USS Hunley AS 31 – “We Serve to Preserve Peace.”

USS Hunley AS 31 – “We Serve to Preserve Peace.” No story about the Cold War submarine efforts would be complete without the recognition of the work done by the Submarine Tenders (AS). The very first tender designed and built from the keel up to service the Polaris fleet was the USS Hunley. Hunley was […]

Polaris to Poseidon – 1966 United States Navy Submarine & Missile Documentary

As theleansubmariner approaches 500 posts, I thought it fitting to post another great video of the boats that made up much of my career as well as others in the early days of nuclear Cold War submarines. The 41 for Freedom boats represented a large part of a concerted effort to offer a countermeasure to […]

Did it matter? Undersea Patrols on Christmas Day

Did it matter? A few weeks ago on one of the Holy Loch themed Facebook pages, a few of us were reminiscing about the old days and all of the patrols that were made during the Cold War. Someone reflected how successful the system was but a member of the site (who self-identified as an […]

The World of Polaris

One of the best weekends of my life was our Perfect Scottish Weekend. We travelled the Highlands in August of 1991 and visited Newtonmore for a visit with Clan MacPherson. Then we went to Edinburgh for the world famous Tattoo. I hope you get a chance to visit it someday, it is breathtaking. Recommend that […]

Veterans Day 2019 – Thanks to all who served

Original Post from 2014: I posted this a few days ago on Facebook and the response has been pretty terrific. Lots of “Shares” and hundreds of “Likes” from all over the world. The picture has been on the blog a few times but I was thinking about what a veteran really is. As I told […]

The First Thanksgiving (Updated from Original Post in 2013)

The First Thanksgiving If you are expecting a traditional story about Pilgrims and Indians, you might as well go back to your search engine and try again. This is a story about my real first Thanksgiving that occurred somewhere in the western Pacific Ocean about 150 feet below the ocean exactly forty years ago today […]

Originally posted on theleansubmariner:
In January 2005, an event happened on the USS San Francisco (SSN 711) that serves as a reminder that even in this day of modern technology and science, the ocean is still mightier in its capability to test man’s limitations. On January 8th 2005 at 0243 GMY, she collided with…

SSN 711 – That fateful day on January 8th

In January 2005, an event happened on the USS San Francisco (SSN 711) that serves as a reminder that even in this day of modern technology and science, the ocean is still mightier in its capability to test man’s limitations. On January 8th 2005 at 0243 GMY, she collided with a sea mount resulting […]

The Flowers of The Forest

In the misty legends of Scotland, there are many songs that are interwoven with the victories and defeats of her native sons in glorious conflicts. The great pipes blew violently across the field as part of the offensive tactics of the Chiefs. You can almost feel them pierce the air of a cold Scottish morning […]

America’s Day Begins in “Guahan”… (that’s gonna take some getting used to)

Ah, Guam, garden spot of the Pacific. “America’s Day Begins in Guam” said the license plates of this little island paradise for many years. Guam (Guahan) is an organized territory of the United States and has played a key role throughout its long history with the US. It was also a launching point for countless […]