Last night, surrounded by family and USSVI friends from the Charleston Base, I was presented with the certificate and plaque for the 2026 Ben Bastura Award. I am deeply humbled and thank all of you that have followed me at any point during the last 15 years. Mister Mac

I need your help… was your Navy experience a family thing? If so, how?

I can’t remember a time in my life that the Navy wasn’t part of my family. My Dad served in World War 2 and my Grandpa Mac served in World War 1. I joined at 17 and later was joined by my little brother on the USS San Francisco. Tom’s son and my nephew Artie […]

As we wait for Columbia to be finished and brought on line, this question still remains

Even in times of peace, the Navy still needed sailors

The Beginning of a New Era – September 30, 1954

In the beginning… I was born in 1954 in the Mon Valley area. That area is where the Monongahela River winds through the of western Pennsylvania. The area was famous for the many steel mills and coal mines and the air growing up was always smokey and had distinct odors depending on which way […]

Under the Ice Warfare: Kill or Be Killed

In my career I received the Order of the Ditch and was a Shellback. The first means that I transited the Panama Canal and of course the second means that I crossed the Equator. Going across the equator involves a lot of pomp and circumstances surrounded by a great deal of silliness. I will freely […]

Feeding Submariners – 1930 Style

The early American submarines were very small and lacked any significant ability to feed their crews for any length of time. Since they were not seen as critical independent operators ranging the blue waters of the world, habitability was not as critical. More often than not, they were nested alongside larger tenders where the ability […]