You know you have a problem when the Wall Street Journal features your problem – Submarine Repair Crisis

This morning, an article online caught my eye. It was about the situation we face today in our capacity to build and repair submarines and ships. https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/u-s-navy-ships-are-languishing-in-repair-yards/ar-AA1JOIYV?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=ae81c26819274e929a7c8de2a36283ba&ei=22 This was my response to the writer Alistair What a great article about the debacle that we face in relation to submarine and ship repairs. Our country has […]

Agent Orange and Guam… Fifty Years of Consequences

UPDATED INFORMATION AT END OF POST (FEBRUARY 2025) A little over fifty years ago, I came to the island of Guam for the very first time. The crew flight from Hawaii was one of the longest I had ever been on. Frankly, it was THE longest in my young life. Along with the officers and […]

Lessons from 1944 – The Need for Advanced Bases

I’ve been watching the news recently and the escalation of naval conflicts. Because I spend more time than I should looking at the nature of naval construction and strength, I have been concerned about the lack of resources to support the people who are sailing in harm’s way. I’m sure the navy planners have looked […]

The SHIP’S DECK LOG SHEET NAVPERS 3100/2 (Rev 5-73) – Every Entry Tells a Story

The SHIP’S DECK LOG SHEET NAVPERS 3100/2 (Rev 5-73) I have been working on my application for PACT act benefits for a number of months now. One of the most frustrating things is trying to prove that we were where we were. Submarines are notorious for secrecy (which they should be) but in order to […]

The Pact Act

I have been going through a personal journey for the past few months. Without oversharing, I have had a number of health issues for over twenty years related to heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Thank goodness for modern medicine since I live a typically active life and still work in a job that is […]

1926 – There when you needed them (until now)

I was blessed to serve on five submarines during my time in the Navy. The boomers and fast attacks that sailed the open seas in defense of freedom played a key role in winning the Cold War. But from the very beginning of my sea tours, I was able to see the strength of the […]

Rig for Dive

Rig for Dive What an unusual year this has been. The Wuhan Virus has certainly taken its toll in so many direct and indirect ways. In my lifetime, I don’t think I can remember any other health emergency that received this much attention or caused so much angst. But I do see the human cost […]

You volunteered for submarines? Are you crazy?

You volunteered for submarines? Are you crazy? The sacrifices made by American submariners in the Second World War are well documented. 52 boats lost. The Submarine Service represented only 1.6% of all Navy personnel during the war but they accounted for over 55% of all Japanese ships sunk, including one-third of the Imperial Japanese Navy. […]

A Gathering of the Saints

This is the first post I have done in about a week. Summertime seems to be a tough time to write posts and looking back over the last eight years, July has always been the lowest response month for the blog. As someone who fills in for vacationing preachers in the summer, I am fully […]

“The Happiest Among Mortals” – USS Daniel Boone SSBN 629

Did you have a hero growing up? I had quite a few but one of my favorites was certainly Daniel Boone. Living in Western Pennsylvania, we still had a lot of “woods” near where I lived and as kids we would spend a lot of time hiking and exploring. This was in the days before […]