In honor of the day… the top five posts on TLS

What worked best in the past three and a half years? Not surprisingly, submarine sea stories were the most popular. I am grateful to the folks who have contributed as much as I am to those that have visited. So here they are as of today (January 31, 2015) 1. https://theleansubmariner.com/2013/11/24/id-like-to-be-a-submariner-how-hard-could-that-be/ 2. https://theleansubmariner.com/2014/02/21/hey-you-have-the-next-watch/ 3. https://theleansubmariner.com/2014/02/16/ever-a-submariner-by-jody-rurham-mm2ss-a-gang/ […]

Come Home to the Sea – Post Number 500 on TLS

I woke up this morning from a dream about being on the seashore looking out. Our family used to drive across Pennsylvania in the heat of summer and spend a weeks vacation in Wildwood New Jersey. Growing up along the rivers and in the hills of Western Pennsylvania, I had never experienced anything like […]

Polaris to Poseidon – 1966 United States Navy Submarine & Missile Documentary

As theleansubmariner approaches 500 posts, I thought it fitting to post another great video of the boats that made up much of my career as well as others in the early days of nuclear Cold War submarines. The 41 for Freedom boats represented a large part of a concerted effort to offer a countermeasure to […]

Continuous Learning – It’s a Navy Thing

When I am not writing about submarines, I am normally busy with my day job which is helping the companies I work with to better understand continuous improvement or “lean thinking”. While one is solely vocational in nature and the other is purely avocational both share the same basic roots: Continuous Learning. As a young boy, I was […]

Did it matter? Undersea Patrols on Christmas Day

Did it matter? A few weeks ago on one of the Holy Loch themed Facebook pages, a few of us were reminiscing about the old days and all of the patrols that were made during the Cold War. Someone reflected how successful the system was but a member of the site (who self-identified as an […]

A Bob “Dex” Armstrong Christmas

In 2014, we said goodbye to Dex Armstrong. In his honor, I am reposting one of his most memorable Christmas Stories. Its hard to believe four years have already gone by. This picture comes from the web site: http://www.olgoat.com/substuff/abr.htm Mister Mac A “Heartfelt Merry Christmas” From Robert “Dex” Armstrong, and his loyal Sidekick Adrian Stuke.. […]

December 10 – The Loss of the First Sealion

The attack at Pearl Harbor was barely finished when the predicted attacks in the Philippines began. In order for the Japanese empire to complete their planned establishment of a Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere, the Philippines would have to be “liberated” from the American’s influence. A casual study of that part of the world shows […]

The World of Polaris

One of the best weekends of my life was our Perfect Scottish Weekend. We travelled the Highlands in August of 1991 and visited Newtonmore for a visit with Clan MacPherson. Then we went to Edinburgh for the world famous Tattoo. I hope you get a chance to visit it someday, it is breathtaking. Recommend that […]

The First Dive – Looking Through a Prism

I have always been fascinated by prisms. As a kid, I loved looking through them at various objects to see what would happen. Without going into the science of it, what you saw as you looked through it was different depending on the angle you looked through it. Another sailor posted a picture on Facebook […]

Veterans Day 2019 – Thanks to all who served

Original Post from 2014: I posted this a few days ago on Facebook and the response has been pretty terrific. Lots of “Shares” and hundreds of “Likes” from all over the world. The picture has been on the blog a few times but I was thinking about what a veteran really is. As I told […]