March 2, 1941… Japan will be a pushover

March of 1941 was a month of great significance in the march to global war. I don’t know anything about the writer of this article in the Washington Evening Star. But I do know that his column was probably being used as a way to telegraph the activities to the world at a time when […]

In Plain Sight (Part 2)

This is a much more detailed account about the man who provided the information to the Japanese Navy about Oahu: UNDER COVER On March 27, 1941, a 27-year-old junior diplomat named Tadashi Morimura arrived in Honolulu to take his post as vice-consul at the Japanese consulate. But that was just a cover- “Morimura” was really […]

The Relief Crew – Giving Aid to the Front Line Fighters

During the World War 2 in the Pacific, one of the groups that had the biggest ability to impact Japanese supply lines was the US Navy Submarine Force. These incredibly brave men began their missions within hours of the attack on Pearl Harbor and brought destruction to the Japanese supply lines that was critical […]

February 1941- Ten Months to Infamy

February 1941- Ten Months to Infamy Husband Kimmel will certainly be remembered in American Naval History as long as any other figure. Admiral Kimmel was the man who was in charge of the Pacific Fleet on December 7th 1941. Admiral James O. Richardson was his predecessor in the position. Richardson was relieved of command in […]

The Stirling Letter and How it Helped to Change the Navy

I am reading about the early American efforts to build submarines. There is a lot of great reference material out there that talks about how we entered the submarine race. In the beginning, there was a gap between the creative forces that invented the early technology and the reality of how to make the submarine […]

What’s in a name Part 3 – USS Wahoo and USS Tang

I have previously talked about how submarine naming protocol has changed in the 120 years since the United States Navy accepted her first submarine. The Holland was named after her builder and for the next few decades the Navy shifted between Numbers and names of fishes. The journey up until recently was captured in one […]

Letters to the Editor (That would be me)

As of today, there are about 950 posts on theleansubmariner. (Some have been archived for now) I started writing the blog in 2011 and its been a joy to share stories that I have created, stories from history, stories about national and international events and stories about subjects that mean something to me and apparently […]

Rig for Dive

Rig for Dive What an unusual year this has been. The Wuhan Virus has certainly taken its toll in so many direct and indirect ways. In my lifetime, I don’t think I can remember any other health emergency that received this much attention or caused so much angst. But I do see the human cost […]

Low Cost Submarines

By 1939, the state of the US Navy’s readiness was in question. The treaties of the past twenty years and the economic conditions had stunted the growth of the force that was realizing the threat of a two ocean war. The war in Europe had not reached its peak yet but the shadows of the […]

The “Down Express” – Tambor Class Warriors

The “Down Express” – Tambor Class Warriors I have a page on Facebook called War in the Pacific 1941-1946 which can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/WarInThePacific19411946 My original intent was to do a daily diary for the 75th anniversary of the beginning of the second war. Funny how time flies. It’s been four years and I […]