Follow the leader

All of us remember that children’s game called follow the leader. Someone played the role as leader and of course everyone else had to follow their lead. During the Cold War the Soviets played this game and played it fairly well. The submarines they developed always seemed to be strikingly familiar with the boats we […]

Steam Will Replace Sails? Madness!!!

An Ohio class submarine slips its mooring next to the Delta pier in Bangor Washington. Silently, she glides down the flat calm waters of the Hood Canal on her way to the open ocean. This five hundred sixty foot vessel will soon submerge and begin her primary mission. For over fifty years, ships like this […]

Escape to Freedom – Submarine Escape and Rescue

The Buoyant Ascent The tower at the US Naval Submarine Base was one of the most memorable features of the Groton, Conn. Skyline. Submariners from the past who trained there will always remember that tower as one of the defining points in their submarine journey. This tower was used to prepare us for the day […]

The First Civilian Submarine

The Birth of the First Civilian Submarine While we were on our last trip, I stopped by a used book store and found a book that had been a part of my life growing up. In my Grandfather’s library was a collection of books called “Source Records of the Great War”. These books were collected […]

122 Years of Continuous Improvement

Continuous Improvement for over 122 Years While submarines have existed in one form or another for a very long time, the US Navy formalized the marriage of technologies that would lead to the modern steel warhorses that range the oceans of the world today. After a series of trials in the late 1800’s, a man […]

Prepare to Dive, Prepare to Dive

“Chief of the Watch, verify boat is ready to submerge” “Aye aye sir … Straight Board” “Very well Chief, Diving officer, Submerge the ship” “Aye Aye sir, Chief of the Watch, sound two blasts of the diving alarm and open all main vents” “On the 1MC… Dive Dive” The boat slides beneath the waves and […]