Submarine History

Ever wondered how the Navy white hat, also known as a dixie cup, came to be? Author Marke Hensgen told all in the November 1988 edition of All Hands magazine. The title of the article: “To Cap It All Off… [...]

Built at Portsmouth Naval Yard in Kittery, Maine, and commissioned on 30 July 1942, USS RUNNER (SS-275) remained on the eastern coast of the United States only long enough to conduct shakedown exercises before setting out for Pearl Harbor. [...]

Ever wondered how the Navy white hat, also known as a dixie cup, came to be? Author Marke Hensgen told all in the November 1988 edition of All Hands magazine. The title of the article: “To Cap It All Off… [...]

As far as we know, only one baby has ever been christened aboard Historic Ship NAUTILUS (SSN-571). Her story, “Nautilus Baby Returns to Submarine as a Bride,” written by Jennifer Grogran and published by the New London Day on 28 [...]

In March of 1917, the U.S. Navy authorized the construction of a new S-class submarine which was laid down two years later at the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation in Quincy, MA. She was commissioned as USS S-27 (SS-132) on 22 January [...]

On 27 July 1918, the United States commissioned USS O-9 (SS-70). Her crew stretched their new boat’s legs in the waters off the United States’ eastern coast, protecting the shores from marauding U-boats. On 2 November 1918 she left Newport, [...]

On 19 May 1959, the New London Day published an article entitled “Nautilus Flag Presented [to] New Junior Naval Cadets,” part of the text of which is transcribed below. It has been 55 years since the ensign was passed to [...]

Built by the Electric Boat Company of Groton, CT, USS BONEFISH (SS-223) was commissioned on 31 May 1943. Less than two months later she was on her way to her new homeport in Brisbane, Australia; her first war patrol began [...]

When one thinks about submarines, the image of a straw broom is not likely to be among the first images that crop up. But strangely, these cleaning implements have a long and storied relationship with sea-going vessels. In the mid [...]

On 28 May 1944, USS GOLET (SS-361) departed Midway to begin her second war patrol off the northeast coast of Honshu, Japan. Her first patrol had been frustrating due to what the commanding officer, James Clement, termed in his patrol [...]