July – August 1925 the US Navy Spends Time Down Under

I was visiting my favorite Library of Congress website today that features newspapers from the history of the US. One of the featured stories on the front page of the Washington Times for August 1, 1925, was about how many American sailors married Australian women after a recent port visit. The story brought a smile to […]

“What our people are is what our country is” Admiral Rickover’s Reflection After Sea Trials on the SSN 711 Boat

I have been watching the news recently and it is sad how there is so much division in the world. I was going through some old files today and found a copy of the short speech Admiral Rickover gave after we finished sea trials on the USS San Francisco SSN 711 in 1981. It’s hard […]

“Admiral, the Navy is on its way out. There’s no reason for having a Navy and a Marine Corps.” How Johnson and Truman almost lost the Cold War

A Navy Man at Heart I have to begin this story with a blunt acknowledgement: There has never been a day in my life that the Navy wasn’t the center of the universe when it came to a world that was free, and the Navy was an overpowering force for good. That’s kind of a […]

Do we need a Navy League?

For many years after my dad died, I kept a few mementos of his on my desk. Mom had given me his wallet among other things and in the wallet was his driver’s license, a card from his days as a Red Cross volunteer, a veteran’s card from his discharge as a navy man and […]

Manitowoc Built Submarines – America’s Ability to Innovate and Adapt

In 1940, the American navy was advertised as one of the most powerful in the world. In a speech to the Navy Council of Illinois in Chicago on Oct. 26—Secretary of the Navy Knox asserted that the United States “has the most powerful fleet in the world and is engaged in the task of building […]

Calling All Recruits

I’ve been thinking a lot about the progression of the navy boot camp through the ages. I would imagine if you were able to bring someone from the early twentieth century into today’s experience, they would be completely stunned at how far the experience has travelled since their day. As a collector of old Bluejacket’s […]

The Day the World Changed – Launching Polaris Submerged

I watched the news recently when the Air Force successfully landed their bunker buster bombs on the Iranian Target. 65 years ago, the Navy had its own dramatic moment that forever changed the world. USS George Washington (SSBN 598) left Groton on 28 June 1960 for Cape Canaveral, Florida, where she loaded two Polaris missiles. […]

Medal of Honor Awardee Frank William Crilley – A Diving Pioneer

Of all the fears I have ever had, being trapped in a sunken submarine is one of the biggest. The second biggest fear is finding out firsthand where crush depth is (My submariner nephews always accused me of serving on the both the Turtle and the Holland. This is dedicated to them.) Over the course […]

Where Are They Now?

Where Are They Now? Social media has really had an impact on the world. While some might argue that it has been mostly negative, there are some positive impacts that most of us would have never thought of fifty years ago. In previous generations, you had to meet face to face in a common space […]

He Was a Good Man – Remembering Our Submariners

He Was a Good Man – Remembering Our Submariners Every once in a while, I am reminded that the one constant in life is change and tied to that is the passage of time. No, I am not channeling a former presidential candidate… time is really passing and despite the commercials on tv promising to […]