“Ocean in view! Oh Joy!” USS LEWIS AND CLARK (SSBN 644)

I can almost hear the conversation on that morning when President Thomas Jefferson called Merriweather Lewis into his office and explained to him what he needed done. “I need you to make your way from St. Louis to Oregon in the shortest possible time and distance.” “What’s an “Oregon”, Thomas?” “I’m not sure but I […]

The Blue and the Gold – Sixty Years of Sharing the Sea

The Blue and the Gold As I sit here writing the 41 for Freedom story for tonight, it is Easter Weekend. 45 years ago, the USS George Washington Gold Crew had taken over the boat from the Blue crew in Guam and I was enjoying my first taste of freedom in months. That first patrol […]

The greatest joy, the deepest sorrow – Remembering the Thresher

The greatest joy, the deepest sorrow. As we approach the anniversary of the loss of the USS Thresher, I am once again reminded that the world of Submariners and their families are consumed with the greatest of joys and the deepest sorrows. The joy comes when a boat has completed her mission and returns safely […]

“The Happiest Among Mortals” – USS Daniel Boone SSBN 629

Did you have a hero growing up? I had quite a few but one of my favorites was certainly Daniel Boone. Living in Western Pennsylvania, we still had a lot of “woods” near where I lived and as kids we would spend a lot of time hiking and exploring. This was in the days before […]

Post #726 – Be careful what you wish for… life of a Trident Sailor

Be careful what you wish for… life of a Trident Sailor I have an old bumper sticker someone gave me after I made Chief Warrant Officer that says “I did it the hard way… I earned it”. Another one that was given to me was ironic when I look back over the years leading up […]

Fidelity, Industry and Courage – The USS Von Steuben SSBN 632

Thirty years is a long time for a ship to remain active. The Von Steuben is an excellent example of a submarine that was built to last and flexible enough to transition through a number of weapons systems as technology improved. She represented a system in flux. The earlier missiles which were pushed into production […]

“Why do Navymen volunteer for Submarine Duty?” one story from 1967

1967 – Five years before I raised my right hand for the very first time This article was written for the Navy Magazine ALL HANDS. As I look back at the history of the submarine force and what was happening during 1967, it is easy to understand why the Navy would want to put such […]

41 For Freedom – Fully Functional in less than 10 Years

Every once in a while, you hear someone question whether or not America is exceptional. After all, not everything was invented here and there are many fine people all over the world who have made significant contributions. But I look at one single example of what this country is capable of and say that it […]

April 1, 1959 USS Skate Surfaces at the North Pole

1959: USS Skate (SSN-578) becomes the first submarine to surface at the North Pole, traveling 3,000 miles in and under Arctic ice for more than a month.

For the defense of our own… USS Nathanael Greene SSBN 636

We are soldiers who devote ourselves to arms not for the invasion of other countries, but for the defense of our own, not for the gratification of our private interests but for public security Nathanael Greene I belong to MOAA and have for a few decades since I retired from the Navy But I was […]