Random thoughts to wrap up October 2024

Happy October 30th Some random thoughts as I waited for a family member to come out of his medical procedure here at the Medical Center in Charleston. He has been in pain for a long time, and I hope they can find the root cause of the problem. I got a call from a very […]

Happy Navy Day 2024 – The 75th Anniversary of one of the worst bureaucratical decisions in history

I’ve written a lot about the history of Navy Day in the past including this article from 2019 The Last Navy Day – How Truman almost killed the US Navy This is the 75th anniversary of that last Navy Day and the criticality of having a strong navy is becoming clearer with every passing day. […]

A Great Reunion – Well, Mostly Great

The 2024 Gathering of the Saints is finally over. I have been absent from the keyboard for a while as we executed our latest reunion in Charleston SC. The planning for the reunion started at the end of 2023 and was non-stop until the very last day of the event. One thing about reunions is […]

April 11 2024 – Holland Club

I was honored to have my wife and my Submariner Brothers present last night at the USSVI Charleston Base to see my induction into the Holland Club. I actually wasn’t sure I would ever make it. A special thanks to RADM Mike Sharp and the men from the USS San Francisco SSN 711 that were […]

The First Time You Dive

You never forget your first There are few moments in any submariner’s life that equal the first time you submerge below the surface of the sea. For each generation or type of boat, the lead up to that dive is different. It might come at the end of a lengthy transit on the surface in […]

Tradition!

Tradition! One of my great loves is old school musicals that made it to the big screen. Probably because I was an actor in high school and a few rare times since then. But one of my favorite musicals of all time was Fiddler on the Roof. What a great story line about overcoming great […]

Another New Adventure; Supporting the USS Pennsylvania

I belong to a number of organizations that promote the support of our navy and veterans. Those include the Navy League, the American Legion, the VFW, the Naval Institute and the Naval Submarine League (NSL). I recently became a life member of the NSL. The great thing about becoming older is that the cost of […]

Just when you Need a Helping Hand – The Incredibly Shrinking Fleet

Just when you Need a Helping Hand – The Incredibly Shrinking Fleet The last time I checked, despite some troubles with not enough water in the Panama Canal Zone, the oceans have not shrunk. Much of the world’s commerce still sails the oceans around the world carrying vital cargo and commerce of every kind from […]

The Silent Service Needs You (1950’s version)

After World War 2, the US Navy had a surplus of many items from the big war. On both the east coast and the west coast, temporary resting places for many of the ships and submarines were teeming with no longer needed ships and submarines. I remember seeing large numbers of ships tied up and […]

“Air Conditioning? Real Submariners Don’t Need No Air Conditioning”

“Air Conditioning? Real Submariners Don’t Need No Air Conditioning” From the very beginning of the submarine service in the United States, there were a number of constants. First, there was limited space. Priority was given to the machinery and support systems that would make the submarine effective. The engines were small at first but grew […]