Making a Submariner – Fifty Years ago

In January of 1973, my education as a submarine sailor began. I had already graduated from Machinist Mate “A” school and my original path to nuclear power school was diverted because of my inability to master the math and chemistry that was tested upon completion of “A” school. I was a bit disappointed. Instead of […]

Has anyone seen the anchor?

Adrift The definition of the word adrift is often this: so as to float without being either moored or steered: “a cargo ship went adrift”. Unless you are a submariner by trade, you are probably not familiar with the fact that some submarines have anchors. My first boat was the USS George Washington and she […]

October 16, 1962 – The Day the World Found Itself on the Brink

I was eight years old on October 16, 1962. It was a Tuesday and I was in grade school probably day-dreaming about anything but the world coming to an abrupt end. But on that day, President Kennedy was shown some pictures of Soviet Missiles being assembled in a place called Cuba. It may has well […]

1930 – the last chance to eliminate the rattlesnakes of the seas is over

The London Naval Conference of 1930 This conference was the third in a series of conferences meant to slow, limit or eliminate large combat shipbuilding efforts among a group of nations that were seen as potential adversaries. From the State Department’s Historian: “The purpose of the meetings was to promote disarmament in the wake of […]

1917 – Submarines have many adventures (and so do Submariners)

1917 “We need a bigger fleet” “You’re going to need a lot more sailors.” The war that had started in Europe in 1914 had ended up being a stalemate on land. The Germans were never able to get past their early gains without being pushed back. The Allies were also kept to minimal gains with […]

May you live long enough that you long for your past despite the hardships and difficulties.

The definition for nostalgia that comes from Webster’s Dictionary include these: a wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period of irrecoverable condition the state of being homesick With apologies to Webster and company, this is my definition: May you live long enough that you long for your past despite […]

Everything Old is New Again – Life in the Nuclear Shadow

Everything Old is New Again I’ve spent a great deal of time over the past few years studying about the development of nuclear power for use by the US Navy. One of the most informative documents was written in the early nineteen sixties titled Nuclear Navy 1946-1962 written principally by Richard G. Hewlett and Francis […]

A sign of the times… Got Shelters?

Sunday March 4, 1962 was a cool and cloudy day in Washington DC. The front page of the paper had several stories about Marine Colonel John Glenn, Jr., recent space traveler visiting his hometown in Ohio to happy throngs of people. Other front-page stories talked about government corruption, unrest overseas, and of course, across the […]

Crossing the line February 8, 1974

Our fears are always more numerous than our dangers Seneca Forty-eight years ago, I was brought into one of the most ancient organizations called the Ancient Order of the Deep. The Crossing the Line Ceremony is as old as the sea. From the Official Navy Web Site: Although crossing the equator may seem like a […]

From the Deep – The Story of America’s Boomers

Once upon a time, I lived and worked on the very first ballistic missile submarine known as the USS George Washington (SSBN 598). It was a unique experience that allowed me to become a submariner and experience things that most never will. The GW was already about 14 years old by the time I got […]