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 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 […]

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 […]

“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 […]

Where Are They Now?

Where Are They Now? Social media has really had an impact on the world. While some might argue that it has been mostly negative, there are some positive impacts that most of us would have never thought of fifty years ago. In previous generations, you had to meet face to face in a common space […]