Steel Boats, Iron Men and their stories (plus a bit more)
Having a nuclear reactor on board a ship is not a new idea. Having a pair of Russian nuclear reactors on a barge in the Arctic Region is kind of novel however. I have been watching with interest the progress of the Akademik Lomonosov for a short while now and intrigued by the possibilities it […]
Read More Northern lights? (or the glow from a reactor meltdown)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 […]
Read More Redecorating your boat – the softer side of Diesel Boats we never knewEyewitness 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 […]
Read More Eyewitness to history: Who was Elton C. Fay?More than one hundred years ago, as a new century was about to break, Theodore Roosevelt remarked that, “In a crisis, the man worth his salt is the man who meets the needs of the situation in whatever way is necessary.” I can’t imagine a man more suited for the role as President for his […]
Read More Speak Softly but carry a big stick – USS Theodore Roosevelt SSBN 600I 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 […]
Read More August 21, 1905 – Plunger to Oyster Bay todayHaving served on board five nuclear submarines and having grown up in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, there has never been a moment of my life that nuclear power wasn’t a fact of life. Since returning to the area after my second career, there are many occasions where I run into people who either worked for […]
Read More In the beginning, there was darkness. Then Captain Rickover showed upLooking 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 […]
Read More USS George Bancroft SSBN 643 – Pax Per ScientiamSometimes the greatest threat is just down the hall from your office. I have to admit that I am Navy through and through. My DNA has a lot of US Navy intermingled with my Scots-Irish-English-Welsh background. The hair on my arms stands up when I hear the Navy Hymn, nearly half of my wardrobe is […]
Read More How do you stop a submarine? Sometimes the greatest threat is just down the hall from your office.The Dawn of the Polaris Age “Those of us here today may not live to write this history, but we must be determined to shape it.” Every once in a while, you find yourself in a historic spot and feel a little like there isn’t enough time to really understand the surroundings. Well, at […]
Read More The Dawn of the Polaris Age – Pittsburgh and Bettis in 1960During 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. […]
Read More Make no wild claims about Polaris – Burke (CNO PERSONAL NO. 35 SECRET – Personal For Official Use Only)
theleansubmariner 
You must be logged in to post a comment.