“Go forth and conquer” USS Kamehameha SSBN 642

USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSBN 642) The very first thing that hit me when I got off the plane in Hawaii is the humidity. Back in the day, we were told to wear dress blues for travel when we traveled (or at least that is what I remember the Chief saying as I left my last school […]

“BE BRAVE, STAND FIRM, SHOOT STRAIGHT” USS TECUMSEH (SSBN 628)

“Be brave, stand ﬁrm, shoot straight” USS TECUMSEH (SSBN 628) The founding of America was not a straightforward journey. Many of the people who were already settled in the lands across the rivers were understandably not anxious for the arrival of the white man. One of the harshest of the critics was the Warrior Tecumseh. […]

Gave proof through the night… USS Francis Scott Key SSBN 657

I have some vague memories from an earlier age about the man who was credited with writing the National Anthem. I have even been to a number of the locations where he lived and where he wrote the famous verses that would someday become one of the most memorable songs of the country’s history. So […]

Oil, cabbages and very little oxygen… Life aboard a WWI Unterseeboot

May 7th is the anniversary of one of the most significant seagoing tragedies in the annals of submarine history. The sinking of the Lusitania in 1915. (Note: The article is a good read for a day when you can have some quiet… at the end of the article is a link to a classic documentary […]

We have the watch – Saturdays, Sundays and Nights

I recently posted a story about sea trials and the USS San Francisco (SSN 711). My shipmate EM1/SS Jerry Stanek was a Plankowner on the boat and has remained a friend for over 39 years. We don’t see each other much anymore but still stay in touch. I mentioned that Jerry has a copy of […]

Freedom’s Defender – USS John Marshall SSBN 611 (SSN 611)

My history is a little rusty sometimes and I will readily admit that I was not as familiar with John Marshall as I should have been before I started this installment of the 41 for Freedom series. Yet, of all the men a boat of this class could have been named for, this one is […]

SEA TRIALS – TESTING THE BOAT AND THE CREW

SEA TRIALS – TESTING THE BOAT AND THE CREW Out of the vast cauldron of experiences related to being a Submariner, memories of one experience on submarines normally dominates above all the rest for someone who was a Plankowner of a sub. Sea Trials I have a lot of memories of the sea trials on […]

Some people will do anything to avoid the draft – April 24, 1972

There is a special hearing today being held by the National Commission on Military, National and Public service regarding the Selective Service. From their web site: The Commission seeks to learn more about why people serve and why people may choose not to serve, as well as ways to increase the number of Americans in […]

“Ocean in view! Oh Joy!” USS LEWIS AND CLARK (SSBN 644)

I can almost hear the conversation on that morning when President Thomas Jefferson called Merriweather Lewis into his office and explained to him what he needed done. “I need you to make your way from St. Louis to Oregon in the shortest possible time and distance.” “What’s an “Oregon”, Thomas?” “I’m not sure but I […]

The Blue and the Gold – Sixty Years of Sharing the Sea

The Blue and the Gold As I sit here writing the 41 for Freedom story for tonight, it is Easter Weekend. 45 years ago, the USS George Washington Gold Crew had taken over the boat from the Blue crew in Guam and I was enjoying my first taste of freedom in months. That first patrol […]