1903 – 1904 A Different Kind of Submarine Race

What if a submarine was present on that day? Japan issued a declaration of war on Russia on 8 February 1904. However, three hours before Japan’s declaration of war was received by the Russian government, and without warning, the Japanese Imperial Navy attacked the Russian Far East Fleet at Port Arthur. On the night of […]

So you want to be a Submariner? (circa 1943)

Originally posted on theleansubmariner:
Every American Bluejacket from the early 1900’s to today receives a copy of the Bluejacket’s Manual. The books were written to help supplement the knowledge of men who were being brought into the Navy. Many times, they lacked even a high school education although over the last century that has been…

Danger or not: The Navies Must Possess the Terror – Submarines in 1902

A little over two years into America’s experiment with the submarine, one of the early weaknesses was ending up becoming a newsworthy problem. Gasoline The use of gasoline engines for primary power on the surface was problematic to say the least. The fuel was very toxic and explosive and unfortunately unpredictable. Since the fumes were […]

The creation of a disordered mind… Holland’s submarine boat

Originally posted on theleansubmariner:
The creation of a disordered mind Centuries of dreams had surrounded the desire and even the need to conquer the underwater world. The industrial age brought with it many new inventions and ideas that were changing the world. The mastery of electricity and modern engines were just part of the growth…

122 Years of Continuous Improvement

Originally posted on theleansubmariner:
Continuous Improvement for over 111 Years While submarines have existed in one form or another for a very long time, the US Navy formalized the marriage of technologies that would lead to the modern steel warhorses that range the oceans of the world today. After a series of trials in the…

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 […]

“Cooped up in These Steel Cylinders, The Combatants Would Go to Their Graves beneath the waves, and the details of the Death Fight Never Be Known.” Submarines in 1898

1898 The Spanish Threat I grew up during the Cold War. The threat of nuclear destruction was drilled into us from the time we hit grade school until sometime in the early seventies when people just realized that there would be no place to really hide if the bombs started going off. That was particularly […]

“Navies are soon to disappear, according to a critic in the New York Herald” July 1901

In 1901, predictions about the coming changes to the navies of the world were abundant. The industrial revolution had produced new technologies and science was rapidly advancing in many fields. The recent Spanish American war had shown how important a flexible navy was to a countries defense and the introduction of submarine warfare brought an […]

“The men who go down into the waters in these boats must take their lives in their hands.” Holland’s Invention in 1898

Sunday, April 24, 1898, the San Francisco papers and papers across the country were filled with the latest news about the Spanish American War that was already underway. America woke up that morning to the realization that it had seacoasts that stretched from north to south in both the east and the west. There was […]

One Veteran’s Story – Suicide knows no rank (March 28, 1942)

Veteran’s suicide is not a new phenomenon. It has been reported that upwards of twenty-two men and women veterans commit suicide every day. That number is not pure since there are a number of filters and interpretations that are often included in statistics. But even one suicide leaves an impact on the family and those […]