USS Hunley AS 31 – January 1971

I still have “Hunley dreams”. It’s been nearly twenty five years since I left the Hunley and the Navy but the intensity of my tour on board seems to stir a lot of memories when I should be fast asleep. The Chief Engineer that was my first boss was a bit of a character. […]

A day to remember

I am old enough to remember when Memorial Day was held on the 30th of May. When I was a kid, the ceremonies were large and very well attended. There was always a competition between communities to see who would have the lager parade or the more elaborate service. There were always men in uniforms […]

I loved the ride

May is Military Appreciation Month. All month long, we are encouraged to let our brothers and sisters in arms how much they are appreciated. The month ends with a solemn remembrance of the ones who gave the ultimate sacrifice. One group that has always had a little trouble recognizing has been the Silent Service. Its […]

USS James Monroe SSBN 622 – Watchful Waiting

The James Monroe was built in the early days of the Polaris program and typified the boats that were launched during that time. With each successive weapons upgrade, she would be retrofitted with more powerful weapons and equipment to support her primary mission: deterrence. A little over ten years after she was commissioned, Admiral Rickover […]

Polaris A3 Deploys in Atlantic and Pacific (ALL HANDS 1965)

I have to be honest and admit that I never looked inside the missile tubes on either of my FBM submarines. I know there was something inside all of the tubes because of the great deal of work required to keep them ready for use if the President called on us. But as an A-Ganger, […]

She was always there during every mission… Happy Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day. Twenty four hours that we set aside so that people all across the country can visibly remember that all of us have one thing in common (so far). We all had a mother. The custom is to show her on this one day how special she was to us by bringing them cards, […]

“Go forth and conquer” USS Kamehameha SSBN 642

USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSBN 642) The very first thing that hit me when I got off the plane in Hawaii is the humidity. Back in the day, we were told to wear dress blues for travel when we traveled (or at least that is what I remember the Chief saying as I left my last school […]

“BE BRAVE, STAND FIRM, SHOOT STRAIGHT” USS TECUMSEH (SSBN 628)

“Be brave, stand ﬁrm, shoot straight” USS TECUMSEH (SSBN 628) The founding of America was not a straightforward journey. Many of the people who were already settled in the lands across the rivers were understandably not anxious for the arrival of the white man. One of the harshest of the critics was the Warrior Tecumseh. […]

Gave proof through the night… USS Francis Scott Key SSBN 657

I have some vague memories from an earlier age about the man who was credited with writing the National Anthem. I have even been to a number of the locations where he lived and where he wrote the famous verses that would someday become one of the most memorable songs of the country’s history. So […]

Oil, cabbages and very little oxygen… Life aboard a WWI Unterseeboot

May 7th is the anniversary of one of the most significant seagoing tragedies in the annals of submarine history. The sinking of the Lusitania in 1915. (Note: The article is a good read for a day when you can have some quiet… at the end of the article is a link to a classic documentary […]