Gunfighters on the Java Sea – May 28 1945

I have been chronicling the actions of the US Forces in the Pacific fleet for a number of months and in doing so have found some really great stories with a lot of detail about how the war was progressing in mid 1945. One of those stories started with a small footnote about a wolf […]

Happy 115th Birthday to the United States Navy Submarine Force

Of the things I have done in my life, being privileged to be a Submariner is the one thing that stands out the most. Looking back in the mirror of over forty years, what made being a submariner so special was a combination of men, machines, methods and materials (as well as the environment we […]

The Ultimate Stealth Submarine

With shrinking budgets and caps on military spending, its important to remember that submarines represent one of the most survivable elements in modern sea warfare. The increasing flexibility to meet emerging threats as well as long established threats adds value to this resource. Make no mistake: the threats from external forces will not go away […]

In honor of the day… the top five posts on TLS

What worked best in the past three and a half years? Not surprisingly, submarine sea stories were the most popular. I am grateful to the folks who have contributed as much as I am to those that have visited. So here they are as of today (January 31, 2015) 1. https://theleansubmariner.com/2013/11/24/id-like-to-be-a-submariner-how-hard-could-that-be/ 2. https://theleansubmariner.com/2014/02/21/hey-you-have-the-next-watch/ 3. https://theleansubmariner.com/2014/02/16/ever-a-submariner-by-jody-rurham-mm2ss-a-gang/ […]

Happy Anniversary – Three years

When I first started the blog, life was very different… The intent was to share some ideas on lean manufacturing while celebrating the heritage of the United States Navy submarine forces. A lot of water has gone under the bow since those days. Over 260,000 views later, I find that the submarine stories have continued to […]

Patches

If you look to the right side of my blog, you will see a number of patches that reflect my duty stations (boats and ships) along the way. My sub vets vest has a fair representation of them and it is a matter of some pride that I wear each one. They all stand for […]

#earnednevergiven

For my brothers… April 11, 2014 Mister Mac

“hey… you have the next watch”

Watches in the military have been around since the beginning of recorded time. The Jews, like the Greeks and Romans, divided the night into military watches instead of hours, each watch representing the period for which sentinels or pickets remained on duty. The proper Jewish reckoning recognized only three such watches, entitled the first or […]

“Ever a Submariner” by Jody Durham, MM2/SS (A Gang)

I am obviously a sucker for a great submarine story. I spend much of my free time researching stories about a rare breed of men who chose voluntarily to sail on ships designed by their creators to sail beneath the oceans surface. I was recently introduced to Jody Durham, a fellow Cold War sailor (and […]

Fringes of the Fleet

Rule Britannia, Britannia rules the waves When your country is an island, it is only natural that you would come to rely on the ocean for commerce with others. When that island is vulnerable to attacks form others, it is even more natural that the ocean would serve as a means for your defense. To […]