The Vision of a Man Named Nimitz – The American Submarine Story in the 20th Century

Arguably one of the most influential American Submariners that ever lived was Admiral Chester W. Nimitz. As a young man, he was significantly influenced by his German-born paternal grandfather, Charles Henry Nimitz, a former seaman in the German Merchant Marine, who taught him, “The Sea – like life itself – is a stern taskmaster. The […]

USS James Monroe SSBN 622 – Watchful Waiting

The James Monroe was built in the early days of the Polaris program and typified the boats that were launched during that time. With each successive weapons upgrade, she would be retrofitted with more powerful weapons and equipment to support her primary mission: deterrence. A little over ten years after she was commissioned, Admiral Rickover […]

“BE BRAVE, STAND FIRM, SHOOT STRAIGHT” USS TECUMSEH (SSBN 628)

“Be brave, stand ﬁrm, shoot straight” USS TECUMSEH (SSBN 628) The founding of America was not a straightforward journey. Many of the people who were already settled in the lands across the rivers were understandably not anxious for the arrival of the white man. One of the harshest of the critics was the Warrior Tecumseh. […]

Two Cultures Collide and Heroes Emerge from the Sea

The United States in 1941 was tense and filled with anticipation about the war in Europe. But nothing could prepare the nation for the events that were about to transpire. The nation and the Japanese had long been on a collision course because of the nature of their two cultures. But the population at large had […]

21 Days Under Water – The USS Pickerel’s 5200 Mile Journey at Periscope Depth

In 1950, the US Navy was coming to terms with its peacetime role in a Cold War setting. The Russians had obtained the German submarine technology along with the rocket scientists from captured territory. No longer content to be a coastal navy, the Russians were building their own fleet of new submarines with the ability […]

USS George Washington SSBN 598 – First and Finest (December 30, 1959)

A short history of the first ballistic missile submarine. USS GEORGE WASHINGTON (SSBN 598) THIS SHIP has been given the most illustrious name in America. Rarely does history conﬁrm contemporary judgment in pronouncing a man “indispensable” to his country. But there is general agreement that on three occasions, when the fate of our Nation hung in […]

The Patten Family and the USS Nevada (1941)

As it so often happens, I was looking through the archives and discovered an article that jumped off the pages at me. This article was found in a collection of Navy Department News Releases and was released seventy seven years ago today (September 7, 2018) NAVY DEPARTMENT HOLD FOR RELEASE SUNDAY PAPERS, SEPTEMBER 7, 1941 […]

August 28, 1973 The Journey Begins

I joined the Navy in April of 1972 by raising my right hand for the very first time. The Navy used the Delayed Entry Program to pre-sign willing young volunteers and at the age of seventeen, I was anxious to leave home and see the world. I remember my girlfriend at the time crying a […]

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 […]

The one thing you can’t stop

Today marks the end of yet another year. The world has turned 365 more times in its journey and I feel fortunate to have had more good days than bad ones during that time. I find myself in a much better place today than I did a year ago and for that I am grateful. […]