USS Daniel Webster SSBN 626 – Old Funny Fins

The years leading up to the Civil War are filled with stories about men who tried their best to protect what was euphemistically called state’s rights and those who were bound and determined to end the scourge of slavery. Daniel Webster was one of those who was committed to ending the practice once and for […]

Welcome aboard the USS Henry Clay SSBN 625

As visitors and riders come on board a submarine, they are normally herded to a safe place where they will be able to rest while the sailors and officers prepare the ship for underway and a dive below the surface. This visit is rare and has been one of the best ways for the Navy […]

USS Henry Clay SSBN 625 – The Great Compromiser

“I implore, as the best blessing which Heaven can bestow upon me upon earth, that if the direful and sad event of the dissolution of the Union shall happen, I may not survive to behold the sad and heart-rending spectacle. Quote from “On the Compromise Resolutions,” speech before the U.S. Senate, February 5 and 6, […]

Polaris – the US Navy’s Fleet Ballistic Missile Weapons System

While researching the USS Sam Houston SSBN 609, I ran across a pamphlet that was used to introduce the public to the Polaris missile program. The pamphlet was published when the program was about half way towards completion. The goal was to have all 41 of the boats launched and operational by 1967. That was […]

USS Simon Bolivar SSBN 641 – “those of us who have toiled for liberty in South America have but plowed the sea.”

In January of 1973, I attended submarine school in New London Connecticut. I had completed basic training and Machinist Mate “A” school and this was my next assignment in the pathway to my first submarine. It’s funny when I think back now how much I was anxious to leave home and get away from school. […]

USS Hunley AS 31 – January 1971

I still have “Hunley dreams”. It’s been nearly twenty five years since I left the Hunley and the Navy but the intensity of my tour on board seems to stir a lot of memories when I should be fast asleep. The Chief Engineer that was my first boss was a bit of a character. […]

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 […]

“Go forth and conquer” USS Kamehameha SSBN 642

USS KAMEHAMEHA (SSBN 642) The very first thing that hit me when I got off the plane in Hawaii is the humidity. Back in the day, we were told to wear dress blues for travel when we traveled (or at least that is what I remember the Chief saying as I left my last school […]

Gave proof through the night… USS Francis Scott Key SSBN 657

I have some vague memories from an earlier age about the man who was credited with writing the National Anthem. I have even been to a number of the locations where he lived and where he wrote the famous verses that would someday become one of the most memorable songs of the country’s history. So […]

Freedom’s Defender – USS John Marshall SSBN 611 (SSN 611)

My history is a little rusty sometimes and I will readily admit that I was not as familiar with John Marshall as I should have been before I started this installment of the 41 for Freedom series. Yet, of all the men a boat of this class could have been named for, this one is […]