The final watch. All of us who ever served on submarines experienced the first watch. The training we received mostly prepared us for that watch. Technical details, readings and normal operations were the expected results. But in the back of our minds, we were trained for the unexpected. What if a system failed. What if […]

THE TRIP TO THE SUBMARINE – Key West 1960

Field Trips are Fun I remember as a kid we used to go to businesses on field trips to get a glimpse into what our parents and others did for a living. One year it was a bakery with all of the delicious smells you might expect. Another trip brought us to Menzie Dairy where […]

“Every man seen was at his station” – The tragic loss of the S-51

Every man seen was at his station – The tragic lass of the S-51 Caution – The descriptions are pretty graphic. I have written about the sinking of the S-51 before but today is the hundredth anniversary of the beginning of her recovery and restoration. In their day, the U. S. submarines S-50 and S-51 were the latest and […]

The USS Ohio Museum – Why Not.

I read today that when the USS Ohio finally retires, it will do so as the oldest continuous operating submarine in US History. The first submarine of the class, the USS Ohio or SSBN-726, was commissioned in 1981, followed by 17 more vessels. Though Ohio-class submarines were built to have a 30-year service life, most […]

April 27, 1993: It was supposed to be a glorious day

It was supposed to be a glorious day. My dream of being a commissioned naval officer had certainly yielded some unexpected outcomes. I had gone from being a pretty respected Machinist Mate Chief to being a focus for one man’s vitriol. The Chief Engineer that I ended up working for on the Hunley was not […]

Rembert James War Correspondent- The first part of the story ended way too soon

Blessed are the storytellers… for they shall inherit eternity. Okay, so that isn’t really a beatitude. But it could be. Recently, I discovered a series of articles written by a war correspondent named Rembert F. James. Cold War Stories – Periscopes off our Coasts: 1954 Never heard of him before? Can’t say that I blame […]

Cold War Stories: Navy Believes Destroyers Our Best Defense Against Soviet Submarine Threat (1961)

Before I joined the navy in 1972, my high school band was invited to participate in a parade in Norfolk Virginia. Part of the trip included a trip to the Norfolk naval base. I will readily admit that most of the trip was focused on social events and spending time with the girl I was […]