Adversity is a refining fire.

I achieved a minor but important breakthrough this morning at around 4:50 AM when Angus the dog decided he needed to get up and go outside. I have been struggling for months to properly title the book project I have been working on now for about five years. The last three chapters have been the […]

Cassin Young, Captain, United States Navy MOH Recipient, Information request

Good morning. For the past few years, I have been searching through Naval Records, newspaper articles, period books and a number of other sources to help complete the picture of one of the greatest heroes the Navy has ever produced, Captain Cassin Young. The journey has had a lot of twists and turns but I am […]

Now More Than Ever – a Strong Navy and Peace

The Navy League has been tireless in its mission to support the sea services throughout the last 116 years. From its founding in 1902, they have tried to always live the spirit that Theodore Roosevelt embodied when he said “A good Navy is not a provocative of war, it is the surest guarantee of peace.” Three […]

Attention on Deck: Mare Island Naval Cemetery Needs Your Help

It is fitting on Memorial Day weekend that we honor those who have died in service to our country. Many of us also remember those who served on active duty in peace or war time and have passed on to the final muster. This morning, I got an email from Nestor Aliga asking for help […]

The Line

As Memorial Day approaches, I know that all of us will be busy with tributes, ceremonies and parades of honor. At least I hope that we all would be so engaged. The truth is that many will be more focused on picnics and pools, parties and getaways, sales and sports. How far away from our […]

A Prophesy From Nearly a Hundred Years Ago is Just as True Today

Everywhere you look these days, people are reacting to the senseless deaths of innocent people and wondering how we can stop the killing. I think its a fair question. But I think we are not examining the root causes of what seems to be an increase in evil actions. Society has become very sophisticated since […]

Floating Drydocks: A Noteworthy Innovation That Changed the Course of Two Wars

Floating Drydocks had been around for a long time before World War 2. But the scope of naval warfare during World War 2 and the Cold War that would follow would test the Navy’s ability to maintain vessels in faraway locations. This is part on of the story of docks like USS Los Alamos (AFDB […]

I love LA

Regular readers know that once upon a time when the world was still dark with fears from the Soviets, a little known base in Scotland served as a portable pier for our submarine fleet. Starting in 1960, units of the United States Fleet anchored in a small inlet called Holy Loch that was just up […]

Post number 597… Submarine Number 597

An odd kind of submarine Today’s post is about an odd numbered submarine that played a unique role in the development of the nuclear Navy, the USS Tulibee. I am always reminded when I do stories about the nuclear submarine Navy that there has never been a point in my life that the United […]

Birth of the Boomers

Happy New Year from TLS I have been doing a lot of research on my WW2 projects and came across a great source of information. The Navy publishes a monthly magazine that dates back to the 1920’s under a variety of names including “All Hands Magazine”. Now for something completely different I was thinking about […]