The Day Harry Truman Almost Killed the Navy

Cold War Stories – Truman Joins the Royal Order of Deep Dunkers

The Royal Order of Deep Dunkers Up until today, I had only known of a few US Presidents that had submerged on board a submarine. The first was Theodore Roosevelt who rode an early sub called the Plunger. August 21, 1905 – Plunger to Oyster Bay today A partial list of modern Presidents that would […]

Cold War Stories – Sharing Atomic Secrets in 1946

Cold War Stories – Sharing Atomic Secrets in 1946 Even prior to the formation of the United Nations organization in 1945, the shifting sands of power around the globe were creating doubts about the visions of the founders. Franklin Roosevelt had made the formation of this new organization one of his highest priorities. He had […]

Cold War Stories – The Importance of Greenland is Magnified

Cold War Stories – The Importance of Greenland is Magnified With all of the recent attention given to Greenland, it is important to note that Greenland has been a central focal point for more than a hundred years to the United States. What was once described as a giant iceberg with little value to America, […]

Truman’s Decision – 1945

It seems a lifetime ago when I last sailed on a submarine. I left the USS Ohio in December of 1984 after making my fourth patrol. It was a routine patrol with nothing special to report. Considering that we were conducting a strategic deterrent patrol, that is a very good thing. After having served on […]

“Admiral, the Navy is on its way out. There’s no reason for having a Navy and a Marine Corps.” How Johnson and Truman almost lost the Cold War

A Navy Man at Heart I have to begin this story with a blunt acknowledgement: There has never been a day in my life that the Navy wasn’t the center of the universe when it came to a world that was free, and the Navy was an overpowering force for good. That’s kind of a […]

Do we need a Navy League?

For many years after my dad died, I kept a few mementos of his on my desk. Mom had given me his wallet among other things and in the wallet was his driver’s license, a card from his days as a Red Cross volunteer, a veteran’s card from his discharge as a navy man and […]

What’s in a name? The story of how the most famous submarine in modern history was named

What’s in a name? All Navy ships have a designation. Through the years, technology and advances in design have created the need for new designations. The book Dictionary of American naval fighting ships. v.1. United States categorized all of the ship types used in the American Navy’s history as of 1959. As far as submarines, […]

The Last Navy Day – How Truman almost killed the US Navy

Navy Day is October 27 (sort of) Not to be confused with the Navy’s Birthday, which is celebrated on October 13, Navy Day was established on October 27, 1922 by the Navy League of the United States. Although it was not a national holiday, Navy Day received special attention from President Warren Harding. Harding wrote […]

The Birth of the Atomic Fleet – When Science Fiction was Dwarfed by Science Fact

The Birth of the Atomic Fleet In 1950, the same year the USS Pickerel conducted a remarkable journey from Hong Kong to Hawaii in just 21 days under snorkel, the President of the United States, President Harry S. Truman, authorized the building of an atomic submarine for the first (August 1950). Pundits and politicians had […]