Diesel men are like connoisseurs of old hams or juleps

This story from the Washington Star Newspaper from May 18, 1942, brought back a lot of memories for me. The first part certainly takes me back to all of the training I received as a young man in the Navy. Over the course of my career, I attended over 60 Navy schools related to […]

Can I get an Amen? {Warning… not a blog on submarines or Lean Manufacturing}

Warning: this post is not about submarines or lean manufacturing. While there is some historical information buried in it, that is not the sole focus of the post. If talking about faith and beliefs triggers you, please return to your other favorite spots for the day. Can I get an Amen? Quiet day today. Debbie […]

I don’t need communications lessons… everyone always understands everything I say

I have been teaching leadership classes for at least 35 years. That includes formal and informal classes in the Navy and in the civilian community. Whether it was for a large or small companies, the importance of purposefully developing skills and competencies has always been one of my passions. Leadership involves more than just telling […]

Conflict? We don’t need no stinking conflict!

Conflict Management Put two people in a room and at some point, there will be conflict. The story is as old as Cain and Abel. Cain and Abel were the first and second sons of Adam and Eve. While Cain was a farmer, Abel was a skilled shepherd who took care of the family’s animals. […]

Need to improve? You need PDCA

The name of the blog is theleansubmariner. While much of my writing is based on submarines and their history, every once in a while, I fall back on my other passion which is the “lean” part of the title. Lean is a process that leads to the elimination of waste (among other outcomes), but it […]

1930 – the last chance to eliminate the rattlesnakes of the seas is over

The London Naval Conference of 1930 This conference was the third in a series of conferences meant to slow, limit or eliminate large combat shipbuilding efforts among a group of nations that were seen as potential adversaries. From the State Department’s Historian: “The purpose of the meetings was to promote disarmament in the wake of […]

1928-1929 “Air getting very bad. Please hurry,” and finally, “Is there any hope?”

1928 1929 1928 continued to show challenges for the American submarine fleet. The characteristics of the submersibles of the S class were that they had to spend much of the time on the surface. Steam ships operating in the area often did not have an understanding of the length and depth of a surfaced submarine. […]

1927 – The Submarine Myth and the Ace of the Pacific

1927 The back-and-forth argument about the significance of submarines continued in a variety of ways in 1927. The British continued their aggressive campaign of influence to demonstrate the need to abolish the boats while the original defenders in American and elsewhere continued to predict that they would become even more important in the future conflicts. […]

The Sinking of the SS McKeesport

Originally posted on theleansubmariner:
April 29th marks the anniversary of the sinking of the SS McKeesport by a German U-boat Like they have for many years, aging veterans and their families come to the shores of the Youghiogheny at a place called the Palisades to remember the proud little cargo ship that served its country…

1926 – There when you needed them (until now)

I was blessed to serve on five submarines during my time in the Navy. The boomers and fast attacks that sailed the open seas in defense of freedom played a key role in winning the Cold War. But from the very beginning of my sea tours, I was able to see the strength of the […]