A Gallant Ship – SS NATHANAEL GREENE

I love a story about a ship that was heroic. During the early days of World War 2, many ships were rapidly built to replace the ones that were being sunk by the onslaught of German Submarines in the Atlantic. Liberty Ships were some of the most prevalent cargo ships that were built and pressed […]

Justice for the Sinking of the SS Dorchester on February 3 1943

Many articles have been written about the loss of the SS Dorchester on February 3, 1943. Eighty years ago this week, the sinking resulted in the tragic loss of many American soldiers who had never stepped foot in a combat zone. Wolf packs consisting of multiple submarines was a powerful force of destruction on merchant […]

1919 – Setting a new standard for submarine training

1919 – Setting a new standard for submarine training The post for today is an excerpt from my upcoming book about Captain Cassin Young. The book captures his journey based on historical records and research into how the US Navy grew and developed its submarine force during the early years. This excerpt comes from Chapter […]

1916 – The Unexpected Guests Come Calling

1916 – In the United States, the need for a more structured course of instruction in submarine operations was identified by the Secretary of the Navy and the Navy Department. The increase in number and complexity of submarines was the driving force behind this perceived need. An earlier submarine school for enlisted technicians was already in […]

1915 – The submarines come of age

If there was any doubt about the impact of submarines in an open ocean war, they were dispelled for even the harshest critic in 1914-1915. The surprise attacks form the German U-boats were stunning to the public at large as they watched ship after ship damaged and sunk. While some in the American naval leadership […]

1914 – The Suicide Club – SUBMARINE MOST PUZZLING WAR MACHINE

In August of 1914, the world exploded. The two sides had already been preparing for war by calling up all of the conscripts that would be needed for a massive land war in Europe. Before it was over, the losses on both sides would be staggering. By wars end, a combined total of twenty million […]

1913 – PERFECTING THE SUBMARINE

The war clouds were continuing to gather over much of Europe. The Kaiser and his leadership team recognized that in order to continue growing as a country, they needed more land and resources. The English and French were bound together by a series of treaties and this binding would propel all of the Powers towards […]

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 […]

Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Shipbuilding – January 3 1941

In January 1941, it was becoming obvious that the weapon that created so much trouble in the First World War was once again raising its ugly Spector: The German U-boat. In 1939, 165 ships were sunk and by December 1940, 563 more would join them at the bottom of the ocean. Britain was heavily dependent […]

The submarines now in operation are sea-worthy and the living quarters are commodious – April 1920

One hundred years ago, most discussions around submarines focused on two things. First, for most of the world. The all too recent painful memory of the death and destruction caused by the German U-boats. The strangling effect on the English economy was still being felt long after the last ship was sunk. Submarines were viewed […]