Steel Boats, Iron Men and their stories (plus a bit more)
Nuclear Submarines at Ten Years This article from ALL HANDS MAGAZINE did a very nice job capturing the development of the Nuclear Submarine Navy during the first ten years. Looking back nearly fifty five years later, it is stunning to see what was accomplished considering the technology they had available at the time. Think about […]
Read More Ballistic Missile Nuclear Submarines in 1964Oro en Paz, Fierro en Guerra – The San Francisco Story (Post #711) Over the years, I have heard many submariners say that a boat changed their life. For some, it was because the boat was their qualification boat. The completion of a hard and grueling period in their life when they were required to […]
Read More I left my heart… on the San Francisco“I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” Nathan Hale Writing about the USS Nathan Hale has been a bit of a challenge for a number of reasons. The story of the ship itself is not that difficult even though there is not a lot of information available on […]
Read More “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country”The old Submariner The old Submariner knows a thing or two about what Submariners are all about. But the definition is generational and the definition has changed a time or two. The original old Submariner remembers clothes smelling of sweat and gasoline. The air was putrid and the battery acid ate right through his clothes. […]
Read More Who are you calling old?USS Patrick Henry “I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death.” As a sailor who sailed on a number of submarines and ships, I can assure you there is no sweeter word that “Liberty”. I have to be honest with you and say that […]
Read More USS Patrick Henry SSBN 599 – Give Me Liberty or Give Me death!This is the next story in the series about the 41 for Freedom boats. The name Alexander Hamilton has been widely resurrected in the past few years with the wild success of the Broadway show “Hamilton”. But for me, the name will always be synonymous with the second Lafayette Class submarine that bore his name. […]
Read More USS Alexander Hamilton (SSBN 617) – Castles in the AirBen Franklin was always one of my favorite historical figures as I was growing up. I learned about his exploits as a young man and of course he was a writer among many of his achievements. His ability to learn has always fascinated me and maybe made me a bit jealous. From the time he […]
Read More The First American – Benjamin Franklin and the SSBN 640 Submarine named for himThe equation is simple. The number of surfaces must equal the number of dives in order for a submarine to be considered successful in its mission. There are very few other finite measurements that can be applied to submarines throughout our long history. But that doesn’t mean that the time beneath the surface or […]
Read More A deep diving dog? There’s something you don’t see every day.This is the fourth in the series about the 41 for Freedom submarines. If you have followed the series, you have noticed that they are not in chronological order. I am trying to remain faithful to the way they were arranged in the book EMINENT AMERICANS, NAMESAKES of the POLARIS SUBMARINE FLEET, by H. G. […]
Read More USS James Madison SSBN 627 – Tribute to a Founding Father
theleansubmariner 
You must be logged in to post a comment.