Victorious

Did you ever wake up at 4 AM and have so many thoughts in your head you just couldn’t go back to sleep? That was last night. I was thinking about two submarines. The USS Pittsburgh SSN 720 which is currently preparing for decommissioning and the USS San Francisco SSN 711 which is in limbo […]

Back to School – Mr. Edison will be teaching today

Ah, school days. As I sat in line waiting for the busses this morning on my way to an appointment, I was reminded about my own school days many years ago. I’m sure I have mentioned this before, but I joined the Navy because I was tired of sitting in classrooms for twelve years. I […]

The Silent Service – 1951 – Earning the Twin Dolphin

September 1951 found the United States embroiled once again in a conflict far away from its home shores. Harry S Truman was the President and he held a televised transcontinental news conference on the new medium of Television to discuss the official surrender of Japan at the Japanese Peace Treaty Conference. September 4, 1951 – […]

Redecorating your boat – the softer side of Diesel Boats we never knew

Redecorating your boat – the softer side of Diesel Boats we never knew There is a lot of good natured kidding back and forth between diesel boat sailors and those who operated nuclear subs. Okay, to be fair, some of it isn’t so good natured. But the DBF sailors have been known from time to […]

Eyewitness to history: Who was Elton C. Fay?

Eyewitness to history: Who was Elton C. Fay? Elton C. Fay, was an Associated Press reporter who covered the Pentagon from the days of World War II to the Vietnam War. His death was recorded in a common obituary and stated that he died at his Silver Spring, Md., home after a long illness. He […]

August 21, 1905 – Plunger to Oyster Bay today

I was working on the next 41 for Freedom article which is the USS Theodore Roosevelt SSBN 600 when I stumbled on some interesting items related to the early days of submarining. I had earlier posted the story about Teddy’s Excellent Adventure on the Plunger in 1905 but had not included any of the newspaper […]

USS George Bancroft SSBN 643 – Pax Per Scientiam

Looking back over the US Navy’s history, there are many moments that define greatness or the aspiration for greatness. John Paul Jones heroic deeds certainly set the tone for what the future Navy would look like. The words “I have not yet begun to fight” will always stand out as the benchmark of bravery in […]

Make no wild claims about Polaris – Burke (CNO PERSONAL NO. 35 SECRET – Personal For Official Use Only)

During his time as Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Arleigh Burke communicated with his top leadership team using Secret Memos. Many of those memos are now declassified. CNO Personal Number 35 was issued to discuss the increase of Soviet submarine activity in the Atlantic region as well as to discuss the coming Polaris Missile system. […]

The Destroyer man that helped launch the 41 for Freedom Fleet – 31 Knot Burke

You can’t talk about the 41 for Freedom boats without talking about one of the most important men in their development: A former destroyer-man named Arleigh Burke A Sailor if there ever was one: Forty two years in the Navy is a long time by any measure. When that forty two years includes service in […]

How to hunt a submarine – To Catch a Thief, Send a Thief

To catch a thief, send a thief Every once in a while, I think about submarine related questions. One of those questions is what is the greatest danger to submarines? I think the question could have many answers based on the circumstances. The sea itself is certainly a big challenge. Even in the calmest conditions, […]