USS San Francisco SSN-711 Plank Owner Belt and Buckle… Lost and Found the Backstory

Merry Christmas to all of my readers. This has been a very busy time of year with so much going on at work. A lot at home too which unfortunately keeps me from writing very much. My apologies for that. Mrs. Mac and I are doing pretty well but like many folks have had to […]

Has anyone seen the anchor?

Adrift The definition of the word adrift is often this: so as to float without being either moored or steered: “a cargo ship went adrift”. Unless you are a submariner by trade, you are probably not familiar with the fact that some submarines have anchors. My first boat was the USS George Washington and she […]

Remembering January 8 – USS San Francisco SSN 711

SSN 711 – That fateful day on January 8th We can never forget how truly dangerous submarine life can be. Rest in peace Shipmate

Happy Submarine Month 2021

Happy Submarine Month April is definitely submarine month in the United States. It’s also been that way for me personally since it was the month that my most memorable submarine experience celebrates an anniversary. The USS San Francisco SSN 711 was commissioned in April 1981 which was forty years ago. She has now been reborn […]

Greetings from the bunker

You may have noticed that I have not been posting much for the past few weeks. Sorry for that. It has been a challenging time for many of us as the country makes its transition to a new government. I guess time will tell how well that goes. On the plus side for us, we […]

In December 1983, It wasn’t even on the list.

In December 1983, It wasn’t even on the list. I was cleaning out some piles in my Zombie room this afternoon and I found pictures and letters from a long time ago. Some of them hadn’t been touched in years other than to move them to a different location. I am a Master Procrastinator and […]

The story of us – the original Hallmark Movie – May 4th 1980

The story of us – the original Hallmark Movie A friend of ours wished my wife and me a happy forty year anniversary for the day we met. May 4th, 1980. She said that we were like a Hallmark Movie. Little did she know? I think we actually pioneered the whole genre of the Hallmark […]

1987 – The Counterpunch for a growing Soviet threat

1987 – The Counterpunch for a growing Soviet threat When I became a Machinist Mate Chief Petty Officer in August of 1987, I celebrated having served on a fair representation of Cold War submarines and stations. The journey took me from New London to Charleston to Pearl Harbor to Mare Island. Then the trip continued […]

A bit of a wild streak … the Navy Mustang

I swiped this from Wikipedia today and thought it was a pretty cool description of what a “Mustang” is. I was blessed to be one of thirteen Submarine Engineering Technician Chief Warrant Officers selected the year I crossed over. I knew quite a few guys on the list. Most of us had made Chief the […]

Veteran’s Day 2019 – Neptune’s Cadillac Redux

Veteran’s Day is about remembering the men and women who sacrificed so much for the country. If you asked most of us, and we were honest. We would simply say that we did our jobs This article came from the Honolulu Advertiser and was written about the USS San Francisco shortly after we made the […]