January 1921: Battleship Still the Fleet’s Backbone, In Opinion of US, Naval Experts

The New York Herald, Sunday January 30, 1921 published an article about the future of the United States Navy and the ships and submarines that would propel the country forward into the global race for supremacy at sea. From the article: “Vessels Of The North Carolina Class When Completed Will Put United States In Advance […]

January 2020 – the crowds were everywhere

It’s been a strange year. But I can’t think of a person on the planet that probably hasn’t already said that. The end of December of 2019 was an awesome time. I just now realized how awesome it was as I sit here writing these thoughts. People still traveled freely all over the world, there […]

In December 1983, It wasn’t even on the list.

In December 1983, It wasn’t even on the list. I was cleaning out some piles in my Zombie room this afternoon and I found pictures and letters from a long time ago. Some of them hadn’t been touched in years other than to move them to a different location. I am a Master Procrastinator and […]

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 […]

The Tanaka Memorial – Real or Imagined? Part 2

Part Two: Admiral Taussig. Yes, Senator. Shall I proceed with my statement? The Chairman. Proceed. Admiral Taussig. In spite of our desires to remain aloof from international problems, we cannot do so. The world has shrunk too much. Can we look on a development in the Far East such as out lined above with detached interest, as a matter of no immediate concern to us as […]

The Tanaka Memorial – Real or Imagined?

This story will be done in two parts. In 1940, Rear Admiral Joseph Taussig was called to testify to Congress about the ship building program and the perceived threats that were emerging in the Far East. This controversial testimony placed him at odds with an old nemesis – the former Assistant Secretary of the Navy […]

The “Down Express” – Tambor Class Warriors

The “Down Express” – Tambor Class Warriors I have a page on Facebook called War in the Pacific 1941-1946 which can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/WarInThePacific19411946 My original intent was to do a daily diary for the 75th anniversary of the beginning of the second war. Funny how time flies. It’s been four years and I […]

21 Days

Happy Navy Birthday I had thought about doing nothing more than my traditional Navy birthday greeting but decided that the current countdown series related to the 2020 election is pertinent to the United States Navy. For the record, I am a volunteer with the Trump Victory team in Pennsylvania serving as the South West PA […]

Hide and Seek in April 1920 – Submarine Style

One of my favorite submarine memories was the first time the USS San Francisco (SSN 711) anchored off the coast of Maui. The mission leading up to that visit was not a long one but we were going to pick up members of some of our families after the stay was over and do […]

The Daring Gambler Held All the Cards – The Plunger Legacy

There are few other submarine names that show the progression of the growth of America’s submarine propulsion power as clearly as the family of boats named Plunger I wanted to end Submarine Month (April 2020) with a classic story and a tribute to one of the most decorated submarines of the Cold War at the […]