Submarine Minelaying – More than one way to skin a cat

There is more than one way to skin a cat. That is one of those odd sayings form a long lost generation that typically means there is more than one way to successfully complete a task. My cats Moses and Oscar would be offended by the original usage which was about actually skinning cats. From […]

1921 – The Violation of All Humane Rules and International Laws Relating to the Conduct of Warfare

1921 – Peace was in the air. Sort of. By 1921, the last war was being dissected and reinterpreted by every one of the powers that claimed victory. Of particular interest was the effect submarines had had on the ultimate outcome. While many in the navy department in the United States were still urging a […]

1920 The Sugar Boats – “faulty, sooty, dangerous and repellent engineering”

1920 The newspapers of the day in 1920 were filled with a series of articles called “The Victory at Sea”. These articles went into great detail to outline the role the US Navy had played in the recently ended war. Rear Admiral Sims was one of the key players in providing the facts, figures, and […]

1917 – Submarines have many adventures (and so do Submariners)

1917 “We need a bigger fleet” “You’re going to need a lot more sailors.” The war that had started in Europe in 1914 had ended up being a stalemate on land. The Germans were never able to get past their early gains without being pushed back. The Allies were also kept to minimal gains with […]

1910 – HARD LIFE ON A SUBMARINE

Only the hardiest and bravest need apply The submarines of the first B class were larger and more capable than the original Holland class and included a number of improvements. These improvements allowed them to travel further and faster with less attachment to the shore or escort vessels. But the challenges of the Holland followed […]

1906 – A very bad year for submarines

1906 – A very bad year for submarines The submarine race around the globe was gaining steam as more and more of the major powers sought to join the growing list of naval powers that possessed the underwater craft. The recent war between Russia and Japan was an example of how important the threat of […]

The Little Devils of the Deep – American Submarines in June 1900

In June of 1900, the American seagoing world was still adapting to the idea that a practical submarine machine had been brought into the family. With the Spanish American War in the rear-view mirror, 1900 was exploding with changes of all kinds. The twentieth century would come to be known as the American Century since […]

Hide and Seek in April 1920 – Submarine Style

One of my favorite submarine memories was the first time the USS San Francisco (SSN 711) anchored off the coast of Maui. The mission leading up to that visit was not a long one but we were going to pick up members of some of our families after the stay was over and do […]

The Daring Gambler Held All the Cards – The Plunger Legacy

There are few other submarine names that show the progression of the growth of America’s submarine propulsion power as clearly as the family of boats named Plunger I wanted to end Submarine Month (April 2020) with a classic story and a tribute to one of the most decorated submarines of the Cold War at the […]

The Skipjack Class – Unleashing a New Kind of Sea Monster

There she blows!–there she blows! A hump like a snow-hill! It is Moby Dick! “Some of the subtlest secrets of the seas seemed divulged to us in this enchanted pond. We saw young Leviathan amours in the deep. And thus, though surrounded by circle upon circle of consternations and affrights, did these inscrutable creatures [mother […]