“if a submarine is hit, the crew will never hear the explosion”

October 1943 was a very busy time for an expanding fleet in every corner of the world. The trials for the leadership of the Navy and Army that had been in charge during the attacks on Hawaii and elsewhere were finally getting under way. Less than two years after that disastrous day, many people were […]

Nuclear Power: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (1963-2023)

(NOTE: This post is a big longer than my usual post, but hopefully it will be worth your time to read.) Nuclear Power: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow I was reading about the two nuclear powered aircraft carriers and their battle groups gathering in the eastern Mediterranean this week and got to thinking about when I […]

Rabaul – A Place Where Victory Came to Die

Rabaul was a significant base used by the Japanese during the early years of the secone World War. The Battle of Rabaul, also known by the Japanese as Operation R, an instigating action of the New Guinea campaign, was fought on the island of New Britain in the Australian Territory of New Guinea, from 23 […]

Telegraphic News Flash: Explosion Kills Three on Submarine S-37

Life on submarines has always been risky. Whether it’s defying the physics of overcoming the sea’s depths or the nature of the machinery required to do so, every submariner undestands that the unexpected can be managed to a certain extent, but the uexpected cab still arrive with dire results. One hundred years ago today (October […]

Remembering the Marby – The Story of the USS Marblehead and her Brave Crew

Watching the types of ships being built for the past few years reminds me of the ideology of the 1920’s. There was a desire for peaceful relations between the global community mixed with theunderstanding that peace was an illusion as long as resources were desired by the same forces around the world. Battleships were limited […]

Rule number one at sea: keep the sea outside of the boat

What is bravery? Through the years, I have often been told by people that they could never ride a submarine. Claustrophobia is probably a big thing, but the fear of being cooped up in a small metal cylinder operating in a vast ocean is also a factor. I saw a lot of brave actions in […]

Offenders to Be Enlightened-Equal Treatment to All : Japanese Propaganda in 1943

I’m a little behind this week since my younger brother passed away on Sunday. He had suffered from cardiovascular disease for quite some time and other complications. But 65 is still too young. His wife and kids will certainly feel his loss as do all of us who knew him. I started working on this […]

COMSUBPAC is Missing – The Last Flight of the Philippine Clipper January 21, 1943

We take flying for granted. Before I went into the navy, I had been on one flight. Pittsburgh to Cleveland. It was a prop driven plane and I remember the thrill of lifting off the ground and speeding through the air. I don’t remember how old I was but it was a pretty big deal […]

Hit Me on Head/ Patient in Undersea Ordeal Asks as Anesthesia Wears Off – The Silversides Appendectomy

This is a companion article to the Swashbuckling Submariner. A Swashbuckling Submariner – Creed Burlingame I did a number of assignments on board the submarines I served on. That isn’t unusual since we operate in a world of our own once we submerge. In addition to your primary duties as a watch stander, you serve […]

A Swashbuckling Submariner – Creed Burlingame

The Washington Star GRAVURE SECTION from February 14, 1943 featured pictures of the many faces of the war around the world. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/data/batches/dlc_1xul_ver01/data/sn83045462/00280603351/1943021401/0129.pdf From the Mediterranean to the Pacific, allied navies were aggressively pushing back against the forces of the Axis. This particular section of the paper showed images from many fronts but one small picture […]