1911 Whim of a Woman – The First Female Casualty on a Submarine

Once upon a time my wife got a chance to join me and my fellow submariners on a dependents cruise. I am not sure they are even allowed anymore. But this was a pretty special occasion. The USS San Francisco (SSN 711) pulled into Maui in the Hawaiian Islands and the wives and some kids […]

The Old Submariner

Submariner I sometimes don’t know where I’m going, but Oh, all the places I’ve been. Wrapped up in a hull made of steel, with a crew of fine sailors locked in. The missions are lonely and silent, the dangers untold with no yield, But we still climb down the steel ladders, the hatches above us […]

Submarine Base Pearl Harbor – Buried Secrets

Buried Secrets One of my favorite submarine reference books is called “United States Submarine Operations in World War II” written by Theodore Roscoe in conjunction with the Bureau of Naval Personnel and published by the United States Naval Institute. Reading through the book is like a looking through a periscope to the past. The people […]

Remembering January 8 – USS San Francisco SSN 711

SSN 711 – That fateful day on January 8th We can never forget how truly dangerous submarine life can be. Rest in peace Shipmate

Seeing the world

I always wanted to see the world. When I was young, there was something inside me that loved adventure. I read Rudyard Kipling’s books from cover to cover and marveled at the mysteries of faraway places. Surely there had to be more to the world than my dingy old home town. I say dingy because […]

Every Moment Mattered Update (April 2021)

I have been working on a book project now for about five years. My first go at publishing was put on hold when the publisher asked me to include some stories and ideas that were in line with the publishers needs. Last November, I was doing a web based presentation for the McKeesport Heritage and […]

Happy Submarine Month 2021

Happy Submarine Month April is definitely submarine month in the United States. It’s also been that way for me personally since it was the month that my most memorable submarine experience celebrates an anniversary. The USS San Francisco SSN 711 was commissioned in April 1981 which was forty years ago. She has now been reborn […]

Greetings from the bunker

You may have noticed that I have not been posting much for the past few weeks. Sorry for that. It has been a challenging time for many of us as the country makes its transition to a new government. I guess time will tell how well that goes. On the plus side for us, we […]

In December 1983, It wasn’t even on the list.

In December 1983, It wasn’t even on the list. I was cleaning out some piles in my Zombie room this afternoon and I found pictures and letters from a long time ago. Some of them hadn’t been touched in years other than to move them to a different location. I am a Master Procrastinator and […]

The story of us – the original Hallmark Movie – May 4th 1980

The story of us – the original Hallmark Movie A friend of ours wished my wife and me a happy forty year anniversary for the day we met. May 4th, 1980. She said that we were like a Hallmark Movie. Little did she know? I think we actually pioneered the whole genre of the Hallmark […]