Submarines sail the world over, but I often find its a small world after all

The other day, I wrote a story about the Henry Clay and included a copy of the welcome aboard pamphlet. Once I published the post, I found out how small the world is. Several people really close to me reached out with their personal stories about the Clay and the commanding officer mentioned. CDR Latham’s […]

Welcome aboard the USS Henry Clay SSBN 625

As visitors and riders come on board a submarine, they are normally herded to a safe place where they will be able to rest while the sailors and officers prepare the ship for underway and a dive below the surface. This visit is rare and has been one of the best ways for the Navy […]

USS Henry Clay SSBN 625 – The Great Compromiser

“I implore, as the best blessing which Heaven can bestow upon me upon earth, that if the direful and sad event of the dissolution of the Union shall happen, I may not survive to behold the sad and heart-rending spectacle. Quote from “On the Compromise Resolutions,” speech before the U.S. Senate, February 5 and 6, […]

Polaris – the US Navy’s Fleet Ballistic Missile Weapons System

While researching the USS Sam Houston SSBN 609, I ran across a pamphlet that was used to introduce the public to the Polaris missile program. The pamphlet was published when the program was about half way towards completion. The goal was to have all 41 of the boats launched and operational by 1967. That was […]

USS Sam Houston SSBN 609 – The Runaway Raven

Did you ever get so mad as a kid that you ran away from home? Not counting the Navy of course. I would suspect that there are more than a few of my readers that were looking for a way out of something when they signed up to become part of the Navy. No, I […]

USS James K. Polk SSBN 645 Special Edition

This post is a special edition post to accompany the 41 for Freedom Series Post of the USS James K Polk SSBN 645 published on June 2, 2019

USS James K. Polk SSBN 645 – From sea to shining sea

USS James K. Polk SSBN 645 – From sea to shining sea AT first glance, the selection of James K. Polk seems like one of the most unusual choices in the 41 for Freedom naming convention. A one term President that resided over some of the greatest controversies of the age, Polk was President during […]

Living on borrowed time

Living on borrowed time. It seems strange to think about the duality of time. On the one hand you have all the time in the world. On the other, there never seems to be enough of it. In the end, we all die. It’s not a gruesome fact, it’s just a fulfilment of the fact […]

USS Andrew Jackson SSBN 619 – One Man With Courage is a Majority

Andrew Jackson was one of my favorite characters from childhood. His story of a backwoods lawyer becoming President is an inspiration to many people since it was the first time in America’s history that a person who was not a member of the founding elite rose to power based on the will of the common […]

USS Simon Bolivar SSBN 641 – “those of us who have toiled for liberty in South America have but plowed the sea.”

In January of 1973, I attended submarine school in New London Connecticut. I had completed basic training and Machinist Mate “A” school and this was my next assignment in the pathway to my first submarine. It’s funny when I think back now how much I was anxious to leave home and get away from school. […]