April 24, 1972 Revisited

We are really settling in to our new community. Del Webb Cane Bay in Summerville SC encourages people to participate in a number of clubs. I am one of the leaders in the Veterans Club and enjoy meeting with so many people who served the country. We also belong to the Wine Club where we […]

March 1915 – At a Crossroad in the Deveopment of U.S. Navy Submarines

A little under fifteen years from the day the US Navy purchased their first submarine, the future of the small craft was still not settled. In 1915, the United States faced a number of challenges as it observed the growing war in Europe. The conflagration of large-scale war was being brought home to America in […]

Navy Lives in the Past – Admiral Fullam’s View in 1925

Warning- This article may piss you off if you think the US Navy of today (and its bureaucracy) is on the right course This is the fourth in a series of stories about naval preparedness in the 1920s, but it could be ripped from today’s headlines I have previously written about Admiral William Fullam and […]

James R Webb – an American Submarine Hero

Everybody needs heroes. You know, a bigger than life person that stands out among other people. Someone who lives a life of adventure and leads others through periods of adversary and innovation. The kind they write books about. When I was a kid, it was Horatio Hornblower. Hornblower was the most memorable character in a series […]

Rear Admiral Robert Stocker – A visionary Constructor that Changed the Course of a War He Never Saw

Retiring from any long-standing position is always a memorable event. I retired the first time when I was forty years old. It was sooner than I had planned but circumstances made it a reality and I just went with the flow. It was a nice affair and even thirty years later, I remember how honored […]

Libraries … temples of learning, ambition, aspiration – USSV CF Library Fund

Being a baby boomer, I grew up in a world where books and periodicals were still central to most of our lives. From the time I was able to read, my world really revolved around printed information. We had one television which was black and white and it was very much subject to rules. Not […]

The Best Hat Ever; THE Kap(SS) 4 Kid(SS) FUND

“Hi, my name is Mister Mac, and I am a hat-oholic.” “Hi Mister Mac…” I’ve been a hat-oholic since I was a kid and discovered the power of hats. My very first hat was a blue and gold short, billed cap that I got as a Cub Scout in Pack 99 in my home community. […]

Your Table is ready Mr. Ambassador… Serving the USSV CF

Your Table is ready Mr. Ambassador Mac. Petty Officer Mac. Chief Mac. Mister Mac. (and a hundred various civilian titles including manager, trainer, leader, coach, speaker, preacher and on and on). Of all the titles I have had in my life, one that I have never had was Ambassador. At least not until this week. […]

“The Flight Is Doomed” … until the submarine shows up to the rescue

“The Flight Is Doomed” Of all the submarine stories from history that have been forgotten over time, very few are as interesting as the one about a submarine rescuing an airplane in the Pacific Ocean which then then towed it to safety. Nearly 100 years ago, flying between the continental US and Hawaii was still […]

In the beginning… building a submarine despite the odds (1900)

In the beginning… building a submarine despite the odds (1900) The 125th Anniversary of the United States Submarine force will occur in April of 2025. This is one of a number of articles related to that celebration. I spend a lot of time researching history and my favorite source material comes from the National Archives. […]