Saying goodbye to a friend

A couple of days ago, I had to take a trip that I knew was coming but I really didn’t want. Its only a few miles from our house to the Veterinarian’s place and its a trip we have taken many times. This time was different. My buddy of twelve and a half years had […]

Submarine Rule #1: Close the Hatch (The Story of the Fulton)

Imagine spending an entire night under the surface of the ocean. In 1901, this had to have been quite an electric story. The American experiment with submarines was not that old yet and the thought of men actually living under the water’s surface was something that still lived in science fiction. The Fulton was an […]

Worse than a rattlesnake in the grass: those contemptuous submarines

Change does not come quickly to some organizations. Advancements in technology often challenge the status quo and strike fear into the hearts of the traditionalists. Maybe it’s because of the unknown. Or maybe it’s because so many times in man’s history a dreamer comes along and stirs up the imagination of the masses and science […]

Promises made, promises kept – The Polaris Story 1967

Promises made, promises kept – The Polaris Story 1967 There have only been a few times that I have posted stories from shipmates. Each had value all by themselves but their content certainly made them worth sharing. The story of the installation of the AFDB 7 USS Los Alamos floating dry dock in Scotland, https://theleansubmariner.com/2014/04/04/afdb-7-los-alamos-holy-loch-scotland-in-the-beginning/ […]

Submarine Base Centennial 1968

A submarine friend sent me a package a few days ago and I have been having so much enjoyment going through the material. Today’s entry is a visit to 1968 when the Submarine Base at New London was celebrating its 100th Birthday. With no further introduction, here is the booklet in its entirety:

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 – […]

Northern lights? (or the glow from a reactor meltdown)

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 […]

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 […]