Blockades do work

One of my earliest memories as a kid was the story about the Cuban Missile Crisis. While there were many parts to this story, the one that I remember most was the Naval Blockade. October 22, 1962 – President John F. Kennedy orders a surface blockade of Cuba to prevent Soviet offensive weapons from reaching […]

The Origin of Submarine Dolphins – The Fourth (and I think) Final Chapter

The rest of the story This will hopefully be the final segment in my saga of how the Submarine Dolphin insignia came to be. Each stage along the way has been a lot of fun as I have sifted through magazines, articles on line, historical societies, the Library of Congress and a source which contains […]

Submarine Dolphins Part Three – The Artists that created the Insignia

It must be true, I saw it on the Internet The great thing about living in the age we do is the incredible access to resources on the internet. I have a number of historical reference sites that I use to build my stories and enjoy finding nuggets form time to time. I take it […]

The Origin of Submarine Dolphins – All Hands Magazine January 1961

Submarine Warfare Insignia One way to distinguish a United States Navy Submariner from any other sailor is to see the dolphins predominantly displayed on his or her uniform. Officers wear a gold version and enlisted wear a silver version. I have seen many stories over the years about the origin of the insigne but this article […]

Cassin Young, Captain, United States Navy MOH Recipient, Information request

Good morning. For the past few years, I have been searching through Naval Records, newspaper articles, period books and a number of other sources to help complete the picture of one of the greatest heroes the Navy has ever produced, Captain Cassin Young. The journey has had a lot of twists and turns but I am […]

Attention on Deck: Mare Island Naval Cemetery Needs Your Help

It is fitting on Memorial Day weekend that we honor those who have died in service to our country. Many of us also remember those who served on active duty in peace or war time and have passed on to the final muster. This morning, I got an email from Nestor Aliga asking for help […]

The Crew

The Crew As I look back over the past forty five years, I keep wondering what it was about serving on submarines was the part of my life that had the most impact on my life. As I look around social media, it’s not too hard to see that I am not alone in that […]

For a Submariner, this is the only DNA test that matters (but it only goes back about 117 years)

I have been seeing a lot of advertisements from Ancestry and 23 and Me. In the interest of public service, here is a cost saving tip for my Bubblehead family

Dedication Ceremony for the Submarine Service Memorial at the Cemetery of the Alleghenies

It was an honor today to be present as a Memorial Stone was Dedicated by the USSVI Requin Base Pittsburgh PA at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies near Pittsburgh. The pictures tell the story. Hand Salute!

Just an average Cold War Submariner

Just an average Cold War Submariner. The average Cold War Submariner : Volunteered to serve his country… Twice. Went to submarine school in New London. … Trained in the old escape tower. Spent time on the dive and drive trainer. Had a few drinks in Groton. Showed up on their first boat with too much […]