The Heart of Steel will live Forever

A Time for Everything There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time […]

USS Pittsburgh SSN 720 Commanding Officer’s Remarks January 17, 2020

For those that follow the blog, you know that I have only had a few people contribute stories for publication. That is not intentional, its just rare that I have been moved to do so. On Friday, January 17th 2020, the USS Pittsburgh Captain and crew hosted an inactivation ceremony at the Keyport Washington U.S. […]

First call, first call to colors

Yesterday was a really good day. I was proud to have represented the Pittsburgh Council of the Navy League at the inactivation ceremony for the USS Pittsburgh. Tomorrow’s post will contain the speech Captain Jason Deichler made to commemorate the day. This morning, I woke up to my phone ringing. My First Mate was calling […]

We’ll say farewell but not goodbye

The day has finally arrived. This morning, the Captain and remaining crew will gather with their families and friends and say farewell to the submarine that has been their home and our defender for over 35 years. The USS Pittsburgh will officially begin her inactivation period which will lead to the last act of any […]

Who’s sail it is anyway?

Warning: Some salty language mixed with the metaphors and memories… you have been warned One of my favorite submarine memorials has a personal connection. I qualified in 1974 on board the USS George Washington somewhere in the far reaches of the Pacific Ocean. My joy at the time was that the grueling journey was over […]

The life of a boat… from the crash to the splash to the dash

A boat’s life First comes the crash followed (hopefully) by the splash The keel was laid what seems like years ago. Bit by bit the submarine starts to come together. The process has evolved over the generations to include changes in all kinds of technology. The boats needed to go deeper and faster so better […]

These are mine

These are mine. I share them with all who have gone through the same crucible. They (like us) were forged in pressure. They were quenched in the waters of the darkest parts of the ocean. They symbolize a tradition that is shared by only a few. Fire, flooding and the crashing of the waves above […]

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 […]

Coming Home – Saying Goodbye to the USS Pittsburgh SSN 720

Coming Home It’s been over 25 years since I retired from the Navy. We have traveled and lived all over the country since then but Western Pennsylvania has been “where I live” for the past six plus years. I had never intended to come back here even though it was where I grew up. Eighteen […]

How theleansubmariner came to exist

I love history. I really love submarine history. It’s amazing to live in an age where so much information is available. Most of the research I do is conducted online using the Library of Congress, a reference called the Hathi Trust (digitalized books) and of course the many Naval Heritage web site pages that capture […]