Escape of the Casabianca

One of the most daring episodes of World War 2 submarining took place on November 27, 1942. That story comes from the French Navy in the port of Toulon in a most unexpected fashion. On that day, the officers and men of the Casabianca disobeyed the orders of the Vichy French and managed to pull […]

In the First Hour of the Next Day

I wrote this story a few years ago before the current North Korean situation evolved. I wonder how real it could actually be The launch was not detected by our satellites because they were looking in the wrong area. No one would have suspected that the slow moving foreign flagged freighter carried such a horrible […]

But it was on the internet… they couldn’t put it on there if it wasn’t true could they?

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing" – Edmund Burke Great quote! Unfortunately Edmund Burke never actually said that… The above is most likely a summary of the following quote in Burke’s "Thoughts on the Cause of Present Discontents": "When bad men combine, the good must […]

The Storyteller’s Burden

I don’t know when I first learned how to tell stories As a young boy, I listened to the stories of many people who were older than me. Some of them were meant to inform, some were meant to teach lessons, and of course in the early days, the hope was that if I listened […]

Bluejackets Manual, eighteenth edition, 1968 (Third Printing, September 1969)

I’m sure I have mentioned it before but I have a modest collection of Bluejackets Manuals dating back to the early 1900’s. I started out with my Grandfather Parkin’s manuals from the Second World War. From that time, I have added them as I find them in old book stores, sea ports, and Army Navy […]

Captain, my Captain…

I read a lot of military related blogs and one of the hottest stories for submarines and secret service people is about bad behavior and its consequences. Like many folks, I am not happy that this type of behavior has become so visible. Unlike many folks, I am not surprise at all. Not one tiny […]

A submariner at heart

April 19, 1927. In the town of Boston Pennsylvania, a baby boy joined the world to begin his own life adventures. The Youghiogheny River ran pretty wild back in those days and you could expect some flooding along its banks. The town itself was just a whistle stop sitting at the base of […]

Field Day ~ The Legends, the Myths, the Reality

When I was on submarines we would occasionally rewrite the words to songs to fit our purposes. Submarines on patrol are notorious for being either very exciting or incredibly boring. For that reason, the Executive Officer will hold a “Field Day” where all of the crewmembers are wakened and set to the task of cleaning. […]

Fenian Ram: The Green Submarine

Any submariner worth his salt has heard of a good Irishman named John Phillip Holland and his submarine design changed the way wars would be fought at sea forever. On March 17, 1898, St. Patrick’s Day, Irish-born engineer John Philip Holland demonstrated a submarine he designed, the Holland VI, for the U.S. Navy Department, off […]

So you want to be a Submariner? (circa 1943)

Every American Bluejacket from the early 1900’s to today receives a copy of the Bluejacket’s Manual. The books were written to help supplement the knowledge of men who were being brought into the Navy. Many times, they lacked even a high school education although over the last century that has been less and less. Newer […]