of year when we get presents in the mail and for me that includes the latest project by my friend James. C. Goodall. Jim is a former Air Force guy (Retired) who combines his photographic skills with his passion for submarines and other technical platforms to create valuable resources […]

An Ethan Allen Son’s Request

Submariners are certainly a unique group of people. I belong to a number of Veteran’s groups including the VFW and American Legion. I’m semi active with the Navy and Submarine League as well as Military Officer’s Association. But USSVI remains one of the best organizations as a whole. I am a life member and looking […]

“if a submarine is hit, the crew will never hear the explosion”

October 1943 was a very busy time for an expanding fleet in every corner of the world. The trials for the leadership of the Navy and Army that had been in charge during the attacks on Hawaii and elsewhere were finally getting under way. Less than two years after that disastrous day, many people were […]

Nuclear Power: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (1963-2023)

(NOTE: This post is a big longer than my usual post, but hopefully it will be worth your time to read.) Nuclear Power: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow I was reading about the two nuclear powered aircraft carriers and their battle groups gathering in the eastern Mediterranean this week and got to thinking about when I […]

Rabaul – A Place Where Victory Came to Die

Rabaul was a significant base used by the Japanese during the early years of the secone World War. The Battle of Rabaul, also known by the Japanese as Operation R, an instigating action of the New Guinea campaign, was fought on the island of New Britain in the Australian Territory of New Guinea, from 23 […]

Telegraphic News Flash: Explosion Kills Three on Submarine S-37

Life on submarines has always been risky. Whether it’s defying the physics of overcoming the sea’s depths or the nature of the machinery required to do so, every submariner undestands that the unexpected can be managed to a certain extent, but the uexpected cab still arrive with dire results. One hundred years ago today (October […]

You need air, but its more complicated than that

First an apology I have been absent without leave for a month or so. We have been doing a lot of doctor visits on our way to becoming VA rated as a service connected disability veteran. That has involved many trips and examinations and frankly getting a lot of others things in order while we […]

The Submarine Recognition Manual NAVPERS 10011

A new era In 1959, the United States was about to fast forward its submarine program. The nuclear program was well under way and the ballistic missile submarine program called Polaris was in full swing. Congressional reports at the time talked about the mounting Soviet threat. The Soviets had also developed a number of shipyards […]

Aloha Spirit and Maui – Forty Years of Memories

Watching the television and on-line reports of damage to Maui has been difficult. The loss of life and property damage is heart wrenching. My memories of that paradise are fading now with age but I can still see some images in my head. The first time I went there was at the end of a […]