An Outsider in Paradise – A Pocket Guide to Hawaii (1940’s)

This information comes from the Navy Heritage Center. During the Second World War, Hawaii was the crossroads for the Pacific. Men, material, ships and planes on their way to the battles in the South Pacific and eventually Japan travelled through Hawaii in many cases. Not much changed over the many decades following the war since […]

SSN 587 – Just for the Halibut

I reported on board the USS Halibut SSN 587 in Mare Island California in October 1975 I am always quick to point out that I was not a crew member when Halibut did the amazing things she did to help bring an end to the Cold War. I learned most of what I knew about […]

“The sea – like life itself – is a stern taskmaster” The Story of Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz

The sea – like life itself – is a stern taskmaster. This was the early childhood lesson taught to the boy who would later become one of the most influential leaders in the United States Navy. He was significantly influenced by his German-born paternal grandfather, Charles Henry Nimitz, a former seaman in the German Merchant […]

A Boomer Sailor’s Dream

In my Navy career, I was many things. Machinist Mate, Submariner, Career Counselor, Master Training Specialist, Docking Officer on a Floating Drydock and Engineering Officer of the Watch on board a large surface ship. But before I was any of those, I was a boomer sailor. Boomers of course are the nicknames for Fleet Ballistic […]

In the Waters of Pearl – Building the Pearl Harbor Submarine Base 1918-1945

I spent a number of years in my youth living and sailing out of Pearl Harbor. The last time we were there was in 2003 and the changes even then were astonishing. Many of the old buildings were still there but a modern bridge attached Ford Island to the mainland. The Chapel at Sub […]

New London – The Cradle of Submarine Life in America (Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow)

The Cradle of Submarine Life in America began its story 150 years ago April 11 1868-2018 I was reading through a Naval History record of Building the Navy’s Bases in World War II (Volume I (Part II)) Part of the massive construction done to support the war was the story about the expansion of the […]

Some traditions are worth forgetting – Real Submariners

Each submariner’s journey begins when they finish all of their training and the hatch closes when the last man is down. For a hundred and seventeen years, submariners have steered a course unique to their own generation and their own type of boat. From the wildly dangerous gasoline powered boats to the sleek new nuclear […]

Diamond Anniversary – The First Battle of Savo Island (Part 8 – The Battle from the Japanese Perspective)

Disaster at Savo Island, 1942 by Lieutenant Colonel David E. Quantock United States Army USAWC Class of 2002 U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, PA These excerpts are from a Report called Disaster at Savo Island, 1942. This unique perspective of the battle is taken primarily from the Japanese point of view. “Mikawa’s approach […]

41 For Freedom – SSBN Memories 41 Years Later

Its funny how an old picture can bring back so many memories. Whether a boomer sailor sailed out of Scotland, Guam, Rota or Charleston many of the events they experienced were similar. I don’t know how many hundreds of ballistic missile patrols were made. I am sure there were a lot. Since the 1960s, strategic deterrence has […]

Diamond Anniversary – The First Battle of Savo Island (Part 7 – The Marines on Shore and the Consequences)

The operation at Guadalcanal was named “Watchtower” but to the Marines involved, it would forever be known as Operation Shoestring. As history records, the entire operation was put together in a hurry with limited resources and even less intelligence. One misstep after another compounded their misery and the disastrous events of the First Battle of […]