Remembering Pearl Harbor – The Story of Gunners Mate Second Class John C. Pensyl

Their voices cry out from the past. 2403 Americans died from the attack on Pearl Harbor. Of that figure, 2,008 of them were enlisted with the Navy, 218 were members of the US Army, 109 were Marines, and 68 were civilians. While much is written about the event, we need to never lose focus on […]

Christmas in Manila – 1945

Merry Christmas. Simple words of greeting that have been shared all over the world in so many languages. But often the greeting is sent from far away from home. In December 1945, my Dad was working as part of the post war draw down in Manila. He had entered the war on March 8th, 1945 […]

The Pearl Harbor Attack at Eighty Years

On December 7, 2021, it will be eighty years since the “surprise” attack on Pearl Harbor. In all of those years, many books have been written about the attack and its significance. In the aftermath of the attack, there were also a lot of congressional hearings to discover why such a devastating attack could have […]

700,000 Views

Sometime yesterday, the Blog went over 700,000 views. Thanks to all who have visited and continue to support theleansubmariner. There are roughly 1000 posts currently in my searchable files. I hope to increase that number as the year ahead rolls out. It has been a difficult year personally for a number of reasons but my […]

Sometimes you just need a little time to refocus

I have written nearly 1000 posts since the beginning of the blog. Of course most of them have been about submarines and leadership but its been fun to record other historical events and key events from naval history. One project that I started a few years ago was about Captain Cassin Young. His story fascinated […]

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 […]

“The average citizen is not aware of the dangers that confront America” Launching the Colorado

Happy Spring The weather is getting warmer so writing will be more challenging for a while. As I look at the world situation, I can’t help but think that not much has changed in a hundred years. Today’s story from the archives is about Sea Power, Great ships, Great men and the thread that connects […]

We Build, We Fight

I love a good John Wayne Movie. One of my favorites has always been the Fighting Seabees. March 5 is recognized as the official birthday of the Seabees and I salute all of the men and women who have served in this vital part of the US Armed Forces. From World War 2 to present, […]

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 […]