A Japanese Submarine operating in the Indian Ocean – From The archives

This black and white video comes from the National Archives. It shows life on board a Japanese submarine in the Indian Ocean. Some interesting features include firing their deck gun, riding on the surface at night, sleeping arrangements (yes, they slept next to their torpedoes), off watch activities like playing cards and other games, preparing […]

July – August 1925 the US Navy Spends Time Down Under

I was visiting my favorite Library of Congress website today that features newspapers from the history of the US. One of the featured stories on the front page of the Washington Times for August 1, 1925, was about how many American sailors married Australian women after a recent port visit. The story brought a smile to […]

“Admiral, the Navy is on its way out. There’s no reason for having a Navy and a Marine Corps.” How Johnson and Truman almost lost the Cold War

A Navy Man at Heart I have to begin this story with a blunt acknowledgement: There has never been a day in my life that the Navy wasn’t the center of the universe when it came to a world that was free, and the Navy was an overpowering force for good. That’s kind of a […]

“Air Conditioning? Real Submariners Don’t Need No Air Conditioning”

“Air Conditioning? Real Submariners Don’t Need No Air Conditioning” From the very beginning of the submarine service in the United States, there were a number of constants. First, there was limited space. Priority was given to the machinery and support systems that would make the submarine effective. The engines were small at first but grew […]

Not for glory, but for victory – The need for Auxiliary Ships

Not for glory, but for victory Submarine tenders are near and dear to my heart. My seagoing career was launched and finished on the decks of two Cold War era tenders (USS Proteus and USS Hunley). Although Proteus was actually built as a World War 2 era tender, she was later converted to support the […]

Lessons from 1944 – The Need for Advanced Bases

I’ve been watching the news recently and the escalation of naval conflicts. Because I spend more time than I should looking at the nature of naval construction and strength, I have been concerned about the lack of resources to support the people who are sailing in harm’s way. I’m sure the navy planners have looked […]

Navy Day 1943 – Threats from Within and Warnings about the Future

In October 1943, the country had been at war for nearly two years. The strength and power of our industrial base was at nearly full speed and in every corner of the land, the equipment and supplies needed to fight a global war were being produced at a furious pace. Patriotism and nationalism were used […]

“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 […]