The Stupid Shall Be Punished

Old Boats And Old Shipmates

2009-11-20T22:38:00.003-07:00

The Navy website has quite a few new photographs of one of my old boats, USS Connecticut (SSN 22), participating in the U.S. - Japan ANNUALEX a few days ago. Here's one:

Others can be found here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

It's always good to see your old boat. I also enjoy seeing old shipmates and friends do well, so I was happy to see the results of the FY11 Submarine Major Command and Major Program Manager Selection Board. It looks like this would have been the year I would have been up had I made it that far. I was especially happy to see two of my old JO running mates from USS Topeka (SSN 754) on the list. Congratulations to all!

USS Hartford JAGMAN Released

2009-11-18T07:10:00.005-07:00

Two media outlet -- The New London Day and Navy Times -- both published stories based on obtaining the "heavily redacted" investigation report into the recent USS Hartford (SSN 768) collision in the Straits of Hormuz. Excerpts:

The Hartford's command leadership routinely observed informal behavior by sailors operating the submarine, the report says, but did not immediately correct it. Those driving the ship would often slouch in their seats with one hand on the controls, and sometimes take their shoes off. Sonar operators and radiomen were missing from their stations for extended periods. Stereo speakers were added to the radio room to listen to music during work.
There were five known "sleepers," or sailors who would routinely nod off on watch, but no disciplinary action was taken, the report states. Two of the five sailors were working during the collision, although investigators found no evidence they were asleep.
The hands-off leadership style created a climate that "gave the appearance of tolerating routine inattentiveness and lax professional standards," the report concludes.

And...

On the night of the crash, sonar operators chatted “for the majority of the time [in the hour before] the collision.” An officer of the deck did not look through the periscope prior to the collision after taking over contact management duties.
The navigator, off-watch, was found to have been taking an engineering exam in the wardroom “while listening to his iPod,” despite the hazardous evolution underway.
Brookhart was never in the control room during any time crossing the strait, the investigators found.
Prior to the accident, speakers had been installed in the ultra-sensitive radio room “that allowed music to be played from an iPod while on watch. This was hidden from the Chain of Command.”

Please read both reports; they include some interesting info on how the submarine's crew was able to get onto the bridge after the collision (it took 4 hours using wedges and a portable hydraulic jack).

Here's my take: the report is pretty damning. But honestly, I think that you'd be able to find similar examples on most boats if they had an investigating team crawling up their butts looking at everything. We've seen this before, where Big Sub Force seems to go out of their way to make the crews of boats that have mishaps look like the biggest bunch of shitbags in the Fleet. I think that it's more likely that most Submariners could look at what goes on in their own boats and think, "There but for the grace of God go I". That being said, this particular instance does look pretty bad, considering where they were at.

This Is Why Ensigns Shouldn't Have More Than One Ribbon

2009-11-13T16:04:00.002-07:00

Check out this newest Navy Nuclear Power propaganda video on the official Navy channel on YouTube. Overall, it's not too bad, except for one epic fail. Check out the ribbon "rack" of the Ensign who shows up about 6 seconds into the video:

I'm pretty sure they haven't put the Pistol and Rifle Marksmanship ribbons ahead of the National Defense Service Medal in precedence. I'm not surprised an Ensign would mess up on something complicated like that, but I am a little bit amazed that no one in the video approval chain picked up on it.

Submarining Is Scary

2009-11-12T10:09:00.003-07:00

There are lots of scary things you have to put up with in submarining. To me, the scariest involved things like seeing an officer with a tool, a Doc on the Dive, the Nav or Weps heading back aft for their monthly proficiency EOOW watch, or a YN in ERLL for any reason.

What are some of the submarine things that give you the clammy shivers when you think about them?

A Day To Honor Veterans

2009-11-11T05:39:00.003-07:00

Today, on the 11th day of the 11th month, we take time to honor the Veterans of our Armed Forces.

To all my fellow Veterans, thank you for your service.

Please Support Project Valour-IT

2009-11-06T17:04:00.002-07:00

It's almost Veteran's Day, so you still have time to donate to Project Valour-IT, a wonderful organization that provides adaptive laptops for disabled Servicepeople. The drive is running through November 11th, so if you can, please contribute to this worthy cause through Team Navy. (You can find more information through this post by the Navy team leader.)

Prayers Going Out For Soldiers At Ft. Hood And Their Families

2009-11-05T16:28:00.004-07:00

Reports of a shooting incident at Ft. Hood indicate that 11 are dead (plus a shooter) and 31 are injured. Initial reports indicate that the dead shooter is Maj. Malik Nadal Hasan, and that two other soldiers have been detained as suspects. The dead major is reportedly a psychiatrist. My prayers are going out to the victims, their families, and fellow Soldiers.

We all know that initial reports of incidents are often in error, so hopefully this was a case of one guy losing it, and not a coordinated attack -- hopefully the two suspects are found to just have been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Obviously, the name of the dead shooter could lead reasonable people to believe that he is of Muslim heritage. I really, really hope that this wasn't a sleeper cell, and if it was, that people will remember that there are a lot of Muslims and people of Muslim heritage serving honorably in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Update 1700 05 Nov: Newer reports are saying the two Soldiers arrested have been released, indicating that it was a lone gunman.

Inadvertently Humorous Submarine Fiction

2009-11-04T07:45:00.002-07:00

Anyone remember this blurb from The Hunt For Red October?

"The engineers went about their duties calmly. The noise in the engine room spaces rose noticeably as the systems began to put out more power, and the technicians kept track of this by continuously monitoring the banks of instruments under their hands. The routine was quiet and exact. There was no extraneous conversation, no distraction. Compared to a submarine's reactor spaces, a hospital operating room was a den of libertines."

Discuss. Remember, though, that we have some wives reading, so you should avoid stories that go something like "the throttleman fell asleep so the RO put his junk in the throttleman's ear"... unless they're really, really funny.

Another Sub Skipper Relieved For Cause

2009-10-31T10:40:00.003-06:00

Haven't found an official Navy statement, but Navy Times and a couple of Honolulu newspapers have a story about the CO of USS La Jolla (SSN 701) being relieved for cause yesterday:

Cmdr. Doug Sampson, who had been in command of the Los Angeles-class submarine since October 2007, was relieved of command by the commodore of Submarine Squadron One, Capt. Stanley Robertson, the Navy said.
“This action was deemed necessary due to the failure of Cmdr. Sampson to meet the high Navy standards necessary to remain in command,” the Pacific Fleet submarine force said in a statement...
...Lt. Cmdr. David Benham, a spokesman for the Pearl Harbor-based Pacific Fleet submarine force, said he could not go into specifics on the submarine skipper’s removal. Those issues are under investigation, he said.
“The issues, I would say, concern some of the in-port planning, the operations and the administration, which fell short of the high Navy standards,” Benham said.

Hard to say what the cause was based on this statement, but it sounds like it was operational vice shortcomings in the CO's personal life.

USS Texas Surfaces Through Ice

2009-10-31T10:33:00.003-06:00

USS Texas (SSN 775) recently became the first Virginia-class submarine to operate in the Arctic; here's photographic evidence:

This occurred during the boat's transit from Groton to her new homeport of Pearl Harbor. From the CSP article:

“Words can not describe how impressed I am with my crew’s performance and professionalism,” said Cdr. Robert Roncska, Commanding Officer of USS Texas. “The ship performed extremely well in the cold, under-ice environment and I am honored to carry on the tradition of arctic operations by our awesome submarine force.”
Though the submarine force has continually operated in the dangerous region successfully for over 50 years, this occasion marked the first such venture by one the Navy’s newest assets.
“Once surfaced, the ship moored safely to the ice for over 24 hours,” said Ens. James Robinson, Supply Officer of USS Texas. “Activities on the ice included a very special re-enlistment ceremony for 12 crew members and a pinning ceremony in which one crew member received his submarine warfare qualification dolphins, as well as some down time to play touch football in the five degree weather.”

Sounds like a good time was had by all!

Another Sig On The Great Qual Card Of Life

2009-10-29T09:15:00.002-06:00

Our youngest child turns 18 today, so I guess I get a sign-off on the "get all your kids safely to adulthood" signature on Life's Qual Card. Sean is the only one of our children I didn't get to see born; I first saw him through the periscope when he was about 3 weeks old. Since then, he's kept me entranced as I've seen him grow; he's everything I wasn't growing up (confident, popular, good-looking, tall, imbued with common sense) along with having my good points (smarts). As he continues to grow in adulthood, I can only hope he knows how proud I am of him.

Happy Birthday, Sean.

USS Hartford Lessons Learned

2009-10-29T09:09:00.004-06:00

VADM Donnelly, COMSUBFOR, made some extemporaneous remarks recently about lessons learned from the March 2009 USS Hartford (SSN 768) collision. Excerpts:

Speaking Wednesday at the annual Naval Submarine League meeting, Submarine Force commander Vice Adm. Jay Donnelly described a control room with “a lot of informality” and a “series of personnel failures” he blamed on the sub’s leadership.
The collision, which happened at night, came as the sub was making a submerged transit to Jebel Ali, its last port call before heading home to Groton, Conn.
The crew had just finished an intense operational phase of its deployment and “everybody let down their guard” for what was actually one of the most challenging phases, crossing the strait at periscope depth, he said.
“There was a great deal of complacency involved in the crew,” he said. “They had been at sea for 63 days operating in areas with high contact density.”

Another reminder that submarining is always dangerous, no matter how good you think you are.

Update 1049 31 October: Turned off comments.

Now We're Sure To Win The War!

2009-10-27T22:13:00.002-06:00

At the risk of having too much recent discussion about women and their role in today's Navy, I couldn't let this one slip by. Check out newly-released NAVADMIN 304/09, which features rules for permanent cosmetics. I guess I didn't know that a lack of such a policy was a problem, but this article on the Navy website set me straight. Excerpt:

A Sailor who elects such a procedure must pay for it herself, be prepared to take leave if necessary to recover and be available for shore-based medical care for two weeks following the procedure.
The updated cosmetic policy applies to new Sailors, including prior-service veterans, officer candidates and midshipmen and was expanded to reflect the changing norms of society.
"Due to the increasing popularity of permanent makeup, the update may increase the size of the recruitable population," said Lt. Cmdr. Heather Kline of Navy's Personnel, Plans and Policy Division. "It could also help with retention by providing an option for female Sailors to always look professional and feel good about themselves while saving money on cosmetic purchases."

I bet Al Qaeda doesn't have a permanent cosmetics policy, so their retention will go down! Another win for the Home Team.

But now, what happens if society's norms continue to change, and male Sailors want to get some permanent eyeliner so they can feel good about themselves? I guess then it'll be time for another war-winning NAVADMIN!

Boats Dreams

2009-10-27T22:09:00.002-06:00

Last night I dreamt about being on the boat again; it seems to happen about once a month. In this one, I was XO on the Connecticut (and somewhat confused about why I was back in the Navy), and I had to go yell at a newly-qualifed Topside Watch who had just made a 1MC announcement that twice featured the word "fire" without referring to actual combustion or a launch order, and for some reason I didn't have any shoes on.

For those of you who are out, do you still dream about the boat? (I'll take it for granted that you active duty guys do.)

Submarine Non-Vols

2009-10-24T10:14:00.003-06:00

We always say that the Submarine Force is made up entirely of volunteers, but there are some people who really aren't. Every once in a while, the Naval Academy doesn't make quota, so they have to "force" some graduates into the Submarine Force. According to this Navy Times article, they're looking at getting an additional 33 "volunteers" out of this year's class. Excerpts:

In a message to the Brigade of Midshipmen on Tuesday, the academy’s director of professional development, Capt. Stephen Evans, wrote that the academy this year was required to send 125 officers into the nuclear submarine training pipeline, but that only 92 had been accepted by Naval Reactors. That meant 33 midshipmen would be asked to volunteer or told to become sub nukes.
“If you are subsequently identified for a submarine interview, understand that you were released from your preferred community after serious consideration,” Evans wrote. “Be professional and focus on the positive aspects of serving your country in the submarine force.”
Naval Academy spokesman Cmdr. Joe Carpenter said it wasn’t uncommon for academy officials to move midshipmen from preferred warfare areas to areas where they were needed, although he said there weren’t records showing when or for which disciplines. The academy’s mission to provide the officers the Navy requires means the school must sometimes supercede mids’ wishes, he said...
...In last year’s graduating class, 78 percent of midshipmen entered the warfare area they selected as their first choice, and 92 percent got their first or second choice, Carpenter said. The first midshipmen this year who will be urged to choose submarines are those who picked it as their second choice, he said. They are required to serve at least five years after commissioning.

I knew a couple of Academy guys who were ordered into the Sub Force against their wishes, and they ended up being good officers. Still, I think it's better when everyone who's on the boat knew they had volunteered at some point (even though there are plenty of Submariners who, if they had it to do over again, might have not volunteered in the first place). For those Academy guys who do get lassoed into the Sub Force, I say "Welcome", and if you have hard feelings about it, I can only pass on the words of one of my wise old LCCs at prototype when ship assignments came out and some people were complaining: "Tough shit, why do you think they call them 'orders'?"

WWII Subvet Tells His Story

2009-10-23T12:45:00.002-06:00

I really enjoyed reading this story about WWII Submarine Veteran Edgar Martin. Although he didn't make a war patrol, he did serve under legendary CO Slade Cutter on USS Requin (SS 481) after Cutter's history-making patrols as Captain of USS Seahorse (SS 304). My favorite part of Martin's story:

There were, Martin soon found out, other benefits to being part of a submarine crew: benefits such as 80 percent higher pay, access to the best food in the Navy and relaxed regulations.
But for someone who'd grown up accepting racial segregation as a part of life, perhaps one of the most unexpected benefits of serving as part of a Navy submarine crew was the absence of overt racism.
"You work in such close quarters on a submarine, it was difficult for anyone to focus on things like that," Martin said. "For the most part, everyone was friendly and there were no vestiges of segregation. Everyone worked together; everyone was glad to help you.

In my experience, this lack of overt racism aboard submarines has continued to the present day. As long as you can do your job and not cause problems, Submariners are very accepting. When it comes to dealing with those who can't hack it, however, we tend to be ruthless.

Intrusive Leadership

2009-10-21T09:07:00.002-06:00

USS Hartford (SSN 768) was in the news for something good today. They were commended by the Navy for going 1000 days without a DUI. Excerpts:

Prairie Grove, Ark. native Cmdr. Robert Dunn, Hartford's commanding officer, accepted the commendation on behalf of the Los Angeles class attack submarine.
"Although you're giving this to me as the commanding officer, the intrusive peer leadership of the hard-working Sailors makes this possible," said Dunn.
The crew also received a personal message from Submarine Force Commander Vice Adm. John J. Donnelly, calling Hartford "a prime example for the submarine force on how focused effort and deckplate leadership can curb reckless behavior and poor decision making."
"I recognize the fight to prevent DUIs is one of many tasks you undertake which requires constant, intrusive leadership. Hartford's accomplishments in this area are a testament to the crew's professionalism and dedication," wrote Donnelly.

What do you think of the value of "intrusive leadership"? Is it the right philosophy for the unique crew composition of submarines?

A Year In The Life

2009-10-21T09:04:00.002-06:00

It was a year ago today that I found out I had esophageal cancer. Now, thanks to all the support from my friends and health care providers, I'm pretty much back to normal (just a lot thinner). The cancer is gone, and I only have to go in for follow-up CT scans every six months. Thanks to everyone here who supported me during the past year!

Movie Review: "Where The Wild Things Are"

2009-10-17T09:01:00.004-06:00

I went with my wife, sister-in-law, and 4-year-old nephew to see the new movie "Where The Wild Things Are" yesterday morning. I'd read this beloved book (written the year I was born) to my kids frequently, and always put on a really good performance of my favorite lines:

They roared their terrible roars,
And gnashed their terrible teeth,
And rolled their terrible eyes,
And showed their terrible claws...

This movie didn't feature teeth gnashing or eye rolling, but it gave us something more -- a really good film that really young kids will like while their parents are getting an emotional roller coaster ride. The pre-schooler loved it, and both the ladies with me admitted to being in tears at points. (I just got something in my eyes.) Kids over 8 years old, however, might find it a little too intense.

The movie works on many levels. It explains why Max makes mischief of one kind and another (a broken home and unhappy childhood) and spells out -- without shoving it in your face -- how the Wild Things are manifestations of the people and feelings in his life. The CGI and voice acting were incredible; the Wild Things seemed as real as the boy. It was the adaptation of the story that will cause the most controversy; this movie really isn't aimed at kids, even though the advertising campaign seems to be. Will children from unhappy homes leave the theater in tears? Will they emulate Max in making mischief? They might, but they might have done that even without seeing the movie. For parents who are worried about how the film might affect their more sensitive kids, I'd suggest seeing it yourself first -- you'll have a first-rate theater-going experience even if you decide not to take your children. I give this movie four Wild Rumpuses out of five.

Diggit Tools

2009-10-14T22:47:00.004-06:00

As a shipyard Eng, I had this cartoon frame hanging on my office wall:

(This comes from the classic "Techno-Bill" series of Dilbert strips in the early '90s.) This visual representation described me pretty well -- I had a pager, cell phone, Leatherman, and flashlight always hanging from my belt, along with a TLD. Didn't have the glasses, though.

What stuff did you have hanging off your belt or packed away in your poopy suit when you were (or are) on the boat?

(Off topic, I got some E-mails that said NCDOC has placed Blogger.com on the listed of "denied sites", so people can't access blogs like this from Navy computers anymore. Is this worldwide, or just in certain regions?)

Meridian, Idaho Property Values Plummet!

2009-10-10T15:29:00.003-06:00

It's the time of year again where I lose whatever sense of dignity I might have and populate my lawn with tacky holiday decorations. During Christmas, I unfortunately can't compete with a few neighborhood houses when it comes to gaudily dressing up one's yard, but during Halloween I'm at the top of the heap. I improved upon last year's effort by adding a couple more inflatables, thusly:

As you can see, I've matched my achievement during the Christmas season of two years ago by "purr"-fecting the methodology to mount a roof inflatable -- still unmatched in the neighborhood. The black cat on the roof ended up exceeding my wildest expectations; it looks really, really good. I can't wait to see it at night, since its eyes light up.

I still have to string up some border lights, but other than that I'd say I'm ready for Halloween!

Everyone Loves The CFC

2009-10-09T13:43:00.002-06:00

Here's a video of President Obama urging all Federal employees to contribute to the Combined Federal Campaign:

It looks like this year's campaign is kicking off again for the Navy; I'm sure most commands have goals like "100% contact". Did you ever get stuck with the thankless job of being CFC Coordinator? Did you think it was punishment for something you'd done? I remember back in the days when you pretty much had to contribute (since goals were based on "percent of command contributing" vice "contacted"); did you ever donate to a completely off-the-wall organization as a kind of protest against the whole process?

I Like This Result Better

2009-10-08T23:13:00.002-06:00

Back in 1990, #3 Nebraska held a 12-0 lead over #9 Colorado going into the 4th quarter. CU scored 27 fourth quarter points for a 27-12 win.

Tonight, #24 Missouri held a 12-0 lead over #21 Nebraska going into the 4th quarter; the 'Huskers scored 27 unanswered fourth quarter points for a 27-12 win. I like being on the winning side of such games better.

(For those who wonder if 'Husker football is really important to Nebraskans, here's a clue -- I remembered this 1990 result without seeing any mention of it anywhere. It's ingrained into our DNA.)

Local Soccer Player In The News

2009-10-07T23:16:00.002-06:00

Here's a great article about a girl's soccer player at our local high school, Shalese Miller. Excellent reading, but they consistently mis-spelled the name of her coach (who's also the Latin teacher who took my boys on a school trip to Europe last year). For the record, it's Jason Lang.

Normally I don't post stuff like this, but in this case I'm a very proud uncle. Good luck to Shalese and her teammates in the upcoming State Tournament!

Neutrino Comms With Submarines?

2009-10-07T12:53:00.002-06:00

Here's an article about an idea that won't come to fruition for several hundred years: using neutrinos to communicate with submarines.

When you consider that any such communications would have to be encrypted (since they'd be sent worldwide), I really don't see any way this would be feasible with the low data rates they're talking about as anything but a bell-ringer, which we already have with ELF.