Happy Submarine Month 2021

Happy Submarine Month April is definitely submarine month in the United States. It’s also been that way for me personally since it was the month that my most memorable submarine experience celebrates an anniversary. The USS San Francisco SSN 711 was commissioned in April 1981 which was forty years ago. She has now been reborn […]

There is no “Accident” in Team

There is no “Accident” in Team Okay, I can hear the groans. It should be “There is no i in Team”. At least until some smarty pants shows up with the poster that shows exactly where the “i” is. In this case, the word accident and team cannot stand together. Teams must be intentional or […]

SEABEE Combat Handbook Chapter 16: Evasion, Survival and Escape

Chapter 16: Evasion, Survival and Escape I have always loved the SEABEEs. From the first time I saw Fighting SEABEEs with John Wayne until I got much older and saw some of their handiwork, I was always impressed with the Naval Construction Battalions. To be able to drive a bulldozer while killing the […]

Ask the Chief

Three words that echo the tradition of Chief Petty Officer in the history of the United States Navy are “Ask the Chief”. The Chief was the one of the first real authority figures that many of us knew when we entered the Navy. Dressed in our dungarees and standing at attention on the grinder, many […]

March 31 – A tale of two sailors

March 31 – A tale of two sailors On March 31, 1975, A.E. Walther, LCDR, USN, Executive Officer of the USS George Washington and Robert W. MacPherson, MM3 (SS), USN signed the NAVPERS 1616/5 Report of Enlisted Performance Evaluation sheet that would become part of the official permanent record for Petty Officer MacPherson. “Assigned to […]

Me? Stressed??? No. I am quite sure the flooding will put the fire out

One of the oldest sayings I can remember about the even temperedness of being a submariner was something that I heard a junior officer relay to the Captain during a multiple casualty on the George Washington. We had just had a very stressful few weeks in a sea tossed by typhoons and generally bad weather. […]

The Leadership Conundrum – Dealing with People

The Leadership Conundrum A conundrum is described as a problem that is difficult to deal with. The Navy spends a lot of time in the education and development of its leadership. The organization has evolved over the centuries from a very autocratic structure that involved corporal punishment to a more nuanced organization that recognizes the […]

Course Corrections – Where the hell are we?

Course Corrections – Where the hell are we? Recently I wrote a story about five submarines that lost their way on a scheduled mission. https://theleansubmariner.com/2020/02/28/lost-boats-an-occupational-hazard-in-1920/ For five days these boats were unaccounted for and fleet leaders had to send out a number of vessels to locate them. In the end. All made it safely back […]

I want a raise – Where is my cut?

I want a raise. Of course I want a raise. Sadly, I am retired and no one pays me to write this blog. But the natural reaction for many people during any change in business is to expect some kind of pay increase. I mean, I came to work nearly all of last year. The […]

Leadership Lessons from a Mop

It has been nearly forty eight years since I learned my first lesson on leadership. In June of 1972, I headed off to boot camp to join the thousands of other young men about to become part of the US Navy. Boot Camp is the testing period where you are physically challenged, mentally strengthened […]