Test (B0484802.DOCX;1) - USNI



Cold War Submariner: The Memoirs of Vice Admiral Frank D. McMullen, Jr., USN (Ret)Table of Contents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u PREFACE PAGEREF _Toc473297590 \h iINTRODUCTION PAGEREF _Toc473297591 \h vPART I 1946-1949 FIRST SHIP PAGEREF _Toc473297592 \h 1CHAPTER 1 Astoria (CL90) PAGEREF _Toc473297593 \h 2CHAPTER 2 Christmas in Guam PAGEREF _Toc473297594 \h 14CHAPTER 3 Home Again PAGEREF _Toc473297595 \h 21CHAPTER 4 Life in Beverly Hills PAGEREF _Toc473297596 \h 30CHAPTER 5 Officer of the Deck Underway PAGEREF _Toc473297597 \h 35CHAPTER 6 Alaska PAGEREF _Toc473297598 \h 42CHAPTER 7 The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight PAGEREF _Toc473297599 \h 46CHAPTER 8 China Station PAGEREF _Toc473297600 \h 50CHAPTER 9 Decision Time PAGEREF _Toc473297601 \h 58PART II 1949-1953 FIRST SUBMARINE PAGEREF _Toc473297602 \h 62CHAPTER 10 Submarine School PAGEREF _Toc473297603 \h 63CHAPTER 11 Diodon (SS349) PAGEREF _Toc473297604 \h 69CHAPTER 12 West Pac Deployment PAGEREF _Toc473297605 \h 81CHAPTER 13 Ruth Joins the Navy PAGEREF _Toc473297606 \h 86CHAPTER 14 Qualification in Submarines and Two “Navy Juniors” Arrive PAGEREF _Toc473297607 \h 89PART III 1953-1956 FIRST SHORE DUTY PAGEREF _Toc473297608 \h 97CHAPTER 15 The Cross Country Trek and Graduate School PAGEREF _Toc473297609 \h 98CHAPTER 16 BuPers PAGEREF _Toc473297610 \h 101PART IV 1956-1958 NEW CONSTRUCTION PAGEREF _Toc473297611 \h 108CHAPTER 17 Darter (SS576) PAGEREF _Toc473297612 \h 109CHAPTER 18 Qualified for Command PAGEREF _Toc473297613 \h 115CHAPTER 19 Scotland and the Royal Navy PAGEREF _Toc473297614 \h 119CHAPTER 20 Problems PAGEREF _Toc473297615 \h 123CHAPTER 21 Lightning Strikes PAGEREF _Toc473297616 \h 126PART V 1958-1959 FIRST COMMAND PAGEREF _Toc473297617 \h 133CHAPTER 22 Hardhead (SS365) PAGEREF _Toc473297618 \h 134CHAPTER 23 Four Great Memories PAGEREF _Toc473297619 \h 140PART VI 1959-1967 NUCLEAR POWERED SUBMARINES PAGEREF _Toc473297620 \h 149CHAPTER 24 “Charm School” PAGEREF _Toc473297621 \h 150CHAPTER 25 Abraham Lincoln (SSBN602) PAGEREF _Toc473297622 \h 161CHAPTER 26 Patrick Henry (SSBN599) PAGEREF _Toc473297623 \h 169CHAPTER 27 Typical Patrol PAGEREF _Toc473297624 \h 174CHAPTER 28 The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight Strikes Again PAGEREF _Toc473297625 \h 187CHAPTER 29 Dunderave PAGEREF _Toc473297626 \h 196CHAPTER 30 Loch Fyne Caper PAGEREF _Toc473297627 \h 198CHAPTER 31 James K. Polk (SSBN 645) PAGEREF _Toc473297628 \h 203CHAPTER 32 A Bad Start PAGEREF _Toc473297629 \h 208CHAPTER 33 “Rig for Rickover” PAGEREF _Toc473297630 \h 211CHAPTER 34 Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus PAGEREF _Toc473297631 \h 215CHAPTER 35 Rota, Spain PAGEREF _Toc473297632 \h 232CHAPTER 36 An Unfortunate Event and Carl Walske Intervenes PAGEREF _Toc473297633 \h 237PART VII 1967-1969 MILITARY ASSISTANT PAGEREF _Toc473297634 \h 244CHAPTER 37 A High Visibility Job PAGEREF _Toc473297635 \h 245CHAPTER 38 Travels With Carl PAGEREF _Toc473297636 \h 250CHAPTER 39 Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of Defense PAGEREF _Toc473297637 \h 257PART VIII 1969-1970 WAR COLLEGE PAGEREF _Toc473297638 \h 264CHAPTER 40 A Restful and Interesting Year PAGEREF _Toc473297639 \h 265CHAPTER 41 A Fabulous Trip PAGEREF _Toc473297640 \h 269PART IX 1970-1971 SQUADRON COMMAND PAGEREF _Toc473297641 \h 274CHAPTER 42 A Challenging Job PAGEREF _Toc473297642 \h 275CHAPTER 43 Problems Abound PAGEREF _Toc473297643 \h 278CHAPTER 44 Duncreggan Lodge PAGEREF _Toc473297644 \h 288CHAPTER 45 Life in Scotland PAGEREF _Toc473297645 \h 294CHAPTER 46 More on Squadron 14 and Farewell to Scotland PAGEREF _Toc473297646 \h 304PART X 1971-1972 FLOTILLA COMMAND PAGEREF _Toc473297647 \h 316CHAPTER 47 Yes “Inky,” I Was Still Standing PAGEREF _Toc473297648 \h 317CHAPTER 48 Another Challenging Job PAGEREF _Toc473297649 \h 321CHAPTER 49 “Gut Check” Time Again PAGEREF _Toc473297650 \h 325CHAPTER 50 National Attention PAGEREF _Toc473297651 \h 329CHAPTER 51 The Personal Side of Admiral Rickover PAGEREF _Toc473297652 \h 337CHAPTER 52 The “Fun” Part PAGEREF _Toc473297653 \h 342CHAPTER 53 Lightning Strikes PAGEREF _Toc473297654 \h 350PART XI 1972-1975 FORCE COMMAND PAGEREF _Toc473297655 \h 353CHAPTER 54 We Sail Into the Sunset PAGEREF _Toc473297656 \h 354CHAPTER 55 Commander Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet PAGEREF _Toc473297657 \h 358CHAPTER 56 A “Typical Day” PAGEREF _Toc473297658 \h 367CHAPTER 57 Problems with Rickover PAGEREF _Toc473297659 \h 371CHAPTER 58 The Submarine That Couldn’t Submerge PAGEREF _Toc473297660 \h 374CHAPTER 59 Metzger Causes Problems in San Diego PAGEREF _Toc473297661 \h 377CHAPTER 60 A Visit From “The Old Man” PAGEREF _Toc473297662 \h 381CHAPTER 61 A State of Mind PAGEREF _Toc473297663 \h 387CHAPTER 62 What’s Next? PAGEREF _Toc473297664 \h 393CHAPTER 63 Disappointment PAGEREF _Toc473297665 \h 397CHAPTER 64 The Tour Ends PAGEREF _Toc473297666 \h 401PART XII 1975-1976 NAVY YARD PAGEREF _Toc473297667 \h 405CHAPTER 65 Some Career Facts PAGEREF _Toc473297668 \h 406CHAPTER 66 OP-95 PAGEREF _Toc473297669 \h 410CHAPTER 67 Living in the Navy Yard PAGEREF _Toc473297670 \h 413CHAPTER 68 Escape PAGEREF _Toc473297671 \h 416PART XIII 1975-1976 VICE ADMIRAL PAGEREF _Toc473297672 \h 422CHAPTER 69 “SAC’s Admiral” PAGEREF _Toc473297673 \h 423CHAPTER 70 JSTPS PAGEREF _Toc473297674 \h 426CHAPTER 71 Traveling in Style PAGEREF _Toc473297675 \h 428CHAPTER 72 The People I Served With PAGEREF _Toc473297676 \h 433CHAPTER 73 My Classmate Visits PAGEREF _Toc473297677 \h 439CHAPTER 74 Living On “The Row” PAGEREF _Toc473297678 \h 441CHAPTER 75 SAC and Omaha PAGEREF _Toc473297679 \h 444PART XIV 1979 RETURN TO BARRACKS PAGEREF _Toc473297680 \h 445CHAPTER 76 The End in Sight PAGEREF _Toc473297681 \h 446APPENDIX: RETIREMENT MESSAGES PAGEREF _Toc473297682 \h 452Letter from Admiral Thomas Hayward, Chief of Naval Operations PAGEREF _Toc473297683 \h 452Letter from Admiral Harold Shear, Commander-in-Chief Allied Forces Southern Europe PAGEREF _Toc473297684 \h 452Telegram from General Alexander Haig, Supreme Allied Commander Europe PAGEREF _Toc473297685 \h 452INDEX PAGEREF _Toc473297686 \h 458? 2020PREFACEFrank D. McMullen, Jr. graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1946 and, during his 33 years in the U.S. Navy, served principally in diesel and nuclear powered submarines. As a junior officer, he was consistently ranked first among his peers in his submarine year group. He finished first in his class in Admiral Rickover’s nuclear power training program. He was the first of his Naval Academy classmates to command a Polaris missile submarine. While a junior Navy Captain, he served in a flag officer’s billet in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. He finished first in his National War College class. Almost without precedent, he was promoted directly from submarine squadron command to submarine flotilla command to submarine force command. And, as commander of the U.S. Submarine Force in the Pacific from 1972 to 1975, he served the longest command tour since Admiral Lockwood in World War II. This is his story.It is a story of the technological development of the submarine: its evolution from being an air breathing diesel-powered machine carrying only high explosive torpedoes to being a nuclear-powered ship having no need to surface and carrying nuclear missiles of almost unfathomable destructive power.It is a story of the men who served aboard the submarines: how they trained, how they operated on patrol and how they amused themselves.It is a story of reflection, about how he took on assignments, when asked, that he never desired and for which he would not have volunteered and which, because of his lack of experience, seemed to have a high probability of failure. But he always accepted. He considers that this may have been the key to much of his success.It is a story of an unusually close relationship with Admiral Hyman Rickover, with insights not only into how Admiral Rickover managed to transform the U.S. Navy, but Admiral Rickover’s personal side as well. It is a story about command: about how a submarine commander needs to balance taking undue risks against acting with excessive caution. The former can lead to serious consequences, including loss of the submarine. The latter means missed opportunities. In addition, when one is promoted ahead of one’s peers, there is a challenge to commanding officers who had once been more senior. It is a story of luck: in particular, the luck of serving with so many extraordinarily talented officers and sailors aboard so many ships of the U.S. Navy.It is a story of how the United States Submarine Force helped America prevail in “the long twilight struggle” of the Cold War.*****The United States Submarine Force is frequently referred to as the “Silent Service.” The name reflects not only the submariners’ obsession with operating as quietly as possible in order to avoid detection by an adversary, but also the tight lipped nature of submariners regarding the clandestine missions which they are often called upon to undertake.When I was growing up, my father was away at sea on a submarine the majority of the time. When he was home, he abided by the code of the Silent Service and rarely, if ever, spoke about his career. As a result, his career was always a subject of curiosity and fascination for me. After my father retired from the Navy and the Cold War ended, my brother, sister and I persuaded him to share his memories of what he referred to as “The Old Navy.” Thus, over a six month period in 1992, my father would mail me audio tapes weekly on which he had dictated what he had written and which my secretary would then transcribe. I would eagerly look forward to the receipt of these audio tapes each week, and I always told my secretary that their transcription was my first priority. My secretary would then transcribe each tape, with a dictionary and an atlas of the world at her side for reference (since personal computers were not widely available at that time).The memoirs are a gift, not only to Frank McMullen's family, but to anyone interested in the revolution wrought by Admiral Rickover in the U.S. Navy. As a flag officer who was a contemporary of my father’s and to whom I sent these memoirs following my father's death wrote me: “This is the finest exposition of what it meant to be a U.S. submariner during the Cold War and the Rickover revolution that I have ever read.” Charles H. McMullenJune 2020INTRODUCTIONThis is going to be a story of “The Old Navy,” my journey from Midshipman to Vice Admiral, from an oil fired light cruiser to nuclear powered missile submarines. “Why? First, for my children, who asked that I describe for their benefit the Navy I knew while they were growing up. Second, for a personal reason.In my den are two notebooks that contain the history of my service career in the form of fitness reports, reports which were submitted by my superiors every six months during my 33 year career. When I was selected for Rear Admiral, the senior member of the selection board, a four star Admiral, told me of his report to the Chief of Naval Operations regarding the selection board’s deliberations. He said that he had told the Chief of Naval Operations that my record was the best record that any member of the board had ever seen. And these were officers with long service, both Rear and Vice Admirals.You might think by this that nothing ever went wrong. Far from it. I made many mistakes! Like the off-target shore bombardment at San Clemente; or almost losing a submarine and the lives of everyone on board; or the infamous missile misfiring by Patrick Henry; or the fire on the Holy Loch submarine tender which became an issue in the British House of Commons.Why did I have such a good record, then? First, a lot of luck. But also the privilege of serving with some truly outstanding officers. I thought this might be an opportunity to pay them tribute--and thanks. Of course, without my wife, Ruth, I would have never gotten out of the starting gate.PART I 1946-1949FIRST SHIPCHAPTER 1Astoria (CL90)My first ship was the USS Astoria XE “Astoria, USS” . But the story really starts in February of 1946, when I and the other members of my Naval Academy class (the class of 1947, which actually graduated in June of 1946, because of a 3 year war accelerated program) gathered in Memorial Hall at the Naval Academy for a lottery. During this lottery, numbers were drawn, and by that number my classmates and I were assigned ships. Beforehand, we had put in a request for the kind of ship we would prefer, first, second, and third choices, as well as the ocean in which we would like to serve. I had listed as first choice, light cruisers; second choice, aircraft carriers; and third choice, destroyers. I had no particular grand design. I knew that I didn’t want to become lost on a big ship, like an aircraft carrier or battleship. On the other hand, I knew that I didn’t like “ocean motion.” Thus, the larger the ship, the more comfortable I was going to feel.My number was 201. It was good enough to get the ship type of my choice, a light cruiser, as well as my ocean of choice--the Pacific. It was later, in May of 1946, that my classmates and I received our first orders. I was ordered to a light cruiser operating out of Long Beach XE "Long Beach, California" , California, USS Astoria XE "Astoria, USS" . This was the second cruiser of that name in the U.S. Navy. The first cruiser named Astoria had been sunk at the Battle of Savo Island in August of 1942. Samuel Eliot Morison, the famous naval historian, said that this battle (in which four U.S. cruisers were sunk and numerous other ships were damaged) was probably the worst defeat ever inflicted on the United States Navy in a “fair fight.” It was not a reflection on Astoria, so much as a reflection on the lack of coordination and poor leadership of the operation, which involved the defense of the Guadalcanal landings.After graduation on the 5th of June 1946, I and the rest of my Naval Academy class spent a thirty day period in Jacksonville, Florida, during which we all underwent flight training indoctrination instruction. Then, after a short period of leave to visit my family in Kansas City, I left for the West Coast by car to report to Astoria XE “Astoria, USS” . I went with Earl Coen XE "Coen, Earl" , a good friend and a classmate, in an old car which he had purchased from his uncle (cars were hard to come by in those days). The only stipulation which came with the car was that when Earl drove it to the West Coast he had to take his grandmother with him. Unfortunately, the car had only a single bench seat.So this was a very long trip, made worse by the fact that Earl’s overweight grandmother preferred to ride by the window. We arrived in Los Angeles somewhat the worse for wear. Earl’s grandmother was deposited with some relatives, and Earl and I stayed in the Biltmore Hotel on Union Square for a couple of days, during which time Earl sold his old car.We then proceeded by train to San Francisco and reported to the Commandment of the 12th Naval District for further transportation to the port in which our ships were located. Astoria XE “Astoria, USS” , I found out, was anchored at Long Beach XE "Long Beach, California" , west of Los Angeles, from whence I had just come. So I went back by train to Long Beach XE "Long Beach, California" and reported on August 6th to Naval Station Long Beach XE "Long Beach, California" . Waiting there were three or four of my classmates who also had been assigned to Astoria. I joined them at the pier, and we waited with some degree of excitement and concern as to what the future had in store for us.When the motor launch arrived, we embarked with our gear and set course for Astoria XE “Astoria, USS” . We couldn’t see Astoria from the Naval Station, because larger ships were anchored just inside the breakwater entrance to Long Beach XE "Long Beach, California" HarborE "Long Beach Harbor" .. We finally saw the ship in the harbor haze. (You have to understand that my classmates and I were totally ignorant of the practical side of serving in a ship, so this was to be an entirely new adventure for which we had no particular experience upon which to draw.)What we did know was that the second Astoria XE “Astoria, USS” had been built in 1944 and was a light cruiser of approximately 10,000 tons. She had twelve six-inch guns, with an anti-aircraft battery of five-inch guns, 40mm guns and 20mm guns. She had a crew of about 400, with some 50-55 officers. Along with two other light cruisers, the Springfield XE "Springfield, USS" and the Pasadena XE "Pasadena, USS" , Astoria was a member of Cruiser Division 13 XE "Cruiser Division 13" . These three sister ships operated as an element of an organization known as Battleships-Cruisers Pacific XE "Battleships-Cruisers Pacific" .Astoria XE “Astoria, USS” looked impressive as we came in alongside the starboard gangway or brow. We knew, of course, that the starboard brow was the brow used by the officers--the port brow being for the crew. We also knew the proper procedure to be followed in reporting aboard. You saluted the colors and then the officer of the deck and requested permission to come on board. We did this, the five or six of us, one by one.After receiving permission from the officer of the deck to come on board, the first person I saw was a Lieutenant Commander by the name of T.O. Tabor XE "Tabor, T.O." , who hailed from the Deep South, walked with a duck waddle, and wore his hat on the back of his head. He said, “Come on over.” And then I noticed a number of other Lieutenant Commanders. I later learned that they were all department heads and that they were there because we represented fresh blood coming aboard. They wanted to size us up. All of them had needs and each wanted to be sure that he got his fair share.T. O. Tabor XE "Tabor, T.O." said, “You know, I want the biggest and the strongest. I’ll need him because I’m the ship’s janitor.”As I found out, T.O. Tabor XE "Tabor, T.O." was the Astoria XE “Astoria, USS” ’s First Lieutenant, which meant that he had command of the deck divisions, which took care of the running tackle, the anchor and the topside deck areas, as well as being the ship’s damage control officer. The other department heads just looked on, anxiously. No one made a move.The officer of the deck’s messenger finally took us in tow, and we went forward of the quarter deck into a small passageway where we were greeted by the Astoria XE “Astoria, USS” ’s Executive Officer, a Commander by the name of Jim Burroughs XE "Burroughs, James (Class of 1932)" from the Naval Academy class of 1932. Between 1932 and 1947, that was 15 years, and Commander Burroughs XE "Burroughs, James (Class of 1932)" was a very, very senior personage in our eyes. (He turned out later to be a very, very poor administrator.) But he gathered us in a group, got our names, and said, “Now what departments would you like to be in?”Most of my classmates really didn’t have a ready answer. Most said gunnery. I said engineering, as did my classmate, Bill Reeder XE "Reeder, William" . My thought was that I wasn’t sure at that point whether I wanted to make the Navy a career and, if I served in engineering, I would be better equipped when my time was up to do something in the “Civilian World.” Commander Burroughs XE "Burroughs, James (Class of 1932)" told the messenger to take us to the bunkroom.The messenger took us down the ladder on the starboard side through the wardroom and way up forward in the ship to a ten-man bunkroom, which meant ten bunks, two wash basins, two standing lockers and two desks. (The other rooms were all two-man rooms.) Apparently the bunkroom was a vestige of World War II when the ship had had more officers. This was to be our new home.It certainly wasn’t a very comfortable living arrangement. Sometime later we learned that this room was referred to, for obvious reasons, as the bullpen. Probably not more than ten minutes passed. I hadn’t had time to unpack, locate the head or find out where in the world I could put the uniforms and clothing that I had, when an announcement came over the public address system for Ensign McMullen to dial 201. This was a pronouncement with which I would become very familiar. Two zero one was the number of the quarterdeck phone and if someone (most likely a senior officer) wanted to find you, he would call the officer of the deck and ask that the word be passed for you to dial 201.I found a phone, dialed 201 and the quartermaster who answered the phone said that Lt. Carter XE "Carter, Louis" wished to see me. I hadn’t any idea who Lt. Carter XE "Carter, Louis" was. But I acknowledged the order, got my hat and left to find him. I stopped in the wardroom and asked an officer if he knew where I could find Lt. Carter XE "Carter, Louis" . He said, “Yes, just go aft on the starboard side to the first ladder and go down one level to the engineering log room.”I did this, walked in and was greeted by a friendly looking officer who turned out to be the Assistant Engineer. He said, “I’m Louie Carter XE "Carter, Louis" . Welcome. You’re going to be in the engineering department.” He added, “We’ll rotate you around a little. Why don’t you start off in the E division?” Well, I thought he was assigning me to be the division officer for the Electrical Division of the Engineering Department, but as I’ll later explain, he was really just sending me to E Division.Next he said, “Go over and find Warrant Officer Wright XE "Wright, Warrant Officer" .”I said, “Where is he?”He said, “He should be next door in the E division locker.”I went, as directed, and sitting at a desk was a “pin-stripe” warrant officer. He informed me that he was Mr. Wright XE "Wright, Warrant Officer" . He didn’t give me any counsel or advice, but just said, “Nice to have you,” and added, “Quarters will be at eight o’clock in the morning. I’ll see you then.”I was able, by the next morning, to find out where the E division quarters parade was located on the main deck and, thinking that I was the division officer, I took reports from the E division petty officers and then, accompanied by Warrant Officer Wright XE "Wright, Warrant Officer" (which puzzled me), went forward to the portside of the quarter deck to meet with the Chief Engineer whom I had not yet laid eyes on. He took reports from the engineering divisions and then proceeded to the starboard side of the quarterdeck where he, together with the other department heads, reported to the Executive Officer. (This was standard routine when the ship was in port.)I should say something about the Chief Engineer at this point. His name was Earl T. Stone XE "Stone, Earl T." . He was an ex-enlisted officer, as were all of the officers who were serving in the engineering department. They had enlisted before World War II and then had either been commissioned directly or had been promoted to warrant officer and subsequently commissioned. Stone XE "Stone, Earl T." had served on an aircraft carrier, receiving the Bronze Star, and was apparently very capable. But the thing I recall most about him is that he absolutely never left his room except to eat or to man his General Quarters station in the forward engine room.I suspect that the members of the engineering department would have had a hard time recognizing the Chief Engineer. He occupied his time with a vast library of paperback books arranged on a huge bookshelf in his room. Mr. Carter XE "Carter, Louis" , to whom I initially reported, was capable, and I guess kept his boss informed. But Stone XE "Stone, Earl T." simply never left his room. At that point, I thought maybe that is the way things were done. Obviously, I had much to learn.In this regard, it took me only a couple of days to learn that if I was actually the E division officer, I really didn’t know enough to handle the job. And the way Mr. Wright XE "Wright, Warrant Officer" was conducting himself, although never saying anything to me, led me to believe that maybe he was. No one ever said anything, but after two or three days it finally sunk in that I, in fact, must not be the real E division officer. So when Mr. Wright XE "Wright, Warrant Officer" would go forward to deliver the reports, I would simply stay back with the division. In this same vein, Wright XE "Wright, Warrant Officer" never really told me anything that he wanted me to do, but after a while I noted that training records were not his particular interest, and I asked him whether he would like for me to do the training records. He seemed pleased that I would do that. So we proceeded in this fashion.In time, I got to know the members of the division. A number of them were interested in mathematics, so I taught some mathematics courses. After about a week, Louie Carter XE "Carter, Louis" said, “Now, when we get underway, you are going to be standing watches with Westerman XE "Westerman, Edward \"Rocko\"" .” This was a turning point.Westerman XE "Westerman, Edward \"Rocko\"" was a former enlisted boiler technician, a somewhat rotund guy and rough in manner. He was not very well liked by his peers, the other engineering department division officers who were all warrant officers, because he was commissioned as a lieutenant, j.g. Likewise, he didn’t really fit into the wardroom because he was kind of a rough and ready guy. In short, polished he wasn’t. But I liked him immediately. He said, “Well, we’ll be standing watch together.” This turned out to be important because, as I had begun to learn, there was no such thing as a formal training program to learn the engineering plant. I would be on my own. Westerman XE "Westerman, Edward \"Rocko\"" would be there to answer questions, but it would be up to me.The goal was to qualify as an engineering officer of the watch. This was the officer who was responsible for controlling the engineering plant, two engine rooms with their steam turbines and two firerooms with two boilers each--all connected by a maze of pipes and pumps. You stood your watch in the forward engine room, where there were a myriad of gauges and throttles you could use, in theory, to monitor and control what was going on in the entire engineering plant. It seemed like a pretty big order to understand all of this well enough to be able to control it. But Westerman XE "Westerman, Edward \"Rocko\"" was very patient and I worked hard, tracing pipes, asking questions and sweating profusely in the heat produced by the boilers.We hadn’t been together very long when Westerman XE "Westerman, Edward \"Rocko\"" suggested, “You know, I don’t have anybody living in my room. Why don’t you come aft and live there?” I was anxious, as you might imagine, to get out of the bullpen by that time. So I said, “Hey, that would be great.” We got permission from the Executive Officer, and I moved in with Westerman XE "Westerman, Edward \"Rocko\"" , where I stayed for the balance of my time in Astoria XE “Astoria, USS” .After about six months standing watch with Rocko, which was Westerman XE "Westerman, Edward \"Rocko\"" ’s nickname, I had rotated through a number of other divisions in the engineering department, including the A division which handled the turbines and other machinery associated with the steam system. One day, Rocko said to me, “Well, I think you are about ready.” I swallowed hard because there had been no training program, and no one had examined me or anything like that. The next thing I knew, I received a copy of a letter in which I had been recommend by Lieutenant Commander Stone XE "Stone, Earl T." , the chief engineer who had never had any real conversation with me, to the Executive Officer as a qualified engineering officer of the watch. And the Executive Officer approved it.I hasten to add that, although I was now a qualified engineering officer of the watch, I never got to stand any watches. I think it had something to do with what happened just before the Executive Officer approved my qualification recommendation. Specifically, I was standing watch with Westerman XE "Westerman, Edward \"Rocko\"" one day, when he said, “Would you like to handle the light off? Call me if you need help.”The light off involved lighting the boilers and bringing the ship up to steam, which was a very ticklish operation because you had to know how to bring the boilers on line, what valves to turn at what time and at what steam pressures, and much more. Rocko left me to go up to the engineering log room, which was one deck above, and I proceeded with the light off.To make a long story short, I did not open the right valve at the right time or I shut the wrong valve at the wrong time. Anyway, I burned up a main feed pump.Even at the time, I thought it was interesting nobody admonished me for this. As a matter of fact, I learned later that Stone XE "Stone, Earl T." never reported it to the Commanding Officer. He had a very strange way of running a department. He is probably the sort of officer that Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" trained with, and thereby formed such firm views on how not to run something. Notwithstanding, my appointment went through, although I never stood a watch alone from that point on. I think I would have been, on balance, a menace as a watch officer, other than in routine steaming conditions. (Incidentally, after about six weeks of effort, the main feed pump was finally repaired, with no one, like the Commanding Officer, the wiser.)Scenes at the Naval AcademyThird Class YearFrank and his Roommate, Rupert Brooke XE "Brooke, Rupert" Sailing with Rupert Brooke XE "Brooke, Rupert" at the HelmRupert Brooke XE "Brooke, Rupert" and Frank in their Naval Academy room Graduation Day, June 5, 1946 (Frank and his Father)In Formation Outside Bancroft HallUSS Astoria (CL90)lefttop00Ed “Rocko” Westerman and his wifeCHAPTER 2Christmas in Guam XE "Guam" It was during my time in the engineering department that Astoria XE “Astoria, USS” made her first deployment: a six-month voyage to the delightful “garden spots” of Guam XE "Guam" and Saipan XE "Saipan" in company with her two sister ships of Cruiser Division 13 XE "Cruiser Division 13" . I recall putting in at Pearl Harbor XE "Pearl Harbor" , which was my first visit, and how different it looks now than it did then. In particular, I recall coming in from sea when the landmarks that you could see most prominently were the Aloha Tower and the Royal Hawaiian Hotel XE "Royal Hawaiian Hotel" . Now you have to look hard to even find where they are among the many high-rises which dot Waikiki Beach.We spent what seemed like an eternity moored in Apra Harbor XE "Apra Harbor, Guam" , Guam XE "Guam" . I mostly recall the heat, even though I like heat. You have to understand that Astoria XE “Astoria, USS” had no air conditioning and the sun focused great heat on the steel decks during the day. It was almost unbearable at night when we tried to sleep. There was no liberty, unless you call a periodic beer ball game at the end of the breakwater liberty. The assignment to be avoided if at all possible was shore patrol, because by the time 200 or so sailors had spent three or four hours in the hot sun and had consumed vast quantities of warm beer, which had a preservative in it so that it wouldn’t spoil, they were either belligerent or comatose. As a result, when they were ready to return to Astoria in the LCM boats [LCM stands for Landing Craft Mechanized], it was generally a very lively time. There were still Japanese on the island who had refused to surrender, and no facilities to speak of. There are some pictures in my photo album of that Christmas of 1946 which capture, I think, from the lack of smiles on our faces, how we felt about spending Christmas in Guam.One of my assignments during Astoria XE “Astoria, USS” ’s Guam XE "Guam" visit was for me to act as a recorder for a summary court martial. Under the system of military justice in place at that time--this was before the uniform code of military justice which we now have--the first rung on the disciplinary ladder was captain’s mast. The Commanding Officer in those days had a good deal of latitude in designating punishments, from simply giving a warning to sentencing an offender to a number of days in the brig. I think you could have up to three consecutive days in the brig on bread and water. The next step for a more serious offense was the summary court martial, which consisted of a board of three relatively senior officers served by a recorder who did the paperwork and, if the accused was to plead not guilty, acted as prosecutor. Specially trained legal people would then serve as the accused’s defense counsel.The specially trained legal people, if you can call them specially trained, were the two Marine officers who commanded the embarked Marines. We had a platoon of Marines on board who were commanded by a Marine captain and a Marine second lieutenant. To me, it seemed that the primary purpose of the Marines was to serve as the captain’s orderlies and manage the brig. For example, in port there was always an armed orderly stationed outside the Commanding Officer’s cabin or, if he moved anywhere about the ship, the Marine orderly went with him. In addition, there was always a Marine sergeant of the guard in port, who was under the responsibility of the officer of the deck. And, as I indicated, the Marines also ran the brig. And I mean they ran it. One of their favorite ways of getting the “attention” of a prisoner was to put a bucket over his head and beat on it with their clubs, for example.When the Commanding Officer felt that the offense was more serious than he could deal with at a captain’s mast, he sent it to summary court martial. He anticipated that the summary court martial, I think, would do justice to the “guilty party,” so it was a position of some visibility if you mishandled it. It was complicated, too, by the fact that if you had a not guilty plea and had to act as prosecutor, you were probably going to be faced with the counsel for the accused being one of the ship’s Marine officers who had been trained to act as such.I discovered early on that the captain of the embarked Marine detachment was most amenable to deal with. When I would have someone who seemed not to know whether he wanted to plead guilty or to plead not guilty, I would send the accused to talk to him. As the ship’s “legal expert,” my Marine friend would explain to the accused what the punishments for his offense might be, and suggest (ever so tactfully) why it might be better to plead guilty rather than undergo a trial--with the potential of getting a more severe punishment.I was successful in every case. When I had someone who seemed to be on the border line of pleading not guilty, I would send him to the captain of the Marines, Captain Parker XE "Parker, Captain (USMC)" , and he would come back and agree to plead guilty. So I had an unblemished record. This not only kept me out of trouble with the Commanding Officer--he thought I was great--but I was popular with the Marine officer whose workload was lightened as a result. And, in the larger picture of things, I suspect that justice was done as well.It was during the Guam XE "Guam" deployment that one of my most admired commanding officers reported aboard, a Captain by the name of Harry Bean Jarrett XE "Jarrett, Harry Bean" . In World War II, he had been a distinguished destroyer commander, having been awarded both the Navy Cross and the Silver Star. (He received the Navy Cross for taking his destroyer alongside the bombed and burning American carrier, Lexington, and rescuing many of Lexington’s crewmen before she sank in the Battle of the Coral Sea in 1942. He received the Silver Star for using his destroyer to defend his task group against Japanese air attack and facilitating the American landings in the Philippines XE "Philippines" in 1944.) Captain Jarrett XE "Jarrett, Harry Bean" was rotund and rather merry, but also a very fine leader and ship handler. In short, he was a superb Commanding Officer. His name had been familiar to me because he had been in the Naval Academy’s Executive Department shortly before I had arrived, and many tales about “Uncle Beanie XE "Jarrett, Harry Bean" ,” as he was known, persisted during my time there.One story, in particular, involved the Naval Academy laundry. It was situated on the other side of the old boat basin and during the war was staffed by a number of local women, who on occasion would send notes back with the midshipmen’s laundry. (No, I never got one.) The story involving Uncle Beanie XE "Jarrett, Harry Bean" may well be apocryphal, but it is the sort of thing he would do. One day, Uncle Beanie XE "Jarrett, Harry Bean" , when he was officer of the watch, was walking around wearing his sword accompanied by a midshipman messenger looking for infractions. (As a part of the Executive Department his job when he had the duty was to be always roving, on the lookout for transgressions against the great big thick book of Naval Academy Regulations.) In any event, he came upon a first class midshipman in Memorial Park enjoying the charms of a laundry lady--in a carnal way. This would have been a capital offense for most members of the Executive Department, but Uncle Beanie XE "Jarrett, Harry Bean" , so the story goes, found an alternative provision in the regulations book. Rather than charging the midshipman with something carnal, he charged him with the much lesser offense of “Article, Unauthorized, In Laundry Bag.”Beanie XE "Jarrett, Harry Bean" had a very fine sense of humor, if not justice, the midshipmen thought.While we were in Guam XE "Guam" , we also operated at sea. Formation steaming and maneuvers generally were conducted three days a week. But from my vantage point in the engineering room control station, it really had a pervasive sense of sameness. We visited Kwajalein XE "Kwajalein" , but I didn’t go ashore and the anchorage was so large and the island was so low, it was almost like anchoring at sea. We also stopped in Saipan XE "Saipan" several times. Again, even more than Guam, there was general devastation in the beach area and some Japanese holdouts in the hills. Unlike Guam, though, the anchorage in Saipan was unprotected by a breakwater, and frequently the ship would start to roll excessively, sometimes 10 to 15 degrees, forcing us to get underway.This first deployment finally came to an end in February 1947, and we set sail for Long Beach XE "Long Beach, California" , stopping again at Pearl Harbor XE "Pearl Harbor" , where the biggest attraction was fresh produce and milk. Indeed, I recall that ashore on my first liberty, I went directly with my classmate and close friend, Hugh Minor XE "Minor, Hugh" , to the officers’ club at Pearl Harbor, where we enjoyed three large milk shakes each.Captain Harry Bean JarrettAstoria’s Wardroom Decorated for Christmas 1946Christmas 1946 in Guam (Ensigns McMullen, Reeder, Beard and Hart)Liberty in Waikiki (Ensigns Minor, Reeder and McMullen) CHAPTER 3Home AgainArrival back in Long Beach XE "Long Beach, California" marked the end of my engineering department assignment, and I rotated “topside” to the repair division. This division was under the cognizance of the First Lieutenant, who was responsible for the deck divisions, as well as the ship’s damage control parties. At this point I embarked upon the path leading to qualification as an officer of the deck in port and as an officer of the deck underway.I should say here that it wasn’t generally perceived to be a career advantage to have served with the “black gang,” as the engineers were traditionally called in the Navy. Indeed, I was somewhat of an oddity in Astoria XE “Astoria, USS” : a Naval Academy graduate who had qualified as an engineering officer of the watch--although, as I have indicated, a marginal one at best. As I mentioned, the ship’s engineering department was staffed in those days by ex-enlisted personnel, whose prior engineering experience made them real experts. I don’t recall the Captain or Exec ever being in the engineering spaces as a matter of fact, although perhaps they were there occasionally during a Captain’s inspection. Certainly, they didn’t know much or, as a matter of fact, care a great deal about the engineering plant. The engineers were only required to answer all bells correctly and expeditiously, and not make black smoke. Instead, the Captain and the Exec’s interest and expertise--and thus the path to command--was in gunnery, navigation and ship handling. So I think I was viewed as someone who had achieved something rather unusual. I guess, too, that the engineers didn’t know quite what to make of this Naval Academy Ensign whom they suddenly discovered in their midst. So they afforded me more than I deserved in patience, forbearance and goodwill. I admired them greatly.It was about this time that an officer who was to have a great influence on my career reported to Astoria XE “Astoria, USS” as the new Exec, Commander John S. Lewis XE "Lewis, Jack" , Naval Academy class of 1932. He’d had a destroyer command in World War II, but his real forte was his extraordinary skill as an administrator. Prepossessing in appearance, a superb writer, an instinctive leader and, I might add, as I look back in the fullness of time, a very fine politician. He kept up a flowing stream of correspondence with admirals with whom he had served. In this regard, he was particularly close to a famous World War II Admiral, Richmond Kelly XE "Kelly, Richmond" Turner, who was termed “Terrible Turner” for his liking of drink and for his rather awesome temper. But he was one of the finest tacticians America had in World War II, really our amphibious expert, and Jack Lewis XE "Lewis, Jack" had spent a good deal of time working on Admiral Turner’s staff. Lewis XE "Lewis, Jack" was a bachelor, but he was very circumspect. Not like the bachelor classmate of his whom he described as an officer who, “if they had strung women’s garters on banjoes, would have been the best damn banjo player in the fleet.”I first came to Lewis XE "Lewis, Jack" ’ attention when he remarked one day, as he saw me on the quarterdeck (and he really didn’t know who I was), that a retired three-star admiral who lived in Long Beach XE "Long Beach, California" had mentioned me to him. Being the astute politician that he was, this got Lewis XE "Lewis, Jack" ’ attention because here was one of his ensigns who was known to a senior admiral, but was unknown to him. The circumstances of this accomplishment of mine were indeed trivial, but derived either through volunteering, or being volunteered, to be an escort for the daughter of the old “sundowner,” who was the Commanding Officer of the Naval Station in Long Beach XE "Long Beach, California" . (The term “sundowner” was used to describe a Captain so strict that he would terminate liberty at sundown.)The Commanding Officer of the Naval Station was a Rear Admiral who had been widowed and was the father of an only daughter. As I recall, he was going to use the occasion of some Navy function to have an expense-free coming-out party for his daughter. Tom Brittain XE "Brittain, Thomas" , a classmate from another cruiser was going to escort another lady, and it so happened this other lady was staying with the retired three-star Admiral. Tom and I stopped by to pick her up, and in so doing we met the Admiral. And in this way I came to Lewis XE "Lewis, Jack" ’ attention. It was a long evening but, I suppose, a rather valuable one, from a professional perspective.While I am mentioning people I admire and respect greatly, let me digress from the Astoria XE “Astoria, USS” story for just a moment and acknowledge my Naval Academy roommate for my entire time there, Rupert Brooke XE "Brooke, Rupert" . This is a good time to do this because it was shortly after returning from the Guam XE "Guam" deployment that I received a telegram from him. He was serving at that time in the aircraft carrier Boxer XE "Boxer, USS" before he went to flight training. The telegram said he needed me as best man at his wedding. So I got leave, flew to Kansas City, and then drove to Tulsa where he and Betty Lou XE "Brooke, Betty Lou" , whom he had known since high school, were married. Parenthetically, he was later my best man when Ruth and I were married in Grace Cathedral in San Francisco. (This was particularly appropriate because both then and now I know of no naval officer whom I admire and respect more than Rupert--even after the passage of all these years.)Back to Astoria XE “Astoria, USS” . Leaving the engineering department and reporting to a “deck” department marked the beginning of direct competition with my Naval Academy classmates. And I was somewhat concerned about their head start. Several had already qualified as officers of the deck in port. Several were well along towards their qualification for the ultimate position which an officer of our rank could achieve: officer of the deck underway.The officer of the deck of a ship in the U.S. Navy has wide authority and concomitant responsibilities. These are firmly founded and spelled out in Navy Regulations. Generally speaking, they involve responsibility, under the Commanding Officer, for the security, appearance and safe operation of the ship.The officer of the deck in port stood watch on the quarter deck and was responsible for many things, like carrying out the ship’s routine, maintaining the ship’s appearance, ensuring security and personnel safety, and causing the timely dispatch and smart appearance of the ship’s boats (which frequently broke down or ran into fog). He was also responsible for being alert to officers from other ships approaching by small boat, ascertaining their rank through the boat flags, rendering the correct side honors (which meant sideboys of the appropriate number corresponding to the rank of the visitor and having the bosun’s mate at hand to pipe him alongside and over the side), having the bugler ready to render honors to passing ships, keeping the ship’s log (precise and free from erasures), responding to emergencies such as fire or collision, ensuring the alertness of the watch, directing the activities of the several messengers, the junior officer of the deck and the quartermaster of the watch. It was a high visibility job with many opportunities for missteps. Watches were four hours in length, conducted in dress uniform and with spyglass. During the busy watches, the 0800-1200 watch in the morning and the 1200-1600 watch in the afternoon, something was going on at all times as compared with the mid-watch, i.e., the midnight to 0400 watch, when it was a challenge sometimes to stay alert. (You could never sit or lean against anything, of course.)In qualifying as an officer of the deck in port, I profited from my classmates’ experiences and misadventures. For instance, one of my classmates was standing watch as officer of the deck in port, newly qualified, when he failed to respond to the dipping of the colors of a merchantman as the merchantman passed close aboard standing in to Long Beach XE "Long Beach, California" harbor. (When a merchantman passes a warship, she lowers her colors to half-staff. The warship responds in kind and then returns her colors to the top of the staff. The merchantman then returns her colors to the top of the staff.) My classmate missed it, but the Captain didn’t.The Captain immediately appeared on the quarterdeck and called for the senior watch officer, who appeared on deck on the double to respond to the Captain’s disquietude. The senior watch officer relieved the officer of the deck forthwith, called away a ship’s boat, embarked the offending officer of the deck (my classmate) and sent him to the merchantman to extend the Captain’s apologies. My classmate said the captain of the merchantman was a little bit surprised by the visit. But it made an indelible impression on my classmate, as it did, indeed, on me.Another chance for fame (or infamy) was to have authorized a sideboy or the bosun’s mate to go to the head, and to be surprised by the approach of an unexpected boat bearing a senior officer and thereby being short a sideboy or being short a bosun’s mate with a pipe to perform the appropriate honors. I luckily avoided this. But I did have Jack Lewis XE "Lewis, Jack" come aboard once at two o’clock in the morning when we were moored at Broadway pier in San Diego XE "San Diego" without seeing him or having any member of my deck watch see him. I felt badly when the quarterdeck phone rang and the messenger said it was for me. It was Jack who said, “I’m aboard.” That is all he had to say, needless to say.I didn’t find qualifying as officer of the deck in port too difficult because by now I had the advantage of familiarity with the ship and with the shipboard routine. I qualified, as a matter of fact, rather quickly. It didn’t hurt, human nature being what it is, that the other officers were always glad to have yet another body on the watch bill.On a very lovely Sunday in Long Beach Harbor XE "Long Beach, California" , when we were moored by the breakwater, I became one of the few people to witness the only flight of Howard Hughes’ all wooden air transport plane, the Spruce Goose XE "Spruce Goose" . Actually, I was quite accustomed to seeing the Spruce Goose taxi around the harbor and really didn’t pay much attention to it. When I saw her out there that Sunday, I thought she was taxiing again until the quartermaster said, “Hey, would you look there, Mr. McMullen.”I looked and there was the Spruce Goose XE "Spruce Goose" going down our starboard side some distance away, but she was so large she seemed rather close. She was about 50 feet in the air. She came down and landed on the water (since she was a float plane). We thought at the time that perhaps it was going so well they just decided to take off, but I think history shows that it was a planned first flight: planned to take place on a Sunday, out of the notice of the press or onlookers. (She never flew again and is today a tourist attraction.)In June of 1947, I completed my assignment as an assistant officer in the repair division and reported for the first time as a division officer. In my case, the division was the 1st division, which was responsible for the No. 1 5” battery and the adjacent deck and bulkhead areas. The division was comprised of about 30 individuals, all white. There were blacks serving in Astoria XE “Astoria, USS” , probably about 4, but they lived segregated in one compartment and their sole duties were to serve the wardroom mess. In my division of 30 seamen, about half were high school graduates. All were volunteers, although some were there having been volunteered through the judicial system. Judges in California at that time, for instance, would sometimes give recalcitrant youth the option of joining the Navy instead of serving jail time.If you wanted to perform well as a division officer, you had to be lucky enough to have a good leading petty officer. I was blessed with such an individual, a first class bosun’s mate by the name of John Case XE "Case, John" , who was very, very effective. He was prepossessing in appearance, demanded discipline and was skilled in seamanship. He was just first rate. For instance, a newly reported sailor was continually slovenly. One morning at quarters, however, he appeared noticeably cut and bruised, but sharp in appearance. Case XE "Case, John" explained that he must have encountered a slight accident, like falling down a ladder. He was not a problem thereafter.Problems generally were caused by too much liquor on the beach, leading to fights and delayed returns to the ship. But sometimes there were unusual problems. One I had was a request chit that came to me endorsed by the leading petty officer, recommending approval of emergency leave for a sailor who had said that he needed to go home urgently. The sailor said, and his English was very broken, that his brother was having trouble fathering a child and that this was the time for his brother’s wife, and that he wanted to go home and lend a hand--or words to that effect. I approved the chit. I didn’t ask how things turned out.An old sundowner Rear Admiral throws a coming out party for his daughter at Navy expense, June 1947 (Frank on left and Tom Brittain in the middle)CHAPTER 4Life in Beverly HillsIn early August 1947, there came the first break for me from shipboard routine. Along with my classmate, Bill Reeder XE "Reeder, William" , I was assigned to attend the light and heavy cruiser main battery gunnery school at the destroyer base in San Diego XE "San Diego" for eight weeks. There we went to class and had shipboard training on a heavy cruiser in order to qualify on all the various positions associated with the Astoria XE “Astoria, USS” ’s main 6” battery--turret officer, director officer and plotting room officer (the plotting room was where the fire control solution and actual firing was controlled). Bill not only was a brilliant officer, but had been assigned to the main battery fire control division since reporting on board Astoria. I felt that I probably would finish considerably behind him, but I managed to finish first in the course. Obviously, it wasn’t too difficult and, more importantly, there was plenty of time for San Diego liberty as well, which both Bill and I enjoyed.The thing I most enjoyed about this period, though, was the opportunity to spend weekends with Bill at his home in Beverly Hills. His family were longtime residents who lived in an old house right off Sunset Drive. Their next door neighbor was the gentleman who played Andy on the famous Amos and Andy radio show. They had a live-in Chinese servant/cook and belonged to the Los Angeles Country Club. It was an interesting and totally different situation for someone from Kansas City, Missouri. My first encounter with a finger bowl, for example, took place at a dinner at Bill’s uncle, who lived down the street. I thought it was a strange time to be serving soup and probably would have dipped in had there been a soup spoon handy.I guess it is apparent that Bill XE "Reeder, William" in my eyes was sort of a “Jack Armstrong,” first in his class at Beverly Hills High School, straight A’s for one year at Stanford and one of the top 10 students at the Naval Academy. But perhaps most importantly, he was interested in a young movie starlet by the name of Kay Christopher XE "Christopher, Kay" . Through Bill, I met an actress whom I dated, Jacqueline White XE "White, Jacqueline" , whose cousin happened to be the wartime Secretary of the Navy, Frank Knox XE "Knox, Frank" . We four saw a bit of the nightlife in Los Angeles, generally in one of Bill’s father’s old cars. (He had a 1932 Packard, which had been configured for a chauffeur. Bill would drive in his uniform while the passengers settled in the rear.)On one occasion, Bill and I had dinner with his family in order to celebrate the birthday of Bill’s father. Following dinner, Bill and our dates got into the chauffeur-configured Packard and drove to the Huntington Hotel (it was the hotel where the Rose Bowl football players used to stay each year). There, we were having a drink on the patio when I got terribly ill. This was the first time I discovered that avocadoes did not agree with me.After a while, I was in such bad shape that I just went into the bushes to try to get out of sight. I was there for a bit when a huge gentleman came over and said, “What are you doing in there?”It was obvious to him after a minute what I was doing there, and I found out later that he was a security guard. There was a large party, and he was there specifically, as he said, to watch the jewels.Following that evening, I had lunch with Bill’s parents the next day, Sunday, at the Los Angeles Country Club. I must have looked horrible! Bill’s parents were very strict Christian Scientists, and I am sure my appearance must have confirmed that I was indeed leading their son astray. (Even though I, too, had become a frequent attendee at the Christian Science Church at that time because Jacqueline White XE "White, Jacqueline" was a good Christian Scientist.)A Rakish Young Naval Officer has a Studio Photo Taken to Impress a Movie Star Jacqueline White (Frank was invited to her wedding, but did not attend)CHAPTER 5Officer of the Deck UnderwayIn late August 1947, gunnery school came to an end, and Bill Reeder XE "Reeder, William" and I reported back to Astoria XE “Astoria, USS” , which was again in San Diego XE "San Diego" moored to Broadway Pier. I came with my diploma and a letter reporting my fine performance (in school, that is). This caught Jack Lewis XE "Lewis, Jack" ’ attention again, and now being out of the engineering department and acting as a division officer, I was in a position where I regularly came to his attention.I was now the 5th division officer, another 5” battery assignment, which included a ship’s boat for which the division was responsible (boats were always a problem in appearance and smartness and their crews were always doing something inappropriate). In addition, our cleaning station was the starboard side of the quarterdeck, which is a very high visibility area--visibility bespeaking of the Captain and the Exec, who were frequently in that area. I had another fine petty officer, so the division did well and Jack Lewis XE "Lewis, Jack" started giving me some collateral assignments to see, I guess, how much substance there was to me.The next six months Astoria XE “Astoria, USS” operated out of Long Beach XE "Long Beach, California" and San Diego XE "San Diego" almost continuously. I was serving as a junior officer of the deck underway, and I learned much about formation steaming and ship handling. Formation steaming was particularly tricky at times. Each ship was assigned a position in the formation, which was defined as a range and bearing from the guide (which was normally an aircraft carrier), and you were expected to remain within 100 yards or so in range and a degree or so in bearing. Failure to do this could bring a message from the flag officer or the officer in tactical command which would simply say, “Interrogative Position.” Of course, all messages which came in had to go to the Captain (and this was not a very pleasing report to have to give to him). But you could occupy your position and remain there with careful attention to small adjustments in course and small adjustments in speed. The challenge was when the formation course would change or the formation itself would change into another formation. Then, you needed to calculate with the maneuvering board the course and speed to get to your new station and do this without interfering with other ships, which were also trying to get their newly assigned stations. And frequently, you were operating with darkened ships, so it was very difficult to see what other ships were doing. During the day, the signals to change formation were received by flag hoist. The officer in tactical command, again generally on the carrier, would display signal flags from his signal bridge. For example, the copen blue flag followed by three numbers, say 090, would indicate that the formation would change course to the right to a new true course 090. When the signalman would see the signal, and the signal bridge was right aft the bridge where the officer of the deck stood his watch, he would bend it on to his signal halyard and hoist it halfway. He would then report on the MC system [the Main Circuit shipboard public address system] that such and such a signal was in the air and the officer of the deck, or generally in this case the junior officer of the deck, would refer to the General Signal Book to see what this signal meant. He would report this to the officer of the deck. The officer of the deck would tell the signalman, “Understood.” The signalman would then hoist the signal flags all the way up or, in those days, “two block.” (Now it is called “close-up.”) When all the ships of the formation had their signal flags “two blocked,” the officer in tactical command would haul down his flags when he wanted to execute the signal. Each ship would then haul down their flags, and that would be the signal to execute. At that point, you would put the helm over at the appropriate time to come to the new course or, had some other signal been in the air for a formation change, you would then start adjusting course and speed to arrive at your new position. In the evening, a short range radio called the TBS was used, with the signal procedure being generally the same.The Commanding Officer of a cruiser or a destroyer was judged by his superiors by means of rather infrequent inspections, by how well the ship appeared both in port and underway and, importantly, on how well it was handled during maneuvers. Underway, the Commanding Officer remained in his sea cabin, which was just aft the bridge, and thus was always directly at hand for maneuvers or when in close proximity to other shipping. Being the officer of the deck was a good opportunity to get to know the Commanding Officer.Both Frank Walker XE "Walker, Frank" , my first Commanding Officer, and Beanie Jarrett XE "Jarrett, Harry Bean" , the second, were fine ship handlers, as you might expect from their destroyer backgrounds. I think they also expected that Astoria XE “Astoria, USS” should be handled as you would handle a destroyer. But Astoria was much larger. It was not nearly as responsive to the helm or to changes of speed as was a destroyer, so sometimes this was sort of scary, particularly when the ship would be assigned to plane guard duty (i.e., the ship assigned to rescue the crew of any plane that ditched or crashed in the water during aircraft carrier operations). This duty put the Astoria 500 yards astern of the carrier, slightly on her port quarter, operating at high speeds during launch and recovery operations. Walker and Jarrett XE "Jarrett, Harry Bean" were real masters at this, as they were at handling the ship alongside the dock or coming close aboard an oiler during underway replenishment. I learned a lot from them.Early 1948 was an eventful time for me in Astoria XE “Astoria, USS” . Bill Reeder XE "Reeder, William" was detached in February to report to a PC (a very small wooden Patrol Craft) operating out of Pearl Harbor XE "Pearl Harbor" . On his departure, I became the main battery plotting room officer. This was the most responsible and, I think, interesting job in the main battery. It was a trend for classmates at this point in our careers to be assigned to PCs. As a matter of fact, I too, in March, received orders to PC 1170 but, much to my relief, Jack Lewis XE "Lewis, Jack" , the consummate navy politician that he was, caused this--through his various contacts--to be cancelled. He argued that I was the only officer on board qualified to relieve Bill Reeder XE "Reeder, William" in Main Battery Plot. I appreciated this. I wasn’t at all sure whether I could withstand the ocean motion of a PC, and I was beginning to like the Navy with the example of people like Beanie Jarrett XE "Jarrett, Harry Bean" and Jack Lewis XE "Lewis, Jack" and the responsibilities that were now coming my way.But the most significant date for me at this time was March 10, 1948, when I became one of the three qualified officers of the deck underway. That the other two were senior lieutenants, I still being a junior ensign, and that I was the first of my classmates to so do, was very pleasing. Was I competent enough? Probably not, but I had done well on several closely supervised formation maneuvering exercises and was a qualified engineering officer of the watch which, in their ignorance of the engineering department (and mercifully of my marginal performance therein), the Captain and the navigator, who was also a player in this, thought was pretty impressive. Of course, I also had the support and approbation of Jack Lewis XE "Lewis, Jack" .Shortly before I qualified, Beanie Jarrett XE "Jarrett, Harry Bean" was relieved by Captain William Hoffheins XE "Hoffheins, William" . Willie was a diminutive and unobtrusive submariner, a nice guy but overshadowed in every way by Jack Lewis XE "Lewis, Jack" , who at this point was really running the ship. One of Willie’s first impressions of me, and recall that he was not destroyer trained or experienced in close formation maneuvering, involved an exercise with a number of destroyers, cruisers and three aircraft carriers off the coast of southern California. It was a dark and windy night, and we were steaming at darkened ship and were occupying one of the various screening stations, which were designated to surround and protect the carriers. The formation I still recall was called “Four Roger.”During the night, at about two o’clock, we received a signal to “rotate the screen” and at the same time change the formation course. Captain Hoffheins XE "Hoffheins, William" and I were standing outside the pilothouse just forward of the open bridge trying to see the other ships, as well as hold on in a rough sea and high wind. The junior officer of the deck, who was Jim Burroughs XE "Burroughs, Jim (Class of 1946)" out of the class of ‘46, was inside handling the radiotelephone and was plotting the course and speed to get to our new station in the screen. This he did, and passed it to me and to the captain where we were still standing outside on the open bridge in an attempt to penetrate the windblown spray and avoid potential collision.When the signal to execute was received by radio, I turned the ship smartly to the recommended course and sped to get to our new station. But pretty soon Captain Hoffheins XE "Hoffheins, William" and I saw a carrier looming up on our starboard beam, heading right at us with a zero angle on the bow. It looked to me like we could clear well ahead and, indeed, this is the way Frank Walker XE "Walker, Frank" and Beanie Jarrett XE "Jarrett, Harry Bean" always did it.Just as we sighted the carrier, a message boomed over the bridge radio speaker. It started with the voice call of the carrier (I think it was the Princeton XE "Princeton, USS" , I don’t recall her call sign). In any event, it was the carrier with the flag officer embarked. The message was, “My engines are backing full to avoid the small boy [this was the term used for screening ships] that is passing ahead of me.”I guess it was close, although to Willie Hoffheins XE "Hoffheins, William" ’ credit when I said to him, “I thought we had plenty of room, Captain,” he said, “I did, too.” I think someone else noted it as well, because as a flag officer years later, one of my classmates, Jeff Metzel XE "Metzel, Jeffrey" , said to me that he was the officer of the deck on the carrier that night and he said it really scared him, and he said the flag officer embarked uttered an oath.Willie didn’t make flag officer, but I don’t think it was for that one instance. I enjoyed him very much. He was a very fine gentleman. He worked very well with Jack Lewis XE "Lewis, Jack" because he let Jack Lewis XE "Lewis, Jack" run things, and Astoria XE “Astoria, USS” was indeed, and continued to be, a very happy mander Jack LewisCaptain Willie HoffheinsCHAPTER 6AlaskaIn May of 1948, Astoria XE “Astoria, USS” proceeded from Long Beach XE "Long Beach, California" , California to Seattle, Washington to embark a group of reserve officers for training and, when embarked, to make a port visit to Juneau XE "Juneau, Alaska" , Alaska. Several weeks before this was scheduled to occur, the word was passed one morning over the ship’s address system for Ensign McMullen to dial 201, which, as mentioned previously, was the number of the quarter deck. When I did, I was told that the Executive Officer wanted to see me. I reported to his cabin and Jack said, “I want you to go ahead to Seattle to get this reserve cruise organized.”I replied, “Yes, sir,” but I hadn’t the slightest idea of how to do this.I guess I am recounting this incident because, as I look back across my years in the Navy, it is illustrative of many of my experiences where I was given an assignment which I really didn’t seek and for which I would not have volunteered and which, because of my lack of experience, seemed to have a high probability of failure. But I always accepted. This may have been the key to a lot of my accomplishments.But to return to the story, I flew to Seattle from Long Beach XE "Long Beach, California" by Navy air and reported to the Commandant of the 13th Naval District, a very senior Rear Admiral by the name of Fort. I think he was somewhat bemused that Astoria XE “Astoria, USS” would have sent only an Ensign to coordinate a project that was near and dear to his heart, but over the course of the week, working with the reserve training center section of his staff, I put together a pretty good plan. I also just happened to meet the Admiral’s daughter, a nice but singularly unattractive young lady, both in appearance and in personality, who had just graduated from Vassar. Her lack of pulchritude, however, was nicely balanced by the fact that the Admiral let us use the family car during the week that I was there. We attended several parties, and I was able to meet some of her Seattle friends, including the Weyerhaeusers. Incidentally, when Jack Lewis XE "Lewis, Jack" arrived, he was again impressed, I think, that I had become personally known to another Admiral as a guest in his house.But the thing I recall most about Seattle was the opportunity to visit with my Naval Academy classmate, Hugh Minor XE "Minor, Hugh" , and his parents at their home in Snohomish, Washington. I was close to Hugh during the Astoria XE “Astoria, USS” years and admired him very much. Hugh and I early on in our Astoria days were both uncertain as to whether we would remain in the Navy.Being uncertain as to what to do for a career, Hugh and I both took the Strong Career Test. This was a test then offered by Stanford University, which compared your interests and aptitudes with those who were successful in various fields. Hugh Minor XE "Minor, Hugh" ’s results indicated that he had the interests of a physician. We were in San Diego XE "San Diego" at the time and said, “This has never crossed my mind. I’ll go out to the Naval Hospital at Balboa and look into this.” He did and met a doctor who said, “Well, come on in and witness an operation.” Hugh did this and found out that he had an immediate aptitude for surgery, because he fainted dead away. Hugh later resigned from the Navy, went to the University of Washington, and became a very successful eye surgeon, one of the first to operate on the eye using a microscope. (As you might have guessed, I had the interests of an accountant.)I see, too, looking through my correspondence file, that while in Seattle I called on and had dinner with a retired Navy Captain friend of Jack Lewis XE "Lewis, Jack" . Jack had, as I have observed before, an extensive network of Navy friends upon whom he called for advice or assistance. In this case, he had the subtle purpose, I’m sure as I reread the letter, to influence me toward a “Navy decision.”Leaving Seattle, the most remarkable things were the beauty of the scenery standing into Juneau XE "Juneau, Alaska" and the glacier which we visited. Juneau XE "Juneau, Alaska" itself reminded me of an old western movie set. The streets, such as they were, abruptly stopped at the edge of town, Juneau XE "Juneau, Alaska" being inaccessible by ground transport, other than dog sleds. The principal vocation of the inhabitants seemed to be bars, either as owners or as customers. Juneau XE "Juneau, Alaska" may not have been the end of the world, but you could see it from there.About this time, having qualified as an officer of the deck underway, I started standing my underway watches in the combat information center or CIC. This was a space filled with several radar consoles, where an operator maintained a sharp lookout for other ships and, when detected, determined their course, speed and closest point of approach, which was then passed to the Officer of the Deck on the bridge. (The bridge also had a smaller console to which the Officer of the Deck could refer). Depending on the Commanding Officer’s standing orders, all contacts that would pass within a certain range had to be reported to him in his sea cabin, whether day or night. Depending on the circumstances, including the trust he might place in the Officer of the Deck, he might, or might not, come out from his sea cabin personally to look at the situation. The CIC also monitored tactical voice circuits and, when steaming in formation, kept a general “radar” eye on the other ships to be sure that they remained well clear of Astoria XE “Astoria, USS” .As I look back now, it seems unusual that the several air search radars in one corner of the Combat Information Center were never manned. Moreover, they never worked, nor was there any effort to get them into an operable condition. This was partly a function of the post-war atmosphere where there was an absence of a threat. At the same time, many things about the ship didn’t function properly. In particular, the phone circuits from Sky Forward, where the assistant gunnery officer controlled the anti-aircraft batteries, continually either malfunctioned or never worked at all. It was just a different Navy. I enjoyed CIC watch standing, though, mainly because it was always warm and dry.CHAPTER 7The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot StraightDuring the three months following the Seattle-Alaska cruise we operated extensively out of our home port in Long Beach XE "Long Beach, California" pointing toward a West Pac deployment to China and Japan in early September of 1948. It was during this period that I had an opportunity to again distinguish myself in the infamous shore bombardment incident at San Clemente XE "San Clemente, California" Island off southern California.To measure our deployment readiness, Astoria XE “Astoria, USS” , together with the other two ships of Cruiser Division 13 XE "Cruiser Division 13" , underwent a series of exercises and inspections. One was a shore bombardment exercise at San Clemente XE "San Clemente, California" Island where there were targets on the beach, together with a spotter on a hill well removed from the target area (supposedly). The object was to fire the ship’s main battery, and the spotter would then determine how close the shells came to the targets.I planned and drilled for this important exercise, putting Hank Clay XE "Clay, Hank" , a close friend out of the class of ‘48, in the forward 6” fire control director and Hugh Minor XE "Minor, Hugh" , my classmate, on the dead reckoning plot in the main battery plotting room where I was in charge. Hitting the fixed targets was pretty straightforward, but the exercise was to be complicated by having the San Clemente XE "San Clemente, California" spotter release a white phosphorus smoke flare sometime during the firing at the fixed targets. The spotter would then measure the elapsed time and accuracy of bringing this phosphorus flare under fire. This was intended to simulate counter battery fire.I decided to employ a new system. I’d use the aft main battery fire control director to control turrets Nos. 2, 3 and 4 for the fixed target firing and have the forward director, with Hank Clay XE "Clay, Hank" controlling a fully ready and loaded No. 1 turret, standing by for counter battery fire. This would markedly reduce the time to get the shells on the counter battery target.It would go like this, I thought. As soon as Hank in the forward director spotted the white phosphorus smoke, he would pass down to me in the main battery plot the bearing and range using the optical range finder in the director. I would have this entered into the fire control computer, which would compute a firing bearing and elevation for the three guns of No. 1 turret. While these computations were underway--to save time--I would order the loaded turret to train manually to the bearing that Hank had passed down and simultaneously elevate the guns to achieve approximately the elevation needed to have the range estimated by Hank. By the time the computer had a firing solution in train and elevation, the turret assuredly would be close to the right bearing. At that point, when the turret manually reached the bearing reported by Hank, I would order, “Shift to automatic.” The turret would then automatically follow the output of fire control computer in both train and elevation and the white phosphorus smoke could be taken under fire.A turret with three loaded 6” guns whirling around to a quickly transmitted bearing from the fire control director can be quite dangerous if something goes wrong. Of course, something did go wrong.Hank XE "Clay, Hank" called down on the sound powered phone, “Counter battery, counter battery,” and a few minutes later gave me a bearing and a range.I ordered No. 1 turret to commence training manually to the bearing that Hank was on with the director, and this they started to do. Hugh Minor XE "Minor, Hugh" on the plot and the computer operator on the fire control computer quickly arrived at a firing solution and, even though No. 1 turret was not trained manually to the right bearing yet, it occurred to me that we could really establish an Olympic record time if we could just get the turret moving more quickly to the bearing. I did this by shifting the turret to automatic rather than letting the turret train manually to the bearing and then shifting to automatic.When I shifted to automatic, this meant that the turret really took off, picked up speed and started going quickly to the bearing. This would have been fine, except that I thought it was on the bearing before it was. Normally, the safeguard here, as I indicated, is that the turret matches up in manual and then shifts to automatic, and you are assured that you are on the proper bearing. But I didn’t wait long enough before I ordered, “Shoot.”The radio talker in the plotting room sent out the word on the voice circuit to the spotter on San Clemente XE "San Clemente, California" , “On the way from Injection,” which was our voice call. Indeed, it was on the way--on the way towards the spotter’s position.The next thing I heard on the radio was, “Cease fire. Cease fire. You’re firing at me!” from the spotter, with a tremor in his voice.The best you can say is that the spotter didn’t have any problem finding the fall of the shot, and, yes, we didn’t do well in the shore bombardment exercise. A main feed pump situation with a good deal more visibility. Again, I was not taken to task for my dangerous blunder. I should have been!It seems strange after all these years that no one supervised any of the plans or procedures that were involved in this exercise or even after the fact undertook an investigation as to determine what lessons might be learned and what censure might be in order. It was a different Navy.CHAPTER 8China StationIn September of 1948, we sailed from Long Beach XE "Long Beach, California" , California for Tsingtao XE "Tsingtao, China" , China, stopping in Pearl Harbor XE "Pearl Harbor" , where again I saw Bill Reeder XE "Reeder, William" . The transit from Pearl Harbor to Tsingtao XE "Tsingtao, China" was in company with a number of ships, which meant formation steaming and maneuvering. I was again standing officer of the deck watches, and the seas were generally very rough. Indeed, a destroyer that was taking fuel from the Astoria XE “Astoria, USS” , got too close in the heavy seas and hit our port side. Fortunately, no damage was done, but it provided excitement for the watch. (Ships hitting each other was an occurrence that you tried to avoid.)We arrived in Tsingtao XE "Tsingtao, China" , China in early November. We weren’t there too long. I went ashore a couple of times where I purchased several blue cloisonné vases and I played golf once--a game chiefly marked by the fact that we had young Chinese girls as our caddies. I was struck in Tsingtao XE "Tsingtao, China" by how many Caucasians there were, for this had long been a city with a sizeable White Russian population. Coming into Tsingtao XE "Tsingtao, China" , as in all of the Chinese cities which we visited, you could smell the charcoal and wood smoke many, many miles out at sea.In the latter part of November 1948, we departed for Shanghai XE "Shanghai, China" . We were proceeding in this case independently, which was restful for a change. Arriving about midnight off the mouth of the Whangpoo XE "Whangpoo River a/k/a Huangpu River" River (now called the Huangpu River), I had the deck and we stopped to pick up the pilot who was to take us up the river to Shanghai XE "Shanghai, China" . He was a British gentleman, obviously without prior experience on a U.S. Navy warship, because the first order he gave the helmsman was, “Right two spokes,” rather than “Right so many degrees rudder.” It was confusing since our wheel was solid and had no spokes. I recall that the helmsman said to me, “What the hell did he say?” We got this sorted out and stood up river. At about sunrise, Astoria XE “Astoria, USS” moored bow and stern to buoys off the famous Bund.The Shanghai XE "Shanghai, China" waterfront was unbelievably busy, being filled with sampans, junks and assorted shipping, and there were swift currents to contend with. We were inundated with small boats and sampans. The first order of business was to deal with all of those who wanted to get the contract to away take our garbage. They would pay for this. They would pay with gifts to those who made that decision, like the bosun’s mates. The “pay” would be “no-squeak” boots, wooden chests and other articles that were attractive to tourists in Shanghai XE "Shanghai, China" .There were also a number of warships then moored off Shanghai XE "Shanghai, China" . Immediately on our bow was HMS London XE "London, HMS" , which was the senior ship in Shanghai XE "Shanghai, China" at that time. It was an old British heavy cruiser. And then there were several frigates, one of which was HMS Amethyst XE "Amethyst, HMS" . She stood out because of the numerous shell holes which marked her superstructure.HMS Amethyst XE "Amethyst, HMS" was the frigate that had been blockaded on the Yangtze River by the Chinese Communists. She was held there for three months, and escaped only because of great daring and skill. It was an epic experience that was later the basis for a movie, Yangtze Incident: the Story of HMS Amethyst (which was released in the U.S. under the name Battle Hell, as well as under the names Escape of the Amethyst and Their Greatest Glory). It wasn’t until years later when I commanded the submarine squadron in the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" that I learned that Peter Berger XE "Berger, Peter" , who was then the Royal Navy’s Commodore Clyde, had been Amethyst XE "Amethyst, HMS" ’s navigator. After the Amethyst XE "Amethyst, HMS" ’s Captain was killed by shellfire early in the affair, Peter became the ship’s First Lieutenant (as the British call their Execs). As I got to know the British officers better, they said to me, “Oh, yes, the Commodore was in command.” What had happened was that the First Lieutenant who had taken command after Amethyst XE "Amethyst, HMS" ’s Captain was killed was an officer with a rather pronounced liking for “rum”--a liking exacerbated by China duty no doubt. While they were under blockade, the drinking problem became so severe that Peter took command, and Peter XE "Berger, Peter" was the one who extricated Amethyst XE "Amethyst, HMS" from the river blockade. He received the DSC (Distinguished Service Cross), which is one of Britain’s highest combat awards (less than 100 have been awarded since 1945). He was assigned thereafter as navigator of the Royal Yacht. So you can see that his accomplishments and abilities were recognized.Among the foreign naval ships in Shanghai XE "Shanghai, China" were a French ship and the several British ships. Official visits between the commanding officers were a part of the routine, which caused the officer of the deck in port (and I stood many of these watches) to be on his toes in the sense of being prepared to render honors at all times. So the deck watches in Shanghai XE "Shanghai, China" were very busy and very interesting.Ashore in Shanghai XE "Shanghai, China" , it was a teeming mass of people, pushing and shoving and trying to sell you this or that, or have you get in their petty cab or rickshaw to go here or there. We saw some of the sights and did some modest shopping. I purchased some pewter mugs, for instance. But my best view of the seamier side of Shanghai XE "Shanghai, China" occurred when one of the young men in my division went absent without leave. We were concerned that he might have run afoul of trouble. I went ashore and contacted the Navy liaison office, which put me in contact with the Shanghai XE "Shanghai, China" police. Together we went out to try to find this sailor. It was quite an experience, particularly observing the extraordinary manner in which the Shanghai XE "Shanghai, China" police operated. They showed no compassion for the citizenry. We would drive down the teeming streets in the police jeep and a police officer would stand on each running board with a billy club, which he would use to hit pedestrians whom he felt were too close or were not getting out of the way fast enough, and he wouldn’t hit them lightly. He would give them a mighty blow. We never found the sailor incident to my search, but he did later show up. He had found some lovely young Chinese girl and was spending some time learning about the culture of the country with her.One of our stopping places going on or returning from liberty was a small American-run officers’ club located by the Garden Bridge, which was within walking distance of the Bund, where we would get the ship’s boat to return to the ship. It was a cold and damp Christmas Eve when several of us stopped by en route to the ship after some sightseeing. It was very dark. But under the lantern by the entrance was a beggar-like figure with a large basket of carved figures. I was interested, but not enough to really stop and take a look. But in the spirit of the season I bought one of the figures, more or less sight unseen for 25 American cents. Thus I acquired “Mr. Jasper,” a cadaverous wooden sculpture of a man which I later used to scare my children. He was much handsomer then, with ivory eyes and teeth, which soon came loose. He also split, which was always a hazard with the green wood frequently used by the Chinese in their cheaper wood products. But Ruth fixed him up and he still survives to this day, frightening grandchildren just as he did their parents.After Christmas, we sailed from Shanghai XE "Shanghai, China" to Yokosuka XE "Yokosuka, Japan" , Japan, a place I was subsequently to revisit a number of times while serving in Diodon XE "Diodon, USS" and as COMSUBPAC XE "COMSUBPAC or Commander Submarine Force Pacific" , when some of my submarines would deploy to West Pac and operate out of Yokosuka XE "Yokosuka, Japan" . My first and most abiding impression was of how primitive the Yokosuka XE "Yokosuka, Japan" navy facilities and shops were--unheated, dirt floors--but obviously, from our wartime experience, very effective. Extensive bomb damage was still visible. But most impressive was the inscrutable, condescending demeanor of the Japanese population, whether the ordinary citizen or the former senior Navy Japanese captain who acted as the pilot when Astoria XE “Astoria, USS” stood in to Sagami Wan XE "Sagami Wan a/k/a Sagami Bay" (Sagami Bay).All transportation was free, and PXs were filled with quality Japanese merchandise at ridiculously low prices. The clubs and facilities taken over from the Japanese armed forces were abundant and, although not luxurious by American standards, certainly adequate. It was difficult for some, I think, not to assume the posture and actions of a conqueror. We did not operate from Yokosuka XE "Yokosuka, Japan" except for a short visit to Sasebo XE "Sasebo, Japan" , Japan. While a bit more scenic than Yokosuka XE "Yokosuka, Japan" , it was much the same except for the scale, which was much diminished. We also made a visit to Seoul XE "Seoul, Korea" , Korea.The visit to Seoul XE "Seoul, Korea" , Korea was marked by then-president Syngman Rhee XE "Rhee, Syngman" and his wife coming aboard Astoria XE “Astoria, USS” while I had the deck one morning. He was a short, rotund Korean. His wife was a short, rotund German. I wasn’t senior enough to interact directly with them except as a compulsory contributor to a gift from the ship to them. This is a practice that I disliked. They reciprocated with a gift to the ship, which the Captain treated as personal, as well as a reception for the wardroom officers during which I had the duty. So Korea was not at that time high on my list of places I wanted to revisit. As a matter of fact, when I did return much later as Carl XE "Walske, Carl" Walske’s assistant, nothing disabused me of my initial reaction.We returned to Yokosuka XE "Yokosuka, Japan" from Seoul XE "Seoul, Korea" to get ready to go home. I did a bit more shopping, purchasing a set of Noritake dishes for my mother, some Japanese linens and things of that sort.It was about this time that we received the news, which was unexpected, that Astoria XE “Astoria, USS” was to return to the United States and be decommissioned at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard XE "Mare Island Naval Shipyard" .We left Yokosuka XE "Yokosuka, Japan" after the first of the year and, when we arrived in Pearl Harbor XE "Pearl Harbor" en route to the United States, Jack Lewis XE "Lewis, Jack" was detached. Jack was still a Commander at that time, but he was on a fast track, with orders to attend the Royal Naval College in Greenwich, England. As a matter of fact, Jack was still mentioned years later in the Pentagon for his administrative skills and for the studies and research which he had undertaken. But as one of his letters to me indicated, I think his last letter, he had to retire for medical reasons--hypertension, I think, this being before the time that hypertension was controllable by medication. He went on to head the Navy Reserve Officers Association in Washington, D.C., a rather influential lobby group with one of the most attractive buildings near the Capitol. Jack died about fifteen years later, a great naval officer to whom I owed much.Jack’s relief was one of his classmates from the class of 1932, George Wilson XE "Wilson, George" , nicknamed “Tullulah” by his peers after the name of his Alabama hometown. He was small, jaunty, irreverent and one of the Navy’s most illustrious World War II destroyer commanders, as attested by his two Navy Crosses, several Silver and Bronze Stars and two Purple Hearts. He was not much of an administrator, but was a tremendous ship handler and leader. He was fun to work with, but was miscast as the Exec of a light cruiser, where the first and foremost thing you needed to be was a manager and where the opportunity for handling the ship was minimal. (In World War II, Tallulah had been Commanding Officer of the destroyers Chevalier and Colhoun, both of which were sunk--one in the Solomons, and the other off Okinawa.)It was about this time, too, that Captain Willie Hoffheins XE "Hoffheins, William" was relieved by Captain Louis N. Miller XE "Miller, Louis" . We nicknamed Captain Miller “the Bear” because he was a big man and, when you called him to the bridge from his sea cabin at night, he would come out in an old, bushy bathrobe. In the darkness of the bridge, it looked like a large bear was at hand. I didn’t get to know Captain Miller XE "Miller, Louis" very well because our operating days were numbered.We arrived in Long Beach XE "Long Beach, California" , our home port, in early February 1949, did some local operating and the proceeded to Mare Island Naval Shipyard XE "Mare Island Naval Shipyard" for deactivation.Astoria en route to Tsingtao, China, 1200-1600 Watch, Ensign McMullen Officer of the Deck(a screening destroyer is in the distance)In Shanghai on the Bund (Ensigns Minor, Clay, McMullen and Bass)CHAPTER 9Decision TimeIt was about this time, shortly before Captain Hoffheins XE "Hoffheins, William" left, that I made the second most important decision of my life--to make the Navy a career (the most important being the decision to marry Ruth). I had thought long and hard about a career in the Navy. In fact, the only letter my father ever wrote, probably to anyone, is to me on this subject. My father was generally very quiet. But he was a fine writer. It was always he they turned to for speeches and difficult letters at the Kansas City Title Insurance Company.Having made the decision to stay in the Navy, I decided to apply for submarine school and received orders to the class convening in New London, Connecticut on the 5th of July 1949. This was several months away. In the interim, I was deeply involved in Astoria XE “Astoria, USS” ’s deactivation. Deactivation, as a process, involved putting the machinery, the guns, etc., in a condition of preservation so that, by controlling the humidity in the compartments, the machinery and equipment might last for an extended period of time. It also involved getting all the machinery records and logs up to date. This was a challenge because during World War II and thereafter records were more ignored than rigorously maintained. As a small example, the Exec one day called me to his office and gave me a very large box of keys, all of which were unmarked, and said, “Now get these sorted out in your spare time.” An impossible task, which I hope he understood, and certainly I recognized. But I tried hard with discouraging results.After three years as an Ensign, I was eligible for promotion to Lieutenant, Junior Grade. I reported to the Shipyard Commander’s conference room to take a written promotion to Lieutenant exam, involving gunnery, seamanship, military justice and the like. I did well and became eligible for promotion when a vacancy occurred.With Astoria XE “Astoria, USS” being uninhabitable during her deactivation, I moved ashore to the Bachelor Officers’ Quarters. This was near the officers’ club, the nurses’ quarters, the golf course and, most importantly, within liberty distance of San Francisco. Hank Clay XE "Clay, Hank" , Hugh Minor XE "Minor, Hugh" and I exerted ourselves in this direction--to the extent that on many mornings, I confess, I lacked both the will and the spirit to insert keys into locks.As I left Astoria XE “Astoria, USS” , I felt a measure of pride for what I had accomplished by my performance there. I also had a feeling of relief that I had set a life course, as it were. And I felt a concomitant desire to get on with it and to do well.I left San Francisco and flew to Kansas City for a short stay. As I left by train from Union Station in Kansas City bound for New York, it was about eight o’clock and my father and mother came down to see me off. Shortly after pulling out of Union Station, the conductor brought me a penciled note, something to the effect that, “Your parents look sad. Do you need a drink?” and it was signed “Lucy.” I looked around and I noticed that there was a young lady up towards the front of the car, but I really didn’t know what I should do about that. Before I could really decide, she came back, and it turned out she was just returning to Chicago, having attended a wedding in Kansas City, and had with her for the trip several bottles of champagne. We spent the trip in the club car and time went mercifully fast. During our layover in Chicago, I looked around a bit and, most meaningfully, purchased several pairs of socks at the Marshall Fields Department Store. I mention this only because I wore them for years, much to Ruth’s bemusement.The trip to New York, which really was to Newark (we went over by train ferry to New York City), went quickly. I checked into the Biltmore Hotel adjacent to Grand Central Station. An old grade school and high school friend, Lloyd Beckerly XE "Beckerly, Lloyd" , was working in New York and he and I did some of the usual things you do as a tourist in New York City--went to dinner, saw a play and the like.I left for New London on the 3rd of July, by train; a trip which I was to repeat a number of times several years later going back and forth to Philadelphia Naval Shipyard XE "Philadelphia Naval Shipyard" while Hardhead XE "Hardhead, USS" was undergoing overhaul. I arrived at the New London station early afternoon, laden with baggage, and started walking down the platform towards the taxis, which I could see in the front of the station. Behind me was another fellow who seemed to be similarly encumbered with luggage, and I asked if he was reporting to Submarine School XE "Submarine School" . He was. We shared a taxi. This was my first meeting with Bob Blount XE "Blount, Robert" , with whom I roomed in sub school.Bob later relieved me in Patrick Henry XE “Patrick Henry, USS” . Bob is, and was, a great guy and a good friend. His father had been president of some Florida university (it could have been Stetson) and he had gone there as a music major, specializing in the drums, of all things. But at some point in time, he transferred to MIT where he graduated with a degree in electronics. Obviously, he was a very bright and talented individual.We arrived, checked in, and were assigned a room in the BOQ, which is still there and still looks just the same. He and I walked out, walked up the street past the Admiral’s Quarters, where I lived much later, to the officers’ club. We had a drink under the magnificent oak tree on the patio by the first tee. I think the tee and the oak tree are still there.In a sense, my Navy career really started then and there. I spent so much time there in New London—Sub School, Darter XE "Darter, USS" , Hardhead XE "Hardhead, USS" , Lincoln XE "Lincoln, USS Abraham" , Polk XE "Polk, USS James K." , culminating in the opportunity to live in the Admiral’s Quarters as COMSUBFLOT 2 XE "COMSUBFLOT 2 or Commander Submarine Flotilla Two" .PART II 1949-1953FIRST SUBMARINE194945917448000CHAPTER 10Submarine SchoolI thoroughly enjoyed Submarine School XE "Submarine School" , which was six months in length. It was an admixture of bookwork and practical exercises, either in the diving trainers (where you learned how to submerge and surface) or in the attack teachers (where you learned how to make periscope approach and attacks). These training devices were very, very realistic. This was supplemented by actual operations at sea on submarines. We would rotate in the trainers and at sea through the various positions, both in the control room and in the conning tower. Each dive and approach, whether in the trainer or at sea on an actual submarine, would be marked by simulated casualties that you had to deal with. Every day, whether in practical work or in the classroom, you were pressed to see how you would react to the unexpected. You were continually graded and monitored. I worked hard, did well, and graduated with a standing of four out of 50 or 60.Years later, Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" , during my interview, gave me a very difficult time on the subject of why I hadn’t done as well as he felt I should have at the Naval Academy (and I agreed). But when he moved on to the same subject at the Submarine School XE "Submarine School" , I replied that I thought I had given that my best effort (which indeed I had). He still disagreed. I think he was moved by what he well knew to be the distractions offered by the nearby Connecticut College XE "Connecticut College" for Women across the Thames River from the Submarine Base XE "New London Submarine Base" . I have to confess that perhaps he had a point.Submarine School XE "Submarine School" was almost over for me before it started. The second day, after a rigorous physical examination, we went to the training tank on the lower submarine base. There, after instruction in submarine escape procedures using the Momsen lung, we were required to enter a chamber in groups of ten. The pressure was then increased rapidly to correspond to a depth of 25 feet and then the doors were opened to the tank itself and, guided by a line to the surface, we made our escape. We did the same thing at 50 feet, and finally at 100 feet. As a matter of fact, we did it twice at each depth.During these simulated escapes, I had severe problems equalizing the pressure in my ears, particularly on one side. By the time we had to do the second 100 foot escape, I was in almost unbearable pain. I persisted, because to do otherwise would have been the end of my submarine career. But for years later, one of my ears frequently felt as it does when you get water in it while you are swimming. Only in this case, it was blood. A small price to pay, I thought, and I certainly still do. However, this ear problem was a cross I had to bear throughout my submarine career in diesel submarines, because there were two situations where pressure came into play.First, in the older boats, at the sound of the diving alarm, all the hull openings would be shut. When they were closed, you looked on the boat’s indicator board and if all the lights were green, the chief of the watch would say, “Green Board,” and you’d order “Bleed air.” Then high pressure air would be bled into the boat up to about 10 pounds per square inch above normal--enough that you could watch the pressure gauge for a moment and see if the boat indeed was tight (the excess pressure would not be sustained if there was an opening in the hull). I never liked this because it always caused me an earache.It was even more of a problem when snorkeling. Waves would break over the head of the snorkel and the head valve would close, thereby stopping the flow of air needed by the diesel engines. This would cause the diesels to suck the air that was already in the boat and rapidly windup the altimeter to 5,000 feet or more. Going up was fine. Coming down, though, when the pressure would equalize after the head valve came out of the water, was very unpleasant, particularly if I was trying to sleep. The most extended period of snorkeling that I endured was when Diodon XE "Diodon, USS" snorkeled from San Diego XE "San Diego" to Pearl Harbor XE "Pearl Harbor" , during which time the water was rough and we had trouble with depth control. She was only one of two boats that had ever done this. I was happy to arrive in Pearl Harbor.But back to Submarine School XE "Submarine School" . The course was demanding and very competitive, but it wasn’t all work. As Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" always noted, The Connecticut College XE "Connecticut College" for Women was across the river and Bob Blount XE "Blount, Robert" quickly found a second cousin from an old and illustrious southern family. I mention this because this was Selby Graham before she met Frank in the next class. I met a girl from Grand Rapids, Michigan, whose father manufactured furniture. I mention this because in the prior class she had dated Dick Jortberg XE "Jortberg, Richard" . You can see that Connecticut College was not a totally unfair target for Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s ire.Another memory I have of Submarine School XE "Submarine School" is of the proximity of the bachelor officers’ quarters to the suite maintained in the BOQ for visiting flag officers (where I stayed 20 years later before moving into the Admiral’s House). During Submarine School, Admiral Jimmy Fife XE "Fife, James" was COMSUBLANT XE "COMSUBLANT or Commander Submarine Force Atlantic" . SUBLANT XE "SUBLANT or Submarine Force Atlantic" was at that time based in New London. Jimmy Fife XE "Fife, James" , who was a martinet--real hell on wheels--was always close at hand to the BOQ in the flag officer’s suite where he lived (then being divorced), and was a constant reminder to us as students to be on our toes at all times in the sense of appearance and decorum. When he was home, he played his record player at maximum volume. We comforted ourselves in that. It helped us keep track of him.Two other things of import occurred to me in Submarine School XE "Submarine School" . I was promoted to lieutenant, junior grade, and I bought a car--my first car--a red Plymouth two-door sedan, of which I was very proud. Of the two, the car was best, because it made it easier to get across the river to Connecticut College XE "Connecticut College" . It also enabled me to visit Bill Reeder XE "Reeder, William" , who was then at the Harvard Business School, as well as another classmate from the past, Dave Toll XE "Toll, David" , who had resigned and was going to law school at Yale. Most importantly, without a car I would not have been able to court Ruth.As with all good things, Submarine School XE "Submarine School" came to an end shortly before Christmas 1949. Because of my class standing, I had an early selection number and was able to look over the billets which were available and make my choice. I chose Diodon XE "Diodon, USS" , a Guppy II class submarine, which meant she had a snorkel and a larger battery than previous submarines, meaning faster underway speeds. She was home ported in San Diego XE "San Diego" , California. There were two openings in Diodon and my friend from Submarine School, Bob Metzger XE "Metzger, Robert" , out of the class of 1948A, took the other billet. (The war accelerated 3 year program at the Naval Academy ended with the class of 1948; in order to resume a 4 year curriculum, the class of 1948 was divided in two by class rank, with the top half of the class graduating in 1948 and being referred to as the class of 1948A ,and the other half graduating in 1948 and being referred to as the class of 1948B.)I drove home for Christmas, thence to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where I met Bob. We then drove in tandem, as it were, to San Diego XE "San Diego" via the Grand Canyon.Promoted to Lieutenant (junior grade) and Qualified for SubmarinesCHAPTER 11Diodon (SS349)Diodon XE "Diodon, USS" was a unit of Submarine Squadron 5. The squadron was comprised of twelve submarines, organized into three divisions of four boats each. The Squadron Commander was a senior captain. Each Division Commander was a commander, generally fairly senior. The Commanding Officers were lieutenant commanders.Squadron 5 was moored alongside the tender Nereus, bow and stern, at two buoys which were generally opposite the Coast Guard Station in San Diego XE "San Diego" . Moored directly ahead of us to two additional buoys was another squadron, Squadron 3, and their home tender was the Sperry XE "Sperry, USS" . To get back and forth between the beach and the tenders, the tenders ran boats to the fleet landing, which is now a nice walkway directly in front of the main Navy Building, just down the street from Broadway Pier. More frequently, we used the commercial water taxis, which left from a location now used by the San Diego harbor cruises of San Diego. They ran more frequently, and for 25? would first stop at the Sperry and then at the Nereus XE "Nereus, USS" . This type of transportation cost, as I indicated, 25?, but they were traditionally called in every Navy port “nickel snatchers.”My first impression of what life was to be like in a submarine was that it was crowded. This proved to be accurate. It was extremely crowded!The passageways would not take two people abreast. If two people were approaching, one had to turn and get flat against the bulkhead.The officers’ quarters were in the forward battery compartment, which was so named because it was above one of the two large batteries. The Commanding Officer had a small stateroom and there were two bunk rooms--one with three bunks where the Exec lived with two other officers, and one with four bunks. Each had a wash basin, but the rooms were so small that if someone were standing up, nobody else could get out of his bunk.The wardroom, which also served as a berthing area when you had too many officers assigned or you had guests aboard, would seat seven in a push. The Commanding Officer had his regular position facing forward. The supply officer, who was the commissary officer as well, was at the other end of the table. The Executive Officer was to the right of the Commanding Officer, and everybody else sat wherever they could get a seat. Obviously, when everyone was seated, you really couldn’t get out. We had a shower, but it was used principally for storage, which was always at a premium in a submarine, particularly for foul weather gear. If you were out for a month before coming into port, it would be unloaded and everybody would take a submarine shower, that is, a shower in which you turn on the water, get a little damp, soap up and then turn on a little bit more water to get the soap off. Everybody really smelled the same because there was the pervasive diesel smell. Wives called it the “sub pay smell.”The submarine was cold and generally damp, particularly underway. During bridge watches, you would get wet from the ocean spray, or if waves were breaking on the bridge, you would get soaked. Coming below, your clothing was always wet, or at least damp. You would send the foul weather gear back to the diesel engine spaces where it was warm so it could dry, but the whole boat had a pervasive feeling of cold and dampness.On the plus side, the officers and crew were a vast cut above those in Astoria XE “Astoria, USS” . They were smart, knowledgeable and all volunteers, the products of the Submarine School XE "Submarine School" and a very comprehensive qualification program which all the enlisted and all the officers had to undertake. The food was great. (We ate the same food as the crew.) It was served by three black stewards from a very small pantry forward of the wardroom, but they did it with some style.The Commanding Officer and Executive Officer at this time were World War II experienced. There were some officers who had been enlisted and had fleeted up and had World War II experience. It was a good training ground because they had served with some of the big names of the submarine force, had many sea stories to tell and had well-developed skills in approach and attack against enemy shipping.My first job in Diodon XE "Diodon, USS" was to be an assistant to Luther Mayes XE "Mayes, Luther" , who was both the torpedo and gunnery officer and the first lieutenant. The first lieutenant in a submarine was in charge of the topside area--if you anchored, you were in charge of that, or if you high lined to another submarine, you were in charge of that. This was an active job, but at the same time you had to begin on your qualification in submarines. This would take normally about 18 months and consisted of a lengthy notebook with questions that had to be answered, systems which you had to trace and draw, and the operation of equipment that had to be mastered. It just took a lot of time.With respect to qualifying in submarines, one of my shipmates on Diodon XE "Diodon, USS" , Swede Tollefson XE "Tollefson, Swede" , reminded me of something that I had forgotten. My Naval Academy classmate, Bo Coppedge XE "Coppedge, Bo" , had been on board six months before me, and was far ahead of me in the qualification process. He had finished his notebook and, for example, one of the things you had to do was to draw a torpedo tube showing all of the interlock system--and it is a real Rube Goldberg contraption. I don’t recollect doing this, but I must have used Bo’s and just traced over it. I say this because the Exec, Dave Green XE "Green, David" , remarked when he was looking through and checking my notebook, “You know, this torpedo tube drawing looks just like Bo Coppedge XE "Coppedge, Bo" ’s.” To which I replied, “Same tube.” Well, they got a chuckle out of that, and Dave let it go by.In addition to the notebook, there were a whole series of practical exercises which you had to have signed off and witnessed. For example, you had to make a torpedo ready, performing all the pre-firing checks, which was about a four or five hour job. Then you had to fire that torpedo, and you had to get a hit with it. You had to operate all the equipment on board from the maneuvering room, which took some degree of dexterity and skill to operate the motors from the cubicle, to make a whole series of dives and surfacings, with simulated casualties. You had to make a number of landings satisfactorily. You had to get the ship underway many times. In short, a long, long process. In the end, when your notebook was completed and you were recommended by your Commanding Officer, you would take an examination in port given by two other Commanding Officers separately in their submarines. They would take you through their submarine and quiz you on anything that came to their mind. Finally, if you did that satisfactorily, the division commander would be embarked and you would get underway, and he would observe you in all the various things, including another shoot. Among my pictures, one can see my shot at the tender, and you can tell from the bubbles that it was a MOT (which means the “Middle Of Target”).My battle station, as the assistant to the torpedo and gunnery officer, was to accomplish certain manual computations involved with the Torpedo Data Computer. This was a job that you had to carry out in a crowded conning tower. Briefly speaking, I would analyze what the Commanding Officer was seeing through the periscope in the sense of his observed bearing and range as it compared with the bearing and range that was being generated by the analog computer and mathematically determine corrections. Just before the firing point, I would set in the spread on some spread cams, and ensure through contact with the torpedo tubes in either the forward or after torpedo rooms that the torpedo settings were matched up. It was very exciting.To capture some of the essence of it, one night we were out making an approach and attack on the battleship USS Iowa, screened by a number of destroyers. With Iowa in the center of the formation were a couple of cruisers. Our Captain, Edwin Bell XE "Bell, C. Edwin" , had served with a commanding officer during World War II who was very successful. His technique, which was very unusual, was that he himself did not want to look through the periscope. He wanted to stand back to try to maintain a feel for where the escorts were and what they were doing. He let the Exec take the periscope. That takes a good deal of guts, because when you are in close it’s hard to entrust someone else with the very safety of the ship, even a competent and experienced Exec as ours, whose name was Al Bergner XE "Bergner, Al" .This was a dark night and the battle group was in close. They were at darkened ship. We couldn’t see them and it was fairly rough. Sonar had contacts all around and we were penetrating the screen, going deep to get under the destroyers in order to come up when the destroyers had gone by, or at least when we hoped they had gone by. We came up, set up and were ready to fire on the Iowa, and Al said, “Up scope.” Then he said, “Jesus Christ, there it is,” and the bearing spot was right 50 degrees. We were, indeed, on the wrong target and we were about to get run over. The Captain shouted “Three hundred feet! Use negative tank! All ahead full!” I think from that point “Ebbie” Bell XE "Bell, C. Edwin" had some reservations about the efficacy of entrusting the safety of his ship to eyeballs other than his own.We generally operated out of San Diego XE "San Diego" on a weekly basis, underway at 0730 on Monday and then returning late on Friday afternoon, either providing services for destroyers, as they would try to hold contact on us using their active sonar, or making practice approach and attacks on them. Every other weekend I would have the duty on either Saturday or Sunday. It was a busy schedule.In port, when the commanding officer was satisfied after four or five months that I could supervise the always necessary battery charge, that I could get the ship underway in an emergency (such as a fire) and that I could make landings, I was designated as an in port duty officer. This meant that, when liberty began at 1600, I was the only officer on board--together with one fourth of the crew.The most challenging responsibility when you had the duty was when your boat was moored in the nest and you weren’t getting underway at the same time as the other boats. If another boat directly inboard of you was going to get underway, that meant that you had to cast off your mooring lines (except for number one line, which you passed over to the first inboard submarine not getting underway) to let him get out. In San Diego XE "San Diego" , this was a challenge when the tide was flooding, which meant it would be catching the stern since the submarines were moored facing upstream. If the inboard boat that was getting underway took too much time, you could find yourself perpendicular to the tender, along with the nest of submarines outboard of your submarine. If you were the inboard boat and in charge of trying to maneuver the nest back alongside the tender, you would have the far outboard submarine put its starboard screw astern at some speed, and put yours ahead at an appropriate speed to try to twist the nest in. If you failed, everybody just had to cast off their lines and mill around in a flood tide in San Diego Bay waiting for others to get alongside again. When your turn came, you had to come in flat and fast. With the slightest miscalculation you could ram the submarine you were trying to moor alongside. You were doing this with just the duty section on board, with just one-fourth of the crew. This happened to me several times. It was a confidence builder when you carried it off satisfactorily.My ship handling abilities were tested another time under Grant Palmer XE "Palmer, Grant" , who was Ebbie Bell’s relief as Diodon XE "Diodon, USS" ’s Commanding Officer. Grant was not big for spending any more time on the ship than necessary, and we were scheduled to shift berths from one side of the tender to the other one Sunday. (We had been on one side to get the availability of a crane.) Grant, before he left the ship said, “Well, you can handle that.” I did, but it was close. The tide was fierce and I almost ran over a buoy. I never told Grant XE "Palmer, Grant" that I had any problem. It was always good training. That is, if you were successful.To get away from the ship for what free time we did have, Bob Metzger XE "Metzger, Robert" and I got a room at the Sonar School, which is still there on Harbor Drive, next to the Admiral Kidd Club. Not exactly authorized, but as long as they had space they didn’t fuss if we moved in. It was a place to keep our clothes, because there certainly wasn’t enough room on the submarine and, with a car, I always had a problem as to where to park it. It was during this period that Jack Lindsey XE "Lindsey, Jack" , whom I had known at the Naval Academy (he was a year ahead of me in the class of 1946) and his wife Ann, who was a school teacher, introduced Bob XE "Metzger, Robert" and me to a couple of school teachers who lived in a cottage at Ocean Beach. So Bob and I would spend what little time we had on weekends with them, generally on the beach.In August of 1950, Diodon XE "Diodon, USS" left San Diego XE "San Diego" and proceeded to Mare Island Naval Shipyard XE "Mare Island Naval Shipyard" for a short, restricted availability tour to prepare ourselves for a Far East deployment. Edwin Bell XE "Bell, C. Edwin" left at that time and Grant Palmer XE "Palmer, Grant" arrived as the new Commanding Officer. Al Bergner XE "Bergner, Al" had departed some time before that and Dave Green XE "Green, David" , whom I have mentioned before as being a great favorite, replaced Al. (Dave was a classmate and friend of Len Erb XE "Erb, Len" , with whom I later served as his Exec when he commanded Abraham Lincoln XE "Abraham Lincoln, USS" .) About this time, too, Luther Mayes XE "Mayes, Luther" left, and I became the torpedo and gunnery officer and first lieutenant, and my battle station was now to be the principal operator of the Torpedo Data Computer.Although I already have mentioned the names of several Commanding Officers and Executive Officers, I want to stop at this point and talk a bit about some other officers who played such an important role in my initial days in submarines.My first Commanding Officer was C. Edwin Bell XE "Bell, C. Edwin" , a very bright officer, but with a personality which never quite seemed to resonate with mine. He later made Vice Admiral.My first Exec was Al Bergner XE "Bergner, Al" . He was captain of the football team at the Naval Academy, as well as being captain of the wrestling team, an All-American lacrosse player and a varsity boxer. What Al lacked in intellect he made up in just sheer leadership ability. He was a huge guy. One of his claims to fame was that, as a teenager, he had boxed with Joe Lewis in the Golden Gloves boxing competition. He said he lasted about 45 seconds before Joe Lewis knocked him out. Al was a great storyteller, especially if it involved his experiences with the fairer sex. And he would get pretty graphic. We’d always try to get him started during meals--because we found him fascinating and, also, because it bothered Ebbie Bell (as it should have). I recall that Al maintained that he didn’t learn about the “birds and bees” until he was twelve years old—and said that he thereby missed two of the best years of his life. (Al later made Rear Admiral.)The engineer was Bill Masek XE "Masek, Bill" , who was to play such an important role in my future life, introducing me to Ruth--rather, his wife, Marge, did.Luther Mayes XE "Mayes, Luther" , who was my first boss, was the torpedo and gunnery officer. He was from the class of ‘46.Bo Coppedge XE "Coppedge, Bo" , who had been in the Submarine School class before mine, was a classmate who had been a Naval Academy football star. He was a big guy and has been a close friend for a number of years. Bo recently retired as the Athletic Director at the Naval Academy.The final officer was Swede Tollefson XE "Tollefson, Swede" , who was ex-enlisted. He was the navigator, probably as fine a navigator as I have ever seen, before or since.USS Diodon XE "Diodon, USS:Photo" (SS349) (In the bottom photo, Frank is the third officer from the left; San Diego is in the background)USS Diodon XE "Diodon, USS:Photo" Getting Underway from the Nest in San DiegoCHAPTER 12West Pac DeploymentIn September 1950, Diodon XE "Diodon, USS" left Mare Island for San Diego XE "San Diego" where we were to conduct Western Pacific pre-deployment work up exercises, including torpedo firings, mine laying and periscope photography. These exercises would be observed by the Division Commander, who would then attest that Diodon was ready to deploy. Right away we had a torpedo problem. We couldn’t hit anything. We didn’t know whether it was the fire control system or lack of skill. But the Division Commander was concerned and, as the torpedo and gunnery officer, I was the focal point of all this high level interest. The Division Commander’s decision was that we were ready in all other respects, and he would come out to Pearl Harbor XE "Pearl Harbor" and look at us again before we departed for Yokosuka XE "Yokosuka, Japan" , Japan.I checked out of the Sonar School, put all my clothes in the trunk of the car and then left my car with my Naval Academy roommate and his wife, Rupert and Betty Lou XE "Brooke, Betty Lou" Brooke XE "Brooke, Rupert" , who were living in Coronado.We got underway in October and undertook something that had been done only by one other submarine, that is, to snorkel from San Diego XE "San Diego" to Pearl Harbor XE "Pearl Harbor" . This was not a period I enjoyed. The maximum speed of advance was no more than nine knots, so it takes a long time to travel from San Diego to Pearl. Also, your principal challenge when you are snorkeling is to keep the snorkel head valve positioned in the water so that it cycles periodically, that is, when a wave goes over it the wave shorts out an electrode and closes the valve. To do this, you had to maintain depth control within a fairly narrow band. If the seas were rough, or if the seas were coming from astern (which would tend to pick up your stern and cause the submarine to go deep), you fought depth control continuously. A four hour watch as a diving officer was very exhausting. But we did it. The engines held up, which was always a question because snorkeling put high stress on them, running as they did under a good deal of back pressure. We surfaced about six or seven hours out of Pearl. Dave Green XE "Green, David" said in the patrol report (which he as the Exec was keeping), “We surfaced to witness the carnage which has been wrought by this evolution.” Indeed, parts of the superstructure were missing and other sections were dented and ripped asunder. We simply proved that the submarine was not constructed to withstand buffeting by the sea on a long snorkel transit.We arrived at Pearl Harbor XE "Pearl Harbor" and were met by the Division Commander. We went to sea for a couple of days and succeeded in firing torpedoes to his satisfaction. We also conducted an exercise to plant mines which impressed him. We declared Diodon XE "Diodon, USS" ready to go. We then left Pearl for Yokosuka XE "Yokosuka, Japan" , Japan.Our general procedure in transiting the Pacific would be to make the best time we could (on the surface, that is), diving only at first light and then at dusk to check the ship’s trim. This was to be sure that the ship would be as near as possible to a condition of neutral buoyancy at one-third speed, in case it was necessary to dive unexpectedly.Our stay in Yokosuka XE "Yokosuka, Japan" was a busy time for me. One of our torpedoes was out of commission. It was an electric torpedo, one of the very first ones that we had carried. Its battery was dead. This was a particular issue for me because one of the things that you would be held accountable for was the condition of your torpedoes when you returned to the United States. Also, we were going on patrol and we wanted to have all the torpedoes ready.In order to fix the electric torpedo that was out of commission, I went over to the Japanese shipyard in Yokosuka XE "Yokosuka, Japan" , a large facility with many dirt-floored, unheated buildings, and located a Japanese gentleman whose English was very broken but who had been recommended by the shipyard as an expert in batteries. My torpedomen wrestled the faulty torpedo off the boat. It was Thanksgiving, raining and cold. But the torpedomen and I got it to the Japanese gentleman’s shop, and he said he would work on it. He got it back together, and the battery did work. I don’t know if the torpedo would have worked--probably not. I recall specifically that, when we got back to San Diego XE "San Diego" , the tender off loaded our torpedoes and rendered a detailed report on each one. With respect to this torpedo, the report stated that they had never seen anything like it--words like, “What is this? What sort of unauthorized alteration took place on this torpedo? Who did it? etc., etc.” Grant Palmer XE "Palmer, Grant" wasn’t pleased and, of course, I wasn’t pleased. But at the time it had seemed like a good idea.With our deployment preparations completed, we left in early December 1950 for what was to be the first of several 30-day long Korean War patrols. We went north and then west through Tsugaru Straits XE "Tsugaru Straits" , which separate Honshu XE "Honshu, Japan" and Hokkaido XE "Hokkaido, Japan" , remaining undetected, which was tricky with the amount of shipping and the strong currents which flow through that strait. We made a short stop at a small fishing village near Otaru XE "Otaru, Japan" in Hokkaido XE "Hokkaido, Japan" in order to rendezvous with the submarine coming off station. Thence we proceeded to the LaPerouse Straits XE "LaPerouse Straits" , which connect the North Pacific and the Sea of Japan and through which shipping proceeds to North Korean as well as to Russian ports.Our mission in the three weeks when we were on station was to identify and take pictures of transiting merchantmen. This meant remaining submerged during the day, detecting the smoke or the visuals of the ships that were approaching, coming in close and taking pictures through the periscope. At night we would surface, pulling off the shipping routes while charging batteries. It was long and exhausting work (and very boring). We were glad to see it come to an end.Our real excitement began as we proceeded to Yokosuka XE "Yokosuka, Japan" when we encountered a typhoon in the Sea of Japan. Early on it swept away one of our sonar transducers on the main deck. This meant we couldn’t submerge to get out of the storm because the submarine was no longer watertight. The radar scope was filled with sea return and was useless. The periscope was fogged over by salt spray. All you could do was keep an officer of the deck and one lookout on the bridge, lashed to the superstructure with the conning tower hatch closed. Getting up and down without going over the side or flooding the conning tower when the hatch was open was very, very hard indeed. But we put the seas, which were mountainous, on our quarter, maintained steerage way and hung on. Although we were effectively blinded by the salt spray, we had some chance of seeing a ship before it could run us over. We managed two hour watches on the bridge, with the Executive Officer joining in. The only protection we had were some rubber immersion suits which were then under development and rubber boots. We found that they were a very effective funnel for getting water to run down our necks all the way to our toes; we were thoroughly soaked the first seconds we were on the bridge. It was a long couple of days until it got calm enough to set course for Yokosuka XE "Yokosuka, Japan" .In early February 1951, one evening in port in Yokosuka XE "Yokosuka, Japan" , Swede Tollefson XE "Tollefson, Swede" (who was then the engineer, having switched jobs with Bill Masek XE "Masek, Bill" ) came forward from the engineering spaces, where a battery charge was in progress. He reported that one of the four diesel engines had made an unusual noise and had been shut down. The enginemen in the course of the next several hours cleared the piping interference away enough to visually inspect the shaft that connected the diesel engine to its associated generator. They found a large crack. They then, over the course of the next several days, inspected the other three engines and found yet another crack on a second engine. Being so far from home, this was a serious matter because it was beyond the capability, at that time, of the Yokosuka XE "Yokosuka, Japan" repair facility to do anything about, so we were ordered to proceed to Hunters Point Naval Shipyard XE "Hunters Point Naval Shipyard" in San Francisco for repairs, not being at all sure whether we could make it. (If we could make it to Pearl Harbor XE "Pearl Harbor" , we could get our repairs there, of course.) Repairs would be time consuming and difficult because the engine and associated generators would have to be removed from the ship.CHAPTER 13Ruth Joins the NavyIn late February of 1951, we arrived in Hunters Point XE "Hunters Point Naval Shipyard" for three months of restricted availability. This engine problem was, in hindsight, fortuitous for without it I would have never met Ruth, as I did in late March.With Hunters Point being convenient to San Francisco, Marge Masek XE "Masek, Bill" , Bill’s wife, had gotten a part time job at the I. Magnin Department Store in Union Square, San Francisco. Ruth was her superior, having come to San Francisco from New York, where she had been designing children’s clothes. She came to help her sister, Charlotte, when her second child, Jackie, was born. After helping Charlotte, Ruth had decided to stay on for a while longer. Marge said to Ruth that she knew a couple of bachelors in Diodon XE "Diodon, USS" , one from New York and one from Kansas City, and she was sure they would like to meet her. Ruth said fine, hoping, as she later said, it would be the bachelor from New York. Fortunately for me, it was I who drove into San Francisco in the late afternoon, went into the store where Marge introduced us and I made a date to pick Ruth up when the store closed. Our first date was dinner at Vanessy’s on Van Ness Avenue in San Francisco. Our second date was particularly memorable--a ship’s party at an Italian American club in the Italian enclave of San Francisco. I was designated as the officer in charge. In this capacity, I had to deal with the club’s President, who looked like a Mafia don. To make a long story short, the crew proceeded to dismantle the place--even wrenching the urinals from the wall and putting them in the street. The Don was unhappy--or it sounded like he was as he shouted at me in Italian. The Captain was unhappy, and I had no difficulty in understanding him. The moral--avoid being officer in charge of a ship’s party.Notwithstanding Ruth’s introduction to the “Real Navy,” when I proposed shortly thereafter (in my red Plymouth parked at Coit Tower), she said yes, and we were married five weeks later in Grace Cathedral on Nob Hill. My Naval Academy roommate, Rupert Brooke XE "Brooke, Rupert" , came up from San Diego XE "San Diego" to be my best man. Ruth’s mother came from the east coast. Ruth’s sister and brother-in-law and the Diodon XE "Diodon, USS" wardroom were in attendance. We spent our first night at a lovely hotel in Berkley and the next day moved into a Quonset hut at Hunters Point, where the other families who were there from San Diego were similarly situated. I was attending a short course of some sort at Treasure Island, so I was free of usual shipboard duty assignments, and I enjoyed these initial couple of weeks greatly. I knew Ruth was a talented cook, but her meals were unsurpassed for both quality and quantity, as they have been ever since.It was time then for Diodon XE "Diodon, USS" to return to San Diego XE "San Diego" , so Ruth and I packed our meager belongs into the red Plymouth and I drove to Coronado, where she was to stay with Rupert Brooke XE "Brooke, Rupert" and his wife until she could find some place for us to live. I flew back to San Francisco.Ruth HubbardCHAPTER 14Qualification in Submarines and Two “Navy Juniors” ArriveIn September of 1951, I finally completed all requirements for qualification in submarines: the notebook, the practical factors, the in port examinations by two Commanding Officers other than your own ship’s captain and the underway review and torpedo shooting witnessed by the Division Commander. It was traditional, and remains traditional to this day, that the Commanding Officer presents you with your first set of dolphins. Grant Palmer XE "Palmer, Grant" , who was the Commanding Officer of Diodon XE "Diodon, USS" at this time, decided that he would do this in a rather unique way, during a dependents’ cruise. I had the duty the night before, but one of my friends in the wardroom, George Vosatka XE "Vosatka, George" , contacted Ruth in some fashion or other, since we had no telephone. Ruth came aboard Diodon fortified with a Dramamine pill. Despite this she felt queasy as we stood out of San Diego XE "San Diego" harbor and turned into my bunk.When Diodon XE "Diodon, USS" arrived in her assigned area and submerged to 100 feet, Ruth felt fine and, standing in the control room by the depth gauge, she pinned on my dolphins. She got everything right except when Grant Palmer XE "Palmer, Grant" suggested that a kiss would be appropriate. She made it apparent that she didn’t think so, which provoked some laughter at the time and some ribbing thereafter. But it was a memorable occasion, kiss or no kiss.It was customary upon qualifying in submarines for officers to buy a box of cigars to pass out to the crew. I brought the remainder home and some weeks later noticed that they seemed to be disappearing. You guessed it--I discovered Ruth to be a closet cigar smoker!The real highlight of 1952 was our first child’s birth. I was lucky to have been on hand because Diodon XE "Diodon, USS" was again at Mare Island Naval Shipyard XE "Mare Island Naval Shipyard" with restricted availability while undergoing repairs. Being now the engineering officer, I was deeply involved in the shipyard’s efforts. Dave Green XE "Green, David" , the Executive Officer, said he just didn’t see how I could be spared. But one morning Grant Palmer XE "Palmer, Grant" was on board (all of the officers and men had moved off the ship because of the scope of the repair work). He asked about Ruth and, when I told him that she was about to give birth, he said, “Go on down to San Diego XE "San Diego" .” It was fortunate indeed because Ruth’s mother, who was there to help, didn’t drive, and when Ruth went into labor, I got her into the car and drove to Balboa Hospital, with the baby starting to come just as we passed the corner of Harbor Drive by the Coast Guard Station. When we reached the hospital, I carried Ruth in from the parking lot and the baby arrived more or less in the elevator.This period, which was marked by my commuting between Mare Island and San Diego XE "San Diego" (I flew back and forth by air from San Francisco) whenever I had a free weekend, ended in May of 1952 when we returned to San Diego. Ruth, as was so often the case, was still largely on her own as Diodon XE "Diodon, USS" then started to operate on a Monday through Friday basis out of San Diego, supplying as it was called, “ping time” to destroyers and receiving torpedo target services in return.We had no telephone. They were in short supply in San Diego XE "San Diego" , and you had to get on a waiting list. This made it difficult for me to get back and forth. I would use the bus, and I can still feel the weariness after a long week at sea trudging up the steep, steep hill to our Concord Street house late on Fridays and then having to be sure to catch the first bus at six o’clock on Monday morning in order to return to Diodon XE "Diodon, USS" by water taxi.Living in San Diego XE "San Diego" was a good time, though. The view from the house was spectacular. Frank, our first child, was a joy considering our lack of experience in parenting, and we enjoyed developing a friendship with George Vosatka XE "Vosatka, George" , who was another one of the officers assigned to Diodon XE "Diodon, USS" , and his wife, Fran. George was a practical joker with some refinement and grace. I always tried to outdo him, like the time I advertised his car for sale in the Sunday San Diego Union. He threatened legal action, and I never discounted that he might find some way to bring me to account.Shortly after Frank’s arrival, I was assigned to serve as Diodon XE "Diodon, USS" ’s communications officer. This was a job we all sought to avoid, involving as it did the custodianship of the ship’s registered publications. These were the codebooks and the multitude of classified publications held by the ship, every page of which you were accountable. These publications were in the continual process of being changed--individual page by individual page. And pages that were replaced had to be burned in the presence of a witnessing officer.It was surprisingly easy despite every care to burn the wrong page, even with the burning having to be witnessed by another officer. Probably more careers were blemished by letters of admonition or caution because of errors in handling registered publications than by any other cause across the years.The closest I came was when, as a witnessing officer for Bo Coppedge XE "Coppedge, Bo" , who relieved me as communications officer, we burned a “wrong page.” We knew that this page changed frequently and, if we waited long enough, it would be replaced. The problem was what to do in the meantime if we didn’t tell the Commanding Officer. Bo tried everything to get the issuing office of the registered publication to understand his plight, but to no avail. Finally, we went to another submarine, sat down and laboriously copied the page longhand, inserting it in the proper place in Diodon XE "Diodon, USS" ’s book. As long as he was not relieved as communications officer, which required a page check of all Diodon’s publications, and there must have been 50 or 60, we were okay. As it turned out, the “new page” arrived just before this transpired. But it was a close call.I recall another example of the problems associated with being the communications officer. We had a huge secret publication which described the maintenance procedures for a new torpedo. The torpedomen needed it frequently, but had no place to securely store it--which meant every time they needed it, I had to count the pages when they checked it out, and then at the end of the day, when they returned it, I had to recount all the pages. It wasn’t just simple straightforward counting either. For example, perhaps page two would be change one, page three would be change two, and so forth. It was easy to make a mistake. In addition, it was in loose-leaf form to further complicate the situation. The torpedomen and I solved the situation by agreeing that we would just maintain the new torpedo without the book. This certainly made things much simpler for us, but I suspect the condition of the torpedo suffered.I disliked being the communications officer. Indeed, I disliked it enough that I resolved to have the best communications department in the squadron “just to show them.” On the next administrative inspection, Diodon XE "Diodon, USS" received an outstanding grade for its communications proficiency, and I shortly thereafter received orders transferring me to the squadron staff based on the tender as, you guessed it, the squadron communications officer.This situation in December of 1952 caused me to look for an escape. I had long been attracted to the notion of post-graduate education, not necessarily for the learning, but for the break from sea duty. Specifically, personnel administration caught my eye. It sounded easy and, most importantly, it was at Stanford. Although everyone wanted this, I knew my record was good enough to have a good chance. (My Naval Academy classmate, Jim Wilson XE "Wilson, James B." , who was then assigned to BuPers XE "BuPers or Bureau of Naval Personnel" and had access to all the records, said I was number one in my group of submarine officers at that time.) I applied and was accepted and could hardly wait to go. However, just before the orders were issued, Congress cut back on the Navy’s post-graduate training programs and specifically said that moneys which were there for personnel administration at Stanford were to be used instead to start a new course in comptrollership at George Washington University XE "George Washington University" in Washington, D.C. The assistant submarine detail officer, Buzz Besac XE "Besac, Buzz" , called and asked me if I wanted to go to G.W. instead of Stanford, advising me that he thought it would be a very big mistake. I later learned that I was probably on track to relieve him as the junior submarine officer detailer, the most prestigious assignment available to a submariner. But I didn’t know this, and I was anxious to leave communications responsibilities behind. So I said I’d take comptrollership course, and in July of 1953 I was detached and ordered to report to Washington, D.C. and George Washington University.The highlight of 1953 was the birth of our second child, Christine, on the 23rd of April. She simply was a great baby. Ruth and I had learned from experience, you might say, and we had a girl to boot, as we both wanted. So now we had two small children, a dog, a cat and orders to report to Washington, D.C. We decided to drive. I purchased a new Ford station wagon, sent Ruth and the children to her sister’s house in Zamora, California, and then, after the movers had come, went on a long overnight drive to meet up with them. This was the start of a cross country trek, one that I am sure Ruth and I never wish to repeat. Life in San DiegoPART III 1953-1956FIRST SHORE DUTYCHAPTER 15The Cross Country Trek and Graduate SchoolIt is difficult for me today to capture in words the experience of our cross country adventure. But my feelings are still very deep and poignant. The heat, the lack of sleep, the perspiration drenched yet uncomplaining baby Chrissie, her loudly complaining older brother Frank (despite liberal doses of phenobarbital), an un-airconditioned car, sleazy motels and the endless miles over roads bearing little resemblance to today’s interstate highways. As might be surmised, we were not traveling light. As a matter of fact, a crib was strapped on top of the car. So when we were arrived in Washington, D.C., it was discouraging that we had to go to three different hotels before we found one that was acceptable: there was the unbelievable filth of the Francis Scott Key Hotel, the oppressive heat of the Connecticut Avenue Hotel and the blessed relief of the Hilton Hotel, because it was air-conditioned.It was about six o’clock in the evening when we finally arrived at the Hilton, and while I was unloading the car for the third time that day, Ruth ordered room service: roast beef and cold beer for me. Even though the meat was cold and the beer somewhat warm when I arrived, it was the highlight of the trip. Ruth had, in the ungrammatical parlance of the Navy, “Done Good.” In fact, if there can be said to have been a hero through all of this, it was Ruth. She demonstrated her qualities of unflinching fortitude, independence, good humor and great resourcefulness, qualities which indeed were essential to her great success as a Navy wife. It is often said that if the Navy would have wanted you to have a wife, they would have issued you one. I would simply add that, had the Navy so done, the model would have been, without doubt or reservation, Ruth.You have only to look today to the east on Shirley Highway as you go over the railroad tracks just north of the Arlandria neighborhood of Alexandria, Virginia to see 2641 South Four Mile Run Drive, a depressing view to say the least. But the yard was fenced for the dog and there were, as it turned out, fine neighbors, one the executive assistant to Congressman Fred Marshall from Minnesota and the other a cab driver with a waitress wife. But most of all we were attracted to the house because we were tired. Ruth, as is her trademark, fixed it up in no time and it was very comfortable, albeit small.Another submariner assigned to the GW course, Hank Wilson XE "Wilson, Henry \"Hank\"" , out of the class of ‘46, lived several blocks away, so we were able to car pool to George Washington University XE "George Washington University" , which helped, too.As for the course itself, it was restful, almost somnolent. The twenty of so officers, all of whom were senior to me and generally unprepossessing, were not integrated into the student body, but the professors came to us. The academics were undemanding except for the thesis requirement, and the relaxed hours were great.At GW, there was an emphasis on getting to know the Congressional process, which I took advantage of and enjoyed. However, there was the ever-present specter that somehow I had gotten off the track. Comptrollership was a new concept to the Navy and was viewed, correctly, as a field marked by budgets, fiscal accounting and the like. This is a specialty that no self-respecting, unrestricted line officer would ever be involved with. Rather, it was a field for supply officers. Thus, subsequent assignments in comptrollership would undoubtedly be viewed adversely by the line officer community. Like my old Astoria Exec, Jack Lewis XE "Lewis, Jack" , put it to me when I asked for his advice, “It would be like a doctor taking up nursing.” So I was concerned, but not so much that I didn’t have a relaxing and enjoyable year.CHAPTER 16BuPersWhen my year at GW came to an end, my worst fears were realized when I received orders to report to the Shore Establishment Division of the Bureau of Naval Personnel at Arlington Annex, which was located next to the Arlington National Cemetery. While BuPers XE "BuPers or Bureau of Naval Personnel" was a sought after assignment, because the officers were specially selected and were involved in the detailing of other officers, I was not going to be involved in that field, but would be working in the more mundane areas of finance and real estate.Shortly after I received my orders, I went to BuPers XE "BuPers or Bureau of Naval Personnel" on a Saturday to call on my old Diodon XE "Diodon, USS" skipper, Grant Palmer XE "Palmer, Grant" , who was then in the “good part” of BuPers XE "BuPers or Bureau of Naval Personnel" . He said he would try to fix things up for me. Grant tried to get my orders changed in order to work for him. He tried, but failed. I had gotten my master’s degree in business administration, now it was “payback time.”So I reported to the Shore Establishment Division with concern and trepidation. My boss was to be Gene Rider XE "Rider, Eugene" , a senior captain out of the Naval Academy Class of ‘34. He was a highly decorated destroyer commander, who I thought would likely harbor the normal surface ship officers’ prejudices against submariners--that is, undeserved sub pay, too highly decorated, too many prima donnas. His principal section head was Sam White XE "White, Sam" , an irascible, opinionated, civil engineering captain, but one who was highly skilled at politics and letter writing. My immediate boss was to be a WAVE officer--horror of horrors (a WAVE refers to a woman who joined the Navy during World War II as part of the women’s branch of the United States Naval Reserve, who were known by the acronym for “Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service”). I was to be in charge of trying to manage the buildings and equipment under the cognizance of the Chief of Naval Personnel. I thought this was probably the end of my naval career. When my contemporaries expressed envy at my BuPers XE "BuPers or Bureau of Naval Personnel" assignment, I confess that I did little to disabuse them of their assumption that I was in the detailing business rather than acting as a looked down upon supply officer dealing with the mundane.How wrong I was. BuPers XE "BuPers or Bureau of Naval Personnel" proved to be a pivotal assignment. Gene Rider XE "Rider, Eugene" was a great boss who took me under his wing. It didn’t hurt that his second wife was the widow of a World War II submarine captain who went down with his ship. Sam White XE "White, Sam" , the Exec, was an extraordinary talented individual, as I indicated, and taught me much. The WAVE Lieutenant, Carol Comstock XE "Comstock, Carol" , was just first rate. She had forgotten more about my duties than I would ever learn. I soon became involved in all sorts of special projects from family housing needs to carrying out a program to get the Navy out of businesses that were in competition with civilian enterprises, like greenhouses and the Naval Academy dairy. But two assignments really established my presence. The Bureau division chiefs like Gene Rider XE "Rider, Eugene" had a weekly staff meeting with the Chief of Naval Personnel, then the legendary Vice Admiral Jimmy Holloway XE "Holloway, James Jr." . As a part of the weekly meeting, there was a period when one of the division chiefs would be asked to make a presentation on one of his programs. When Gene’s turn was due to come up, I suppose he looked around the office to see if he had someone who could make a presentation that would not embarrass him. I should say that Gene XE "Rider, Eugene" was not an adept speaker and was surpassed in this regard only by his principal section head, Sam White XE "White, Sam" . But, for whatever reason, Gene turned to me and said, “Why don’t you put together something on the Navy’s family housing situation?” an area under Gene’s cognizance. I gulped and said, “Yes, sir.”The housing situation at that time was inordinately complex, with a plethora of legislative programs and executive decisions affecting these programs. I certainly didn’t know anything about it and, as a matter of fact, cared even less. But I quickly found people in the Bureau of Yards and Docks XE "Bureau of Yards and Docks" who were experts, and I learned as much as I could in the time available. I drafted Ruth to prepare a complicated chart, she being very much pregnant with our third child, Charles, at the time. To make a long story short, I hit a home run.How could this happen? First, Ruth’s chart was really first rate. I set the stage for it by explaining to the Chief of Naval Personnel and the senior division members that the artist was my somewhat pregnant wife. Second, realizing that I was far from an expert on the subject, I talked without script or notes. In this way I apparently appeared to be an oracle, because, as I later realized, the audience knew even less than I.The circumstances of the second assignment were similar. It involved a presentation on civil engineering matters before an Assistant Secretary of Defense, an assignment that should have been the province of the civil engineering captain, Tom White XE "White, Thomas" , until, after a number of rehearsals, replete with slides that were excellent, Gene Rider XE "Rider, Eugene" decided that Tom just couldn’t do it. So Gene again, on a Friday, turned to me and said, “Be ready on Wednesday.” The subject matter was entirely foreign to me. I thought there was simply no way that I could do it. But in the traditional Navy way, I said, “Yes, sir.” I spent most of the weekend working on it, including while Ruth and the children were swimming on Sunday at the Fort Myer pool. I went over and over Tom White XE "White, Thomas" ’s script and slides, feeling far from ready even though I intended to read the script.Arriving at the office on Monday, I was informed that the presentation had been rescheduled from Wednesday to ten o’clock that morning. I didn’t know what to do, to use the old Navy expression, whether to “Shit or draw small stores” [i.e., go to the bathroom or put on new underwear]. Gene Rider XE "Rider, Eugene" and I, accompanied by the Chief of Naval Personnel, went to the Assistant Secretary’s office in the Pentagon--a rarified setting for a young Lieutenant. We set up the slides and, after a short introduction by Gene, I stepped forward. I started to read the script but, after a paragraph or so, I could sense that I had lost my audience. So I put it aside, stepped out from behind the lectern and, as Gene said later, started to pace to and fro delivering the presentation extemporaneously. How, I don’t know. But the Assistant Secretary said later to the Chief of Naval Personnel, “Who was that young Lieutenant who set the audience on its ear?” I often thought the impression was not dissimilar to the old story of the singing dog. It was not so much the song, as the fact that the dog could sing at all. A Lieutenant submariner talking about civil engineering matters and complexities; indeed, I was a singing dog.On a personal side, the BuPers XE "BuPers or Bureau of Naval Personnel" tour was a very pleasant one. Our new house, 2018 15th Street North, was a vast improvement over Four Mile Run Drive and it was convenient to Arlington Annex. We became interested in the Civil War, particularly the Custis Lee Mansion, Robert E. Lee’s home, Arlington National Cemetery and the various battlefields in Virginia.The highlight was the birth of our third child, Charles. Knowing the speed with which Ruth proceeded in this regard, I had carefully mapped out a route to Bethesda Naval Hospital. Everything went smoothly. It was exciting. When I returned to the office after Charles’ birth, I walked in to Gene Rider XE "Rider, Eugene" ’s office, held out my hand and said, “Congratulations.” It broke him up.As my BuPers XE "BuPers or Bureau of Naval Personnel" tour drew to a close, I was concerned that I was a year or so behind my contemporaries in sea experience due to the PG course and subsequent BuPers XE "BuPers or Bureau of Naval Personnel" tour. But Gene Rider XE "Rider, Eugene" ’s fitness reports and his personal lobbying resulted in an assignment far beyond my expectations: Executive Officer of a new submarine then under construction, Darter XE "Darter, USS" . It was even better because Darter was under construction at the Electric Boat XE "Electric Boat Company" Company XE "Electric Boat Company" in Groton, Connecticut. This meant that Ruth could go back to her roots, her forbearers being whalers out of Mystic, Connecticut.Where to live would be the challenge. Ruth and I made a short trip to New London to find something while her mother watched the children. We failed. The housing situation looked dismal. So we put our name on the waiting list for the few sets of transient quarters which were then available on the Submarine Base XE "New London Submarine Base" and which were next door to the Admirals Quarters. Despite being warned by the lady in charge, a hard-bitten submarine widow by the name of Mrs. Hollingsworth, that it would take some time to get in, we put the furniture in storage and departed for New London. After all, what could be worse than our cross country experience? It wasn’t, but only because the cross country experience set such a low standard that it was impossible not to surpass it. Ruth and the children moved into an apartment in Jamestown, Virginia where her sister-in-law was living (Ruth’s brother was then posted overseas as a Marine officer in Okinawa), while we waited for the temporary quarters on the Submarine Base XE "New London Submarine Base" . After a short time in temporary quarters on the Submarine Base XE "New London Submarine Base" , we purchased of our first home. The purchase was a rather frightening experience, since the house’s price of $17,500 seemed to us at the time like an insurmountable obligation to undertake. Ruth with Frank IIIFrank and Ruth with Children and Frank’s Parents PART IV 1956-1958NEW CONSTRUCTIONCHAPTER 17Darter (SS576)Commissioning a diesel submarine like Darter XE "Darter, USS" was tough. Darter was to be the first of a new class of submarines. (It later turned out she was the last diesel submarine to be built by the Navy.) Being the first ship in a class meant there was no previous ship you could turn to that had done this before. Problems were compounded by the fact that, while the officers were carefully selected by the Chief of Naval Personnel (and this was considered to be a career enhancing assignment), the crew was somewhat below average, being assembled from other operating submarines in response to levies. This meant that if a ship was required to send someone to a new commissioning crew, they certainly were not going to send one of their best people. You started, then, with no ship’s organizational manual, equipment procedures, or emergency procedures, absolutely nothing. The paperwork requirements were overwhelming. Once you put all of this together, you had a crew to train, a crew that was already heavily engaged in overseeing the shipyard’s efforts or were in special schools learning the new equipment. It was arduous, but in the case of Darter, it had its bright side in living so close to the Electric Boat Company XE "Electric Boat Company" in Groton, Connecticut.In Groton, we bought our first house. Yes, the basement was for much of the year a swimming pool and the Pfizer Pharmaceutical Plant, when the wind was right, enveloped us in a strange odor, which we rationalized was healthy. But it was ours (or rather the bank’s).We became close friends with our neighbors, Jim and Donna Allen XE "Allen, James and Donna" . Jim was a year senior to me and already an Executive Officer--a very interesting guy. The first thing that struck me about him was that when his submarine deployed to the Caribbean for winter exercises and it was possible to bring back duty free liquor, while most of his crew brought back expensive brandies and cordials, Jim brought back three or four cases of Old Grand Dad whiskey. I discovered this one afternoon early in our friendship when I was trying to paint our house.Our house at Five Round Hill Road was in deplorable shape in the sense of paint. It already had many layers, which had peeled down in several places to the bare wood. Rather than remove the paint, which was beyond my capability, I bought a ladder and put yet another coat on top of this very rough surface. It looked awful, and Ruth and I were discouraged. The Allens XE "Allen, James and Donna" asked us over for a drink, after which Ruth said she would make a Mexican dinner for everyone. (This was a specialty because that was always my first dinner that Ruth would cook when I came home from sea.)It was at this time that we discovered Jim’s Old Grand Dad. I got so “tired” that I went home and went to bed. After a couple of hours, I got up and continued painting. Ruth just got “tired,” not being accustomed to spirits. Needless to say, there was no Mexican dinner, a fact that Jim and Donna reminded us of for many years thereafter.Darter XE "Darter, USS" was commissioned on the 20th of October 1956. Our initial sea trials were a shambles. Nothing worked, particularly the evaporators and the new light-weight, experimental, high speed diesel engines. The engines, in particular, continued to plague us, culminating in us being towed home from Scotland.As a matter of fact, it was only through the efforts of a very capable engineering gang, led by Chief Petty Officer “Snuffy” Clark XE "Clark, Chief Petty Officer \"Snuffy\"" that we were able to survive as well as we did. He was a colorful chief petty officer: unshaven most of the time, slovenly in a filthy uniform, and always with a pinch of snuff in his mouth, dripping down the corners. He carried his own spittoon with him on board ship, but the problem was when the ship would roll and pitch, he was forever dropping it. Or worse yet, with the ocean motion, he would get sick when he would inadvertently swallow the snuff. I asked him once how his wife put up with this habit. He replied, “She chews, too.” But he was a mechanical wizard, so we hid him when we had visitors or captain’s inspection, and he did his best for us.When a ship is ready for delivery from the shipbuilder to the Navy, it must pass an inspection by the Navy’s Board of Inspection and Surveys. As a measure of Darter XE "Darter, USS" ’s problems, she became the first ship in the long history of the Electric Boat XE "Electric Boat Company" Company to fail this inspection. The failure was probably not EB XE "Electric Boat Company" ’s fault, in all fairness, but was due to the fact that the newly designed engines and other equipment had problems. It was an inauspicious start.Two things stand out as I look back on this construction phase. First, I was selected early for Lieutenant Commander. (Some three or four from my year group made it a year early.) This was a heady experience.Second, Pete Vogelberger XE "Vogelberger, Peter" reported aboard right out of Submarine School XE "Submarine School" . Pete and his wife, Inky XE "Vogelberger, Inky" , became two of our closest friends. Pete was a fine athlete at the Naval Academy and a scholar as well, an unusual combination. And he was a fine naval officer. I always regretted it when Pete resigned from the Navy. Inky XE "Vogelberger, Inky" was his high school football cheerleader/sweetheart and a delightful blithe spirit, to say the least. Many years later, she attended my change of command in New London, Connecticut, my first one as an Admiral, which meant I rated a 13-gun salute. After the ceremony, I asked her how she liked the pageantry. She said she was impressed most of all by the fact that, after the guns had fired the salute, I was still standing. Inky XE "Vogelberger, Inky" had a real propensity and ability to puncture pomposity wherever and whenever she found it.We carefully planned Darter XE "Darter, USS" ’s shakedown cruise, with ports of call in New Orleans XE "New Orleans, Louisiana" , St. Thomas XE "St. Thomas, Virgin Islands" (where we would operate with some other submarines that were deployed there for eight weeks over the winter) and Caracas, Venezuela XE "Caracas, Venezuela" . Getting to New Orleans XE "New Orleans, Louisiana" was quite a challenge—engine problems again. We were in the Gulf Stream and it was not uncommon to come on watch and find that we had actually gone backwards since the last watch. But with Snuffy Clark XE "Clark, Chief Petty Officer \"Snuffy\"" and his engine gang, we made it.The first night in New Orleans XE "New Orleans, Louisiana" , one of Snuffy’s enginemen had a bit too much to drink and “decked” a shore patrolman. This was a very serious offense, so I spent most of my time in New Orleans XE "New Orleans, Louisiana" trying to deal with this--that is, trying to get him back under Darter XE "Darter, USS" ’s jurisdiction rather than the jurisdiction of the commandant of the 8th Naval District.We left New Orleans XE "New Orleans, Louisiana" and our problems continued, causing us to be delayed in getting into Caracas XE "Caracas, Venezuela" . This proved embarrassing because we were scheduled to be met upon our arrival in Caracas by the president of Venezuela, Perez Jimenez XE "Jimenez, Perez" . (He was really a dictator.) Somehow or other, the notice of our late arrival did not get to the Naval Attaché in Caracas. He was angry, to say the least.We recovered, however, the next day when we embarked Perez Jimenez XE "Jimenez, Perez" for a trip to sea. He was in my charge as we got underway and ostensibly spoke no English. We started a tour through the submarine. We got to the air lock going into the engine room. This airlock had space for only two people. This meant he and I were alone, separated from his entourage, including his interpreter. It was to the uninitiated, like the President I am sure, a reasonably alarming situation--loud engine noises, and sharp changes in pressure as one door was shut and dogged before the other could be undogged and opened. In the midst of accomplishing this, hindered as I was by his rather rotund shape and the close quarters, he suddenly said in impeccable English, “Can I help?” So he was fluent in English, but this was but a momentary lapse. For the balance of his visit on board, all discussions were conducted through his interpreter.Because of Electric Boat XE "Electric Boat Company" ’s concerns about Darter XE "Darter, USS" ’s problems, EB XE "Electric Boat Company" assigned a guaranty engineer to board the ship in New Orleans XE "New Orleans, Louisiana" . Thus, I met Dave Cooper XE "Cooper, David" , who arrived just as we were leaving. Dave was a super shipmate, and he and his wife, Mary, became our fast friends across the years.We limped home from Venezuela. Again, the Electric Boat Company XE "Electric Boat Company" and the Bureau of Ships XE "Bureau of Ships" tried to come to grips with our problems. Over the next six months we spent the time either operating out of New London or at Electric Boat XE "Electric Boat Company" undergoing repairs.USS Darter: Sea Trials and Commissioning (above)lefttopLt. Frank D. McMullen, Pete Vogelberger and Darter’s Venezuelan Liaison Officer CHAPTER 18Qualified for CommandIt was during this period in 1957 that I began to reflect upon my future. Nautilus XE "Nautilus, USS" had been commissioned. Skate XE "Skate, USS" was tied up at the pier opposite Darter XE "Darter, USS" nearing completion. Seawolf XE "Seawolf, USS" was, with all of the difficulties caused by her novel sodium-cooled reactor, starting to operate. Obviously, nuclear power was the wave of the future. I had three or four contemporaries who were nuclear trained now and serving in these ships--Jack Nicholson XE "Nicholson, Jack" , Buster Cobean XE "Cobean, Warren \"Buster\"" , Chuck Carlisle XE "Carlisle, Charles \"Chuck\"" --and I was envious. You just didn’t apply for this training. You were screened by Rickover’s people, and then subjected to exams and interviews. All this occurred before attending nuclear power training at the prototype nuclear reactor located near the remote town of Arco, Idaho XE "Arco, Idaho" . These three classmates were obviously there because they stood within the top ten of my class, which was far better than my standing of 130 or so. I could understand that, but I still felt keenly that I wanted to remain on the first team. Also I had several classmates who now had their own submarine commands--Al Kiehl XE "Kiehl, Al" and Cal Dew XE "Dew, Carlos" , for example. I hadn’t as yet completed the qualification for command process because of my pre-commissioning duties on Darter and the fact that the process was lengthy and complex--a thesis, a practical examination in navigation and an underway period on another submarine where, under the gaze of your Division Commander you acted as the Commanding Officer of that submarine for a 24 hour period.As I indicated, with the pressure of commissioning Darter XE "Darter, USS" , there just had not been time for me to qualify for command. But as a result of these two factors, the fact that some of my classmates were already in nuclear power and the fact that several of my classmates were now actually in command, I had the feeling that maybe the train was leaving the station and I wasn’t going to get aboard. So I redoubled my efforts on something I could do something about--qualification for command. I took the navigation examination while Darter was visiting Bridgeport, Connecticut for Navy Day, which included riding with Darter’s Commanding Officer, Ralph Blaine XE "Blaine, Ralph" , in a parade led by then Senator Prescott Bush XE "Bush, Prescott" , President George H.W. Bush’s father. (Both Ralph and I agreed after our interaction with him that he was a pompous, supercilious snob, for what it is worth.)Back to the navigation exam. It was about ten hours in length and involved plotting out a long transit with many port calls and drafting the myriad of messages which are attendant thereto, like diving messages, surfacing messages, arrival reports, departure reports, unidentified sightings, and the list goes on. Its purpose was not only to demonstrate mastery of navigation techniques, but knowledge of operational requirements, doctrine and reports. I thought I would never finish it. So there came a time in the examination when I thought I had demonstrated my knowledge adequately. I departed from the examination script and drafted a message reporting that my submarine had sighted a periscope. Then I drafted a message, ostensibly from a passing aircraft, reporting oil and debris on the surface in the location of my last reported position. That is, a Russian submarine had conveniently sunk me. This terminated the exam, saving more than four hours.Well, Ralph Blaine XE "Blaine, Ralph" , my Commanding Officer, thought it hilarious. L. Patrick Gray XE "Gray, L. Patrick" (Commander Gray), my Division Commander, didn’t. So I had to repeat the exam. (I might mention here that I was fond of Pat Gray XE "Gray, L. Patrick" , who was later director of the FBI under President Nixon. He would ride Darter XE "Darter, USS" periodically and occupied the second bunk in my stateroom. He was a strict, capable, very opinionated naval officer. He became a lawyer after graduation from the Naval Academy through the post-graduate route. His famous doctrine delivered to me aboard Darter was that, “A gentleman is never unshaven after 0800.” One day, when I acknowledged one of his requests by responding, “Will do,” he brought me up short by saying, “Knock that off. That’s WAVE talk.” (As mentioned before, WAVES were the women’s branch of the U.S. Navy Reserve during World War II. The acronym stands for “Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service.”)Having had the foresight to complete my thesis while I was still with Gene Rider XE "Rider, Eugene" in BuPers XE "BuPers or Bureau of Naval Personnel" , I was now ready for the formal phase of my qualification for command. With regard to the thesis, it was lousy, I thought, but Pat Gray XE "Gray, L. Patrick" liked it. I don’t even remember the subject. It was based on some research or other that I had found in the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery library in Washington, D.C. It was so bad that I didn’t save a copy.The final part of the examination, my underway, was conducted in Hardhead XE "Hardhead, USS" , which I didn’t know at the time was to be my first command. It went very well and in the later part of July 1957 I was designated as qualified for command of submarines. It was now apparent, too, that more nuclear submarines were in the offing, so I harbored some optimism that I might be asked to report for a Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" interview. To show my “great interest” should this happen, I enrolled in a Navy correspondence course on atomic power, which I hoped would impress Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" . (It didn’t.)Darter Ship’s Party(Left to Right: Bob Miller, Dave Limroth, Frank, Bill Williams, Dick Page, Ralph Blaine and Spouses)Frank and RuthCHAPTER 19Scotland and the Royal NavyThe fall of 1957 saw Darter XE "Darter, USS" once again trying to stay at sea without resort to oars. We left for Scotland for an eight week NATO exercise and wonder of wonders managed to arrive in Rothesay XE "Rothesay, Scotland" , Scotland XE "Rothesay, Scotland" , where a vast armada of NATO surface ships and submarines were anchored.During the transit, the Division Commander was embarked--Enders P. Huey XE "Huey, Enders P." , a great guy, who arrived replete with about six boxes of evil smelling Rum Crook cigars which he stored in the submarine’s freezer. (Enders had been the first occupant of the house on Long Cove Road in Gales Ferry, Connecticut where we later lived and we also rented his house in Washington, D.C. when I went to Rickover’s course.) While on the subject of smoking, almost everyone did it, and it was permitted, except during emergencies or battle stations, when the “smoking lamp was out.” At other times, the atmosphere, particularly submerged, was generally so dense it was like living in a fog. As a matter of fact, the limiting control on the smoking of cigarettes or cigars was when the oxygen within the submarine became so depleted that it would support neither a match nor a cigarette/cigar.It was during our port visit to Rothesay XE "Rothesay, Scotland" , Scotland XE "Rothesay, Scotland" that I began what was to be a long and admiring association with the Royal Navy. One evening Darter XE "Darter, USS" ’s wardroom officers, together with several other wardrooms, were invited to a “dining-in” aboard the British submarine tender, which was anchored nearby. This was the first of many dining-ins across the years which I experienced and all of which were generally similar. But this first one was unique for its vigor.First, the dress was formal. Yet, when you arrived and looked at your British hosts, you were impressed at how shabby they appeared. This seemed odd because they were so meticulous in every other way. Later, however, we discovered the reason. After the traditional toast to the Queen and the President and the ritualized passing of the port with more and much less serious toasts, there was a pause. A British junior officer got up, asked for recognition from the Mess President (always the ship’s Exec), pushed back his chair, picked up a cream pie, walked to the President and implanted it on his face--gently, but effectively (ah ha, the reason for the scruffy formal attire). This was followed by a barrage of rolls and other objects flying in every direction.After a more than appropriate interval, the Mess President adjourned dinner for “games.” Several remain emblazoned on my memory. The first was a destroyer versus submarine exercise, with the destroyers being blindfolded British officers with cricket bats or broom handles in hand, and the submarines being several of their American guests on their hands and knees under the wardroom lounge rug. The drill was (and by now the participants were feeling no pain) for the destroyers to loudly sing out, “Ping,” simulating the destroyer sonar, to which the submarines when hearing this would respond again with “Ping.” This simulated the return sonar signal. Guided by this return signal, the destroyers would then make an approach and attack. When they judged themselves to be in position, they started dropping depth charges. These depth charges were simulated by swinging their cricket bats and broom handles at their American guests under the rugs on their hands and knees, trying to get away. Yes, it smarted.Another less boisterous but still dangerous game was to traverse the wardroom without touching the deck, emerge from a porthole, clamber some six feet up to the main deck above, cross the deck, climb back down to the porthole on the opposite side, get through it and re-cross the wardroom to the starting position, again without touching the wardroom deck. Winners and losers were determined by stopwatch.My favorite, though, was the field gun race. The British Army in the old days had a drill that required firing a field gun, then dismantling it, moving the parts forward, reassembling the gun, and again firing a shot. All this had to be accomplished in a set period of time. This evening the field gun as designated by our hosts was the upright piano, on which it was decided would be played, Britannia Rules the Waves, to simulate the firing of the gun, then disassembled and passed through the ventilation duct to the next adjacent compartment. All went well until, as we should have recognized, there were parts of a disassembled piano too large to pass through a two to three foot wide ventilation duct. This posed a small obstacle, which was solved with a fire axe. It did make reassembly a bit more difficult and playing impossible.This first dining-in was a memorable experience, the price of which, our British hosts pointed out, was really not too high--a sprained wrist and a broken leg experienced by their guests. I think this British propensity for vigorous “games” must have had its genesis when the empire was in full flower in places like India, where an admixture of booze and ample free time abounded. It tended to carry over into unusual settings and places. For example, many years later at a Hogmanay celebration hosted by the Duke of Argyll XE "Duke of Argyll" at his castle in Inveraray (this is the Scottish New Year’s Eve celebration in which the guests arrive the afternoon before and then stay over through New Year’s Day), the formally attired guests played a game after dinner of a sort that featured both the gentlemen and ladies leaping from the balcony of the castle’s library onto the sofas below. Extraordinary! CHAPTER 20ProblemsWhen the time arrived for Darter XE "Darter, USS" ’s participation in the NATO exercise, which was to be conducted in the Norwegian Sea, our spirits were high even if our uniforms were shabby. We got underway and made it as far as the Menches when again the engines failed. We limped back to Rothesay XE "Rothesay, Scotland" , where it was determined we would have to go back to New London for repairs. There was a small problem. It seemed doubtful that we could make it unaided. So a fleet tug was asked to proceed from the United States to Scotland to help us if needed and, indeed, we did need that help.While we were waiting for the tug, Ralph Blaine XE "Blaine, Ralph" and I had an opportunity to visit London, which we thoroughly enjoyed. It was during this visit that I acquired the George III silver candle-stick holders which Ruth and I have used across the years. It was during this time, too, that Ralph’s relief was ordered--Frank King XE "King, Frank" , one of my all-time favorite people. He was not to report for several months and, first, we had to get home. This proved to be tough.We were still in sight of land when we lost two of the three engines. Needing to maintain the third engine as long as possible in order to keep our battery charged, the tug took us under tow. A long, slow, rough trip under tow resulted, with frequent partings of the tow line in the heavy seas which we encountered. We used minimal power on board in order to preserve the battery. We had no fresh water; it was just cold, wet, and generally miserable. It was a happy night, indeed, when we cast off the tug abeam of the New London ledge light and, with just enough battery left, made it to the Electric Boat Company XE "Electric Boat Company" and moored. (The third engine had also failed.)Again Electric Boat XE "Electric Boat Company" and the Bureau of Ships XE "Bureau of Ships" tackled the engine problem. Shortly after the first of the year, Darter XE "Darter, USS"’s engines were modified again in some way, always with the hope they would prove to be reliable. (This problem was never really solved until sometime after my departure, when Darter was re-engined.)After our repairs, we set sail for St. Thomas XE "St. Thomas, Virgin Islands" in the Caribbean, where each winter New London based submarines would visit for several months in order to have better operating weather. St. Thomas XE "St. Thomas, Virgin Islands" then was not the over-crowded tourist mecca that it is today. Rather, it was a lovely, low-key tropical island. I had first visited St. Thomas XE "St. Thomas, Virgin Islands" in 1945 while on a midshipman cruise aboard USS Marblehead XE "Marblehead, USS" . It hadn’t changed much at all.In mid-January, Ralph Blaine XE "Blaine, Ralph" was relieved by Frank King XE "King, Frank" of the class of 1946. I did not know Frank, but he enjoyed a solid reputation in submarines and proved to be a fine Commanding Officer and close friend. Getting a new submarine like Darter XE "Darter, USS" as his first command, in fact, reflected his competence. However, I think somehow we--all of us in Darter--let Frank down, and I feel badly about that.One morning shortly after returning to New London, where we were a member of Squadron 10, Darter XE "Darter, USS" was moored alongside the tender, Fulton, at State Pier. Frank XE "King, Frank" , Pete Vogelberger XE "Vogelberger, Peter" and I were meeting in the wardroom with several representatives from the Bureau of Ships XE "Bureau of Ships" on our favorite subject, Darter’s unreliable engines. Suddenly the word came over the public address system, “Flooding in the Engine Room! Flooding in the Engine Room!” We rushed back and saw water rising slowly above the deck plates of the lower flat. Sometime within the past 24 hours engineers had replaced the zincs on the generator air coolers and had left the salt water valve open. This shouldn’t happen and, worse still, for some prolonged period of time it hadn’t been detected by the roving lower decks watch keeper, which indeed cast doubt on his performance of duty. It was a serious situation because the water had risen high enough to envelop the electrical windings of one of the generators, which meant another return to Electric Boat XE "Electric Boat Company" for replacement. All this hurt Frank’s career, I am sure. Feeling much responsibility for it, I felt badly.The generator was replaced, and again we started operating, with our first assignment being to take part in a joint U.S.-Canadian exercise in the North Atlantic, which was to include a port call at Halifax, Nova Scotia XE "Halifax, Nova Scotia" .CHAPTER 21Lightning StrikesThen lightning struck. I received dispatch orders to report to Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" for an interview on the 9th of May. It would be close, but Darter XE "Darter, USS" arrived in Halifax in time for me to barely reach Washington, D.C. in time on the night of the 8th of May. I checked into the Statler Hotel, the scene of our first day in Washington, D.C. some years before.The next morning I walked to Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman: Initial Interview" ’s headquarters on Constitution Avenue. I was excited and, as you might imagine, frightened. Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" interview stories had already reached the level of Navy folklore. Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s organization was housed on the second deck of an old World War I “temporary building” in back of Main Navy--worn linoleum, peeling paint, dim lights, broken down furnishings and spartan offices. It had all the ambience and charm of a rundown junkyard. Of course, this is exactly the statement Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" wanted to make.I reported in to a secretary, who was inside the door, and was directed to a conference room where there were several other officers waiting, I assumed for the same reason that I was there. One said that the interview was to be for the assignment as Officer in Charge of the Nuclear Training Reactor located in a small town northwest of New London, Windsor Locks, Connecticut. He knew a lot about this prototype, as well as details such as the organization of the Atomic Energy Commission and its complex relationship to Admiral Rickover’s Naval Reactors Branch XE "Naval Reactors Branch" , how many people were to man this prototype, how they did their business and things such as this. The other officers had been studying physics and calculus by way of review. I was impressed, but I was concerned at the same time that I didn’t possess similar knowledge or preparation.Periodically, someone would come to the door and call one of the other officers out. When he returned in approximately 30 minutes, he would be very subdued, saying simply that he had been with Captain Dunford XE "Dunford, James M." , Mr. Panoff XE "Panoff, Robert" or some other name that was unfamiliar to me.Sometime shortly after noon, each was called out individually a third time, and this time they did not return. I assumed that this meant that they had had their interview with Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman: Initial Interview" . I continued to sit there, alone now. An hour passed. Then a familiar face appeared at the door – my Naval Academy classmate and friend from San Diego XE "San Diego" , Jack Williams XE "Williams, Jack" . (He was in Pomodon XE "Pomodon, USS" when I served in Diodon XE "Diodon, USS" .)Jack, it turned out, worked for one of Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s assistants, Captain Jim Dunford XE "Dunford, James M." , out of the class of ‘39. Jack said, “We didn’t know you were here. We thought you were going to be a day late, coming in as you did from Halifax.” (Good old Frank King XE "King, Frank" had telephoned BuPers from Halifax, it turned out, to tell them I might not get there on time. This was always a mark of Frank, deep concern for and interest in others--even in instances such as this where I was getting an opportunity he sorely wanted but never achieved.)I’ll digress at this point to describe Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman: Initial Interview" ’s selection process, which I later became very familiar with when I was in his prospective Commanding Officer course preparatory to reporting to Abraham Lincoln XE "Abraham Lincoln, USS" . (I didn’t know this process at the time of my interview.) The process started at the Bureau of Naval Personnel where the submarine detail officer summarized the records of those officers with outstanding fitness reports who also stood high in their class at the Naval Academy or a civilian university, as the case may be, as well as at Submarine School XE "Submarine School" . In the case of a civilian university, the major was important--science or math was almost a requirement. Further, the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman: Initial Interview" had only certain universities he would consider (although these weren’t hard and fast rules, as I later learned). This data would then be sent to Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s office, where Captain Jim Dunford XE "Dunford, James M." would review it. Those officers fortunate enough to be selected would then be ordered to Washington for a series of interviews.On arrival, three senior members of the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s staff would each interview the candidate in depth and fill out a report sheet. After this, with their reports in hand, the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman: Initial Interview" would conduct his interview. The results could range from outright selection to being placed in a six-month study program to be followed by an examination in math and physics, or in outright rejection. Normally, there was no doubt about the latter as the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman: Initial Interview" vigorously tongue-lashed the officer as he shouted for him to “Get out of here!”All of this I didn’t know at the time. My first interview was with Captain Dunford XE "Dunford, James M." , one of Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman: Initial Interview" ’s earliest associates, a brilliant officer with a post-graduate degree from MIT in nuclear physics. (Dunford XE "Dunford, James M." handled personnel for the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" .)My second interview was with another early associate of Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman: Initial Interview" ’s, who managed his operation at the Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory XE "Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory" in Pittsburgh. His name was Captain Robert Laney XE "Laney, Robert" . The third interview was with one of his section heads, whose name I have forgotten.All of these interviews were deep and penetrating--on my career, what I really knew, for example, about Astoria XE “Astoria, USS” ’s engineering plant (no, I didn’t mention my lack of distinction), my study habits, what I would do in certain situations of stress and the like. None were personally demeaning or harsh, just straightforward in a no-nonsense and no pleasantries atmosphere.It was late in the afternoon on Saturday (as a matter of fact, the XE "Rickover, Hyman: Initial Interview" normally used Saturdays for his selection process so as not to impinge on the working week) when Jack Williams XE "Williams, Jack" came to take me to the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman: Initial Interview" . We walked down the dim corridor, entered an anteroom where several secretaries were working, and Jack introduced me to a WAVE Lieutenant by the name of Jane Zook XE "Zook, Jane" , who was the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s administrative officer. She opened the door to the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman: Initial Interview" ’s office and said to this diminutive, gray-haired man behind a beaten up, cluttered desk--a man I was later to know very well, to admire and even to love--”Admiral, Lieutenant Commander McMullen.”He replied in a quiet, ominous voice, “Sit down.” Lieutenant Zook XE "Zook, Jane" shut the door and seated herself off to one side. (I later learned that because of accusations of abuse and harassment from officers who had been rejected by Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman: Initial Interview" , he had adopted the practice of having a witness at his interviews. When I was in the PCO course, I served in this capacity on several occasions and had thereafter a much better understanding of his methods and objectives. But that was later.) His first words in a loud, strident voice were, “You think you’re pretty smart, don’t you?”Before I could reply, he XE "Rickover, Hyman: Initial Interview" went on, “Look at your Naval Academy record. Disgraceful! What the hell were you doing there? You didn’t try, did you? You ought to pay the government back. I don’t know why you’re here wasting my time.”His color XE "Rickover, Hyman: Initial Interview" rose as he leaned across the desk, glaring at me. “Well, what have you got to say?”I started to acknowledge that I could have done better at the Naval Academy, but before I could finish, he XE "Rickover, Hyman: Initial Interview" said, “I suppose you are going to give me the same excuse for Submarine School XE "Submarine School" .”I quickly said, “No, sir.” He XE "Rickover, Hyman: Initial Interview" shouted, “What?”I said, “No, sir. Submarine School XE "Submarine School" represents my best effort.” (I finished third out of about fifty officers.)This really triggered him. “What?” he XE "Rickover, Hyman: Initial Interview" said in a loud voice. “It’s disgraceful, too. You are just a ‘pretty boy’. You are lying to me. What did you do with those women at Connecticut College XE "Connecticut College" who obviously phoned a pretty boy like you for dates? What did you say when they called you for a date?” (As you can see, Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman: Initial Interview" ’s interview technique was more like a soliloquy in which the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" asked a question, answered it himself, all the while with escalating vigor and emotion.)I managed to acknowledge that I had dated women at Connecticut College XE "Connecticut College" , at which point he XE "Rickover, Hyman: Initial Interview" reached the apex of his anger and said, “See, you lied to me! You didn’t apply yourself at Submarine School XE "Submarine School" . You disgust me! Get out of here!”I did, of course. After picking up my orders and still in somewhat of a shell-shocked state, I decided to walk from Main Navy to the train station in order to go back to New London, a long walk. It is a walk that I still remember today because I felt I had failed miserably. I had not measured up. I had missed the mark.It was a long ride home, but Ruth, as always, was very understanding and supportive, as was Frank King XE "King, Frank" .My failure seemed to be confirmed a week later when I saw orders for one of the officers who was interviewing with me to report to the nuclear prototype at Windsor Locks. I didn’t hear a thing, however, about my situation. Finally Frank King XE "King, Frank" said, “Let me ask the Division Commander to call the Detail Officer and find out once and for all.” I agreed.Frank asked the Division Commander, Enders P. Huey XE "Huey, Enders P." , to call. He did and said that the Detail Officer had said that I had been accepted into the nuclear program, not for the Windsor Locks job, but as a prospective Commanding Officer or Executive Officer of a nuclear submarine, and that I could shortly expect orders to a diesel submarine command by way of preparation. I couldn’t believe it. Frank King XE "King, Frank" was as elated as I. (I later learned from experience that my interview with Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman: Initial Interview" was indeed a mild one, probably because I had impressed the three prior interviewers, and he was satisfied that I had given Submarine School XE "Submarine School" my best shot. What he asked always was that you do your best. The verbal histrionics were but window dressing to see how you handled stress and whether you would be truthful and stand by your guns. XE "Rickover, Hyman: Initial Interview" )PART V 1958-1959FIRST COMMANDCHAPTER 22Hardhead (SS365)On the 10th of June 1958, my orders arrived to take command of USS Hardhead XE "Hardhead, USS" . I was excited. There is something about the experience of your first submarine command that cannot be equaled.Hardhead XE "Hardhead, USS" had been commissioned in December of 1943 in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. She made six war patrols, sinking a light cruiser, two tankers, a cargo ship and five smaller ASW vessels. When I reported to her, she was a member of Submarine Squadron 10 berthed at State Pier, where she had been awarded the Battle Efficiency Pennant or the E for the best ship in Squadron 10 that year. By the time I was relieved, however, she would be a member of the Submarine Development Group Squadron at the submarine base.On the 21st of July, I relieved Jim Bellah XE "Bellah, James" , class of ‘46, as Hardhead XE "Hardhead, USS" ’s Commanding Officer at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, where Hardhead XE "Hardhead, USS" was just finishing an overhaul. My mother and father were there, as well as Ruth. This year in command was, looking back, the most satisfying and exciting as any year in my career, before or after. We had a variety of interesting operations which culminated in Hardhead XE "Hardhead, USS" winning of the Battle Efficiency Pennant, the E, in the Development Group. I had taken a fine ship and improved it, I thought, or at least sustained it. This was done under one of the Navy’s toughest officers, Ray Dubois XE "Dubois, Raymond" . His final fitness report on me was the finest he had ever given, he said (and it is pretty grand). He added in chatting with me that he personally and professionally knew the famous names in the submarine force at that time, Dennis XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" Wilkinson XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" , Bill Anderson XE "Anderson, William" and Dick Lanning XE "Lanning, Richard" , and that I was head and shoulders above all of them. (Not true, but I was flattered.)I have many memories of Hardhead XE "Hardhead, USS" , but much of the reason that we did well was because of the fine people I was privileged to serve with. Let me pause for a moment and talk about just a few.The Executive Officer was Wally Greene XE "Greene, Walter" : a superb leader, enthusiastic, imaginative and loyal. When he awakened the officers for some exercise, he always said, “Rise and shine with the Matson Line.” (The Matson Line was a steamship line, and this was its advertising jingle.)The Engineer was Horace XE "Levitt, Horace" Levitt, a brilliant and unique officer. He was a Navy junior, his father having been a chief petty officer. Horace XE "Levitt, Horace" had spent most of his early life abroad--in China and in the Philippines XE "Philippines" . He said it was hard to adjust to life in the United States. As a matter of fact, Horace XE "Levitt, Horace" probably never did fully adjust. He said, for example, that when his father was finally transferred to San Francisco when Horace XE "Levitt, Horace" was a teenager, he had trouble with situations like paying the price that was advertised for an article rather than bargaining. He still preferred and continued to bargain.My favorite Horace XE "Levitt, Horace" Levitt story was when, as a midshipman at the Naval Academy on Christmas leave, he decided to save money (Horace XE "Levitt, Horace" was very tight), by flying home to San Francisco by Navy Air. He was unable to get a flight, but in trying to get a flight out of the Naval Air Station in Annapolis, he found that everybody had to have a parachute. Well, Horace XE "Levitt, Horace" had never flown commercially before, but he reasoned that if the Navy required a parachute, commercial airlines must as well, and he could save money if he checked out a parachute to carry with him on his commercial flight. So he drew one, went to National Airport in Washington, D.C. in his dress uniform and carrying a parachute and, when he told the ticket agent where he wanted to go, he added, “I have my own parachute.”The ticket agent was nonplussed, which puzzled Horace XE "Levitt, Horace" , but he went ahead. He went to the departure gate and, being one of the last passengers to board, stopped, strapped on his parachute, walked out onto the tarmac, climbed the ladder to the plane and, being late, had to go well forward to find a seat, all the while engulfed by his parachute. He realized something was amiss--no one else had a parachute on, but nothing daunted Horace XE "Levitt, Horace" . He found a seat and got into it. The lady seated next to him after the plane was airborne said, “What’s that you are wearing?” Horace XE "Levitt, Horace" said, in a totally straight voice, “It’s a parachute,” like it was the most normal thing, or like “Where’s yours?” He said he removed it during the flight as unobtrusively as possible, but was Horace XE "Levitt, Horace" embarrassed? Not in the least. You couldn’t put Horace XE "Levitt, Horace" in a situation in which he couldn’t cope.One of Horace XE "Levitt, Horace" ’s many unusual abilities (which greatly benefited Hardhead XE "Hardhead, USS" ) was when, in reviewing some government publications, he discovered that up and down the East Coast there were periodic excess property distributions. Money was tight, so we were always looking for ways to get something for “free.” He got on the mailing list for these excess property distributions and, when he would see something we could use, he would get several of his enginemen, check out a vehicle from special services that was supposed to be used for recreational purposes and drive for miles, sometimes several days, to obtain it. Those things we couldn’t use, he would trade. None of this was exactly legal, but that didn’t deter Horace XE "Levitt, Horace" . It did worry me from time to time, though.Horace XE "Levitt, Horace" ’s approach to life was reflected in his personal side as well. Ever seeking the bargain, he found a house in Groton which he said he bought because it was a steal. It had only one problem: a front yard that measured 10 feet wide by 100 feet deep. It was located behind his neighbor’s trash cans (“curb appeal” it didn’t have).The navigator was Ollie Mollison XE "Mollison, Ollie" , a fine officer at sea. Ashore, he loved his gin. His delightful and understanding wife maintained that this presented no problem except on occasion when, in the middle of the night, he would awaken, not know where he was, and get up and relieve himself in the corner of the bedroom.The torpedo and gunnery officer was Dave Sirocco XE "Sirocco, David" , a brilliant officer, who had just completed post graduate training at MIT and who gave Hardhead XE "Hardhead, USS" an intellectual dimension in all areas that was rarely found in other submarines.The supply officer was a lieutenant, j.g. by the name of Bill Smith XE "Smith, William" , just fresh from Submarine School XE "Submarine School" , who later made three stars.As I noted earlier, Hardhead XE "Hardhead, USS" , shortly before I relieved Jim Bellah XE "Bellah, James" , had transferred from Squadron 10 at State Pier to the Development Group Squadron at the Submarine Base XE "New London Submarine Base" . This affected our operations only marginally. It meant that part of our underway time was spent on research and development projects under the cognizance of the Underwater Sound Laboratory, which is across the Thames River from Electric Boat XE "Electric Boat Company" . Our principal project was a device code named “Rover,” which was a series of hydrophones mounted on Hardhead XE "Hardhead, USS" ’s bow that were postured to measure range passively through bottom bounce techniques—determining a target’s range being the ever present challenge for a submarine (since the bearing of a target was relatively easy for the hydrophones to determine). It didn’t work. But we tried, and the operations were interesting.USS Hardhead Journey to Albany, New YorkCHAPTER 23Four Great MemoriesMany Hardhead XE "Hardhead, USS" memories stand out, but four are still particularly vivid. A successful submarine commander has to walk a tight line between undue risk and excessive caution. The former can lead to serious consequences, including loss of the submarine. The latter means missed opportunities. It is interesting how a crew will quickly size up a new Commanding Officer as to just where he fits on this risk/caution scale.I suppose the first time I may have been calibrated by the crew was one day early in my command when the ship was operating alone in an assigned area in Long Island Sound. We had been submerged for some time. When we surfaced, we found we were fog bound and the radar was inoperative. This was a serious situation because we were not sure of our exact position, not having had a fix for some time and, during this time, having been subjected to the vagaries of the currents. The prudent option would have been to anchor, but the water was too deep. Had it not been too deep, we would have had the problem that to anchor would have destroyed the research and development hydrophones on our bow. So we steamed back and forth, sounding fog signals, and carefully monitoring the depth with the fathometer. We hoped we wouldn’t get run over by somebody, and we were going to be sure we didn’t run aground because the fathometer was working satisfactorily. After some two or three hours, the radar was repaired.Then the problem was, could we return to port through the fog? If there is anything a crew doesn’t like, it is being at sea when they don’t have to be. So it was important to get back if at all possible. We had asked the Submarine Base XE "New London Submarine Base" by radio for a weather report, and they said that they could see the railroad bridge from the Submarine Base XE "New London Submarine Base" , which meant that if we could get as far as the bridge we would be okay. So I said, “Let’s go. It will be a good radar piloting exercise.”We started closing in on the harbor entrance, which was marked by the light and fog signal of the New London ledge light. We could hear other submarines sounding fog signals, milling around in that general vicinity, but apparently unwilling to proceed into the river because of the lack of visibility. I elected to drive ahead. I really expected that it would clear just inside the river entrance, but it didn’t.We passed within fifty yards of the New London ledge light without seeing a thing. By then we were committed, not wishing to turn around in the ship channel to head again out to sea. Mercifully, the fog started to lift about Electric Boat XE "Electric Boat Company" and, after waiting for a train to pass, the railroad bridge was opened for us to proceed to the Submarine Base XE "New London Submarine Base" . We made a tricky landing under full flood tide conditions, which are very difficult at the Submarine Base XE "New London Submarine Base" . It turned out subsequently that we were the only submarine to make it back that night, a situation that the crew, I am sure, mentioned to some of their friends on the other submarines.Was it risky? You bet! Was it worth it? You bet! This set the tone for the rest of my command tour. But then again, if we had run aground or had a collision, I am sure I would be singing a different tune.Another similar experience happened some weeks later. Hardhead XE "Hardhead, USS" , together with three or four other submarines, was operating in one of the submarine operating areas off Montauk Point with five or six surface ships, the exercise being that the surface ships would steam through the submarine areas (each submarine being assigned its own area). As the surface group came through, each submarine was to make an approach and make an attack on the “heavy.” This “heavy” was an oiler that was being screened by five destroyers. This meant the submarine had to penetrate the screen, then come up to periscope depth, get a set-up and fire at the oiler.The submarines were continually unsuccessful because sound conditions were such above 100 feet underwater that the destroyers had a marked advantage and would detect the submarines as they came up to periscope depth preparatory to firing at the oiler. This happened to Hardhead XE "Hardhead, USS" a couple of times but, when it was our turn once again, I decided that I would go directly ahead on the track of the oiler some five or six miles out. Then I would carefully track the group staying below 100 feet until I had judged that the oiler had just passed overhead. And then I would come up fast to periscope depth, get a set-up and launch an “up the kilt” shot. This was tricky because, if you misjudged, the oiler could run over you, or one of the destroyers in the after part of the screen could pick you up and run you down. (With regard to the destroyers, though, I counted on the propeller noise of the oiler to mask somewhat Hardhead XE "Hardhead, USS" ’s movements and thus enable us to get up and make a shot.) We were successful. As a matter of fact, we were the only submarine which was successful.Was it risky? Yes. Was it worth it? Again, yes, with the same caveat. It was successful.Following this exercise, we proceeded from the Montauk Point area to Albany, New York for a port visit. We arrived off the Statue of Liberty at sunrise, an ineffable visual memory to me to this day. There we dropped the harbor pilot and embarked the Hudson River pilot for the six hour trip up the river. The Hudson River is busy. There is a swift current and in some places it is not very well marked by navigational aids. With regard to the latter, it was disconcerting from time to time when the pilot would order a turn. When I would question him about the timing, he would say, for example, “Do you see that tree and that steeple over there in the distance? When they are in line with each other you put the rudder over.” The scenery was spectacular, with West Point being particularly impressive. We were entertained royally in Albany and, despite losing all power just as we cast off from the Albany pier to return to New London and being carried by current downstream at a fast clip for several minutes, we went down river and arrived home safely.My most memorable Hardhead XE "Hardhead, USS" experience, though, is marked by the small figure of a blue seal mounted on a pedestal on the shelf in my den. It bears the inscription, “Wherever you go, whatever you do, always remember, ‘Good Morning, this is Blue Seal. Bravo! Bravo! Bravo!’” It was presented to me by the crew when I left, which was the first time I knew that they had particularly noted the circumstance which it commemorates. This causes me to value it even more.It came about this way. The Squadron Commander, Captain Ray Dubois XE "Dubois, Raymond" , decided he would make his final judgment as to which submarine in the Development Group Squadron would get the E (for Battle Efficiency) award as the best submarine in his squadron by taking the two top candidates to sea for a week of intensive submarine versus submarine exercises. He had intended to ride each submarine for a part of the week, but the seas were so rough that he was unable to transfer to Hardhead XE "Hardhead, USS" , so we avoided that pleasure.The final exercise was a long-range submerged sonar approach and attack on a transiting submarine that was trying to avoid detection, culminating in the firing of a torpedo. As a safeguard, before launching the torpedo, the firing submarine was required to establish underwater voice communications with the target (to be sure you weren’t firing at a merchantman or fisherman). Acting as the target, we got through the area of operations undetected by the other submarine, which was Cavalla XE "Cavalla, USS" .Then it was our turn to be the aggressor. We had a fine sonar team and, after hours of searching, we finally detected Cavalla XE "Cavalla, USS" just as she was coming off a snorkel period. But she was miles away by the time we got a handle on the range, and was about to go by. We took off after her, taking the battery down to almost the low-voltage limit before, finally, at about 6:00 in the morning we got within torpedo range. We were sure it was the right target because Cavalla XE "Cavalla, USS" had a slight shaft squeal that we had detected earlier in the week. So rather than as instructed establishing positive communications (this meant calling Cavalla XE "Cavalla, USS" on the underwater telephone and getting her acknowledgment before firing), I said on the underwater telephone, “Good morning, this is Blue Seal [which was our voice call], Bravo! Bravo! Bravo!” (Bravo being the signal that a torpedo was on the way.) Later analysis proved that we had gotten a hit after what the Commodore termed the longest sonar approach attack he had ever seen. (We got the E.)Hardhead XE "Hardhead, USS" was a great experience. When I left, the crew gave me a ship’s clock, which I treasure, and the Chief Petty Officers presented me with a section of Hardhead XE "Hardhead, USS" ’s teak deck, which they had made into a pen and ashtray combination.Finally, the wardroom had a farewell party for me, which included a dinner and a show featuring Philadelphia’s most famous stripper, at least most famous insofar as the submariners were concerned, Julie Gibson XE "Gibson, Julie" . This dinner ended up early in the morning with Julie being asked to the change in command ceremony by Wally Green. Mercifully, she didn’t show up. The evening before Frank was relieved as Hardhead’s commander, Frank and the Hardhead’s wardroom attended a performance by Julie Gibson, the Submarine Force’s favorite stripper in Philadelphia. As a practical joke, Franks’ officers got Julie to autograph this photo for the squadron commander, Captain Ray Dubois, who wasn’t at the party and was very prim. Frank took custody of the photo lest some of the other revelers carry through on their idea of sending it to Captain Dubois’ wife.Later in the evening, the revelers got Julie to autograph another photo for their squadron commander. This one is inscribed to “Tiger Ray” with “Lots of Love.” Frank impounded this photo as well. At the end of the night, Julie was invited by one of the celebrants to attend the change of command ceremony the next morning. As Frank remarks, “Mercifully, she didn’t show up.”Hardhead Change of Command (June 26, 1959)PART VI1959-1967 NUCLEAR POWERED SUBMARINESCHAPTER 24“Charm School”On the 26th of June 1959, while Hardhead XE "Hardhead, USS" was again in Philadelphia Naval Shipyard for a short repair period, I was relieved by John Viele XE "Viele, John" of the class of 1946, in order to report to Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s office in Washington, D.C. A year or so before, in order to meet the needs of the burgeoning nuclear power building program for Polaris missile submarines, Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" had established a six-month course of instruction in his office for prospective Commanding Officers of nuclear submarines. (This was commonly referred to as Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s “charm school.”) That way, he could keep them directly at hand and he could be sure they were exposed to his influence and power. He had these two attributes in the fullest of measures. He acquired them by “wearing two hats.”First, he headed the Naval Reactors Branch XE "Rickover, Hyman: Naval Reactors Branch and Atomic Energy Commission" XE "Naval Reactors Branch" (or “NR” as it was called) of the Navy’s Bureau of Ships XE "Bureau of Ships" . This kept his foot in the Navy camp. But in the Navy he was but another Rear Admiral. So he solved this lack of real power by arranging to head a branch of the Atomic Energy Commission where, with the backing of the Commission and the powerful Joint Congressional Committee on Atomic Energy, he was responsible to the President for naval reactor design and safety. Using this position, he set the ground rule that, in order to insure safety, he had to have absolute control over the selection and training of all Navy personnel who would be responsible for reactor operations. This meant not only the engineers, both officer and enlisted, but the Commanding Officers and Executive Officers as well. As a matter of fact, with each new President, Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" would don his uniform (which he would never wear otherwise), proceed to the White House, and inform the President of his unique responsibility in this regard. (A good example of Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s influence in this area was when he took responsibility was the Thames River radioactive spill which made the front page of the New York Times when I had the command of the flotilla in New London. But I’ll describe that later.)As might be imagined, the “Navy” fought Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" tooth and nail to try to break his control over personnel selection and training, and they never stopped. You might say they eventually got Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" , or at least John Lehman XE "Lehman, John" did. (John Lehman XE "Lehman, John" was Secretary of the Navy under Ronald Reagan.) But, in the final analysis, Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" prevailed because he literally revolutionized the way the Navy did business. A visible manifestation of that is that, as of 1992, the last four Chiefs of Naval Operations, including the incumbent, have been nuclear trained officers selected by Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" .I was reporting to the prospective Commanding Officer class even though I was too junior for a command at that point. (It turned out, as a matter of fact, that this was a mistake. It had been intended that I go to the one-year junior officer training program starting with the Nuclear Power School at New London.)First, though, there was our house in Groton to sell, albeit it one with a swimming pool in the basement, and, second, the need to find a place to live in Washington, D.C. The first took time. The second was easier. We rented Enders P. Huey XE "Huey, Enders P." ’s house at 5555 15th North in Arlington, which worked out well.We got situated in the Huey’s house and, while Ruth and the children visited her parents in Florida, I started to review physics and mathematics through calculus and differential equations in the several weeks which I had before reporting in. I was more than a little concerned because I knew that several of the officers who would be in my class had been on Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s rigorous six-month study program, followed by an examination preparatory to selection. Several others had advanced post-graduate degrees in science.The class itself was an interesting group. Len XE "Erb, Len" Erb XE "Erb, Len" , class of ‘42, was the senior member of the class. He had an advanced degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he had worked with the legendary Dr. Draper, who did much of the theoretical work on the early missile guidance systems. Also, in addition to a distinguished submarine command, he had had a destroyer command. He was a great guy and a close friend as we served in “NR” (Naval Reactors Branch XE "Naval Reactors Branch" ) and then commissioned Lincoln XE "Lincoln, USS Abraham" together, I as his Executive Officer.Paul Lacy XE "Lacy, Paul" , class of ‘43, who later made two stars and whom I relieved as COMSUBPAC XE "COMSUBPAC or Commander Submarine Force Pacific" , was also in the class. Paul had a master’s degree in some post-graduate field of science from Cal Tech.Then there was a group from the class of ‘44. Bob Long XE "Long, Robert L.J." , later four stars, Vice Chief of Naval Operations and also Commander-in-Chief Pacific, a brilliant officer who was later my counterpart for a time in Patrick Henry XE “Patrick Henry, USS” . Hap Perry XE "Perry, Oliver \"Hap\"" , who as a two star I relieved as COMSUBFLOT 2. Larry Fromm XE "Fromm, Larry" , who didn’t make flag rank, but was again a brilliant officer. And Don Miller XE "Miller, Donald" who didn’t make flag but should have, if for no other reason than his delightful wife, Marquita XE "Miller, Marquita" . Don was a splendid officer. Then there was Joe Williams XE "Williams, Joseph" , ex-enlisted, who ranked with the class of 1945 and was later COMSUBLANT XE "COMSUBLANT or Commander Submarine Force Atlantic" as a three star. Joe probably was the Navy’s finest submarine sonar tactician during the time I was in command. Finally, there was Howard Bucknell XE "Bucknell, Howard" , class of ‘45, who really struggled academically, but was a solid performer. As the years would demonstrate, it was an impressive group.This period from late July of 1959 until the 1st of April 1960 (when I was detached from the Naval Reactors Branch XE "Naval Reactors Branch" to report as the Commissioning Executive Officer of the Blue crew of the Abraham Lincoln XE "Abraham Lincoln, USS" in Portsmouth, New Hampshire) was as busy and stressful as any I have ever experienced. The first four months in Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s shop concentrated on academics, six days a week: math, nuclear physics, electricity, reactor design and radiation controls. I realized my background did not measure up to those like Len Erb XE "Erb, Len" ’s and Paul Lacy XE "Lacy, Paul" ’s, who had advanced degrees, so I set about to trying to compensate. For the first time in my considerable academic experience, I designed and followed a rigorous study program marked principally by setting aside an hour each night to review what had been presented that day and then devoting the entire day on Sunday to a concentrated review of the week’s work. (This was in addition to three hours of homework each night.) It was hard. The bedroom in the Huey’s house was hot. It was tough on the family, too, because I had absolutely no free time.When the academic period ended in mid-November, I found that I stood No. 1.Shortly after Thanksgiving, the next phase of the program started. This phase involved eight weeks divided into two four-week segments at the S1W nuclear prototype reactor located near Arco, Idaho XE "Arco, Idaho" . (This prototype was the one that had been built preliminarily to the construction of Nautilus XE "Nautilus, USS" , the first nuclear submarine.) During this period we put in 16 hours a day, seven days a week, qualifying on all watch stations, which required a detailed knowledge of all systems.The procedure was to take a system, study it, trace all the components and then get examined and “signed off” by one of about 15 instructors. Len Erb XE "Erb, Len" and I teamed together. We knew by that time that we were both going to go to Abraham Lincoln XE "Abraham Lincoln, USS" . This helped, but it was arduous. Living accommodations were in a cold Quonset hut. We couldn’t leave the site for any purpose, and the food was from a marginal on-site cafeteria. It was so cold that Len XE "Erb, Len" and I slept fully clothed, wearing a Navy parka under as many blankets as we could find, and still froze. To give you an idea, one day early in the morning when Len XE "Erb, Len" and I were leaving for the prototype, I said to him, “Gosh, it feels warmer today.” We looked at the thermometer. It was only ten degrees below zero.The second period was over Christmas. Yvonne Erb XE "Erb, Yvonne" was ill, so Len XE "Erb, Len" was not there with me. This second period finally ended after completing a ten hour written examination, and I spent New Year’s Eve with my mother and father in Kansas City. Fortunately, Ruth’s mother and father were able to spend Christmas with her and the children in Arlington. The last phase of the Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" training from January to April of 1960 was spent studying the S5W reactor plant that Lincoln XE "Lincoln, USS Abraham" would have, followed by a month at Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory XE "Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory" in Pittsburgh, where we had classes and, of course, exams. It was here that some of the Lincoln XE "Lincoln, USS Abraham" wardroom started to assemble. Len XE "Erb, Len" and I were joined by Bobby Bell XE "Bell, Robert \"Bobby\"" , Jerry Muench XE "Muench, Jerry" and Phil Bayne XE "Bayne, Phillip" . All were fine officers. We rented an apartment near the laboratory and, Phil Bayne XE "Bayne, Phillip" being a good cook, managed to survive. Following this, Len XE "Erb, Len" and I returned to Washington for another ten-hour examination on the S5W plant.Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman: Management Style" was a firm believer, obviously, in “God is in the details.” The revolution he imposed upon the Navy can best be described by the simple credo that you can’t be in charge of something unless you know as much about it as anyone working for you. (This was as it should be because a nuclear reactor is a complicated “beast” which can bite you if you don’t know what you are doing.)I often have thought of an example of how the Navy conducted its business before Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman: Management Style" , which had its genesis in the Royal Navy, by citing the situation of having a piece of equipment in the “Old Navy” break down. If you were the officer responsible for that equipment, you would turn to a chief petty officer and say, “Chief, fix it and let me know when you are finished.” (To this day the Royal Navy operates much in this fashion, as evidenced by the fact that their nuclear engineers are engineering specialists who cannot command submarines.)This approach was an anathema to Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman: Management Style" , who was always sensitive to any situation where a clear line of responsibility and accountability did not exist, from the lowest rating to the highest command in the structure, all the way to the top. And you couldn’t have responsibility and accountability without knowledge. This was the real revolution Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" effected upon the Navy--absolute accountability founded upon knowledge of the details. How he managed this was complicated, but, on the other hand, relatively straightforward. First, he selected and trained the people. This is where you had to start. And if you were not selected, you were thereafter really on the second team. You couldn’t command a nuclear submarine. The fact that his selection process took only the best meant that the Navy’s talent across the years was highly concentrated in the submarine force. This wasn’t easy for the Navy to accept. The Navy resisted and always looked for a way to thwart Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s system.Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman: Management Style" ’s internal management style was a study, too. For example, every piece of correspondence originating in his headquarters--and he had a lot of people working there--had a pink copy which went to him at the end of the day. He would read these pinks every night and either make notes or make irate phone calls if something disturbed him enough. Submarine commanders every month had to write him a letter telling him what had gone wrong and what the Commanding Officer had done to fix it. (One sure way to get into trouble was to blame equipment or procedures. You really needed to find a personnel fault. Of course, this was almost always possible.)Also, whenever anything happened in the reactor plant, no matter how minor, you had to submit an Incident Report immediately. (If it was serious, a phone call was mandatory as well.) This report would detail the cause and the action you had taken to ensure that it didn’t happen again. In this regard, too, there were two cardinal rules--report and report fast. (There’s the true story of Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman: Reporting Requirements" hearing a siren over the phone when he was talking with his representative at one of the shipyards. He immediately put in a call to the shipyard commander and shouted, “What are you doing about that fire?” I’m sure the shipyard commander was impressed.) Never conceal anything, no matter how personally damaging it might be. (Generally, the first one to get to him got XE "Rickover, Hyman: Management Style" off easiest.) The lever he had was that he could shut down the reactor plant and place the crew in a retraining status. This would play havoc with operating schedules, which would cause great consternation in the Navy hierarchy. Being unable to get at Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" directly, however, the Navy hierarchy would frequently take a pound of flesh from the Commanding Officer, the squadron commander, the flotilla commander or the force commander.In addition to these written reports, you had to call Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman: Reporting Requirements" at least once a week if you commanded a squadron or a flotilla or one of the two submarine forces and tell him what had gone wrong within your submarines and what actions you had taken personally to put things right. These calls were always traumatic experiences. XE "Rickover, Hyman: Reporting Requirements" He always assumed that some things were going well, so his approach XE "Rickover, Hyman: Management Style" was he didn’t want to waste any time on them, only the bad.) You would place the call and the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" always would get on the line. Coming on the line he would shout simply, “Go ahead.” If things were not too bad, he would say nothing, simply slam the phone down. If things were not good, he would shout and cast aspirations on your capabilities and then slam the phone down. He’d then call your boss and inveigh against him, who’d in turn call you to find out what had triggered the “Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman" .” Both you and your boss would then have to “solve” the problem. XE "Rickover, Hyman: Management Style" The tough thing was to determine what was really bothering him, particularly if what had bothered him was something in one of your letters or one of your Incident Reports and the first you would hear about it would be a shouting phone call from him. XE "Rickover, Hyman: Management Style" This was difficult because you had to solve the problem that was bothering him, whether or not it was really a problem in your judgment. We were helped in this regard by Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s assistant, Bill Wegner XE "Wegner, William \"Bill\"" , who would try to find out what was really on the “Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s” mind.So there was never a dull moment, particularly if you had numerous submarines under your command, as I frequently did. (The only surcease I ever had from the dreaded phone calls was in Scotland, where even Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" could not bend the British phone system to his will--having to wait or being cut off he simply could not abide. So I had to write more frequent letters, but this was far better than being on the “phone call circuit.”)Having said all of this, you might ask what sort of a leader Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" was. Well, he inveighed against any effort to “teach” leadership. XE "Rickover, Hyman: On Teaching Leadership " He said you couldn’t teach it. The Navy, of course, disagreed. This is one of the reasons (inter alia) that he was continuously at odds with the Naval Academy, which persisted in trying to “teach” someone how to be a leader. Yet, as I look back, he was the greatest leader I have ever encountered. (I’ll give you some personal experiences to demonstrate this later.)As I have mentioned, periodically the prospective Commanding Officers and the prospective Executive Officers who were in Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s Washington office acted as the “inside man” during personnel interviews XE "Rickover, Hyman: Interview Procedures " . These interviews were on occasion pretty bloody, and some could easily support charges of harassment and worse. One in particular, though, illustrates, the “method in his madness.”One Saturday one of the officers who was ready to go in for his interview was in my charge. I looked cursorily at his brief sheet, because I didn’t have much time, and saw that he had stood in the middle of his Naval Academy class and towards the lower half of his Submarine School XE "Submarine School" class. I did note that he had post-graduate training at the University of Oklahoma, but that is all I had time to read. My thought was, “This poor guy is really in for a hard time. How did he get this far?”I went in with the officer and introduced him. Before the officer could sit down, the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" leaped from his chair and shouted, “You are a disgrace! Look at your Naval Academy and Submarine School XE "Submarine School" record. Get out of here! I don’t even want to talk to you.” XE "Rickover, Hyman: Interview Procedures " At this point I took the officer out and put him in a nearby deserted office and left him, and inquired of the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s secretary as to what I should do. She said, “Just wait.” Thirty minutes later the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s secretary stuck her head in my office and said, “Bring him back.”We entered the office. The Admiral repeated his shouted comments, although this time he was seated. And this time the officer was able to say, “But Admiral . . . .” No sooner had he said this, the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" stood up and yelled, “Get out of here! And when you come back I want you to have a detailed plan on how you are going to reimburse the United States Government for the education which you wasted!” XE "Rickover, Hyman: Interview Procedures " I took the officer out, and now I looked at the copy of the brief sheet which I had. I saw that under his post-graduate training at the University of Oklahoma he had been in petroleum engineering and had stood number one in his class with a string of honors and honor societies. Then the light dawned. The Admiral wanted him. XE "Rickover, Hyman: Interview Procedures " The third time we entered the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s office, he again started a tirade against “Bums like you who ripped off the American taxpayer.” At this point the officer stood up, looked squarely at the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" and said, “Admiral, what do you want me to do, lie down here and die?” The Admiral got apoplectic and shouted, “Get out of here! I don’t ever want to see you again!”As the officer left, the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" said to me, “Wait a minute.” The door was shut and he XE "Rickover, Hyman: Interview Procedures " said in a calm, pleasant voice--at least pleasant for the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" , “Good man.” First, obviously the officer’s post-graduate record demonstrated that he had a first rate academic capability and, second, he could, as the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" was trying to see, stand up to him under stress.I have but scratched the surface of the many facets of Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" , who left an extraordinary imprint on all who served him. So, as I go on, I will talk still more of him because, as I became more senior, I was privileged to see something of the personal side of him as well.On April Fool’s Day, 1961, Len XE "Erb, Len" and I were detached from NR and ordered to report to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard to commission Abraham Lincoln XE "Abraham Lincoln, USS" (SSBN602). Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" called us both in for a departure session, his two top students academically, and simply said, “You haven’t learned anything here. You’ll just go up there (i.e., to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard) and screw things up (or words to that effect). Go on, get out of here.” We did, with pleasure and relief.CHAPTER 25Abraham Lincoln (SSBN602)Ruth had already rented and moved into a house in West Rye, New Hampshire when I arrived, driving Len Erb XE "Erb, Len" ’s car (he would be coming later with his wife and children in his other car). On that spring day, as I turned off of Route 1 onto Washington Road at the Breakfast Hill gas station, I was struck by the beauty of the tree shaded, winding road that led to our house. As I wound down the road past the old homes, an impressive, white, circa 1770 farmhouse came into view and, directly across from this farmhouse, was what was to be our home for the next year, the old West Rye school house. (Places on the floor where the desks had been fastened were still visible.)The house was located in a very historic area. Down the lane was a large rock where the Indians had massacred several children of the early settlers by dashing their heads against it.Breakfast Hill, which I mentioned, was so named because it was the scene of another Indian encounter, where a militia group from Portsmouth surprised some Indians while they were eating breakfast and killed a number of them.Next door to the house that we rented were the remains of an old, crumbling blacksmith shop. It was an area with deep roots into the past. Our time there was most enjoyable, being filled with family activities like ice skating on the pond and sledding down the hill by Mr. Temple’s general missioning a ship as Executive Officer, as I learned in Darter, is not an easy task. As Executive Officer of a nuclear powered ship, it was even tougher, because the engineering crew, which included the Exec and the Commanding Officer, were all deeply involved in testing the reactor plant prior to reactor criticality and then taking the reactor critical for the first time and conducting still further tests.Before this could happen, it was necessary to pass a rigorous on-site examination conducted by Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" and his senior staff over a weekend. Ships rarely passed the first time, and we were no exception, which meant a long period of intense scrutiny and pressure from the “kindly old gentleman”--or, as he was called, the “K.O.G. XE "Rickover, Hyman" ” There were two crews to train as well, both the blue and the gold, with the Blue crew Commanding Officer being the one with overall responsibility in this regard. (Polaris submarines had two crews, the Blue and the Gold, which would alternate operating the submarine in order to maximize the time that the submarine could be at sea within range of its targets. The two crews would take turns operating the submarine, with the one not on patrol being back home resting and training.)The Gold crew Commanding Officer, Don Miller XE "Miller, Donald" , and his wife Marquita XE "Miller, Marquita" , entered our lives at this time. Although Ruth and I did not know the Millers XE "Miller, Donald and Marquita" well in Washington, we got to know them very well across the years that followed. With respect to the other officers in the wardrooms, Ed Cooke XE "Cooke, Edward" , class of ‘46, was my counter-part as Executive Officer of the Gold crew, Stu Hughes XE "Hughes, Stuart" was the Blue crew engineer; Bobby Bell XE "Bell, Robert \"Bobby\"" was the Gold crew engineering officer; Skip Orem XE "Orem, Skip" was the Blue crew navigator; Dave Cruden XE "Cruden, David" was the navigator of the Gold crew, and the list goes on. The officers were absolutely first rate, as you would expect. The crews were good, too, but under the pressure of the expansion which the nuclear program was undergoing at that time, some who did not measure up had slipped through and were always a burden, because each crew member had to be examined individually by Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s associates. Obviously, none of us, with the exception of the two engineers, Stu Hughes XE "Hughes, Stuart" and his counterpart in the Gold crew, Bobby Bell XE "Bell, Robert \"Bobby\"" , had operating experience.Time went fast, helped by the fact that we enjoyed living in New Hampshire. I’ll always remember the bucolic feeling engendered by my ride back and forth to the shipyard, going as I did by the backroads, which followed the very earliest paths and byways. Ruth had seen a car for sale at a filling station on one of these back roads, and she purchased it for my transportation. It was an old, well-used telephone company coupe with over 150,000 miles on it. But it performed beautifully.One of the greatest joys was the opportunity to know the Morrises, who occupied the old farmhouse across the street from the house that we rented. Judge Thomas Jefferson Morris XE "Morris, T.J." (T.J. to his friends) came from wealth at some point in time--his family owned much of the land in Florida on which NASA’s Cape Canaveral XE "Cape Canaveral" facility is located today. By the time he was ready for school the family’s money obviously was gone, or otherwise he wouldn’t have had to support himself at Yale Law School by simultaneously holding two jobs tending coal furnaces. Betty Morris XE "Morris, Betty" ’ father was an educator and the private school he established in Rye Beach is still there. (T. J. XE "Morris, T.J." was never really accepted by Betty’s family, I gathered, which bothered him on occasion when he would comment that they would have been better off if they had listened to his advice with regard to their investments. But Betty obviously did have family money.)T. J. XE "Morris, T.J." took me to Concord on several occasions when he had a particularly interesting case in Superior Court and would let me go into his chambers when there was a need to confer with the lawyers. This was a fascinating experience, to go behind the scenes and witness lawyers who had just moments before been at each other’s throat now being the best of friends, joshing each other in a friendly manner, saying, “You haven’t got a chance,” or saying, “Wait until you see the body blow I’m going to give you when we go out there again.” This was a rare opportunity.We enjoyed exploring the Portsmouth area. We particularly liked Exeter, never dreaming that we would have a closer association with it later on. Boston was convenient, and I took my oldest son to a Red Sox game one Sunday.We saw much of Marquita XE "Miller, Marquita" and Don Miller XE "Miller, Donald" . Indeed, one New Year’s Eve after I had worked long that day, they showed up unexpectedly in their Volkswagen van. We brought the New Years in, after a bit of spirits, with a stirring rendition of The Last Carouse, with its refrain of “Hurrah for the Next Man to Die.”Time went quickly. It was finally commissioning time. We were very pleased when Mary Beckwith Lincoln XE "Lincoln, Mary Beckwith" agreed to attend. She and her brother were the last direct descendants of Abraham Lincoln XE "Abraham Lincoln, USS" and they lived nearby in New Hampshire, but were both known for their reclusiveness. We could tell from her short letters to the shipyard commander who was setting up the ceremony that she could, like her forbearer, write beautifully. But on the day of the commissioning when I first met her, it was apparent that she had not inherited her forbearer’s physical attributes. She was short and rotund. But she proved delightful, albeit very shy and retiring. As a commissioning gift she presented us with a replica of the famous bronze casting of Lincoln XE "Lincoln, USS Abraham" ’s fist clenched around what appears to be a large piece of wood. It was actually, she said, a sawed off segment of a broom handle. We mounted this outside the wardroom, and I suppose by now it is a valued possession of Lincoln’s last Commanding Officer.Following Lincoln XE "Lincoln, USS Abraham" ’s commissioning on the 11th of March 1961, we began a busy and exciting period--twelve to sixteen hours a day, seven days a week. It involved a several week shakedown cruise en route to Cape Canaveral XE "Cape Canaveral" , Florida XE "Cape Canaveral" , where we spent three or four weeks with daily trips to sea training under the guidance of Admiral Red Raborn XE "Rayborn, William “Red”" ’s group from the Special Projects Office XE "Special Projects Office" in the Bureau of Ordnance, which had been specifically created to develop the Polaris missile. It culminated on August 13th with the firing of several missiles into the Tongue XE "Tongue, Scotland" of the Ocean missile range near Antigua in the Caribbean, where the accuracy of our missiles could be measured. This first firing experience was ineffable--being submerged, going very slowly at 100 feet, pressing a firing button, feeling and hearing a loud “arrumpf” as the missile was ejected from the submarine (described by those who heard it as like an elephant breaking wind) and learning some minutes later that you had placed a warhead some 1,000 miles away with great accuracy. Following our successful shots, we were relieved by Don Miller XE "Miller, Donald" and the Gold crew, who repeated what we had done.After a short visit to New London, where Ruth had again found us a great house to rent on the Thames River, we returned to the Cape, relieved Don Miller XE "Miller, Donald" ’s crew and proceeded to Charleston XE "Charleston, South Carolina" , South Carolina, where we loaded 16 Polaris missiles and all the other necessities for a 60 day patrol in the North Atlantic, which was to end in the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" , Scotland. (I’ll go into patrol procedures, which were more or less standard, later when I get to my Patrick Henry XE “Patrick Henry, USS” experiences.)We finished Lincoln XE "Lincoln, USS Abraham" ’s first patrol towards the 1st of November, when we were relieved in the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" by the Gold crew, and returned to New London, where I learned that after one more patrol in Lincoln XE "Lincoln, USS Abraham" I was to become the first of my Naval Academy class to command an SSBN [i.e., a Polaris submarine: “SS” denotes ship, submersible or a submarine, the “B” denotes ballistic missiles, and the “N” denotes nuclear powered]. I received orders to relieve Hal Shear XE "Shear, Harold" , class of ‘42, as the Blue crew Commanding Officer of Patrick Henry XE “Patrick Henry, USS” . My second and last patrol on Lincoln XE "Lincoln, USS Abraham" went quickly, and on the 31st of May I departed Lincoln.As I left Lincoln XE "Lincoln, USS Abraham" , my particular memory now is that it marked the end of my time with Len Erb XE "Erb, Len" . Because of our unusually close association, both in Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s training and then through the difficult and arduous construction phase followed by two patrols, I knew, and admired, him more than anyone for whom I had ever worked.On the personal side, Len XE "Erb, Len" introduced me to martinis. Every so often he would say in the morning after a long evening that he guessed he had fallen into the martini patch the night before. It was a great loss when Len XE "Erb, Len" left the Navy, but his subsequent success in running Litton Industries’ Pascagoula, Mississippi Shipyard was a true measure of his extraordinary capabilities.USS Abraham Lincoln Launching and Sea TrialsCHAPTER 26Patrick Henry (SSBN599)My orders called for me to relieve Hal Shear XE "Shear, Harold" on the 7th of June 1962, which meant I only had a short time to go from New London to the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" . A driver in a Navy car took me to McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey where I flew, along with a planeload of dependents, to Mildenhall, England. (In those days, this was an 11 or 12 hour ordeal.) I then went by bus to London where I stayed for the first of many times at the Air Force’s Columbia Club XE "Columbia Club, London, England" , located near the Lancaster Gate tube stop. The next day I flew commercially to Glasgow and was met by a car and a Scottish driver, and I arrived after a three hour drive at the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" .Relieving Hal Shear XE "Shear, Harold" , whom I had known only by reputation, was interesting. (Hal XE "Shear, Harold" subsequently became one of my staunchest supporters and firmest friends as the Vice Chief of Naval Operations.) He was a unique individual! He had been raised on Shelter Island off the tip of Long Island and was truly a man of the sea. He loved everything about it. During the four or five day period when I was relieving him, every hour it was compulsive with him to go topside to check the weather. He could never pass a Scottish fishing vessel at the dock without going aboard to talk with the crew. He was fine seaman and sea stories about him abounded. In a sense, it was almost like he was married to the sea. For instance, he once left for deployment without informing Betty XE "Shear, Betty" , his wife. Or the time he brought back a huge ship’s anchor from the Caribbean, which he planted in his front yard in Groton Long Point, Connecticut.Hal XE "Shear, Harold" was greatly admired by his seniors as well, and he was completely at home in the seafaring atmosphere of Scotland. Judge Wyatt XE "Wyatt, Judge" and Lady Weir XE "Weir, Lady" , were but two of his good Scottish friends. He, together with the Commodore, Captain Wally Schlech XE "Schlech, Walter" , also were close to the then Duke of Argyll XE "Duke of Argyll" , Ian Campbell. It was during the turnover period that I went with them on a Sunday afternoon to visit the Duke. I looked forward to this, particularly because the London tabloids were then filled with detailed and lurid accounts of the Duke’s divorce, which was then in process. The castle in Inveraray was beautiful and filled with museum pieces. One of the former dukes had married one of Queen Victoria’s daughters, which accounted for much of this.The Duke was “very British” and quite prepossessing. With him, “living under the kilt,” as the Scots said, was the next Duchess to be. She was a rich Long Island divorcee--and being rich was the principal requirement for becoming one of the Duke’s many wives, because he was always pressed for money to pay for the continuous restoration efforts at his castle in Inveraray. He had, for example, two wood carvers who lived on the estate in order to restore some of the castle’s woodwork. (It was also interesting, too, that there were always scholars and residents at Inveraray since the Campbell clan documents and memorabilia were all there.)The most fascinating part of the visit was when it became apparent to me that, while the Duke was upset over the divorce publicity, it was not for the reason I expected. His discomfiture centered on the court handling the case ruling, over his objections, that his wife’s diary was admissible. His problem was that she had rated her various lovers. She used numbers on a barometric scale, and the Duke XE "Duke of Argyll" was far down the list. This bothered him. Not the fact that the diary enumerated his other sexual activities, but the fact that his performance was so low on the Duchess’ scale. (Shortly after the divorce, the Queen relieved him as her representative in Argyll. He subsequently retired to France for estate tax reasons and his eldest son, the Marquis of Lorne, moved into the castle. The Marquis was a well-known lover of spirits, whom Ruth and I got to know better when I was COMSUBRON 14 XE "COMSUBRON 14 or Commander Submarine Squadron 14" .)I relieved Hal XE "Shear, Harold" on a rare, sunny day in the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" . We even had a piper at the ceremony--the Duke of Argyll’s. (The Duke’s piper in his “spare time” was one of the Duke’s gardeners.)Patrick Henry XE “Patrick Henry, USS” was a fine ship. Bob Long XE "Long, Robert L.J." , as I mentioned, was my counterpart as the Gold crew’s Commanding Officer. My Exec was Bob Douglass XE "Douglass, Robert" , later to be my Gold crew counterpart when we commissioned USS James K. Polk XE "Polk, USS James K." , a fine officer who had been the Blue crew’s Chief Engineer for Patrick Henry before “fleeting up” to Executive Officer.Another officer aboard was Joe Logan XE "Logan, Joseph" . He was the Chief Engineer. The crew called him “the little plumber,” reflecting his size and the fact that, before relieving Bob Douglass XE "Douglass, Robert" as Chief Engineer, he had been Patrick Henry XE “Patrick Henry, USS” ’s “A” division officer, which put him in charge of auxiliary equipment including the ship’s sanitary system. Joe was a fine officer and a splendid cribbage player as well. Ruth and I are still very fond of Bob and Joe’s wives--Jim Douglass XE "Douglass, Jim" and Diana Logan XE "Logan, Diana" .Also Tom Hopper XE "Hopper, Thomas" , a great officer, was in the wardroom. Unfortunately, he died unexpectedly some years later and I went to his funeral in San Diego XE "San Diego" to deliver the eulogy. We still keep track, albeit loosely, of his wife, Mary Beth XE "Hopper, Mary Beth" .I should mention, too, Worth and Elizabeth Hobbs XE "Hobbs, Worth" . Fermor Worthington Hobbs XE "Hobbs, Worth" III from Rocky Mount, North Carolina was a truly gifted officer, president of his Naval Academy class, five striper and a “star student.” He later became President Johnson’s naval aide, and when he resigned from the Navy, it upset the President to no end. Ruth and I were very fond of Worth and Elizabeth XE "Hobbs, Elizabeth" .Finally, Don Ulmer XE "Ulmer, Donald" and Bill Hine XE "Hine, William" rounded out the wardroom as the weapons officers. And Earl Nordan XE "Nordan, Earl" was the navigator. All fine officers. The crew was first rate, too. All in all, Patrick Henry XE “Patrick Henry, USS” was a happy ship.Frank taking command of Patrick Henry in the Holy LochWardroom of Patrick Henry (with a painting of Patrick Henry on the wall)Front row: Frank, the Duke of Argyll’s Bagpiper/Gardener and Hal Shear Second row: Worth Hobbs, Don Ulmer, the “Fat” Doctor and Joe “The Little Plumber” LoganCHAPTER 27Typical PatrolAt this point I’ll describe the patrol cycle, which all the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" “Boomers” (SSBNs) followed.Before each patrol the crew would assemble early in the morning in the off-crew offices in New London and board buses for the long trip to Maguire Air Force Base XE "Maguire Air Force Base, New Jersey" in New Jersey. (Later flights went into Quonset Point XE "Quonset Point Naval Air Station, Rhode Island" Naval Air Station in Rhode Island, which helped greatly.) At Maguire there would be a chartered aircraft that would take us to Prestwick XE "Prestwick, Scotland" , Scotland where, in several red double-decker British buses, we would go by way of the narrow Scottish roads to Greenock XE "Greenock, Scotland" , embark in Navy launches and cross the Clyde to the submarine tender (then USS Proteus XE "Proteus, USS" ) where we would bunk during the crew turnover period.For the next four days, both crews worked around the clock on the submarine, reviewing equipment performance during the last patrol, going over tender repair requests, reviewing all machinery records, and turning over all ship’s paperwork and documents. Literally, for the officers, it was a 16 to 20 hour day. As each department head would complete the turnover process, he would brief both Commanding Officers. Depending upon the department, the briefing would take three to six hours.Then, on the fifth day, there would be a formal change of command. The just-relieved crew would proceed to New London, where they would have 30 days off, followed by a 60 day period of schools and training. (This was always a delightful rest.)The crew that had just relieved departing crew would then oversee all repairs, load stores, conduct equipment tests and preventative maintenance procedures. The great success of the FBM (Fleet Ballistic Missile) program really rested on the care and attention devoted to being sure all equipment was in top notch shape and that all allowed spares (there were thousands of them) were present and accounted for--because if something broke down on patrol you couldn’t return to port for a repair part or a factory technician to fix it. As a matter of fact, even if someone were to die, we couldn’t return. (The body would be placed in one of the torpedo tubes, as we did in James Polk XE "Polk, USS James K." after a suicide that I’ll discuss later.) We took great pride in never having to abort a patrol.The upkeep was an intense and stressful period. On occasion, though, we would go ashore: the crew to the limited club facilities at the Ardanadam Pier and the officers to the small clubroom in the Royal Marine Hotel.The weather in the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" was always a problem. As the Scots would say, “If you can’t see the hills, it is raining. If you can see the hills, it is about to rain.”One of our first nights in Lincoln XE "Lincoln, USS Abraham" , I recall that the winds reached some 80 knots, catching some of us, including Len Erb XE "Erb, Len" and Don Miller XE "Miller, Donald" , in the Royal Marine club room, where we had to sleep on the floor because it was too rough to make even the short trip back to the submarine tender.Towards the end of the 30-day upkeep period, we would go to sea for several days to test everything. Following this we would deploy for 60 days, 56 of which would be submerged.Standing out of the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" , down the Clyde, around the Mull of Kintyre XE "Mull of Kintyre, Scotland" was always beautiful even when wet. We would try to submerge at about the 100-fathom curve. We would also try to avoid detection by the Soviet intelligence trawler, which was always stationed just outside British territorial waters to keep a watch on our SSBN movements. On submerging, we were still a distance from the northern patrol areas. So we would proceed at moderate speed, being sure we were not being trailed, until arrival within the assigned area, where we would be within missile range of our targets.Simply stated, our mission was to remain undetected within this area and be ready at all times to fire within 15 minutes of receiving a firing message. This meant two things in particular. Obviously, the reactor and all other equipment had to be working, and working to their peak performance. But especially you had to maintain continuous, very low frequency communications, generally on a floating wire antenna, which had a penchant for getting caught in the propeller, particularly in rough seas. (The seas were frequently rough--40 to 50 foot waves not being uncommon.) Second, if you are going to put a missile within yards of a target 1500 miles away, you had to know your position at all times within yards. This was always a challenge.The heart of our navigation system that permitted precision targeting were three redundant inertial navigation systems. These were gyro-mounted platforms upon which accelerometers were mounted. But gyros precess, so you had to check their accuracy periodically through obtaining exterior position checks accomplished by means of sea mount navigation (using a secure fathometer with which we could find one of the many carefully surveyed sea mounts in the ocean), Loran-C E "Loran-C" (a radio-based navigation system that we could access by trailing a long, floating wire antenna behind the ship), an elaborate, computerized navigation periscope or an early, rather primitive satellite navigation system. The latter two, however, required coming to periscope depth and putting up a mast, which could be tough in rough seas. It meant particularly that if you were on the floating wire antenna you had to retrieve it through a large motor-driven drum in the bridge access trunk. In doing this, there was always a chance for cutting the wire. I have a part of a wire mounted on a plaque in my den that captures some of the excitement of cutting the wire.Also, putting masts up could lead to detection in calm seas. So we preferred to spend most of our time with continuous Loran-C positioning from the floating wire while traversing sea mounts at a slow speed and obtaining navigational fixes every 30 minutes. The sixteen missiles and the fire control system itself needed frequent tests and checks, as did the fire control party. It was possible to “count down” the missiles all the way to the point of firing to be sure both missiles and fire control system were operating properly. This we did every day in some fashion. In addition, we periodically would have unannounced “Battle Stations Missiles” during which the entire ship would be placed in firing posture. This meant bringing the ship to the proper submerged depth, slowing to a hovering speed and “counting down” all missiles.Hovering was a real art form in rough seas. Although we had an automatic hovering system that could be engaged at low speeds when you were almost at a hovering posture, it still required skill and finesse. To assist in this, as well as being sure the missiles would not be unduly stressed when they left the missile tubes and traveled through the water before breaking the surface, we had an “upper looking” sonar scanner, which gave not only the speed of the water over the deck but the wave profile and crest to trough wave height as well. The secret of hovering, and by hovering I mean achieving a speed of about one-half knot or less in a heavy sea, was to find the trough so that the waves wouldn’t pick up your stern and cause you to lose depth control. As a matter of fact, the officer of the deck was always conscious of the trough because, if a ship would change course while going through the trough, the ship would roll, markedly if the seas were severe. (In a severe sea state, you could roll as much as 10 or 15 degrees at 300 feet, for example.) Then, too, changing course in rough seas could interfere with radio and Loran-C reception on the wire. It is apparent that for many reasons you needed to always be sensitive to surface conditions.I was continually put in mind of the seafarer who had said, “He didn’t love the sea. Nor did he hate the sea. Rather, he just respected it.”Back to the missile battery tests. Every week at an unannounced time our on-shore commander, the Commander-in-Chief Atlantic XE "CINCLANT or Commander-in-Chief Atlantic" , in Norfolk, Virginia, would send a drill message (weapons system readiness test or, as we termed it, a “WSRT XE “WSRT or Weapons System Readiness Test” ”) to all SSBNs on patrol. It was treated just as a war message except for actually firing the missiles. There were safeguards, and they were solid, against any inadvertent or unauthorized actual launch. The response of all missiles, as well as the posture of the navigation and ship control systems, would be automatically recorded for review upon return to port. This provided a realistic body of data to be able to verify at all times the readiness of our missile submarine fleet.Digressing a bit, this reminds me of an interesting experience. We were submerged on patrol the afternoon that President Kennedy was shot. It was evening in the patrol area, and I was watching the third episode of “Victory at Sea” in the wardroom when I had a telephone call from the officer of the deck to report that the radio had received a report that the President had been shot, with no details as to the circumstances. This was announced to the crew. It was only minutes later before we had a further word from the radio that a “WSRT XE “WSRT or Weapons System Readiness Test” message” was being received. This caused the officer of the deck to immediately sound Battle Stations Missile. The crew obviously didn’t know whether this was for real or not, having just heard of the President’s shooting. It wasn’t until I could get to the announcing system and say that this was a WSRT, or a drill, that they knew. Suffice it to say, the timing was lousy.The engineering department was always busy keeping the reactor plant at peak efficiency. We had many drills, and they were undertaken seriously because periodically on return to port Admiral Rickover’s team would be in the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" waiting to impose a rigorous examination. To fail was to be shut down, a consequence I mentioned before to be avoided if at all possible. In addition, there were always torpedo fire control exercises in order to keep sharp in this area, because we were ever conscious of our opposition, the Soviet submarine. Remaining undetected required continual vigilance, careful monitoring of all sound emanating from the submarine and its machinery, and careful sonar searches, being sure the sonar baffle areas were not neglected. (Ten or so degrees either side of the stern was masked to a degree by own ship’s machinery noise, so the submarine had to alter course randomly to search these areas carefully.) Of course, very cautious antenna exposure, especially in calm seas, was mandatory.Some ask, “What did you do to pass the time?” This was never a problem, as you might surmise by now. What free time there was after watches, administrative chores, and equipment maintenance was occupied by eating—and the food was great! The icebox was always open. Several days each week there would be theme meals with Mexican being my favorite. Lots of roast beef and steak, naturally, was on the menu. Fresh baked bread and pies, cakes, and an ice cream machine was always open. There was popcorn. The list goes on.Movies were popular--a new one each evening. This, as a matter of fact, was a problem because Hollywood didn’t produce enough movies, good or bad, to cover the number of days we were at sea over the years. The crew was resourceful, though, in dealing with this situation. For instance, on one patrol the crew ordered a number of their favorite movies that they had seen many times before. They would then show only those scenes from each, in succession, which gripped their attention: the car crash in Butterfield 8, the famous shower murder in Psycho--scenes with violence, sex, or, better still, both.But the crew had other interests as well. Harvard University ran extension courses that were popular. There was room to exercise with a stationary bicycle and a rowing machine. The ship had a newspaper based on what news could be squeezed in among the other VLF traffic on the floating wire. (VLF, which stands for very low frequency, has a low transmission data rate, so information was necessarily limited.)Also, a great morale booster were the familygrams XE "Familygrams" . Each family could send two five-word messages each patrol. We looked forward to these. I recall that one of mine in particular said simply, “Happiness is a warm puppy.” Yes, Ruth had another dog.Christmas and Thanksgiving were as festive as possible. Elaborate meals were served and, in the case of Christmas, there was a tree and presents. It was not like being with your family, it goes without saying, but we tried.The routine included church on Sundays led by a lay leader, in Patrick Henry XE “Patrick Henry, USS” ’s case, Worth Hobbs XE "Hobbs, Worth" . One patrol, though, we carried the squadron chaplain, Guy Leonard XE "Leonard, Guy" , for his indoctrination. He was a fine shipmate and a solid Southern Baptist whose oft-repeated admonition was, “Just remember, people are no damn good.”We also in those early days had a doctor on board. For example, on one of my first patrols in Patrick Henry XE “Patrick Henry, USS” , we had a short, fat Tennessean embarked as the ship’s doctor. We always chided him by saying to each other, “If you think you’re fat, you should see your doctor.”I always enjoyed a couple of games of cribbage each evening when Joe Logan XE "Logan, Joseph" got off watch at midnight. He was good, and I am sure the only times I won were through his design so I wouldn’t get too discouraged.I also read when time permitted. One patrol I finished Douglas Southall Freeman’s seven or eight volumes on the life of George Washington, a magnificent experience.I was always conscious, too, of trying to sleep whenever I had an odd moment, because you never knew when you would have to be up for hours on end to handle some emergency or other. (Bill Masek XE "Masek, Bill" , who sailed during World War II in Barb with Congressional Medal of Honor winner Gene Fluckey XE "Fluckey, Eugene" , once told me in response to my question as to what Gene did when Barb was underway that, “If Gene wasn’t at battle stations, he was either sleeping or studying navigational charts.” This was, and is, good advice in my judgment.)Another thing I did to pass the occasional spare moment related to the great number of old clocks that were to be found in Scotland in these early days. I went into the countryside with my then Exec, Bill Cole XE "Cole, William" , and bought several. Several weeks into the patrol I broke them out and worked on them, or at least disassembled them. When I tried to put them together, I failed. But this was no problem because many of the crew were not only talented with machinery, but Patrick Henry XE “Patrick Henry, USS” ’s capability to manufacture clock parts was surprisingly impressive. I still have two of these clocks that run to this day.Let me return now to Patrick Henry XE “Patrick Henry, USS” ’s first patrol. It was a fine one, but it had its moments, you might say. Two days before we were to get underway for patrol a reactor plant fresh water pump failed. This was one of two vital pumps that circulated fresh water to cool the vital reactor plant motors, and there weren’t any spares in the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" . (They weren’t supposed to fail.) This brought Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" into the picture, which was never pleasant. Finally, it was decided that a pump from Theodore Roosevelt XE "Roosevelt, USS Theodore" , which had just returned from patrol, would be “cannibalized.” This was a big job, but it was accomplished in time to make our patrol schedule--barely.About a week into patrol, the Theodore Roosevelt XE "Roosevelt, USS Theodore" reactor plant fresh water pump failed. You can operate on one pump, but this meant there was no margin for another failure. We spent the rest of the patrol with our fingers crossed. (Had the remaining pump failed, we would have had to shut down the reactor and return to port on the diesel engine. Whether it would have gotten us to the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" or not is problematic.)The other “moment” occurred midway in this first patrol when, during routine monitoring of the ship for radiation, alpha particles were detected. (These are the particles emitted when radon decays.) Although alpha is not a danger unless ingested, within the closed confines of the submarine, ingestion would be inevitable. I suspected a monitor malfunction, but Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" always preached, “Believe your instrumentation.” So we treated it as a real thing, even after collecting a number of radon wrist watches which had illicitly been brought aboard (these were prohibited items because of this) and moving our mooring lines into enclosed space because they evidenced alpha radiation, the readings within the submarine persisted. So twice a day we had to come to periscope depth in order to ventilate the ship through the snorkel with the main ventilation fan. This was a cumbersome and, more importantly, extremely noisy evolution, which evoked the ever present specter of detection by a Soviet submarine each time we did it. This tended to make for a long patrol. (All of this, however, pales in comparison to Patrick Henry XE “Patrick Henry, USS” ’s second patrol later on.)On the 24th of August 1962, my first patrol in Patrick Henry XE “Patrick Henry, USS” came to an end. It was a fine patrol and I was looking forward to the off-crew period. After each patrol, shortly after arrival back in New London, Connecticut, the routine was to fly to Norfolk, Virginia to brief CINCLANT XE "CINCLANT or Commander-in-Chief Atlantic" and COMSUBLANT XE "COMSUBLANT or Commander Submarine Force Atlantic" . This took a couple of days. Aside from this, time was generally unencumbered for 90 days--30 days of either leave or “open gangway” where the crew mustered every two or three days. This was followed by 60 days of training on the various training devices in New London or at schools on the various equipment, either at the submarine base or at contractor plants throughout the United States.It was during my first off-crew period in Patrick Henry XE “Patrick Henry, USS” that I was selected to go to Colorado Springs to deliver a lecture on the FBM weapons system to the first class cadets at the Air Force Academy XE "Air Force Academy" . (I apparently did so well that they asked me back a second time the next year.)I enjoyed this experience because Ruth was able to accompany me. This was because Ruth’s mother was available to keep the home fires burning. However, Ruth was most apprehensive about flying. This became manifest when, after we had changed planes in Chicago to an airplane that was obviously overbooked, the ticket agent came on board and announced to all of the passengers that if anyone wanted to get off, they would get free lodging in Chicago while they were awaiting a later flight. Ruth was half out of her seat before I could restrain her to a more reasonable course of action, as we were on a tight time schedule.The off-crew period ended all too soon on the 23rd of November, and we again left for the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" . This time we were accompanied on the trip by our flotilla commander, Lawson P. “Red” Ramage XE "Ramage, Lawson P. \"Red\"" of Congressional Medal of Honor fame in Parche during World War II. Red was going to the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" in order to officiate at the Squadron 14 XE "Squadron 14" change of command between Wally Schlech XE "Schlech, Walter" and his relief, Dave Bell XE "Bell, David" . I picked him up in a Navy car at the Admiral’s quarters on the submarine base and for the first time had the opportunity to go inside. I was impressed, little realizing that I would live there some day.Red was quite a guy, particularly at ceremonial occasions when, resplendent with his medal, he always managed to shed some tears. (I recall that after his epic night surface action in Parche, for which he was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, he was asked by a reporter about his heroism. He replied simply, “I got mad.”)USS Patrick Henry Surfaces Off Scotland at the End of a Patrol;the Crew Sees Daylight for the First Time in Over 60 Days (Frank is Atop the Sail)CHAPTER 28The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight Strikes AgainMy second patrol in Patrick Henry XE “Patrick Henry, USS” was a memorable one to say the least. I looked forward to it for two reasons. First, Ruth was going to meet me in the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" following its completion and we were going to see Scotland and Europe. Second, Patrick Henry was going to be the second boat in the new patrol program to actually fire missiles. The first Polaris submarine to fire a missile had been the George Washington under the command of Ed Cooke XE "Cooke, Edward" . Ed had fired one missile successfully several months before. We were to be the first to ripple fire a salvo of four missiles.The procedure was this. At sometime within 30 days into the patrol, Patrick Henry XE “Patrick Henry, USS” would receive a message to terminate the patrol and proceed to the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" for two days, where, after drawing numbers from a hat, four of the sixteen missiles would then have their warheads removed and replaced with dummy warheads. Patrick Henry would then depart for a patrol area in the mid-Atlantic at about the latitude of Charleston XE "Charleston, South Carolina" , South Carolina and assume full patrol conditions. Then, within the next four days a firing message would be received from CINCLANT XE "CINCLANT or Commander-in-Chief Atlantic" at an unannounced time. Patrick Henry would go to Battle Stations Missile, and fire four missiles into the instrumented Tongue XE "Tongue, Scotland" of the Ocean range near Antigua, where the impact points of the four missiles could be measured.During our time in the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" time before our departure, no spares, food or outside repair assistance would be available and, obviously, no liberty. This was to make this exercise as realistic a test as possible.We started the regular patrol with several problems--new faces in some key billets, particularly navigation, and navigation equipment problems. One was the result of my own failure. In returning from sea trials before the normal patrol period and trying to remain undetected by the Soviet intelligence trawler that was on station to seaward of the Mull of Kintyre XE "Mull of Kintyre, Scotland" , I had submerged in rather rough seas too quickly to allow proper time for the retraction of the complicated navigation periscope. (We had been taking star sites at the time.) As a result of this haste, the barrel of the periscope was scored and it failed to work properly during the entire patrol.We also had SINS problems, and the secure fathometer was up and down operationally. These problems were manageable under a slow, steady state patrol condition, but I wasn’t at all sure how we would be able to handle them over a long transit through the Irish Sea and across the Atlantic to the exercise area, where Loran-C, which was our other navigational aid, had only marginal reception. (It would have been embarrassing not to have been able to locate the firing area seamount in the middle of the Atlantic, for example.)With these problems, both actual and potential, it seemed prudent to get to the designated firing area as quickly as possible in order to get the navigation system well settled before we had to launch the missiles. So we departed the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" and as soon as possible after passing the Cumbraes, which are two small islands which mark the entrance to the Clyde, I rang up flank speed, 100% reactor power. Slowing only to submerge at the 100-fathom curve, we maintained flank speed for four or five days, only slowing to come to periscope depth in order to obtain navigational data, dispose of garbage through the garbage ejector, etc.It was during one of these deep, high-speed periods that something happened that was to adumbrate the further excitement to come. I had neglected one of the basic tenants of submarining --always remember your trim. This has reference to the fact that a submarine once submerged in a neutral buoyancy condition will get heavier over time because of things such as bilge water accumulation, fresh water production, waste product collection and, potentially, variation in the seawater temperature. So it is necessary to slow down periodically and achieve neutral buoyancy by adjusting the seawater in the trim tanks. This was even more important in the early FBMs because reserve buoyancy was limited, a design flaw exacerbated by the fact (as we found out by Thresher’s loss) that at deeper depths the 600 psi air to the main ballast tanks was insufficient to empty them. (After Thresher, one of the things which was done was to pipe 3,000 psi air directly into the ballast tanks themselves.)We were running deep, fast and heavy one Sunday afternoon when the maneuvering room reported to the officer of the deck that they had stopped the propeller shaft because of a malfunction. The officer of the deck called me to the conn and by the time I arrived I could sense that we were losing speed and were sinking slowly, despite having a good up angle and full rise on both the bow planes and the stern planes. Clearly, we were too heavy.Joe Logan XE "Logan, Joseph" , the chief engineer, had gone aft and said they were trying to define the problem. Although we were already very deep, we continued to sink, even faster. I ordered, “Blow all main ballast.” The rate of descent decreased, but we continued to descend. This was indeed “white knuckle” time.About 150 feet above test depth, I called back to the maneuvering room and again talked to Joe and said, “We need and have to have power.”Joe understood--even though the problem had not been traced--and he started the shaft at two-thirds speed. At about 50 feet from test depth we started to come up with no shaft problem in evidence. It was a close call. Without power, we could have become another Thresher. Needless to say, everyone in Patrick Henry XE “Patrick Henry, USS” became trim conscious after this experience.After three or four days running deep and fast, we arrived in the firing area and rendezvoused by underwater telephone with a destroyer that was to act as a range safety observer. (The squadron commander, Dave Bell XE "Bell, David" , was embarked.) We were then, through Loran-C able to find the seamount, and we commenced to “settle” the navigation system.The navigation system would not “settle.” Two of the three SINS (Ship’s Inertial Navigation Systems) tracked each other well in both azimuth (i.e., the direction of true north) and position. The third SINS was all over the place. Without the type 11 periscope (this was the navigational periscope which I mentioned before as being out of commission), azimuth confirmation from the stars was impossible. While there was a procedure for checking one’s location by rotating the SINS inertial platforms in order to compare one SINS’ azimuth to another, and we did this as a matter of routine, we always liked to have an external check with the navigational periscope. Also, while the six to eight hour SINS rotational process was underway, the SINS could not be used to input azimuth and position should a firing message be received. This would leave us with but one SINS and if it “crashed,” we would be out of business. It was “gut check time.”Late afternoon on the third day in the area, the launch message was received. We decoded it, manned Battle Stations Missile, proceeded to launch depth, obtained a hovering trim, cut in the hovering system and the countdown commenced. It proceeded smoothly and some 15 minutes after receipt of the message, the familiar “whomp” of a missile leaving the tube was heard and felt. Before the next missile reached its final countdown phase (the firing interval was 30 seconds), Dave Bell XE "Bell, David" , in the destroyer, shouted over the underwater telephone, “Check fire! Check fire!”It turned out the first missile had broken the surface, achieved first stage ignition and then gone through a series of violent maneuvers. Dave said later that he thought it was targeted at the destroyer. I told him on the underwater phone that we could see no problem from our end, so he said, “Proceed with the launch.”The next two missiles went out normally within the prescribed 30 second intervals, but just as the third one left, the report came over the announcing system, “Flooding in the missile compartment! Flooding in the missile compartment!”The collision alarm sounded. All compartments were buttoned up and we commenced our investigation. It was indeed flooding, with water spraying all over the upper level of the missile compartment. A missile tube fitting, we found, had broken away, and water had sprayed all over some of the vital missile tube electronic control panels.After about 20 minutes, we were able to verify that the panels were operable and that the system looked good, so I again talked to Dave Bell XE "Bell, David" and said that we were ready to proceed. We again achieved our firing posture and hovering condition and launched the fourth missile. It went without incident. (I will say at this point that Dave was a great boss, a distinguished World War II submarine captain with two Navy Crosses and two Silver Star medals. He was absolutely unflappable and backed his subordinates’ judgment to the hilt, even though I am sure he may have been tempted a couple of times to call things off in this case.)To continue, Dave then sent a report to CINCLANT XE "CINCLANT or Commander-in-Chief Atlantic" reporting Patrick Henry XE “Patrick Henry, USS” ’s firing and we waited for CINCLANT XE "CINCLANT or Commander-in-Chief Atlantic" ’s response. CINCLANT XE "CINCLANT or Commander-in-Chief Atlantic" would then tell us how well we had done based on a report from the impact area. About an hour later, Dave said by underwater telephone, “Come to periscope depth. CINCLANT XE "CINCLANT or Commander-in-Chief Atlantic" has said there is a message for us on HF (high frequency) radio.”We came up, put up a whip antenna that could receive HF, and shortly thereafter a long encoded message started to arrive. On decryption, we learned that only one of the four missiles had impacted in the Tongue XE "Tongue, Scotland" of the Ocean range. (Of the other three, we knew, obviously, where the first one had gone. As to the other two, we thought they’d been sent towards the target.)Rather than returning to Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" , where Ruth was to be waiting, we were ordered to proceed to Charleston XE "Charleston, South Carolina" , South Carolina, at best speed. There, an investigation chaired by Admiral Raborn XE "Rayborn, William “Red”" (the father of the Polaris missile) was to be conducted to try to define the cause of Patrick Henry XE “Patrick Henry, USS” ’s problems. Our spirits were low, and we were dead tired.To make the immediate situation worse, Dave had promised the destroyer’s Commanding Officer that, after the firing, Patrick Henry XE “Patrick Henry, USS” would test the destroyer’s ability to track an evading submarine. Under the circumstances, I thought this inappropriate (sort of like asking Mrs. Lincoln to a post-performance reception). I acknowledged, but I also told the officer of the deck, “Bend on flank speed. Go deep and head straight for Charleston XE "Charleston, South Carolina" . We’ll call this full evasion.”Dave XE "Bell, David" wasn’t too pleased since the destroyer had no problem tracking us. But I think he understood.We arrived at the Naval ammunition depot in Charleston XE "Charleston, South Carolina" , tied up and were met by COMSUBLANT XE "COMSUBLANT or Commander Submarine Force Atlantic" , Admiral Grenfell XE "Grenfell, Elton W." , Hal XE "Shear, Harold" Shear, XE "Shear, Harold" representing CINCLANT XE "CINCLANT or Commander-in-Chief Atlantic" , Admiral Raborn XE "Rayborn, William “Red”" and a large group of technical experts. They examined everything with a fine-tooth comb. We were saved by two factors. First, one of the missiles mercifully had hit in the target area, which ruled out a shipboard problem. Second, there had been several clear indications over the previous six months that there was a propellant problem with the Polaris missile which could account for the destroyer “chasing shot” as well as a situation of an uneven burn, which could affect the range of the other two errant shots.It was a close call for Patrick Henry XE “Patrick Henry, USS” because the stakes were high at this early point in the Polaris missile system’s development. There was high level interest, indeed, stretching all the way to the White House.As for Ruth, Bob Long XE "Long, Robert L.J." , my Gold crew counterpart, went directly to her when he got notice of Patrick Henry XE “Patrick Henry, USS” ’s change in plans and told her that we wouldn’t be returning to the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" . Thus, she was saved from flying to Scotland and arriving at the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" to find Patrick Henry in Charleston XE "Charleston, South Carolina" .The stress and strain of Patrick Henry XE “Patrick Henry, USS” ’s second patrol was something it took us all some time to recover from during the off-crew period.During the off-crew period after the second patrol, I again spoke at the Air Force Academy XE "Air Force Academy" . But mainly I enjoyed the “charm” of the house we had rented on the Thames River, where we lived at the time.It was during this period that Thresher was lost. I well remember the evening when the word was received because one of the young officers, a classmate of Worth Hobbs XE "Hobbs, Worth" , lived directly behind us. Worth became deeply involved, as all of us did in varying degrees, in the family grief and needs which ensued. The memorial service in Dealey Center was memorable, too. Not only did Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman: Thresher Memorial Service " attend, but he wore his uniform--the first time anyone had ever seen him so attired.There were many changes made, both procedurally and in equipment as a result of Thresher’s loss (for example, piping 3,000 psi air directly into the ballast tanks). So her loss was not entirely in vain. We left once again for the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" on the first of May 1963 for my third patrol in Patrick Henry XE “Patrick Henry, USS” .CHAPTER 29DunderaveIt was during our preparations for the third patrol that I got to know Lady Weir XE "Weir, Lady" . Maggie, as she was affectionately known, was the owner of a beautiful castle just a short distance from the Duke of Argyle’s castle on Loch Fyne. Her “small castle” remains today the single most impressive residence I have ever visited in Scotland. It dated from the 16th century and was a massive round tower with a great hall extension. There were four bedrooms as you wound around the stone steps worn by the years, up the tower and, at a different level, each bedroom was done in a color scheme to match the natural wood paneling which was employed. Extraordinary in its effect. (There were ten other bedrooms as well as twelve bathrooms, a “baronial” dining room, library, several lounges and the like.)Dunderave, as it was known, had two and a half certified ghosts (the one-half being a ghost that was still in process of certification). The procedure involving certification is much like canonization in the Roman Catholic Church and, on a cold, rainy night, sitting before the immense fireplace, it took little imagination to agree that there were ghosts in the castle.Lady Weir XE "Weir, Lady" had married the second son of Lord Weir, who owned the company that had manufactured Spitfires in World War II. He had acquired the castle and, with no constraint with regard to costs, had restored it to its current splendor. Maggie’s husband apparently liked his spirits and, under the influence some years before, had drowned in the bathtub (or so the Scots intimated).CHAPTER 30Loch Fyne CaperThe third patrol on Patrick Henry XE “Patrick Henry, USS” went smoothly, as did the fourth. It was sometime during the period from May 1963 to November 1964 that Patrick Henry’s performance was acknowledged by the award of the Squadron 14 XE "Squadron 14" battle efficiency award (the “E”) signifying it as the best ship in the squadron.In December, I learned that, following my fifth patrol in Patrick Henry XE “Patrick Henry, USS” , I was to be relieved and assigned the construction of a new Polaris missile submarine, the James K. Polk XE "Polk, USS James K." , at the Electric Boat Company XE "Electric Boat Company" in Groton, Connecticut. I looked forward to this, but first there was one more patrol in Patrick Henry, and it was to have a special flourish at the end. We were to be the first submarine before returning to the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" from patrol to proceed up Loch Fyne to a newly implanted hydrophone array where Patrick Henry’s noise level would be measured at varying depths and speeds using various equipment combinations.There were two problems that I foresaw. First, Loch Fyne’s entrance was very narrow and twisting. Second, while Loch Fyne was deep enough in the middle for runs of 100 feet, its general lack of breadth would make high-speed runs and turns tricky. So before leaving on patrol, the navigator, Bob Schlengzig, and I broke out our chart of the area. It confirmed and added to our concerns. In the first place, the depths were based on a British navy sailing ship survey in the late 18th century. Second, it showed that the maximum current through the small entrance, which was configured like the letter S, could be as much as 10 knots.Bob and I then went in one of the tender’s motor launches to take a first-hand look. It indeed looked tight, but we thought it could be done with a sufficient margin of safety. (Also, the squadron commander, Dave Bell XE "Bell, David" , was insistent upon the undertaking.) The patrol went smoothly. We surfaced off Cape Wrath XE "Cape Wrath, Scotland" at dark, as was our procedure in order to transit the Minches at night. (This is the heavily traveled passage between Scotland and the Hebrides.) We arrived at the entrance to Loch Fyne in the early morning and, as the tide tables had indicated, there was obviously an extremely strong ebb tide running through the entrance. But we had given a lot of thought and preparation as to how we would go through. We had determined what navigational aids on the beach we would use, the turning bearings and danger bearings. We had backup phone circuits between the bridge and the helmsman in the control room. Because of the current, we needed to minimize the time we would be in the entrance, which, as I indicated, was shaped like the letter S. This meant high speed and full rudder movements.Rudder failure, either mechanically or through personnel error, would put Patrick Henry XE “Patrick Henry, USS” quickly on the rocks. But we were prepared, and it went faultlessly, although I still felt it was an unnecessary risk. (As I have indicated, Dave Bell XE "Bell, David" pressed strongly for this. Dave was undaunted by anything of this sort. As a matter of fact, he was a fine ship handler himself. He was the only squadron commander I ever knew who always acted as his own coxswain when he was embarked in his barge.)Standing up Loch Fyne provided unsurpassed scenic beauty. While the runs at 100 feet and fast speeds across the array--which was very near Dunderave, as a matter of fact--were exciting. We finished about sunset and, after a good deal of improvising, succeeded in mooring to two mispositioned buoys where further tests would be conducted during the night.These tests concerned me also, because they involved shutting down the reactor and, without shore power being available in Loch Fyne, if the diesel engine was to malfunction (not something which was unknown), we wouldn’t be able to get the reactor started again. But this went well, too.For the first and only time in my life I had asked the doctor for something to keep me awake during the busy transit through the Minches and the subsequent operations in Loch Fyne. He had, but as a result, a short after-dinner nap turned into an awakening in time for breakfast with all tests accomplished, the reactor back on the line and all preparations completed to get underway to the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" . (I never took pills thereafter, for obvious reasons.)We got underway, successfully exited Loch Fyne and a couple of hours later moored alongside the tender in the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" . There, my father (who was touring Europe with my mother) was on board the tender, having had lunch with Dave Bell XE "Bell, David" and the squadron staff, and he came out with Dave in the squadron commander’s barge (Dave acting as his own coxswain, of course).After visiting with my parents several evenings during the turnover period (they stayed at the Royal Marine Hotel), I was relieved by Bob Long XE "Long, Robert L.J." and his Gold crew and returned to New London. My parents returned from Europe shortly thereafter and spent several days with us before returning to Kansas City.After seven patrols, two in Abraham Lincoln XE "Abraham Lincoln, USS" and five in Patrick Henry XE “Patrick Henry, USS” , I was ready for a respite. Even though commissioning a new ship would be, I knew, an arduous and stressful period, it would be a change of pace.Frank Greeted by his Relief as Polk’s Commanding Officer, Bob BlountCHAPTER 31James K. Polk (SSBN 645)On the 4th of September 1964, towards the later part of Patrick Henry XE “Patrick Henry, USS” ’s off-crew period, I was relieved by my submarine school roommate and good friend, Bob Blount XE "Blount, Robert" .September and October were spent attending a three week course at the submarine base learning about the new torpedo fire control system which SSBN 640 class would have (Polk XE "Polk, USS James K." , that was SSBN 645, was a member of this class) and a six week course at the Fleet Air Defense Training Center in Dam Neck, Virginia, where the fire control procedures and operational aspects of the new version of the Polaris missile were covered. This was a restful period--Dam Neck, in particular. For part of the time (over the Thanksgiving period, as a matter of fact), we rented a beach house at Sandbridge. The Jortbergs XE "Jortberg, Richard and Joann" were neighbors (Dick being in the same class as I), and Jim and Donna Allen XE "Allen, James and Donna" lived in town. Jim was then attached to CINCLANT XE "CINCLANT or Commander-in-Chief Atlantic" ’s staff.On the 11th of December, I reported for duty to the supervisor of shipbuilding at Electric Boat XE "Electric Boat Company" Company, Groton, Connecticut for duty as the prospective Commanding Officer of the James K. Polk XE "Polk, USS James K." and, upon commissioning, as the Commanding Officer of the Blue missioning a nuclear powered submarine under Admiral Rickover was probably as stressful and challenging an assignment as the Navy offered. Simply stated, this was because you were responsible for the testing of the engineering plant at every step from pre-criticality through criticality, power range testing and, finally, initial sea trials. All of this was done under the focus and intense gaze of Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" , who always rode on initial sea trials.Before Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman: Ship Building Supervision " would give permission to achieve initial reactor criticality, the engineering department officers and enlisted men would be subject to a two day extensive examination covering reactor theory, the systems in the ship and reactor procedures. This was conducted by a team of senior people from Washington. To prepare took months. All the while that you were preparing, there were construction oversight responsibilities and equipment tests which were underway around the clock.There were frequent calls from and to Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" in response to reactor plant incidents. These included anything involving an abnormality during testing. He received these reports not only from the ships, but from his representative at Electric Boat XE "Electric Boat Company" , Bill Martin XE "Martin, William" , as well as from the shipyard (all checking on each other). In addition, there was the ubiquitous weekly letter to Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman: Reporting Requirements" detailing what had gone wrong and what you had done to fix it. Again, his representative at Electric Boat XE "Electric Boat Company" had the same obligatory reporting requirement. You never knew when you might be “blind-sided” by some problem which somebody else had reported but you had failed to note.This period was not all stress and strain, however. There were others to share the experience and from whom you could learn. The lead ship in the class, Benjamin Franklin XE "Benjamin Franklin, USS" with Don Miller XE "Miller, Donald" , was several months ahead of Polk XE "Polk, USS James K." . Franklin was followed in time sequence by Bancroft XE "Bancroft, USS George" with Joe Williams XE "Williams, Joseph" , then Polk XE "Polk, USS James K." , followed by Stimson XE "Stimson, USS Henry" with Dick Jortberg XE "Jortberg, Richard" , and finally, Francis Scott Key XE "Francis Scott Key, USS" with Frank Graham XE "Graham, Frank" , a great group of officers, all of whom were close family friends.It was not only that we could share our trials and tribulations, but we all knew that there is nothing quite like the satisfaction of being the first in a new ship and being able to set the tone and the foundation for her future performance.However, there was more than the engineering department to worry about: new navigational systems, new weapon systems and many new ship systems for which operating procedures had to be drafted and the crew trained. There were the many emergency bills, the ship’s organizational manual, and the compartment rig for dive bills. (There were probably several hundred valves that had to be located and identified so that they could be checked before each dive.)Time went quickly. Polk XE "Polk, USS James K." had a fine wardroom, both Blue and Gold. (As the Blue crew Commanding Officer, I had responsibility for both crews until commissioning.) My old friend, Bob Douglass XE "Douglass, Robert" , my former Executive Officer in Patrick Henry, reported in January as the Gold crew Commanding Officer. My Executive Officer was Dick Thompson XE "Thompson, Richard" . Bob’s Exec was George Henson XE "Henson, George" . Both were fine officers. The crucial billet, the Blue crew engineer, was filled by Keith XE "Garland, Keith" Garland XE "Garland, Keith" , a splendid officer, via Boston Latin School, one year at Harvard where he rowed on the crew team, and finally the U.S. Naval Academy. (Pearson College at Harvard is named after one of his ancestors.) His counterpart was Jim Miltenberger XE "Miltenberger, James" , another outstanding officer. In all, I was responsible for the training and readiness of some 26 officers and 240 enlisted men.We had the usual problems with crew mistakes, which always incurred Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s direct intervention and wrath, but nothing beyond what you would expect of a regimen as complicated and demanding as building and testing a nuclear reactor, to say nothing of a 420 foot ship filled with computers and electronic equipment.Polk XE "Polk, USS James K." LaunchingCHAPTER 32A Bad StartFive days before initial sea trials, 48 hours were set aside for a “fast cruise.” That is, with the ship still firmly tied to the dock, it would be closed up and would operate entirely on its own using reactor power to energize all systems while the crew, with no one else about, went through all the initial sea trial evolutions.Polk XE "Polk, USS James K." received Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman: Supervision of Polk’s Fast Cruise " ’s formal permission to commence fast cruise, but we no more than got started when Bill Martin XE "Martin, William" , his representative, came down to the dock and sent word aboard that the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" said, “Stop fast cruise.”I went ashore to Bill’s office and asked what had happened. Bill said the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" had stopped the fast cruise because he had learned that a pop rivet (these are small, aluminum posts that are widely used to attach molding and the like to metal throughout the submarine) had some weeks before fallen into Polk XE "Polk, USS James K." ’s reduction gear. The reduction gear is a huge, finely machined gear that reduces the fast revolutions of the turbines to the slower revolutions of the propeller. The reduction gear is essential not only to drive the submarine, but it is equally essential that it be quiet.I knew that this had happened, but the pop rivet had been retrieved somewhat the worse for the experience and I thought it was a shipyard responsibility, thereby violating a fundamental Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman: Reporting Requirements" tenet that everyone is responsible and that the first one to report gets off the easiest. Well, the “Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman" ” was angry, at me, Bill Martin XE "Martin, William" and the shipyard. I went back to Polk XE "Polk, USS James K." and we verified as nearly as was possible that the pop rivet pieces, which we fortunately had saved, were all there. The shipyard carefully inspected the reduction gear and could find no scoring.After a tongue lashing from the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" , permission XE "Rickover, Hyman: Supervision of Polk’s Fast Cruise " was granted to recommence fast cruise. This was not a very auspicious start, to say the least.It turned out that the prior ship to go to sea, Bancroft XE "Bancroft, USS George" with Joe Williams XE "Williams, Joseph" , had had a noisy reduction gear during her first sea trials when the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" was aboard and the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s intuitive antenna, which stood him in such good stead across the years, caused him to ask if Polk XE "Polk, USS James K." ’s had been carefully groomed and tested. You can imagine his blood pressure when he learned of the pop rivet episode in Polk XE "Polk, USS James K." that had not been reported. He XE "Rickover, Hyman: Supervision of Polk’s Fast Cruise " considered this to be further evidence of sloppy Electric Boat XE "Electric Boat Company" procedures. He was always on the shipyards--Electric Boat XE "Electric Boat Company" , as well as the others, for sloppy work, loafing, and not following procedures. For example, once a week, at random times day or night, Commanding Officers had to tour the engineering spaces and report to the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" any loafing or untidiness or similar matters that they found. And you had better find some infractions because he knew that they were there. XE "Rickover, Hyman: Reporting Requirements" The first 36 hours of the 48 hour fast cruise went smoothly. Then our evaporators started to turn out fresh water that did not meet the very rigid specifications required for the reactor plant. (Very pure fresh water is absolutely essential as make up feed water for the boilers to replace water lost through normal pump/plant leakage, for example.) If we ran out of fresh water in the fresh water holding tanks, we would have to shut down the reactor and abort the fast ing on the heels of the pop rivet episode, I couldn’t imagine what the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" would do. XE "Rickover, Hyman: Supervision of Polk’s Fast Cruise " As a matter of fact, I didn’t even want to think about it. About midnight (the fast cruise was to finish at about six o’clock the following morning), I learned that the fresh water was extremely low. I called Bob Douglass XE "Douglass, Robert" and the two engineers, Keith XE "Garland, Keith" and Jim XE "Miltenberger, James" , into my cabin. We talked about the situation. Finally I said, “Okay, guys, what do we do?”The vote was three to one to shut down the reactor and report the problem. Since the one vote was mine, we continued. We barely made it. Even at the time I knew they were probably right, but weighing the consequences, I decided to push all the chips out onto the table.After reflecting on this, I often wonder that perhaps this decision was the sort of decision that separated the successful World War II submarine skipper from those who were unwilling to take the calculated risk when the stakes were high. Then again, I was probably just lucky.CHAPTER 33 “Rig for Rickover”Fast cruise finished on Thursday. The shipyard worked on the evaporator as well as the other items which needed attention, and we made preparations for our initial sea trials, which were to begin on Sunday morning. One of the most important items before initial sea trials was to prepare for Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" . He would arrive at Electric Boat XE "Electric Boat Company" or other shipyard, as the case might be, on Saturday evening, thereby allowing for a full day of work in Washington. Upon arrival he would have a “Come to Jesus meeting” with the ship builder and the Commanding Officers. Then about ten o’clock he would proceed to the ship to sleep until time to get underway at first light on Sunday. Anytime the Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman" was anywhere in the vicinity was a time for maximum trepidation and concern. With my recent reduction gear problem still fresh in my mind, it was a time of maximum stress for me.To help in this stressful time, which every new construction ship went through, there evolved an informal “Rig for Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman: Rig for Rickover " ” list that was passed from ship to ship. This was a list of some four or five pages in length, and it continued to grow because new items came up as each new ship went to sea. It detailed preparations which others had found useful for his visit. Just a few examples: Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" always traveled without baggage, and he wanted his suit sent to the cleaners and his shirt laundered as soon as he had changed into Navy khakis. XE "Rickover, Hyman: Rig for Rickover " Arrangements were always made to have a cleaner open for business late on a Saturday evening to receive his suit and shirt and then return it at first light on Monday morning to the pier when the ship arrived. In this regard, too, there was a list of clothing items that should be laid out on the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s bunk--two pair of khakis, two pair of underwear, a foul weather jacket with the ship’s patch and his name patch, a brown navy sweater, and the list went on. XE "Rickover, Hyman: Rig for Rickover " I often wondered what he did with all of this clothing, which he took with him, until one day when I was in his “new office” at Crystal City near the Pentagon. In the adjoining space, I saw stacks of clothing. It looked like a Navy small stores. But in all fairness he did have some method to his madness. He would give items such as the jackets to congressmen whose favors he desired.Of course, the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman: Favorite Foods" ’s food likes were described in detail as part of the list: always seedless grapes (and this could be a challenge in the winter), peanuts in their shells (and he ate peanuts like a monkey), steak, baked potatoes and the right kind of salad dressing.There were items about his room. (He customarily slept in the Executive Officer’s stateroom, which in Polk XE "Polk, USS James K." adjoined the Commanding Officer’s stateroom.) He desired that his room be absolutely light tight and sound free. With regard to the latter, both the Commanding Officer and the Executive Officer’s staterooms had mounted ship clocks with bells for chimes. One entry said, “The Admiral does not like to hear these clocks. Be sure that they are not wound.” Several pages later (obviously from another submarine), the list referenced that entry and said, “Remember that even an unwound clock can have a spurious strike. Recommend that you remove the striker.”It is clear that every item XE "Rickover, Hyman: Rig for Rickover " represented a misadventure of some prior ship, so I know of no document which received more careful review and execution. Another example comes to mind, which Don Miller XE "Miller, Donald" added after his sea trials in Benjamin Franklin XE "Benjamin Franklin, USS" . The Admiral’s suit was waiting for him, freshly cleaned on Monday morning when they returned to the pier, but when he put on the pants, the zipper was jammed. This caused a loud outcry from the stateroom, for the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" was in a hurry to catch the morning flight to Washington.After a flurry of activity, a pair of pliers was found from the engineering spaces and the problem rectified. Don’s entry said, “Have a pair of pliers ready in case the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s zipper jams.” XE "Rickover, Hyman: Rig for Rickover " Later I suggested to Don that he missed a great opportunity to send the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" to the airport with his zipper down and then inform the Groton police that there was a small, diminutive, gray-haired gentleman proceeding to the airport who had been flashing some secretaries at the Electric Boat Company XE "Electric Boat Company" .Of course, the list XE "Rickover, Hyman: Rig for Rickover " also had some really essential items, like the reports that the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" desired underway, when he wanted to be called, where he liked to be when certain reactor plant evolutions were ongoing, and the like.For the Polk XE "Polk, USS James K." ’s sea trials, it was about 2300 when the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" came aboard. I got him settled in his room. He said only three things, in rapid succession:“You really worried me with your reduction gear.” “Is everything ready?”“Go home and get some sleep.”I replied to each simply, “Yes, sir.” (It was his practice to send the Commanding Officers home before initial sea trials. He never said why. I suspect, though, he had some definitive purpose, for he was not one to do anything without something in mind.)CHAPTER 34Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa ClausI went home, slept fitfully and returned about 0500. Preparations were well in hand for getting underway at first light, but I was informed by the engineer, Keith XE "Garland, Keith" Garland XE "Garland, Keith" , that there had been a problem during the “light off” (bringing the reactor critical). I immediately thought, “Jesus, with the Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman" aboard.”Keith XE "Garland, Keith" went on to say that during the light off a main cooling system discharge valve had been tested by “cracking” it slightly off its seat, then shutting it. Some hours later it was discovered that it had not seated properly and we had put a measurable amount of “radioactive” water into the Thames River.While there was no radioactive danger from this discharge because our reactor had insufficient operating hours to cause the main coolant water to become radioactive, this was nonetheless an absolute violation of reactor operating procedures--and with the “Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman" ” on board. XE "Rickover, Hyman: Polk Sea Trials " There was no way to finesse this because it had to be logged in a discharge log and, to make matters worse, in the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s party were a number of his people, one of whom would be reviewing all the reactor plant chemistry records including the discharge log, during the underway period. Command decision time again!I said to Keith XE "Garland, Keith" , “Well, be absolutely sure it is in the discharge log and we’ll face the issue when it comes up.” (I was pretty sure it would, but decided that it would be no worse to face the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" then than now.)The denouement of this crisis was that the chemistry reviewer never mentioned it. Why, I’ll never know, but I thank him and, as they say, whatever gods that may be that it was not brought to the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s attention. XE "Rickover, Hyman: Polk Sea Trials " I’ll confess, though, that every time I passed the chemistry lab and saw Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s man pouring over the records, I thought, “How much longer before the shoe drops?”After this less than auspicious start, the pop rivet episode, the shortage of makeup feed water which could have aborted fast cruise, it may seem incredulous that the next 48 hours at sea went so smoothly that Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" later termed it the best initial sea trials he had ever seen (and he, obviously, had seen them all).I’ll tell you now why he said that and how he formed his opinion. But first let me describe very briefly Polk XE "Polk, USS James K." ’s initial sea trials.It was a dark, blustery Sunday morning on the 14th of March 1966, when Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" and I stood together on Polk XE "Polk, USS James K." ’s bridge overseeing the casting off the mooring lines. XE "Rickover, Hyman: Polk Sea Trials " We backed out into the Thames River and twisted with the aid of two tugs in order to head down river, past the Pfizer factory, the Griswold Hotel, the New London ledge light and through the swift tidal flow of the Race, leaving Race Rock Light to port, into Long Island Sound. It was during this period that Polk XE "Polk, USS James K." “Hit the home run.”I had heard that during the last several initial sea trials on which the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" had been embarked, the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" had been highly agitated and disturbed by the noise level on the bridge. XE "Rickover, Hyman: Polk Sea Trials " This seemed unavoidable because, by design and practice, orders from the bridge to the helmsman were transmitted by the two way voice announcing system (7MC), backed up by a sound powered phone talker.For example, the order, “Right 15 degrees rudder. Come to course 180.” would be sent down over the 7MC by the officer of the deck and the helmsman, by procedure, would acknowledge by repeating, “Right 15 degrees rudder. Course 180.” Then, when the rudder was over 15 degrees, he would report back to the bridge over the 7MC, “Rudder is right 15 degrees, coming to course 180.” Then, when on course, the helmsman would again report over the 7MC, “Steady on course 180.”All of these transmissions from the helm to the bridge would be blaring out on the bridge 7MC speaker. To acerbate this noise level, reports from the radar operator, the navigator and from maneuvering would also be interspersed with the helm reports, albeit either by a separate MC system or by sound powered phone talkers. Then, too, the officer of the deck would be shouting orders to the line handlers on deck as he singled up the lines and cast them off. It would seem, and did seem to any bystander, a loud and chaotic setting, but it worked.I decided several weeks before our initial sea trials to see what we could do to placate the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s concern. XE "Rickover, Hyman: Polk Sea Trials " It was relatively simple, but involved some unauthorized alterations to the sound powered telephone circuits that would have been found inappropriate by higher authorities. Simply stated, I found a way to rig another sound powered circuit to the helmsman.This meant that there were two sound powered circuits with talkers to him, one acting as a backup. (Because of the crucial nature of the link between the bridge and the helm, I put the two most experienced quartermasters on either end of this circuit and they, rather than the 7MC, provided the officer of the deck to the helmsman link.) Additionally, I rigged a sound powered telephone circuit between the bridge and the navigator and the radar operator. It was difficult to find unobtrusive places in the confining space of the bridge trunk for these additional telephone sound powered operators. We had phone lines running through the bridge access hatch, which was not a good submarining procedure if you had to “button up” quickly. But we achieved an extraordinarily quiet bridge. (Note: we did store a hatchet in the bridge trunk in case the phone lines had to be cut in an emergency.)The “Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman" ” XE "Rickover, Hyman: Polk Sea Trials " made no comment as we stood down the river into the sound, and it wasn’t until much later during the trials that I overheard him saying to his principal assistant, Jack Griggs XE "Griggs, Jack" , “It was just like the ancient Phoenicians.” In the context of the conversation, as nearly as I could make it out, I was pretty sure he was talking about the way the underway had been handled, specifically the absence of noise on the bridge. (I was to find out later, after the trials, just how he felt.)To return to the trials, we were off to a good start. Shortly after passing through the Race, a number of engineering checks were made to be sure that the reactor and the steam plants were operating properly and careful attention was paid to the reduction gear to be sure that the pop rivet episode had not caused any damage.We then proceeded through Long Island Sound, where I had spent so much time operating in Darter XE "Darter, USS" and in Hardhead XE "Hardhead, USS" , past Block Island and Montauk Point into the Atlantic Ocean. It was from that point about two or three hours to the 100 fathom curve where we were to make our first dive.Our first dive was obviously an important event. During construction, every item of installed equipment, including spares, food and the like was carefully weighed before coming aboard. Knowing the submarine’s weight was the first step in calculating the amount of water to be put into the trim tanks in order to achieve as near neutral buoyancy as possible when you submerged (i.e., so at 0 speed you would neither ascend or descend). It was certainly not an exact science, and it was not unusual to be off by a considerable amount. This was manageable by using the submarine’s speed and planes. However, the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" XE "Rickover, Hyman: Polk Sea Trials " always thought you ought to be very close in these calculations. (Probably an unreasonable expectation with the number of variables present with a submarine that had never before submerged--but the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" , if nothing else, set high standards.)We arrived in our assigned area, rendezvoused with a surface escort that would stand by for the initial dive, cleared the bridge, closed up the ship, rang up standard speed and sounded the diving alarm. I ordered 120 feet, four degrees down bubble.We arrived at the ordered depth quickly and commenced taking off speed slowly until we arrived at one-third speed, about four knots. All the while, we didn’t have to flood in or pump out from the trim tanks. Our trim looked great.The “Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman" ,” XE "Rickover, Hyman: Polk Sea Trials " who was standing beside me on the raised periscope platform, ready as always to find fault, didn’t say anything. I said to him, “Admiral, the trim looks good.” He replied, “Come to all stop.” I gulped and replied, “Yes, sir.”I didn’t think we necessarily had a stop trim then, and I am sure he didn’t either. That would be like drawing a royal flush in a poker game. But we did, or almost. As we reached zero speed, we only had to move 2,000 or 3,000 pounds of water. The “Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman" ” then said, “See, it can be done,” and left for the wardroom. I don’t know if this was ever done before or after. Luck again.We then proceeded with the escort to our deep dive area. The deep dive was a very carefully structured operation with a newly constructed submarine, particularly after Thresher’s loss. Trim light. Plenty of speed. Main coolant pumps at fast in order to have maximum speed readily available. Proceed down slowly. Stop every 100 feet in order to check carefully for leaks. Frequent underwater telephone checks with the escort, etc.We got to test depth without a single indication of a leak or malfunction, again very unusual.Following this, we came to periscope depth to release the escort and made preparations for the principal reactor plant test of the trials. This was four hours at full power, to be terminated by immediately backing at full power until the submarine was dead in the water. This was a strenuous test, not only of the reactor plant, but of the crew’s ability to operate the reactor and the ability of the ship’s personnel to operate the submarine at high speed.Here again, the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" XE "Rickover, Hyman: Polk Sea Trials " would become visibly upset if there were depth control problems. And at high speed you can get into problems, which would be obvious to all if you made the slightest mistake handling the planes. It was a severe test, too, of being sure your trim was correct.At high speed you can’t tell, as evidenced by my Patrick Henry XE “Patrick Henry, USS” experience, whether you are in or out of trim. The speed masks that. However, at slow speed it becomes readily apparent. If you are heavy, you sink like a rock. If you are light, you bounce up to the surface.We wouldn’t know whether we were in trim following the full power test until we were slow enough that it would be too late to do anything about it. In this connection, the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" XE "Rickover, Hyman: Polk Sea Trials " insisted the ship be dead in the water before the backing bell was taken off. The further complication was, even if your trim was “on,” if you went past dead in the water to having stern way on the ship, the submarine became inherently unstable and difficult to control.The four hours at full power went beautifully, and we had made a rough guess during this four hours as to how much trimming water we would need to pump out over the period. So we tried to keep up with our trim. At the end of the four hour period, the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" said, “Let’s go aft.” He and I went aft and stationed ourselves behind the three reactor plant operators in the maneuvering room. He said, “Alright, let’s go.”I phoned the officer of the deck in the control room and said, “Ring up all back full.” The officer of the deck did, with the throttleman answering by closing the ahead throttle rapidly and opening the astern throttle until the reactor showed 100% reactor power. The reactor operator and the electrical plant operator, who were standing adjacent to the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" , XE "Rickover, Hyman: Polk Sea Trials " adjusted their controls to handle the severe steam demand transients that had been imposed upon the plant. I not only watched this, but kept an eye on the depth gauge out of the corner of my eye with concern and excitement. It seemed to be rock steady, right on depth. The trim looked good.But now I was concerned about knowing when we were dead in the water because the underwater pitometer log, which measures and displays speed, does not work in the astern direction. Moreover, it is not accurate as you approach zero speed. We needed a better way of knowing when we were dead in the water and to get some speed on before the ship began to indicate instability.I did this by stationing the navigator alongside one of the SINS (the ship’s inertial navigation systems). Through the accelerometers, which as part of the SINS were mounted on a stable platform, he could get an accurate indication of actual speed over the ground. His job was to let me know over the sound powered telephone when speed had decreased to 3/10 of a knot.The speed decreased and the trim continued to look good. Finally, the navigator reported when we reached 3/10 of a knot, “Captain, dead in the water.” (I wanted some margin of safety.)I then reported to the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" , “Dead in the water, sir.” XE "Rickover, Hyman: Polk Sea Trials " He replied, “How’s your depth?”I answered, “On depth, sir.”He said, “That completes the test.”I immediately ordered the officer of the deck to come to all stop and then come to all ahead two-thirds. A great performance by Polk XE "Polk, USS James K." and her crew.The Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman: Polk Sea Trials " and I then left the maneuvering room for the wardroom. He hadn’t said anything, but I was pretty impressed. In his case, the absence of loud criticism was the best accolade you could receive. I did feel that he was pleased when, as we walked through the missile compartment towards the wardroom he said, “I appreciate your hosting Congressman Young last weekend.” This was a Congressman (who was later defeated because of some sort of peccadillo that he had been involved in during a trip to Texas) who was a member of the Congressional Joint Committee on Atomic Energy. Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" carefully cultivated every member of this group because it was his power base in the Congress. He had arranged for Congressman Young XE "Young, Congressman" to visit Polk XE "Polk, USS James K." over the weekend and have lunch with us. The Congressman, together with several staff members (one of whom it later turned out was his mistress), seemed pleased, and he gave me a large glass Congressional ashtray which sits on our coffee table.It was by now early afternoon and, while we conducted a number of non-engineering plant tests, the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" XE "Rickover, Hyman: Polk Sea Trials " turned his attention to another standard sea trials project. On each first sea trial of a submarine the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" drafted a letter XE "Rickover, Hyman: Letters from Sea Trials " which he sent to 100 or so prominent people, the President, members of Congress and the like, reporting that he was at sea, in this case in the James K. Polk XE "Polk, USS James K." , and giving the historical background of her name-sake. They were well done, but they were a clerical pain for each ship.Mid-week before the sea trials you would receive the letter. It was typically single-spaced and three or four pages in length. Using typewriters furnished by Electric Boat XE "Electric Boat Company" (which were automatic in the sense that they were tape operated), you would proceed to turn out each letter, and each had to be absolutely perfect. So much as a smudge would be detected by the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" . XE "Rickover, Hyman: Letters from Sea Trials " We completed this and we had the letters on board. At this point, the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" asked for them and painstakingly reviewed and signed each. He was assisted in this by my chief yeoman.The list of those who were to receive letters XE "Rickover, Hyman: Letters from Sea Trials " was very carefully controlled by the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" . (The Commanding Officer was one of the privileged few non-VIPs to receive one.) So it was not unexpected when, after several hours of signing, a loud shout was heard coming from the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s stateroom, “I want to see McMullen.”I went in and the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" thrust the letter at me, saying, “What’s the meaning of this? Can’t you control your crew?”I looked at the letter. XE "Rickover, Hyman: Letters from Sea Trials " It was addressed to my chief yeoman. The chief had thought that the “Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman" ” would never catch it with all the letters he had to sign and that he would have a prize memento. He was wrong, of course. XE "Rickover, Hyman: Letters from Sea Trials " The rest of the sea trials went smoothly and we finished about 1900, surfaced and set a course for New London. This was the time of the evening meal, so I asked Bob Douglass XE "Douglass, Robert" if he would fill in for me in the wardroom with the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" . XE "Rickover, Hyman: Polk Sea Trials " (This didn’t dampen my spirits because the better part of valor was to minimize your exposure to the “Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman" ”.)On surfacing, there was a Russian trawler about 10,000 yards away, so I stayed on the bridge longer than I normally would have to be sure we avoided any problem in this regard. It was about 2000 when I arrived in the wardroom. It was deserted, an unusual situation with the number of officers we had on board. I went in and the reason was apparent.There was the “Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman" ,” obviously waiting for me. He wanted me to know how pleased he was with the trials and asked if he could talk to the crew on 1MC (the general announcing system). I said, “Certainly.” He added that he might tell a story, which he then proceeded to tell me.It concerned a man-of-war sailor in the old days of sail who was responsible for the proper securing of one of the guns. This gun broke loose in a storm, but through the brave actions of this sailor it was secured again before it could cause damage to the ship. The Commanding Officer took two actions.First, he highly commended the sailor for his bravery. Then, he hung him for dereliction of duty for failing to properly secure the gun in the first place.He XE "Rickover, Hyman: Polk Sea Trials " said to me, “Do you think they (the crew) will like that?” I thought they would probably wonder, as did I, what his point was with respect to the Polk XE "Polk, USS James K." ’s sea trials performance. But, not surprisingly, I said, “That would be great, Admiral.”We went up to the control room. The Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman: Polk Sea Trials " got on the 1MC and commended the crew for their performance. (I don’t think this had ever happened before on sea trials.) Then he told his story. The crew is probably to this day trying to figure out what point the “Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman" ” was trying to make, but it was his praise that I am sure they, as I, will always remember.We adjusted our speed to arrive at Electric Boat XE "Electric Boat Company" Company XE "Electric Boat Company" at first light in order to get the “Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman" ” and his party on the early morning flight to Washington, D.C. The night passed uneventfully. I may have dozed for a couple of hours, but largely I was in and around the control room. I didn’t want to “blow it” at this point.The Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman: Polk Sea Trials " had breakfast upon arrival, his suit and shirt were there (the zipper worked), and he departed.About eleven o’clock the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" arrived back at his office in Washington and the phone started to ring. The first call was from him. He said, “I know you are tired (it was highly unusual for him to say anything like this), but I want you to put together for me the phone procedure you used in getting underway.” (This was the first mention he had made of this to me.) I said, “Yes, sir.”Then came three or four calls from different people in his office, all asking what we had done to impress the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" in this regard and wanting the details of the phone circuit arrangements. Then came a final, unusual call. It was from my classmate, Buster Cobean XE "Cobean, Warren \"Buster\"" , whose ship was the next one scheduled to go to sea at the Newport News Shipyard. Buster said that he had had a call from the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" and all the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" XE "Rickover, Hyman: Polk Sea Trials " said was, “Call McMullen and congratulate him.” Then the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" slammed down the phone.Buster said, “Congratulations,” and then added, “What did you do?” I told him what I thought the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" had been impressed with--the quiet bridge. Buster said, “Okay.”USS James K. Polk Initial Sea Trials: Frank and Admiral Rickover Atop Polk’s Sail as Polk Prepares to Cast Off LinesUSS James K. Polk’s CommissioningPolk’s CommissioningBob and Jim Douglass, Ruth and FrankSenator Sam Ervin, Admiral and Mrs. Rivero, Ruth ,Frank and Jim and Bob DouglassFrank, Admiral Rivero, Senator Ervin and RAdm. John Tyree XE "Douglass, Robert" Frank and Ruth Cut the CakeFrank’s Parents Talk to Jim and Bob Douglass CHAPTER 35Rota, SpainThe next four months were busy and interesting. After additional trials and tests operating from Electric Boat XE "Electric Boat Company" Company XE "Electric Boat Company" in New London, we departed for Cape Canaveral XE "Cape Canaveral" via Norfolk. En route we conducted torpedo firings and submarine warfare exercises with destroyers and the like. At the Cape, each crew had workups leading toward the launch of a Polaris A3 missile.I always liked Cape Canaveral XE "Cape Canaveral" , the weather (hot and humid) and the local people whom I got to know.We had a strong navigation and weapons team in the Blue crew: Peter Boyne XE "Boyne, Peter" was the navigator, and Bill Ramsey XE "Ramsey, William" and Don Mathiowitz XE "Mathiowitz, Donald" were the weapons officer and assistant weapons officer, respectively. Our firing on the 23rd of June went well and I have a number of pictures which record this. (The tall antenna that one sees in these pictures was mounted on top of the sail in order to handle our telemetry needs, this being a test firing.)After our firing, Bob Douglass XE "Douglass, Robert" and his crew relieved us and we returned to New London. Bob and his crew fired their missile and then had their shakedown cruise, that is, they practiced torpedo firings, etc., while they were en route to New London.In August, I learned that I had been selected for promotion to Captain. (I was getting old, if nothing else.)After a final period at Electric Boat XE "Electric Boat Company" in mid-December, Polk XE "Polk, USS James K." departed for Charleston XE "Charleston, South Carolina" , S.C. to load our missiles and warheads for our first patrol. En route we stopped again at Norfolk, where we embarked a number of SECNAV and COMSUBLANT XE "COMSUBLANT or Commander Submarine Force Atlantic" guests to see the ship operate at sea. The picture of me cutting the cake with my sword was the occasion of my 42nd birthday during this period.In one of the groups that we hosted were ten or eleven men from the Indiana Young Presidents Club. Among them was a Naval Academy classmate, Bob “Black Mac” McKinney XE "McKinney, Robert \"Black Mac\"" , whom I had not seen since graduation. He was a very successful businessman in Indianapolis, having resigned shortly after graduation from the Naval Academy. Bob and I had manned a 3”/50 caliber antiaircraft gun during our first class cruise in the old light cruiser USS Marblehead XE "Marblehead, USS" . (A 3”/50 caliber antiaircraft gun fired a projectile 3 inches in diameter (i.e., with a caliber of 3 inches) and the barrel was 50 calibers long (i.e., the barrel length is 3 inches × 50 = 150 inches).) Also, we shared a liberty in New York City on my 21st birthday, an event which we both still recalled, getting lost in Brooklyn in the wee hours of the morning, having seen our “dates” home.The missile load out at the Naval Weapons Depot in Charleston XE "Charleston, South Carolina" went well, with Charleston XE "Charleston, South Carolina" , South Carolina being notable for the size of their mosquitoes. The Logans and the Hoppers were then living in Charleston XE "Charleston, South Carolina" , as well as many other Navy friends. Ruth and our daughter came down for several days, too. The time went pleasantly and quickly.We then deployed from Charleston XE "Charleston, South Carolina" for Polk XE "Polk, USS James K." ’s first patrol, which was to end in Rota XE "Rota, Spain" , Spain, since Polk XE "Polk, USS James K." was assigned as a member of Submarine Squadron 16, which was based there. It was a good patrol, my eighth. (After that number I find today that, in the absence of any particular problem, these patrols just seem to blend together.) It was a good patrol, too, because of its timing. It meant that the Blue crew would be home for Christmas.I didn’t have an opportunity to see Spain during the turnover period because, not only was time short, but the Rota XE "Rota, Spain" facility was largely self-sufficient. This followed from the fact that the submarine tender was moored at what had been a small Spanish naval base, which had been greatly expanded to meet the needs of our FBMs. The base included not only the normal facilities, but a commissary, a Navy exchange, schools and family housing as well. Only a few families lived off base.The wardroom and I became familiar with the base officers’ club during this time, where I introduced several for the first time to the joys of Tanqueray gin. (Leadership extends to all areas).Frank Celebrates His 42nd Birthday Aboard the PolkPhoto of a Seagull Perched on One of Polk’s Periscopes Taken from Polk’s other PeriscopeCHAPTER 36An Unfortunate Event and Carl Walske IntervenesDuring the ensuing off-crew period in New London, I became interested in what the future might hold for me. I expected, and the detail officer confirmed, that after my next patrol I could expect orders and the guardian of my fate would be the captain detail officer rather than the submarine detail officer. This was worrisome because I knew my unique status as number one in my year group performance-wise and the ubiquitous comptrollership post-graduate degree could again threaten me with a job which might not be considered appropriate for a line officer.My worst fears were confirmed shortly after the first of the year when I was informed by telephone that I could anticipate orders to the Joint Chiefs of Staff in some sort of logistics billet.I made one effort, a quick visit to Washington and a call on several senior officers, including Vice Admiral Lowrance XE "Lowrance, Vernon" (my former boss as COMSUBLANT XE "COMSUBLANT or Commander Submarine Force Atlantic" ), to have some influence on my future, but no one was optimistic that I could escape. It seemed that the Joint Chiefs of Staff really wanted me.In early Spring, an enjoyable off-crew period having been completed, I left again for Rota XE "Rota, Spain" and my last patrol. I looked forward to this because Ruth was going to meet me in Spain for a visit there and a tour of Portugal before returning to New London.The patrol, my ninth and last, was marked by a very unfortunate event--a suicide. Late one night, the officer of the deck awakened me and reported on the phone that one of the crew had been discovered hanging from an overhead pipe in the lower level of the missile compartment. (This is an unoccupied space to which entry is controlled by the two missile compartments watchstanders. Further, one of the watchstanders was supposed to make periodic inspections of the space to insure that conditions were normal. But somehow the young sailor had escaped their surveillance long enough to hang himself.)The body was removed and placed in a torpedo tube in a body bag. In the earlier days, nothing more would have been done until the patrol had been completed. Now, however, missile submarines on patrol were permitted to report matters such as this and await instructions.We made our report and within hours were instructed to rendezvous with a Royal Navy helicopter.The rendezvous point being a day or so away, I appointed my Executive Officer, Dick Thompson XE "Thompson, Richard" , as the investigating officer and told him I wanted an investigation report to go with the body at the rendezvous point. Dick said, “I don’t know if I have enough time.”I replied, “That’s all the time you have.” (I recognized that failure to provide an investigation report with the body would result in the Squadron Commander convening an independent investigation when we returned to Rota XE "Rota, Spain" after the patrol. I didn’t want this to happen because, among other things, it would call into question the breach of security arrangements in the missile compartment.)Dick did his usual fine job and both the remains and the report were transferred to the helicopter at the rendezvous point. As to Dick’s findings, it turned out that the young man was from a broken home, was new on board without any close friends, was serving his required time as a mess cook (galley helper, a job which was not particularly pleasant) and was not well known to the crew. In short, Dick could find no reason for his action and, in particular, nothing that suggested our procedures were amiss. Also, from a commander’s perspective, because the young man was not well known to the crew, the impact on their morale was minimal. But it still was a very unfortunate event.Aside from this, my last patrol went smoothly and, upon return to Rota XE "Rota, Spain" , I learned that my promotion to Captain had been confirmed by the Senate. (The wardroom toasted me with Tanqueray, of course.) The quartermasters also fashioned a flag in my honor with an eagle symbolizing my promotion to Captain and hoisted it one morning before I came on deck. This was highly non-regulation, but I appreciated their thought.I received orders on the 27th of June to report to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (“JCS”) for duty in the J5 section in the Plans and Policy Directory. This was, as I indicated, the logistics part of JCS. I wasn’t even interested enough to inquire further as to what I would be doing. It was as this point that one of those fortuitous things happened that you might say launched me inexorably on the course to flag rank. It happened this way.One morning, the day after we had arrived from patrol in Rota XE "Rota, Spain" , the Commodore mentioned at his morning staff meeting that an Assistant Secretary of Defense was scheduled to visit Rota XE "Rota, Spain" the next day and he was casting about for something to occupy this visitor’s time. (In these early days, there were a steady stream of onlookers visiting the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" and Rota XE "Rota, Spain" squadrons.) But this particular visitor, because of his high position in the Department of Defense and his connection with atomic energy warheads and reactors, was one which the Commodore felt should be treated with unusual care.The other two Commanding Officers whose ships happened to be in upkeep at the time and who were present at this meeting were silent. Finally, I reluctantly said, “Commodore, I’ll be glad to have the Secretary aboard for lunch and then show him Polk XE "Polk, USS James K." .”This is how I met Carl XE "Walske, Carl" Walske XE "Walske, Carl" , the Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Atomic Energy. I immediately liked Carl XE "Walske, Carl" . We had lunch, walked through Polk XE "Polk, USS James K." , and I thought no more about it.The next morning I had a call from the Commodore, who said that Dr. Walske would like to see me in his cabin on the tender. I went up right away. Carl XE "Walske, Carl" said how much he had enjoyed his visit and would I like to come to work for him as his naval military assistant. He described the job. It sounded fantastic.I quickly said, “I would like to do that, but I think you might have trouble changing my orders to report to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.”He replied something to the effect, “Let me worry about that.” There was still hope. I might still avoid “Siberia.”After Bob Douglass XE "Douglass, Robert" and his crew relieved us, I met Ruth in Seville, where we enjoyed several days at one of Europe’s finest hotels. From there we went by train to Lisbon, a remarkable experience. We were in the car immediately adjoining the dining car. Indeed, as we got aboard, we could see the chef (who didn’t look particularly clean) and his wood fired stove. Needless to say, we thought we probably would pass up dinner.Midafternoon, the train stopped at some very small town and the conductor and several of the chef’s helpers got off. Upon returning, they were carrying chickens, baskets of lettuce, vegetables and the like. Obviously, this was to be dinner. We decided to eat, and the dinner was marked by sparkling table linen, fine wines and great entrees.We explored Lisbon for several days and one of our dinners there was also memorable. One of the restaurants was listed in a tour guide as one of Lisbon’s finest. We arrived, were seated at a table in front of a huge fireplace and looked around. We could see at various tables single women who were most attractive and at other tables were single men. We watched and, during the course of the dinner, the waiter would unobtrusively take small notes to one of the women who were sitting around the dining room. They would get up and join the man who had sent the note. Well, obviously this was a very high class pick-up joint. But the meal was superb, and the floor show was enjoyable as well.We went to Estoril, Portugal for several more enjoyable days. This was a lovely resort with a huge gambling casino. Ruth says, though, and I suspect she is right, that I periodically would remark that I was anxious to get home and cut the grass with the old John Deere tractor which we then had. (We had 5 to 6 acres of grass to cut at the house we then rented and this was accomplished by pulling a golf course-like cutting array, which was about ten feet wide, over the grass.) Frank Accepts a Present from Polk’s Crew at the Change of Command ReceptionPART VII 1967-1969MILITARY ASSISTANTCHAPTER 37A High Visibility JobCarl XE "Walske, Carl" succeeded! It was not easy though. It took the personal intervention of General Wheeler XE "Wheeler, Earl" , the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.On the 17th of July 1967 in front of the off-crew offices high on a hill at the Submarine Base XE "New London Submarine Base" , I was relieved as Commanding Officer of the Blue crew of the Polk XE "Polk, USS James K." by Pete Durbin XE "Durbin, Peter" out of Naval Academy Class of 48A. I didn’t know Pete, but he had a fine reputation.I left with mixed feelings. I was anxious to get on with whatever the future might hold, but at the same time I had spent so much time in Polk XE "Polk, USS James K." when she was just a hull, to its launching, commissioning and through its initial patrols that I thought, indeed, it was sort of like leaving home.But our move to Washington was a good one. We had always liked living there. We had rented a house, sight unseen, from a classmate of Frank King XE "King, Frank" ’s, who had been in my sub school class as well, Mike Hayes. The house was first rate, situated near Mount Vernon in a subdivision named “Waynewood.” The Jortbergs XE "Jortberg, Richard and Joann" lived nearby and the Millers XE "Miller, Donald and Marquita" were in Washington, as were the Wilsons XE "Wilson, James and Dottie" and many other friends. Don Miller XE "Miller, Donald" had just reported to the Joint Chiefs of Staff and I have always enjoyed the story of Don’s reporting.Don XE "Miller, Donald" had gone in several days early, not intending to report in, but they processed him nonetheless, to save time, I suppose. This presented only one problem. He had just purchased his first toupee and it had not been appropriately shaped as yet. As a result, when they took his picture for his JCS badge, he looked like one of the Beetles. As you might imagine, I always made a point of examining his badge whenever I saw him over the next several years.I reported to the Office of the Secretary of Defense on the 14th of August 1967 as a Military Assistant (Navy) to the Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Atomic Energy. Being a military assistant to an OSD assistant secretary was a sought after job because of the visibility it afforded. Carl XE "Walske, Carl" ’s position equated to a 3-1/2 star rank. His boss was Johnny Foster XE "Foster, Johnny" , the number three man in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, who was titled the Director of Defense, Research and Engineering. Johnny’s boss, the number two man, was the Deputy Secretary of Defense, Paul Nitze XE "Nitze, Paul" , whom I got to know and admire greatly. The Secretary of Defense at that time was Clark Clifford XE "Clifford, Clark" .As Carl XE "Walske, Carl" ’s title indicates, he was responsible for both atomic weapons and nuclear reactors. Because of Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s position and influence, his involvement with naval reactors was minimal. His principal focus was on the safety and security of all of the United States’ nuclear weapons, both in the sense of theft and unauthorized use. With regard to the latter, every weapon type had to have detailed safety rules covering the internal and external warhead circuitry (that is, the wiring and switching). Carl XE "Walske, Carl" ’s office did this.At this time, too, permissive action links or “PALs XE "PALs or Permissive Action Links" ” were being installed in many of the warheads. This meant a code was required in order to arm the warhead, a code which had to be transmitted to the user before the weapon could be fired. PALs XE "PALs or Permissive Action Links" were highly controversial. First, they seemed to impugn the integrity of the military. Also, they represented another complication in the already involved nuclear release procedures. As such, the Navy would have resisted “to the death” putting PALs XE "PALs or Permissive Action Links" on the submarine ballistic missiles. In their place, other safeguards were employed, like the two man rule, detailed authentication procedures, strictly enforced procedures at every stage, firing keys, and the list goes on. I mention this because one of the first things Carl XE "Walske, Carl" said to me was, “I’ll never send you on a suicide mission with regard to the Navy.” He, of course, was referring to PALs XE "PALs or Permissive Action Links" . Notwithstanding, the Navy kept a very close eye on me.Carl XE "Walske, Carl" ’s staff was small. His deputy was an Air Force brigadier general, Dick Scott XE "Scott, Richard" . In addition, there were Army, Air Force and Navy military assistants, an Army, Air Force and Navy staff member and secretarial support.Carl XE "Walske, Carl" was one of the most impressive individuals with whom I have ever been associated. A Ph.D. in nuclear physics from Cornell, a warhead designer of some note, the number two man at Los Alamos laboratory at one point in time, multi-national experience on various European committees dealing with nuclear weapons and, finally, a great friend and extraordinary supporter of my career, as I shall describe later.Carl XE "Walske, Carl" ’s most striking characteristic as I got to know him was his extraordinary ability to write. I hadn’t anticipated that a scientist would necessarily have this attribute. But he could dictate a complex letter or report and it would go into the typewriter and come out absolutely ready for signature. He always said, “It’s easy if you know what you are going to say.”He would frequently call me in and say, “Let’s write a letter and say something like this.” He would then outline what he had in mind. I would take feverish notes, wishing that I knew shorthand, and then deliver the finished copy to him. He would say, “That’s pretty good.”I am sure to this day he really didn’t realize that he had essentially dictated it. It was just that his thought process was so unusually well-defined that he thought in well-rounded, concise English sentences.Carl XE "Walske, Carl" put me in charge of Command and Control. At the Secretary of Defense level this meant standing back and taking a broad view of the plans and procedures governing the execution of our nuclear war plan. I dealt principally with the Joint Chiefs of Staff (the operations director for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in particular), and I operated at the two and three star level, although I was but a junior Navy captain. Needless to say, I had to exercise great sensitivity and tact if I was to stay out of trouble. But it was exciting and interesting.The project that I spent the most time on took over a year to accomplish. It was so sensitive that I can’t describe it. But it was, as the letter of commendation that I have framed in my den indicates, a project of national significance. It meant that I not only worked with the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Department of State, but with Paul Nitze XE "Nitze, Paul" , Clark XE "Clifford, Clark" Clifford and Bromley Smith XE "Smith, Bromley" , who was Lyndon Johnson’s National Security Advisor. It was a heady time, going in Carl XE "Walske, Carl" ’s official car with driver to the Department of State or the White House, worlds I had never before seen.Of course, Carl XE "Walske, Carl" was deeply involved, too. But he gave me great latitude, support and credit. When I finished, he recommended me for the Distinguished Service Medal. But the Navy thought this was a bit too much for a junior Navy Captain, so it was downgraded to a Legion of Merit, despite Carl XE "Walske, Carl" ’s personal lobbying. I framed Carl XE "Walske, Carl" ’s letter of commendation, as well as Paul Nitze XE "Nitze, Paul" ’s, and I value them both very much.It was in connection with this project that I reviewed papers that President Eisenhower had made marginal notations on. I came away with a deeper appreciation not only of his insightful writing, but his hands-on approach to a matter of this significance. A disengaged President he wasn’t, despite what his critics have said.CHAPTER 38Travels With Carl XE "Walske, Carl" After about two weeks in the job, Carl XE "Walske, Carl" called me in and said, “Would you like to take a trip with me to the Pacific to inspect our nuclear weapons storage sites and facilities?”I, not surprisingly, said yes. After a week and many secure telephone calls to CINCPAC’s liaison officer in Honolulu, my old nuclear reactors classmate, Captain Howard Bucknell XE "Bucknell, Howard" , the arrangements for the trip were consummated.The itinerary included Honolulu for meetings with CINCPAC XE "CINCPAC or Commander-in-Chief Pacific" , at that time Admiral Sharp XE "Sharp, U.S. Grant" , then one, two or three day visits to Japan, Korea, Okinawa, Formosa, the Philippines XE "Philippines" , Guam XE "Guam" and Johnston Island XE "Johnston Island" . In each place we had meetings with the commanding general or admiral and made visits to the sites and facilities under his cognizance.Several highlights remain with me. For instance, the helicopter ride along the DMZ in Korea when apparently we got too close to the line and were greeted by several North Korean signal flares of warning. The stark nature of the Korean ridgeline entrenchments were still plainly visible in the terrain. Or meeting Brigadier General Chuck Yeager XE "Yeager, Chuck" at Clark Field XE "Clark Field, Philippines" in the Philippines XE "Philippines" and sitting next to him and his wife, Glennis XE "Yeager, Glennis" , at the dinner hosted by the four-star general commanding. Chuck XE "Yeager, Chuck" (who had been the first man to break the sound barrier in an airplane and is highlighted in Tom Wolfe’s book, The Right Stuff, about the first American astronauts and their antecedents) had command of a fighter-bomber wing operating out of Clark Field XE "Clark Field, Philippines" and he still flew combat missions in Vietnam with his wing. I am not sure he should have been doing this, but he did. (He took Carl XE "Walske, Carl" on a flight from Taiwan to the Philippines XE "Philippines" , which Carl XE "Walske, Carl" enjoyed very much.)Several things struck me about Chuck XE "Yeager, Chuck" . Even though he was only a junior brigadier general, it was clear that his fame made his four-star boss uneasy. Everyone wanted to talk with Chuck XE "Yeager, Chuck" .It was apparent, too, that he really wasn’t an administrator. All he wanted to do was fly, or to make wooden furniture when he was not so occupied. In personality, he was just “Aw Shucks.” No camp or pretense.The most impressive thing about Chuck XE "Yeager, Chuck" was his wife, Glennis XE "Yeager, Glennis" . She did much to round his rough edges. She told me at dinner of visiting Chuck XE "Yeager, Chuck" ’s parents in hills of West Virginia early on in their marriage, when two of their children were very small. On leaving, the children were fussy at the prospect of a long ride in the car. Grandmother Yeager, she said, gave her a bottle of an old West Virginia children’s remedy, and Glennis XE "Yeager, Glennis" liberally dosed the children, a teaspoon at a time, throughout the trip. It worked so well that Glennis XE "Yeager, Glennis" asked Chuck XE "Yeager, Chuck" , when they returned home, where she could get more. Chuck XE "Yeager, Chuck" said, “Well, I don’t think you can buy it. Grandmother Yeager makes it. One-half alcohol and one-half flavoring of some kind.”Japan was made interesting by Carl XE "Walske, Carl" ’s request that I arrange for us to stay at a typical Japanese hotel in Tokyo. After some disbelief on the part of the embassy staff that we would want to stay in such a place, this was arranged. It was nice, but uncomfortable sleeping on a mat on a hard wooden floor.The next morning Carl XE "Walske, Carl" suggested that one of us should have a typical Japanese breakfast. Guess who was volunteered? Fish and all of the other things appeared which the Japanese eat for breakfast. [Frank disliked fish of any kind.] But the most memorable part of our visit at this typical Japanese hotel occurred when we were shown to our car by our host. After deeply bowing, our host then straightened up and broke into the Cal Tech fight song in impeccable English. It seems that he had gone to Cal Tech earlier in his life.Visiting Johnston Island XE "Johnston Island" was interesting. It is a small geographical dot in the midst of the ocean expanse. We stopped there to take a look at some of the fledgling efforts at what came to be known as the “Star Wars” [anti-missile] defense initiative.It was good to see Guam XE "Guam" again, where I had spent my early days in Astoria XE “Astoria, USS” . At every stop, Carl XE "Walske, Carl" received the royal treatment, with fine dinners and flag officer accommodations. As his “spear carrier,” I was always included.I also traveled a lot on my own during my OSD time: a number of times to the Sandia Corporation XE "Sandia Corporation" in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which was doing some weapons work of interest to Carl XE "Walske, Carl" , and several times to the Livermore Laboratory XE "Livermore Laboratory" outside San Francisco, which was similarly involved. But there are three other trips that I made with Carl XE "Walske, Carl" that stand out in my mind.First, was a short trip to Fort Sill XE "Fort Sill, Oklahoma" , Oklahoma. There we witnessed a fire power demonstration with live ammunition, artillery, aircraft bombs, napalm, all within several hundred yards of our position. Rather frightening.Next, an unusual trip to Denmark XE "Denmark" , where Carl XE "Walske, Carl" was to try to soothe the sensibilities of the Danes, who were upset because one of our bombers carrying nuclear weapons had crashed while landing at Thule, Greenland XE "Greenland" spreading plutonium all over the landscape. We undertook a massive snow removal effort to fix the problem as best we could, but the Danes still were not pleased.We went to Denmark XE "Denmark" via London and then by military aircraft to Copenhagen. There, we were met by a Danish representative of their counterpart to our State Department with a huge chauffeured limousine. Carl XE "Walske, Carl" and I were highly impressed when this representative said to Carl XE "Walske, Carl" , “Welcome, Excellency.” (They continued to address Carl XE "Walske, Carl" in this manner throughout his visit.)During our stay, one evening Carl XE "Walske, Carl" and I went for dinner at the home of the son of the famous nuclear physicist, Neils Bohr. The U.S. Ambassador to Denmark XE "Denmark" also entertained Carl XE "Walske, Carl" at a small luncheon, or rather, the U.S. Ambassadress. I spent some time with her husband, who was perfectly cast. He was chiefly interested in gardening and cooking. Needless to say, we didn’t have too much in common.My most memorable trip with Carl XE "Walske, Carl" was to Europe in May of 1968, again to visit nuclear command and control facilities and nuclear storage sites. We left by commercial airliner from Dulles and flew to London, where we stayed in the same room at the Columbia Club XE "Columbia Club, London, England" that Ruth and I occupied years later on several occasions. In England, we visited a number of RAF bases and had several small dinners with key British governmental officials where we talked about nuclear command and control problems and procedures.On this trip we had a weekend in London and it was at this time that I learned of Carl XE "Walske, Carl" ’s hobby: solving 18th or 19th century stamp forgeries (not ordinary stamps but commercial document stamps). Apparently there were only a small handful of people in the world sharing this esoteric hobby, Carl XE "Walske, Carl" being one.I recall Carl XE "Walske, Carl" said that he had solved a stamp forgery that had resisted efforts across the years. This had been duly noted in a paper that he had published. We called on the only fellow hobbyist sharing Carl XE "Walske, Carl" ’s interest, as I recall, in all of England. (As you can detect, I don’t know enough about Carl XE "Walske, Carl" ’s interest to do justice to the subject, but it was unusual.)From London we went to SHAPE XE "SHAPE or Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe" (which stands for “Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe,” an organization that Dwight Eisenhower first commanded in World War II) in Brussels, and then to places like Ramstein, Heidelberg and Stuttgart in Germany, Vicenza, Naples, Gaeta, Rome and Venice in Italy and then, before returning home, the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" in Scotland.One week in Germany was purposefully left free. Carl XE "Walske, Carl" wanted to expose me to French cooking. (He was knowledgeable about French cooking, having lived in France for a time, and he knew the language.) His plan was to rent a car in Germany, then drive through France, timing the stops to having a one-star Michelin rated lunch on Saturday, a two-star Michelin rated dinner on Saturday evening, and a three-star Michelin rated lunch on Sunday. The purpose was to see the difference between a one, two and three star Michelin experience. I have to admit I enjoyed each meal, fish courses and all. (I found that the sauces wonderfully masked the fish taste.)It may appear that my two years with Carl XE "Walske, Carl" were devoted principally to travel. This was far from reality. Office hours were from 0700 until 1900 with 30 minutes for lunch. For me, this meant that I was at the desk from 0630 until 1930. Long days indeed.Fort Sill Live Fire DemonstrationDr. Walske and Frank with an Army Tactical Nuclear Missile in EuropeCHAPTER 39Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of DefenseAt the beginning of my last year with Carl XE "Walske, Carl" , his deputy, Dick Scott XE "Scott, Richard" , left. Dick was an Air Force brigadier general. Actually, you might say he was fired, although it was done with a degree of tact and indirection. Carl XE "Walske, Carl" and I were engaged at that time in “locking up” some Air Force nuclear weapons systems with permissive action links (“PALs XE "PALs or Permissive Action Links" ”). This put Dick in a tough position with the Air Force, which viewed this program with concern and anger. Carl XE "Walske, Carl" apparently was not pleased with Dick’s obvious lack of support, so Dick left. He subsequently retired from the Air Force, still a brigadier general, so the Air Force was obviously unhappy with him as well.Carl XE "Walske, Carl" called me in and asked if I would like to become his deputy. I was, obviously, flattered, but reminded him that it was a flag officer’s billet and, as he also knew, I was junior to the other principal military assistants in the office. He acknowledged these facts, but said that this was what he wanted to do. As Carl XE "Walske, Carl" ’s deputy, I had the opportunity when he was on travel to represent him at the Secretary of Defense’s weekly staff meeting, or to respond to the Secretary of Defense or to the Deputy Secretary of Defense, Paul Nitze XE "Nitze, Paul" , when they had questions. I also had to field questions from the staff of the Congressional Joint Committee on Atomic Energy, with whom Carl XE "Walske, Carl" was not always on the best of terms. In this regard he felt, I think, that they were too much into Defense’s business. This later caused him some problems when his term expired and his presidential appointment again had to be confirmed by the Senate. But with some fence mending, he again passed muster.Clark XE "Clifford, Clark" Clifford was impressive, both as Secretary of Defense and as an individual. In my first meeting with him, Carl XE "Walske, Carl" was gone and I had prepared something for his signature to go directly to the President. It was unusually sensitive, so none of his secretaries or aides were supposed to handle it. This caused some confusion in his outer office, but finally I was shown in.He was standing by a large window by his desk and turned as I entered. My impression was that he was beautifully turned out, but something was out of place. Then it struck me. I hadn’t seen a double-breasted suit in more than 15 years. He was wearing one and always wore one. Clifford apparently marched to his own fashion drummer.He didn’t say anything to me by way of greeting. He went to his desk, sat down, and quickly read the one page memorandum for the President. He handed it back to me and said, “You split an infinitive.” I said, “Yes, sir. I’m sorry. I’ll fix it.” I was not just a little embarrassed.His weekly staff conferences were also interesting. They were almost always marked by three things, this being the height of the Vietnam War. First, he would be interrupted by a call from President Johnson. Second, General Westmoreland XE "Westmoreland, William" , then the Army Chief of Staff, would always find a way to turn the conversation to a personal recital of his involvement in Vietnam. Finally, after any lengthy and complex conversational interchange among the senior staff, he XE "Clifford, Clark" would turn to Paul Warnke XE "Warnke, Paul" , the Director of International Security Affairs (the Defense Department’s State Department, as it were) and ask, “Paul, would you sum up?” Paul would then proceed to accomplish this with extraordinary grace and style. (Clifford and Warnke later worked in the same Washington, D.C. law firm.)Carl XE "Walske, Carl" always went out of his way to seize every opportunity to give me, a relatively junior Navy captain serving in a flag officer’s billet as his deputy, visibility and recognition--far beyond what I deserved. Representing him in meetings with the White House staff or the State Department staff were the norm. In particular, I worked closely with the staff of the Joint Chiefs of Staff gaining, I think, their trust and confidence, which was essential if I was to accomplish anything because of the built-in adversarial relationship between the OSD (Office of the Secretary of Defense) and the JCS (as well as the services).Air Force Lieutenant General John C. Meyer XE "Meyer, John C." , a famous war hero, who was the director of operations for the JCS, and his deputy, Army Major General George Pickett XE "Pickett, George" , were frequent points of contact. I enjoyed my associations with both.Sometimes Carl XE "Walske, Carl" ’s advocacy on my behalf led to strange situations. Carl XE "Walske, Carl" came back to the office one day having run into the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Tom Moorer XE "Moorer, Thomas" , at some place or another. He said, “Admiral Moorer XE "Moorer, Thomas" doesn’t know you.” (Certainly there was no reason that he should have.) Carl XE "Walske, Carl" continued, “Why don’t you call on him?” I allowed as how this would be somewhat out of the ordinary, but Carl XE "Walske, Carl" went ahead and set up a call for me. So I went to the Chief of Naval Operations’ office and Admiral Moorer XE "Moorer, Thomas" was most gracious, but it was apparent that he was as puzzled as I as to what the purpose of our meeting was.[Note: After Admiral McMullen’s passing, one of his sons sent CarlE "Walske, Carl" . Walske the chapters describing their time together. Dr. Walske replied: “You were quite right that I would enjoy reading your father’s memoirs on our work together. Despite the fact that I was a civilian there was always some cautionary space between us which kept him from revealing all that was on his mind. He worked so hard that I often wondered if he might resent it. It is really a joy to find that he looked back on it all with the same pride that I do to this day.“The story of how he came to be assigned to my office is worth a little expansion. In 1967 there was just a small, early trickle of Polaris-skippers being reassigned after completing their sea duty. Since they were the cream of the crop among naval officers naturally they were much sought after for new assignments.“When I returned to Washington in 1967 after that trip which included the visit to the subs at Rota I contacted Army Lieutenant General Spivy, who was director of the Joint Staff. General Spivy was a pretty crusty old gent. He told me that Frank was to work on an important Vietnam War project in J-5 (the plans directorate) and that I should not ask to take him from that war work. I was very disappointed. At that point my staff looked into the matter and found that the Joint Staff was going to have him do a study on the relationship of Vietnamese currency to gold pricing. I suppose that arose from his comptrollership graduate degree. In any event, it did not sound like essential war work to me.“So I called General Spivy back and told him what I had learned. He just said to let him look into it further. A few hours later he called back and said simply, without amplification, “McMullen is yours.” My joy was unlimited.“Frank’s memoirs reminded me that he was actually in the office for two years, the first as Military Assistant (Navy) and the second as Deputy Assistant to the Secretary of Defense (Atomic Energy). It was during the first year that we completed the super-secret project. During the second year, besides running the office on a day to day basis, he generated and took the lead on the project to review nuclear release procedures aboard our Polaris subs. He gathered together all the former skippers who had been by then assigned to the Pentagon and they refined the procedures that became the standard requirement.“The only quarrel I would have with what Frank wrote is his underplaying of his own background. He had, after all, years of sea duty in command of a deadly missile system. I respected that very much. I also was certain that he would rise to the top in the Navy. He did.” Letter from Carl Walske to Charles McMullen dated March 2, 2008.Dr. Walske Presents Frank with the Legion of Merit upon Frank’s Departure from Dr. Walske’s OfficeRalph Carnahan, “Pappy” Sims, “Buster” Cobean, Larry Fromm, Tom Brittain, Chuck Griffiths and Jim Stansbury Hank Clay is second from left, Maggie Vater, Frank’s Secretary, is in the white dress in the centerPART VIII 1969-1970WAR COLLEGECHAPTER 40A Restful and Interesting YearCarl XE "Walske, Carl" ’s aggressive interest in my wellbeing and future paid great dividends when it came time for me to move on. One day Carl XE "Walske, Carl" said, “I don’t want to see you go, but it is probably time, isn’t it?” He added, “What do you think your next assignment should be?”I said I was too junior by a year or so to get command of a submarine squadron, but that I had always aspired to attend the National War College XE "National War College" , a prestigious, much sought after assignment. But this might well be beyond my grasp.Carl XE "Walske, Carl" nodded his head and, as I recall, made no comment. Several days later I needed to see Carl XE "Walske, Carl" and I asked his secretary, Jean Roberts XE "Roberts, Jean" , where he was. She said he had an appointment with the Chief of Naval Personnel and was over at the Arlington Annex for that purpose. He never mentioned this to me, but it wasn’t long after that that the submarine detail officer said that Carl XE "Walske, Carl" had been over to see the Chief of Naval Personnel for the sole purpose of singing my praises and suggesting that it looked to him as if the National War College XE "National War College" would be just right for my next assignment. This was a highly unusual thing for a civilian assistant secretary of defense to do, (who was, as a matter of fact, senior to the Chief of Naval Personnel). So you can see why I am still a bit in awe of Carl Walske XE "Walske, Carl" and greatly beholden to him for his extraordinary support and friendship. Yes, I received orders to the next class at the National War College.The National War College XE "National War College" was, and remains today, the most prestigious of the various war colleges (or defense universities, as they are now known). As such, it was the most sought after. Its purpose was to prepare a small number of military and civilian employees of the Defense and State Departments, the CIA and several other governmental agencies for flag or commensurate foreign service officer (“FSO”) rank. Not all met that expectation, but those selected for the War College had the background and record at that point to make them strong contenders.With my experience with Carl XE "Walske, Carl" , I entered with a distinct advantage, having had interaction with the other services, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as well as with the White House and the Department of State. The War College broadened by knowledge and understanding, though, on a more personal level. For example, I had the opportunity to hear of the foreign service officers’ experiences in their postings around the world from Moscow to Senegal.I recall particularly the FSO who had been posted in Senegal, who said that the challenge which he and his wife faced on a daily basis was the necessity for vigilance to prevent the children from being fed roaches and bugs by their servants, who considered them great delicacies.The National War College XE "National War College" ’s physical setting at Fort McNair in southwest Washington is impressive. The schedule was relaxed and interesting. There was a lot of required reading, if you cared to do it, and a fine library and an unrivaled “off the record” speakers program. As I recall, there were speakers almost every morning, personages such as the President, cabinet officers, noted authors, historians, and military leaders past and present. The speakers would have off the record question and answer periods after their presentation. Then approximately ten of the class would have an opportunity to join them for sherry and lunch at the officers’ club.Going to the Submarine Birthday BallLGEN Kelly receives Frank and Ruth at his quarters(LGEN Kelly was the Commandant of the National War College)CHAPTER 41A Fabulous TripPerhaps the highlight of the year was the three-week foreign trip that was part of the curriculum. In this regard you could elect to visit Europe, the Middle East, Africa or South America. I chose the Middle East. We flew in a large Air Force transport plane with bucket seats--uncomfortable, but it provided sufficient room to bring back souvenirs, as everyone did.Our first stop was Beirut, Lebanon, where we had a session with Lebanon’s President and our Ambassador. (It was standard in all countries to meet with the leadership at this level.) We also had time for sightseeing at each stop. There were also receptions and dinners.The other countries we visited were Israel, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Iran and Turkey. Among the images that come to mind now are the first century A.D. ruins at Balabakk in the Bekaa Valley on the road from Beirut to Damascus; the Blue Mosque in Istanbul; the Bosporus; Jerusalem at sunrise, looking much as it must have in Jesus’ time; the rank commercial flavor of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem; the Wailing Wall; flying over the Sinai Desert to visit Sharm el Sheik on the Gulf of Aqaba; passing over Masada, where the outlines of the tenth Roman Legion’s encampment can still be seen; Kabul, Afghanistan; the Kabul Pass, which brought back memories of the British retreat, where only one out of some 16,000 soldiers and camp followers survived; the grinding poverty of India; the Red Fort; the Taj Mahal; the opulence of the Shah of Iran’s accommodations and the memories go on.Of the personages we visited, three stand out. First, there was the former King of Afghanistan and his home filled with tigers which he had shot and then had either stuffed or skinned.Second, Golda Meir XE "Meir, Golda" , a very prepossessing lady. Admiral Dave Bell XE "Bell, David" was the faculty leader of our group, and I remember Dave talking with the prime minister on the subject of becoming a citizen of Israel. The prime minister remarked at one point that, of course, circumcision was a requirement, to which Dave responded, “That’s no problem,” which broke up Mrs. Meir XE "Meir, Golda" --as well as all of us.Finally, the Shah of Iran XE "Shah of Iran" . Once you adjusted to the opulence of his palace, the subservience of his staff (for example, when one of his staff left his presence, they always backed away, never turning their back on him), I found him to be articulate and friendly.About the first of the year I learned informally that my next assignment would be the command of Submarine Squadron 16 in Rota XE "Rota, Spain" , Spain. So Ruth and I enrolled in an evening Spanish class at Fort Hunt High School in Alexandria, Virginia. (I had taken two years of Spanish at the Naval Academy and, despite being designated as “a Trained Spanish Interpreter” as a junior officer, I could only manage to read on a marginal basis.)At the Kabul PassCHAPTER 42A Great New AssignmentIn mid-March of 1970, I returned to the War College classroom where my section had desks to find a note on the blackboard which said for me to call Admiral Wilkinson (Dennis XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" was then the deputy chief of naval operations for submarines.) I did, and he said, “You’ll be going to Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" and Squadron 14 XE "Squadron 14" .” I said, “I thought it was to be Rota XE "Rota, Spain" , Spain.” “No,” he said, “Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" , and I have to go now.” I thought, “Great!” I liked Scotland, and I knew Ruth would, too. We would be able to live in the community, rather than on a naval base as would have been the case in Rota XE "Rota, Spain" . Another plus.The balance of my National War College XE "National War College" year was spent in thesis preparation and, for me, golf and spending even more time at home. Despite my lack of industry, I did finish first in the class. (I don’t know how they determined this, but I didn’t presume to look this gift horse in the mouth.)I was detached on the 5th of June 1970 and, after the obligatory call on Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" who again predicted that I would “just screw things up even more than they already were in the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" ,” we departed for Scotland.We arrived in Glasgow in the early evening and rendezvoused with a Squadron 14 XE "Squadron 14" car and driver at the train station. It was, as always, raining as we set out for the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" . We stopped for dinner at a former large estate house on Loch Lomond, which I suspect the driver had some connection with. (I say this because the dinner was not very good and I later had to relieve the driver because of some of his shady extracurricular activities on the local scene.)Several hours later, after crossing the wonderfully named mountain pass “Rest and Be Thankful,” we arrived at the Royal Marine Hotel where we stayed until we could move into a house. I know our oldest son, who was then 18 years old, enjoyed this interlude. He was the object of some considerable attention from the Royal Marine Hotel waitresses, who saw in him an eligible “rich American.” Indeed, one of the young waitresses asked him home for tea to meet her family.PART IX 1970-1971SQUADRON COMMANDCHAPTER 42A Challenging JobI reported for duty on the 30th of June 1970 and four or five days later relieved Ben Sherman XE "Sherman, Ben" of the class of 1946. Carl Walske XE "Walske, Carl" XE "Walske, Carl" was the change of command speaker. I was delighted and proud that he made this mand of Squadron 14 XE "Squadron 14" was, without doubt, the submarine force’s most challenging assignment. It entailed responsibility for a large submarine tender, a floating dry dock and all the dependents associated therewith--living totally on the Scottish economy--and, most importantly, 12 ballistic missile submarines on tight and immutable schedules. (If a submarine was unable to make a sailing date--a rarity--it meant that an on-station submarine had to remain at sea since all target packages had to be covered continuously.) All of this at the end of a long spare parts supply line stretching to the United States, which was frequently affected by the vagaries of the Scottish (i.e., “lousy”) weather.Also, as the senior naval officer in Scotland, there were never ending official and social demands including a very close relationship with Commodore Clyde, who was a senior Royal Navy officer headquartered at the British submarine base at Faslane in Gare Loch (near Helensburgh), the United States Counsel General in Edinburgh, the Royal Navy’s Flag Officer Scotland, whose headquarters were on the Firth of Forth near Edinburgh, several superintendents of schools in the area (an exalted position in Scotland), the provosts of Dunoon XE "Dunoon, Scotland" and Greenock XE "Greenock, Scotland" (like our mayor), and the Duke of Argyll XE "Duke of Argyll" , the queen’s representative for that part of Scotland. There were many high level visitors from the United States as well.Operationally, the commander of Submarine Squadron 14 XE "Squadron 14" reported directly to CINCLANT XE "CINCLANT or Commander-in-Chief Atlantic" in Norfolk. Administratively, he reported to CONSUBFLOT 2 XE "CONSUBFLOT 2 or Commander Submarine Flotilla Two" in New London (Hap Perry XE "Perry, Oliver \"Hap\"" ), who in turn reported to COMSUBLANT XE "COMSUBLANT or Commander Submarine Force Atlantic" in Norfolk (Dennis Wilkinson XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" ). Due to the distance and the British phone system, their supervision was minimal.There was yet another “player,” CINCUSNAVEUR XE "CINCUSNAVEUR or Commander-in-Chief U.S. Navy Europe" at Grosvenor Square in London--a senior four star admiral who was the overall supervisor of U.S. Navy shore facilities in the British Isles. (I would “check in” with him once a month, going by sleeper train from Glasgow to London, just like a true British gentlemen in the 1800s.)Even under the best of circumstances, commanding Squadron 14 XE "Squadron 14" was a severe test. During my year, though, there seemed to be an endless series of serious problems which left me wishing, when my tour ended, that I had been permitted the time and energy to see, let alone smell, the flowers. Notwithstanding, it was to be my most exciting and fulfilling naval assignment. (I knew, too, that this would be my year for flag selection, so I needed to avoid a major misstep.) Change of Command in the Holy LochFrank Relieves Ben Sherman(July 13, 1970)(Dr. Walske on the left, the Shermans on the right)CHAPTER 43Problems AboundI’ll talk first of just a couple of the problems that to this day remain unique in Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" lore. Then I’ll touch upon the many pleasurable aspects of this extraordinary year.The first problem that I had was really one that I inherited, since it started several days before I relieved Ben Sherman XE "Sherman, Ben" . Ben was a nice, quiet, Ph.D. in nuclear physics out of the Naval Academy class of 1946, who had in some way gotten severely “cross threaded” with Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" . The tender, the Canopus XE "Canopus, USS" , was a new one commanded by a non-nuclear trained officer (which was then the case for most of the tenders) by the name of John Davis. John was a superb leader who was loved by his crew, but not very well technically founded.To make a long story short, Canopus XE "Canopus, USS" had just failed, on the day I relieved, one of Admiral Rickover’s periodic exams, and all of her nuclear repair work was shut down until she could finish a retraining program and pass a re-examination. This put a serious crimp on the work that needed to be done to maintain the FBM schedule. It meant, too, that Canopus XE "Canopus, USS" could not go to sea as she needed to do periodically in order to discharge the radioactive water effluent which she received from the submarines incident to their bringing their reactors on line. This became a tight race between the ever filling holding tanks of the Canopus XE "Canopus, USS" and the submarines’ need to discharge. It was finally solved when Canopus XE "Canopus, USS" passed her examination, but when she went to sea, she incorrectly dumped the water too close to shore. This caused another “glorious” flap that still was a sore subject with Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" when I left.Recalling the second problem still quickens my pulse to this day. Canopus XE "Canopus, USS" had a fire onboard, which not only killed three sailors (two black prisoners locked in the brig and their white guard), but threatened to bring the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" operation to a stop because of damage to the tender. Also, it was seized upon by the Scottish National Party XE "Scottish National Party" (SNP) as a parliamentary issue. The SNP did this in order to underscore their accusation that Britain considered Scotland as its “dust bin” (Scottish for garbage dump) since both the United States and the United Kingdom’s nuclear submarines were located there.It was one o’clock on a dark, blustery, rainy Sunday morning, the 30th of November, when I had a call from the squadron duty officer to report that there was a fire in Canopus XE "Canopus, USS" which was apparently not under control and that some people in the brig were dead. John Davis had been relieved as Canopus XE "Canopus, USS" ’ CO by this time by Captain Dick Hoover XE "Hoover, Richard" , a nuclear trained officer. Dick, however, was in Glasgow for the weekend, which was unfortunate in hindsight because Dick knew Canopus XE "Canopus, USS" well and probably could have gotten the fire under control sooner.But, to return to the recountal, I asked the squadron duty officer to send the barge to pick me up in Blairmore XE "Blairmore, Scotland" . As the barge rounded the Strone Point, I could smell smoke. I came alongside Canopus XE "Canopus, USS" and could see a large area of paint which had been blistered by heat amidships on the starboard side. When I came aboard, Canopus XE "Canopus, USS" ’ Executive Officer, John Bromley XE "Bromley, John" , confirmed that indeed three people had died of smoke inhalation in the brig and that Canopus XE "Canopus, USS" ’ fire parties had still not located the source of the fire. I went to the command spaces on the 01 deck and told the duty officer to tell the three alongside submarines, which were in various stages of upkeep and repair, to prepare to get underway on their diesel engines and that I would have two tugs standing by for assistance. I then put in a secure telephone call (there was a scrambler device on the telephone which was difficult to talk on but was the only way to discuss classified matters other than using the radio teletype facilities which were slow) to Norfolk where I informed Dennis Wilkinson XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" ’s chief staff officer, Chuck Griffiths XE "Griffiths, Charles \"Chuck\"" , of our situation. Chuck told Dennis XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" and called back to say that Dennis XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" had said to keep him informed and to let Norfolk know if there was any way they could help.After about an hour with no reported progress on isolating the fire--the fire parties were still unable to locate any flames and heavy smoke continued to billow from the ship--I ordered the alongside submarines to back away from the tender. (It was dark, windy and raining hard, so this was not something that was going to be risk free.)After what seemed like another hour, it was reported that the source of the fire had been located. Something placed in a personal luggage storage area had apparently caught fire and burned with an intense heat and heavy smoke. This in turn had spread to adjacent compartments--including the brig area. I don’t think the fire was so much put out as it had burned out of its own accord.When we had gotten the submarines back alongside and reconnected them once again to the tender’s electrical power, I again phoned Norfolk and reported the situation. Commander Mark Byrd XE "Byrd, Mark" , my splendid operations officer, and I then surveyed our situation. First, could the Canopus XE "Canopus, USS" continue to support submarines? Second, was there any indication of heat or other damage in the nuclear weapons storage spaces? (Nuclear weapons were always a “touchy issue” since the United States government does not confirm or deny the presence of nuclear weapons on any ship or station, even though it was obvious that they were present in the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" .) Third, was there a chance of a “racial incident” because the dead brig prisoners were black? (This was at the height of the Navy’s racial turmoil that already had resulted in at least one full-scale black mutiny on an aircraft carrier--although the Navy never characterized it as such for obvious reasons.)By mid-morning Monday it appeared that the Canopus XE "Canopus, USS" could continue to function and that there had been no impact on the nuclear weapons. As to racial unrest, we would just have to wait and see, but the fact that the white brig guard also died would probably defuse some of the tension. So, after drafting a detailed message report to CINCLANT XE "CINCLANT or Commander-in-Chief Atlantic" and COMSUBLANT XE "COMSUBLANT or Commander Submarine Force Atlantic" , I went home to get some sleep.Early Monday morning, just as I thought the worst was behind us, all hell broke loose. One of the Glasgow papers called to inquire about a report that they had received of a fire in the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" . Mark Byrd XE "Byrd, Mark" and I had worked up a reply to just such an inquiry should it arise, but it became obvious to Mark and to me that this was not going to be simply a back page news item when other papers began to call, including the London Times. It also became obvious by Monday noon, as the word spread, that there were a number of either angry or embarrassed (or both) important personages who were caught unprepared by the event and the questions they were also getting from the press--like, “Did you know anything about this ‘nuclear fire’ in the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" ?” These personages ranged from the Counsel General in Edinburgh to CINCUSNAVEUR XE "CINCUSNAVEUR or Commander-in-Chief U.S. Navy Europe" in London to Commodore Clyde at Faslane and the provosts of Dunoon XE "Dunoon, Scotland" and Greenock XE "Greenock, Scotland" .Until this time there had been no extant plan for handling a potentially catastrophic situation in the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" from a public relations point of view. But in hindsight this does not excuse my inadequate performance in this regard. So it was time for damage control actions. I immediately called CINCUSNAVEUR XE "CINCUSNAVEUR or Commander-in-Chief U.S. Navy Europe" ’s chief staff officer to fill him in. This was Rear Admiral Swanson XE "Swanson, Leroy" , who subsequently advised me that, in dealing with the press, “the best news always is no news.” I also called Rear Admiral Peter LaNiece XE "LaNiece, Peter" , Commodore Clyde, to apologize to him for my performance. I then left for Edinburgh to make peace with the Counsel General, and the next day I began a series of calls on the various provosts of the small towns in that area of the Clyde.On one of these calls, in Greenock XE "Greenock, Scotland" , the provost asked me if I knew a Scottish National Party XE "Scottish National Party" member of parliament by the name of Dickson Mabon XE " Mabon, Dickson" . I replied that I had never heard of him. The provost succinctly said, “Well, you will. He doesn’t like either the British or the Americans.”And hear I did. Mr. Mabon started not only stirring up the London and Scottish press, but launched a parliamentary attack on the “American presence in the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" ” during the prime minister’s question time.At this point, though, the British, God bless them, came to my assistance. Peter LaNiece XE "LaNiece, Peter" , with the approval of the Ministry of Defense in London, set up a series of meetings with the town councils in and around Mabon’s constituency, about four in number, and proceeded, accompanied by me, to make a masterful presentation on the close relationship between the Americans and the British in Scotland, implying that he had been fully involved in the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" fire (untrue) and how well things had been handled by me (again untrue). I shall be forever grateful to the British Navy’s support in this regard because, after a week, the furor subsided. Interestingly, though, the British had the last word, as you might expect. Just before I was relieved as COMSUBRON 14 XE "COMSUBRON 14 or Commander Submarine Squadron 14" , the British hosted a dinner for me at Faslane and there is a picture of this event showing Peter Berger XE "Berger, Peter" presenting me with the “Neptune” submarine plaque. But in introducing me, Peter brought down the house by saying he wanted to introduce this year’s recipient of “The Dickson Mabon XE "Dickson Mabon" Firefighter of the Year Award.”There still remained an investigation to be conducted. Even though I had been deeply involved in the incident, Dennis Wilkinson XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" appointed me as the investigating officer. With the great help of my legal officer, a brilliant young Harvard lawyer from San Francisco, Martin Quinn XE "Quinn, Martin" , we worked hard and long over Christmas taking testimony and drafting a report which satisfied the chain of command who, at that point, really wanted to put the event behind them without further ado. This, obviously, is what I wanted to do as well.Every day was filled with challenges, albeit more manageable ones: Trying to solve something or other of concern to Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" . (Mercifully there were no Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" phone calls because, as I mentioned before, the British phone system thwarted his efforts in this regard. But every Saturday morning I had to compose the obligatory “what’s wrong/what had I done to fix it letter.”) Worry that the race situation might blow up (and in a foreign country this was particularly to be avoided). Materials, spare parts or simply weather problems that could impact on the up-keep schedule. Crews that appeared to be weak in the nuclear area and thus candidates for safeguard exam failure and all the travail that this entailed. Problems with dependents who were unaccustomed to Scottish living (no central heat, coal fires, crude hot water heating arrangements, different food, different schooling, to mention but a few). Social demands to show the flag by going somewhere to speak. And the list goes on. But fortunately there were only two problems, those I have discussed at the onset, that were clearly career threatening.The Holy Loch (USS Simon Lake pictured, which preceded USS Canopus in the Holy Loch)Real Admiral LaNiece of the Royal Navy receiving a plaque from Frank Commodore Peter Berger XE "Berger, Peter:Photo" presenting Frank with the Dickson Mabon Fire Fighter of the Year Award upon Frank’s departure as COMSUBRON 14 CHAPTER 44Duncreggan LodgeThere was a bright side to the year in Scotland--a very bright side. Let me try to recapture some of this brightness.First and foremost, our house, Duncreggan XE "Duncreggan Lodge" Lodge, set the tone. Ben and Liz Sherman had been living across the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" from the tender in a large but rather austere castle-like house which we normally would have taken. But John Davis XE "Davis, John" , Canopus XE "Canopus, USS" ’ Commanding Officer, was living around Strone Point in a house high on a hill overlooking the Tail of the Bank where ships drop anchor while clearing quarantine for Glasgow. I mentioned that John left shortly after Ben XE "Sherman, Ben" , so his house was also going to be available. Both Ben and John said that John’s house was the better situation, if indeed we could acquire it. (The Squadron Commander and the Commanding Officer of the tender were the only two officers for whom houses were leased by the Navy--a great deal!)First, however, Ruth and I had to establish availability, which meant we had to pass inspection. To do this, we were asked to tea by the owner, Mrs. Turberville XE "Turberville, Madame" , a grand lady who lived in England and visited only on occasion, when she would stay with her gardener and his wife (the Carmichaels) in a small but nice cottage she had built and given to them on the Duncreggan XE "Duncreggan Lodge" property at the bottom of the hill.We passed muster and, when our furniture arrived, moved into this wonderful house. Wonderful, though, does not mean that it was not cold and drafty.*****Duncreggan XE "Duncreggan Lodge" Lodge was located in Blairmore XE "Blairmore, Scotland" , which by road is about ten miles from Dunoon XE "Dunoon, Scotland" . During the first part of our stay, Blairmore XE "Blairmore, Scotland" was served by a “wee ferry,” which ran several times a day back and forth across the Clyde to Greenock XE "Greenock, Scotland" where train service was available for Glasgow. One of our neighbors, John Risk XE "Risk, John" , who lived in the castle above Strone Point, commuted to Glasgow each day. (He was Coates Thread Company’s lawyer.) The ferry, the Countess of Breadalbane XE "Breadalbane, Motor Vessel Countess of" , was chiefly noted for its crew becoming moderately inebriated as the day wore on and the sparkling linen on the two or three tables that were always set up for service in the small dining room area below decks.Blairmore XE "Blairmore, Scotland" had a combined grocery store and post office and a small town hall that was infrequently used. But from Duncreggan XE "Duncreggan Lodge" Lodge high on the hill, it was always interesting to watch the Countess’ traversal of the Clyde, particularly under stormy conditions.I went to and from the tender in my barge by way of the small ferry pier at the foot of the hill from our house, with the Navy paying a modest rental for this privilege. This was frequently a rough passage, but I always enjoyed the vista. Ruth painted a picture of Strone Point from seaward that always reminds me of this.But back to Duncreggan XE "Duncreggan Lodge" Lodge. In the prospectus which I received in March of 1978 when Ruth and I looked into the feasibility of purchasing it as a second home, it was described as “a substantial, detached villa built in approximately 1852 and set in an attractive location with commanding views of Loch Long.” (It was for sale then for an asking price of ?40,000--about $90,000 at the 1978 exchange rate.)It had an entry way, a drawing room with fire place, a sitting room with fire place, a den, a dining room with French doors leading to a patio garden, a pantry, a kitchen and two first floor baths (one was for the maid off the laundry room). Upstairs were five bedrooms, each with a fireplace, and a cavernous bathroom which was located down a short flight of steps and then up another short flight of steps from the bedroom areas. This was always a cold and somewhat hazardous trip if you needed to get up at night.Heating was afforded by the fireplaces and a small electric device located in the front hall which “stored heat” at night when the electric rates were low and then dispensed this heat during the day when people were up and about (theoretically, that is, because it never reached a temperature that was easily discernible when you put your hand on it). Oh, yes, the main bathroom was “heated” by a hot water towel rack that was never remotely warm. (I confess I did my showering on the tender.)Finally, there was an enclosed garage with two bedrooms above it, entry to which was by a stairwell off the kitchen.The outside grounds were impressive. They were about one acre in size, terraced with beautifully mown grass and shrubbery consisting principally of rhododendrons and azaleas, all tended by Mrs. Turberville XE "Turberville, Madame" ’s long-time gardener, Archie XE "Carmichael, Archie" Carmichael.There were two greenhouses attached to the house which Archie XE "Carmichael, Archie" used for his flowers. He always won prizes for his flowers at the annual flower show. In this connection (and I always thought it was particularly revealing), his magnificent displays were always labeled, in true British upper class fashion, very simply, “From the Gardens of Mrs. Turberville XE "Turberville, Madame" .” Not once was his name ever mentioned as being responsible for the flowers.Ruth quickly settled into Duncreggan XE "Duncreggan Lodge" . The MG arrived shortly thereafter. It had been driven to Scotland from the factory in the suburbs of London and we picked it up at the Dunoon XE "Dunoon, Scotland" garage. Our oldest son, Frank, flew back with one of the off-going crews to start school at the University of Virginia. Our daughter, Chrissie, arrived from visiting with Ruth’s sister’s family and we met her at the Glasgow airport. She and our youngest son, Charles, left shortly thereafter for the U.S. dependent’s school at Lakenheath, England XE "Lakenheath, England" , which is situated on a British air base where units of the U.S. Air Force are stationed.I should mention at this point that I do not think Lakenheath was one of the highlights of their Scotland experience for either Chrissie or Charles. It was on balance, to put in plainly, unsatisfactory. Charles endured a semester before going to the Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire. Chrissie left earlier, enrolled at a tutorial school in Edinburgh, achieved her GED and then enrolled at the American College in Paris.Ruth and I settled into the Scottish way of life, and I will now recount some of my memories of this year in Scotland.15569512749275Duncreggan Lodge Exterior Scenes00Duncreggan Lodge Exterior Scenes15637572748668Duncreggan Lodge Interior Scenes00Duncreggan Lodge Interior ScenesCHAPTER 45Life in ScotlandThere was an almost continuous stream of visitors to the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" . First, it was an interesting operation to observe. Probably more importantly, though, Scotland was a place most Americans wished to see, and senior officers and officials were no exception to this.A visit that was memorable for both Ruth and me involved John Warner XE "Warner, John" when he was Secretary of the Navy (and who was later a long time senator from Virginia, but who is perhaps best known for being the sixth husband of the movie actress, Elizabeth Taylor). I met John at Prestwick XE "Prestwick, Scotland" Airport outside of Glasgow and the several hours we had together during the drive to the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" more or less adumbrated how the visit it would go. Trying to help the conversation flow, I described to him Ian Campbell, the Duke of Argyll XE "Duke of Argyll" , whom he would be meeting. I said that to understand Ian you had to know that his chief goal in life was the preservation and improvement of the Campbell castle. To accomplish this he needed money, which entailed marrying and divorcing an endless series of rich women. There was a long silence when I made this statement. Then I remembered that John had just shed his rich wife, one of the Mellons, and had received a handsome divorce settlement. I realized I had put my foot in my mouth. I changed the subject, but things were never quite the same again.John Warner XE "Warner, John" was not an easy guest. He marched to his own drummer. You were never sure when he would arrive at a scheduled function because he could never pass a pub without stopping for a “quick one,” where he thoroughly enjoyed the spirits, the companionship and a game of darts. He also was an enthusiastic fisherman. I recall waiting for him for over two hours to return from one of those trips so we could get on with his schedule. But he had a good time, I’m sure.John Chaffee XE "Chaffee, John" , on the other hand, Warner XE "Warner, John" ’s predecessor as Secretary of the Navy, was a fine visitor. The highlight of his visit was an invitation for Ruth and me to accompany him to the quarters of the Royal Navy’s Flag Officer Scotland for dinner. We were picked up by a chauffeur-driven Rolls Royce in Edinburgh and after a short drive to the Royal Navy dockyard on the Firth of Clyde, where the Flag Officer resided, we approached an imposing house by a circular drive. As we got nearer, we could hear a bagpipe. Indeed, walking in front of the house, back and forth, was a piper. A great touch!Dennis XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" and Janice Wilkinson XE "Wilkinson, Janice" and Betty XE "Shear, Betty" and Hal Shear XE "Shear, Harold" also visited us. They were fine guests. (Dennis XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" was COMSUBLANT XE "COMSUBLANT or Commander Submarine Force Atlantic" , my boss, at the time.) Hal Shear XE "Shear, Harold" especially liked Scotland and had many friends from his days in command of Patrick Henry XE “Patrick Henry, USS” .Hal XE "Shear, Harold" was a great walker, and one Sunday he suggested we go for a small walk. I put on my new sheepskin coat, thinking it was colder than it was. This became a factor when we ended up walking all the way to the Ardentinney Inn at the far end of Loch Long--a long way with a heavy coat on what turned out to be a rare warm day.It was during this walk that I mentioned to Hal XE "Shear, Harold" that I guessed the Flag Selection Board would be meeting soon, and that this was something which was of great interest to me this year. He was strangely and absolutely silent. He changed the subject, as I recall. It became apparent when the flag list came out as to why he had been so. He had been a member of the Board.Ruth’s and my favorite visitor probably was her mother. She came before Christmas, shortly after having a mild heart attack. This never slowed her down, but it did concern us. When she arrived, she climbed the long, steep hill up to Duncreggan XE "Duncreggan Lodge" . Ruth’s mother was an extraordinarily good sport, willing to try anything from riding a bicycle to sipping and pretending to like one of her son-in-law’s drinks.I recall especially going to Inveraray with Ruth and her mother to have tea with the McIntyres, the owners of the Strone Point woolen shop (in their beautifully restored row house adjoining the Campbell Castle grounds). How to fit three adults into the MG was a challenge solved only by Ruth’s mother climbing into the trunk space where she fit, but barely, by curling into a fetal position.Having the children all home for Christmas holidays was a real highlight. The huge Christmas tree which the Forest Service provided, Ruth’s great dinner followed shortly thereafter by yet another huge dinner for Ruth, her mother and me at Judge and Mrs. Wyatt XE "Wyatt, Judge" ’s. (The Judge had been Dunoon XE "Dunoon, Scotland" ’s provost, i.e., mayor, when the Americans arrived in November of 1960 and was a firm supporter of the “American presence.”)Speaking of Christmas, I am always reminded of this time in Scotland by the Christmas card which Ruth prepared that year (and which I framed) of St. Munn’s church at Kilmun XE "Kilmun, Scotland" . This church was directly opposite one of the portholes in my cabin on the tender. Part of the first church on that site was still standing, dating from the mid-1400s. When things would become stressful, I would sometimes look out the porthole and somehow find that view comforting.As the senior U.S. naval officer present in Scotland, I had many invitations to attend functions and dinners ranging from saying a few words at the Lawn and Bowling Association on the Dunoon XE "Dunoon, Scotland" Green to returning the toast to the Immortal Memory of Lord Nelson aboard an old sailing ship in Glasgow Harbor which had been converted into a Royal Navy club.The latter was a great experience, enhanced by the fact that, after diligent research by Martin Quinn XE "Quinn, Martin" , my staff lawyer, we put together a toast for me to give which was just right--although by the time of the evening when the toasts were rendered, the dinner guests, aided by copious quantities of gin, wine and brandy, probably would have applauded anything.Robert Burns dinners were also a delight. It seems virtually every Scottish schoolchild can quote Robert Burns endlessly. (Archie XE "Carmichael, Archie" , Mrs. Turberville’s gardener, was certainly not an educated man by British standards, but he knew his Burns--at length.)Initially, I was bemused by the number of invitations I received to Robert Burns dinners. They seemed to be celebrating his birthday over a whole month. I found the reason for this was that these dinners are scheduled around the availability of someone who not only knows Burns’ poetry, but has a voice to do justice to his songs. This meant I would frequently see the same toastmaster at each dinner. By the way, I enjoyed haggis, too--given enough scotch, which is taken neat, without ice, before, during and after dinner.My most impressive dinner in Scotland probably was the time I was asked to a stag affair in the upper library hall of Edinburgh University. It was very formal with Scotland’s leading citizens in attendance. The speaker was Lord Carrington XE "Carrington, Lord" , who was then serving as Britain’s Foreign Secretary (the equivalent of our Secretary of State). Most impressive! I was struck, too, by how many of the dinner guests bore the same name as the busts which were situated around the wall of famous Scotsmen. A distinguished group indeed.*****I have mentioned that the American dependents (the wives and children of the squadron staff members and the officers and men of the tender and dry dock) lived entirely on the Scottish economy for the first seven or eight years that the U.S was in the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" . Then, gradually, the normal American accoutrements—a commissary, a post exchange and on-base housing--started to appear. This was, on balance, a mistake in my judgment, and I say this being largely responsible during my tour for the building of the family housing. I suppose “responsible” is too encompassing a word. It was more that I did not oppose it as I might have.Housing was always a subject that would come up with high level visitors when they visited the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" , as they always wished to see how the American families lived. When we took them to several houses, they were always impressed with the rather primitive living conditions compared to the United States. The first thing that seemed to impress them were the children, inevitably with runny noses and hacking coughs, followed closely by an awareness of how cold and damp the houses were. (Almost all the homes were heated by coal fireplaces that had a copper coil above the fire to heat a very limited amount of hot water while the fire was going.) Then, if there was no indoor plumbing, that was the real clincher. (I always tried to avoid visiting homes in this latter category.)The lack of a commissary and navy exchange were also always brought up in the sense that baby food and items like that were unavailable unless a long trip was made across the Clyde to Prestwick XE "Prestwick, Scotland" --2-1/2 hours or so--where there were modest U.S. military facilities.Liquor in Scotland is heavily taxed, so the absence of a package store tended, perhaps, to reduce the consumption of alcohol (not altogether a bad thing). All of these conditions, that were certainly normal if you were a Scot, led little by little to the establishment of all the facilities you might find on a U.S. naval base--to the detriment, I am sure, of the extraordinarily close relationship we had established with the Scots.One of the things that remained unchanged was the fact that we built no American school, for a couple of reasons. First, the expense for the relatively small number of American children it would serve. Second, the fact that the Scottish schools were vastly better than their American counterparts.It was interesting to me how well the American children adapted. This was highlighted by the BBC coming to the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" to do a piece on the American presence there. They went to the local school in order to interview some of the American students. In one class, second or third grade, they talked with several American children. You couldn’t tell the difference between them and their Scottish classmates: same accent, same runny nose, same clothing.In connection with the schools, one of the most enjoyable tasks I performed in Scotland was to call periodically on the several public school superintendents in Argyll. Superintendent of Schools was a very prestigious position since the Scots are inordinately proud of their schools as being the best by far in the United Kingdom. (Read this, “Better than the English,” whom they disliked intensely.)The Superintendent, as well as all the instructors, wore a black gown. His office had a desk, several easy chairs and the ubiquitous blazing fireplace. You would be introduced by his secretary and then sit down before his desk and talk, more or less, about official matters. Then at a point in the conversation, he would get up from behind his desk and say, “Won’t you join me in front of the fire and enjoy a ‘wee dram’ from my Loch?” Then you would be handed a rather large tumbler of superb Scotch whiskey. A nice touch that I always looked forward to.103316324400Blairmore PierThe Countess of BreadalbaneScottish SceneryRuth’s Christmas Card4896682540552On the Road to Duncreggan Lodge0On the Road to Duncreggan Lodge5782922514048USS Canopus in the Holy Loch00USS Canopus in the Holy LochCHAPTER 46More on Squadron 14 and Farewell to ScotlandOne of the more interesting several days during my tour as COMSUBRON 14 XE "COMSUBRON 14 or Commander Submarine Squadron 14" was a visit by Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" . XE "Rickover, Hyman: Visit to the Holy Loch " His purpose was to combine business with pleasure. He had been invited to have dinner at 10 Downing Street with the Prime Minister. (Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" was very close to his British counterpart, Sir Solly Zuckerman XE "Zuckerman, Sir Solly" , one of Winston Churchill’s close friends and scientific advisors during World War II. Sir Solly, I suspect, had arranged for Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" to do this in recognition of Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s close relationship with the British with regard to their nuclear power program.) Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" , in true Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" style, traveled with no luggage. Instead, his principal deputy, Bill Wegner XE "Wegner, William \"Bill\"" , handled this, arriving the day before the “Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman" ,” carrying his tuxedo and other necessary items. (Fortunately, Bill met the “Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman" ” at Prestwick XE "Prestwick, Scotland" Airport, so I was spared several hours with him in an automobile.)Getting ready for Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" involved the usual “Rig for Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" ” list, XE "Rickover, Hyman: Rig for Rickover " but there were several new items based upon recent visits to submarine tenders. One dealt with Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s 1918 vintage stop watch, which he used to time his walks each day. (Aboard the tender he would pace up and down a short corridor to effect these walks. He started these walks after he had had his first heart attack.) The stopwatch was a very important item to him. He always asked the tender when he arrived to clean it, replace any worn parts and just generally take a look to be sure it was in top-notch condition. Imagine the responsibility implied in servicing a 1918 stopwatch. I told the tender skipper that the first priority would be not to break anything, that there was no second priority and that the third priority was to do whatever the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" asked. XE "Rickover, Hyman: Rig for Rickover " The other additional item had its genesis in the fact that at night the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" would use my cabin on the 01 deck, which was quite far removed at night from any shipboard activity. A problem had arisen on a prior visit to the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" when Ruben Woodall XE "Woodall, Ruben" was the Commodore.In the middle of the night, the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" XE "Rickover, Hyman: Visit to the Holy Loch " apparently wanted something and couldn’t either find or work the ship’s telephone. He XE "Rickover, Hyman: Using Fire Axe to Get Attention " became angry and frustrated. (Of course, this didn’t take much.) He went outside the cabin to a ship’s fire locker, which contained a hose for the fire main and an axe. He removed the axe and commenced to beat on the cabin bulkhead. This finally attracted attention, but not before the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" was thoroughly apoplectic and the bulkhead damaged.I sought to avoid a repeat of this experience by surreptitiously placing a steward in the pantry outside my cabin. His instructions were to stay awake all night and, if he heard any sort of commotion in the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s cabin, to knock on the door and to go in and inquire if he could be of service.His XE "Rickover, Hyman: Visit to the Holy Loch " visit went well, I think because he was by then very well disposed toward Squadron 14 XE "Squadron 14" . But I will always remember my final few minutes with him on this occasion. Throughout his visit I had been concerned that, since the “Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman" ” was going to have dinner with the Prime Minister, the subject of the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" fire might come up. I didn’t think the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" knew the full dimensions of the parliamentary and press problems that had ensued. I agonized over whether I should, or should not, bring the subject up. Finally, as he was about to leave, I said, “Admiral, you know the fire we had on the tender--I didn’t handle some aspects of it which involved the British as well as I should have.”He XE "Rickover, Hyman: Visit to the Holy Loch " paused, looked at me and said, “We all make mistakes.” He then shook my hand and departed. Whew!One of my continuing worries throughout my tour in Scotland was the unrest among the young black sailors on the tender. While the problems in the tender never reached the dimensions that they did in other parts of the Navy, they well could have, being exacerbated by their less than full acceptance ashore by the Scots.In this regard, I had a “close call” shortly after Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s visit. Canopus XE "Canopus, USS" ’ skipper, Dick Hoover XE "Hoover, Richard" , was a true “sundowner” whose approach to discipline was strictly by the book. This was fine, but sometimes he failed to temper this approach with common sense. I learned late one afternoon that Dick had reopened the brig for use--now several months after the fire where the black sailors had been killed--and had sentenced a young black seaman to three or four days confinement therein. One of my staff officers said that he had been told by a Canopus XE "Canopus, USS" officer that were was a palpable undercurrent of unrest among some of the confinee’s black shipmates. I always tried to remain out of Dick’s business, but this was too much.I called him in and said, “For Christ’s sake, Dick XE "Hoover, Richard" , what in the hell are you doing? You’re going to cause a riot. Get that prisoner out of there right now and get him ashore. Then find a suitable confinement place someplace on the beach, even if you have to go to some U.S. air base in England to do it.”I added that Dick was not to use Canopus XE "Canopus, USS" ’s brig again except in an emergency without my personal approval.I confirmed several hours later through one of Canopus XE "Canopus, USS" ’ chief petty officers that indeed there had been an explosive situation building up. Remembering my “failure” to cover all bases during the fire in the sense of letting everyone know who might learn about it (Admiral Zumwalt XE "Zumwalt, Elmo" had set up a separate “communications channel” for black complainants to go directly to him), I drafted a “for your eyes only” message for Dennis Wilkinson XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" in Norfolk, which I shared with Hal Shear XE "Shear, Harold" , who was visiting Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" at the time. (Hal XE "Shear, Harold" was then one of the Deputy Chiefs of Naval Operations and could cover the Washington flank when he got back should it be necessary.)Fortunately, nothing came of the incident. In retrospect, perhaps I overreacted. But you have to understand the extraordinary tensions that were tearing the Navy asunder at this time. (These tensions continued unabated during my subsequent tours as COMSUBFLOT XE "COMSUBFLOT 2 or Commander Submarine Flotilla Two" 2 in New London and as COMSUBPAC XE "COMSUBPAC or Commander Submarine Force Pacific" in Pearl Harbor XE "Pearl Harbor" , causing continuing problems.)The 12th of April 1971 is a day I shall always remember. Shortly after noon Captain Walt Price XE "Price, Walter" , who was CINCUSNAVEUR XE "CINCUSNAVEUR or Commander-in-Chief U.S. Navy Europe" ’s staff officer for United Kingdom shore-based activities, called to ask, “Have you seen the flag selection list?”I answered, “No.”He said, simply, “Congratulations.”While I felt confident I would be on the list, it was a great feeling to have it confirmed. I can still remember today the impact that this news had on me because it was strikingly similar to another unique experience in my life. That experience was when I walked through the Naval Academy’s main gate for the first time in June 1943 and, pausing by one of the large anchors which flanked the chapel, felt an elation of spirit that to this day remains ineffable. I also remember reflecting that this recognition was really the culmination of 25 years of friendship, guidance and support of a number of great people--Rocko Westerman XE "Westerman, Edward \"Rocko\"" , Jack Lewis XE "Lewis, Jack" , Gene Rider XE "Rider, Eugene" , Frank King XE "King, Frank" , Carl Walske XE "Walske, Carl" , Len XE "Erb, Len" Erb XE "Erb, Len" , Dennis XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" Wilkinson XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" , Bill Wegner XE "Wegner, William \"Bill\"" , Bill Bass, Hal XE "Shear, Harold" Shear XE "Shear, Harold" , Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" and others too numerous to mention--and much good luck, of course. (I don’t need to acknowledge the obvious, but I shall. Ruth’s love and support was sine qua non in the truest sense.)The next months passed quickly. It was several weeks after the flag list came out when Dennis XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" Wilkinson XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" called and asked if I had heard where I was going. I replied that I hadn’t. In his characteristic elliptical way, he led me to believe it would be to New London to relieve Hap Perry XE "Perry, Oliver \"Hap\"" as COMSUBFLOT XE "COMSUBFLOT 2 or Commander Submarine Flotilla Two" 2. Wow, the assignment I would have ordered, “If I had been on the beach!”Dennis XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" was being purposefully vague, because the word properly should have come from the Chief of Naval Personnel and the Chief of Naval Operations. In reality, these latter two individuals were but ratifying Dennis XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" ’ and Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s decision since they controlled in practice all submarine billets (a situation which continued to distress successive Chiefs of Naval Operations).So Ruth and I made preparations to return “to our roots.” Among the things that we had to handle were the future of two of the splendid cabin mess stewards who wanted to come with us to work in the quarters at New London—Romeo Miranda XE "Miranda, Romeo" and Armando Carandang XE "Carandang, Armando" . (Flag officers could, through tradition, take with them stewards and a writer. A writer was normally a chief petty officer who served much as a personal secretary.) I arranged for this and Miranda XE "Miranda, Romeo" and Carandang XE "Carandang, Armando" became a part of the family from that point on for many years.There were a number of farewells, from the squadron staff, from the British Navy (I have a photograph showing the farewell dinner which Commodore Clyde, Peter Berger XE "Berger, Peter" , hosted for me) and from the local Scots whom Ruth and I so much enjoyed.I was relieved as COMSUBRON 14 XE "COMSUBRON 14 or Commander Submarine Squadron 14" on the 18th of June by Paul Early XE "Early, Paul" , from the class of 1948A. The ceremony was held in the gymnasium in the Ardanadam complex. Following the ceremony I was “frocked”--entitled to wear in advance the uniform of a Rear Admiral. (The “actual” entitlement didn’t start until I relieved as COMSUBFLOT 2. “Frocking” had to be specially authorized in the orders.)Miranda XE "Miranda, Romeo" had a uniform striped for me and he and the other cabin mess stewards had purchased a Rear Admiral’s cap to go with the new stripes. I remember Miranda XE "Miranda, Romeo" and Carandang XE "Carandang, Armando" meeting me behind the gym shortly after the ceremony to present me with the cap and exchanging my Captain’s coat for one with the Rear Admiral’s stripes. I then went back into the gym properly garbed for the reception.My orders called for me to report to New London by July 21st. Thirty days leave!Ruth and I planned to spend part of the time driving the blue MG through the byways of northern Scotland before proceeding to Liverpool, where I would turn the car in for shipment to New York.The Scottish trip was spectacular. We covered a lot of ground and, with the MG so well adapted to the frequent single-track roads we encountered, it was not in the least stressful. We left Blairmore XE "Blairmore, Scotland" on a Saturday afternoon after the furniture had been boxed up and had started on its trip to the United States. We drove via Dunoon XE "Dunoon, Scotland" to Rothesay XE "Rothesay, Scotland" , the site of an impressive set of ruins circa the 12th century and where Darter XE "Darter, USS" had spent a week awaiting a tug to commence the return trip to the United States some years before.We then went by car ferry across the Clyde to Weymss and, shortly before reaching Glasgow, stayed overnight in a bread and breakfast (bed and breakfasts were our normal stopping places throughout the trip). We then started north through Pitlochry and Abiemore to Nairn, a beautiful fishing village on Moray Firth. The weather was beautiful, as was the scenery.We then proceeded to Inverness. Inverness is about ten miles to the west of the famous Culloden XE "Culloden, Scotland" Moor, where the decisive and brutal slaughter by William Duke of Cumberland XE "Duke of Cumberland" of the defeated Scots under the Bonnie Prince occurred in 1746. This marked the beginning of the end of the Highland way of life. The Scots remember Culloden XE "Culloden, Scotland" to this day much as we remember the Civil War--the flames of passion still burn brightly. Like our Civil War, the Scots were divided among themselves. For example, the Campbells lined up against the McDonalds (the Campbells sustained their long standing penchant for ending up on the winning side).The real animosities then and today center on the Duke of Cumberland XE "Duke of Cumberland" , who ordered that no quarter be given. The wounded were shot where they lay. Where it was more convenient some were burned alive and such prisoners as were taken were starved and died by the hundreds. This was followed by looting, burning, slaughtering of cattle and raping for miles around Inverness. I found it interesting that to this day animosity concerning Culloden XE "Culloden, Scotland" is still detectable. For example, the Scots refer to the flower, which was named by the English as “Sweet William” after William Duke of Cumberland, as “Stinking Billy.”Ruth and I then set our course for the north of Scotland. I wanted to visit the powerful lighthouse at Cape Wrath XE "Cape Wrath, Scotland" , which was always the first landfall we sighted coming back from patrols in order to transit to the south through the Minches when returning to the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" . We wound our way by single-track road through the lands of the Sutherlands to Tongue XE "Tongue, Scotland" , which is on the northern coast of Scotland. The change in scenery was dramatic.From the ineffable beauty of the lower Highlands with its lochs and the glens, marred--in my judgment--by the ubiquitous reforestation efforts of a misguided government, the landscape became flat and desolate, almost like the surface of the moon. The 50 miles or so from Inverness to Tongue XE "Tongue, Scotland" was devoid of discernible settlements--cold and forbidding. But Tongue XE "Tongue, Scotland" was a joy, a very small town with a church, parsonage, a couple of shops and an extraordinary hotel in what had been a large house--extraordinary because the proprietor had recently returned from Paris where he had obviously been a very successful chef. The food was superb and the accommodations first rate. All of this in Tongue XE "Tongue, Scotland" , Scotland. (You might not have been at the end of the world in Tongue XE "Tongue, Scotland" , but you could see it from there.)From Tongue XE "Tongue, Scotland" to Cape Wrath XE "Cape Wrath, Scotland" was not an easy trip. The same single track road led to a dirt turn off alongside the Kyle of Durness, where we saw a row boat and a small sign saying, “Trips to Cape Wrath XE "Cape Wrath, Scotland" .” So the last five or so miles were by row boat and a small van, but the excursion was well worth it. The Cape Wrath XE "Cape Wrath, Scotland" lighthouse is impressive in its majesty, standing as it does high above the water in isolated splendor.We then stayed overnight in a waterside motel on the Kyle of Lochalsh opposite the Isle of Skye, then inland through Kintail, Glengarry, Glennevis to Oban, a sizeable town on the Firth of Lorn. (Our daughter, Christine, had previously gone to Oban to visit a school friend from Edinburgh and attended a Scottish ball in Oban, which must have been fun. Her friend’s parents later visited us for “tea” on a Saturday afternoon in Blairmore XE "Blairmore, Scotland" . They gave me a Scottish crook with my name on it as memento of their visit.)Ruth and I then set our course for England, following the route that the Duke of Cumberland XE "Duke of Cumberland" had taken through the castle town of Carlisle. (I had forgotten that he is always described in Scottish history as “George II’s fat young son”). When we reached Liverpool, I located the small, dirty garage where I had been directed to turn in the MG in order to prepare it for shipment. (I thought from the environs that I might never see it again, which, based upon its later performance, might not have been all that tragic.)We then went by train to London and the Columbia Club XE "Columbia Club, London, England" where I now, as a flag officer, found that I rated a room with a bath and a TV. We attended a reception for Admiral Ike Kidd XE "Kidd, Issac \"Ike\"" at Claridges, rendezvoused with Frank and Charles and entrained for Portsmouth.Ruth and I had been invited to lunch at the Portsmouth dockyard by Rear Admiral Peter LaNiece XE "LaNiece, Peter" , who had come so fulsomely to my aid after the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" fire. Peter at this time bore the wonderful title of “Flag Officer Spithead” and, among his responsibilities, was HMS Victory XE "Victory, HMS" . Before lunch Ruth, our sons and I all visited Victory, which I know Charles, being very knowledgeable of Nelson, particularly enjoyed.I then changed into my uniform, and Ruth and I went to Peter’s quarters. The quarters were grand, dating from Nelson’s time and furnished with British museum pieces. In response to my comment in this regard, Mrs. LaNiece XE "LaNiece, Peter" said that once a month, two men in bowler hats from the Tower of London visited. They came for the purpose of burnishing the four sets of full armor which occupied the corners of the large entryway. When they finished, they always said to Mrs. LaNiece XE "LaNiece, Peter" , “Now, don’t touch them.”The lunch was done with true British precision, following which Peter XE "LaNiece, Peter" asked if Ruth and I would like to see Victory XE "Victory, HMS" . We didn’t acknowledge that we had already seen the ship with the public, so Peter arranged for the officer in charge, a Royal Navy lieutenant commander, to show us around personally. We both enjoyed the second visit to see this famous ship. Victory is, like the USS Constitution, still in commission in the Royal Navy and, as such, is the flag ship of the Commander of the Home Fleet, who on occasion hosts small dinners in Nelson’s cabin. This must be a wonderful experience.It was by now late afternoon. We walked from the dockyard at Spithead back into town where the train station was located, reclaimed our baggage and made the short walk to the ferry terminal (really just a long, covered shed) in order to embark on a ferry for our crossing of the English Channel to France. I recall having to unpack a suitcase to take out some civilian clothes and then going into a small head to change.The ferry arrived and, upon boarding, we found there were no sleeping accommodations for the overnight trip. Ruth finally arranged for a room with four wooden bunks, where we spent the night, but it was not very comfortable to say the least.We arrived the next morning in Caen, rented a car and, somewhat the worse for wear, visited Omaha Beach, the German bunkers, and the large American cemetery with row upon row of white crosses, all set in concrete.While in France, we visited Chateau Thierry XE "Chateau Thierry, France" , where my father had been subject to a mustard gas attack while serving in the U.S. Army during World War I, and also Verdun XE "Verdun, France" . I’ll confess that the thing I remember most about Verdun was the extraordinarily large mosquito which plagued Ruth and me throughout the night.I also recall Strasbourg, where we spent the afternoon in a small, hot hotel on the village square across from the train station playing bridge. (Charles reminds me that I was in my skivvies with a bottle of bourbon on the table--surely his memory is faulty.)At Strasbourg XE "Strasbourg, France" , we turned the car in and went by train to Munich and thence to Garmisch, Germany XE "Garmisch, Germany" , where we stayed at one of the U.S. military’s recreational hotels. We then returned to the United States, where we were met at the New York airport by Lieutenant Dave Krieger XE "Krieger, David" , who was to be my aide and who was to play such a close role in our lives for the next year. Driving up the coast to New London on I-95 after a year in Scotland was memorable: it was a warm, sunny July day, most unlike Scotland. But most striking was how tawdry the country looked in comparison to Scotland--overgrown grass along the highway, ubiquitous advertising signs and speeding traffic, to mention but a few examples.PART X 1971-1972FLOTILLA COMMANDCHAPTER 47Yes “Inky,” I Was Still StandingThe Submarine Base XE "New London Submarine Base" looked unchanged. Ruth and I felt as though we were again returning home. So much of our lives had been spent there. In Ruth’s case, the roots went even deeper. Not only had her father attended submarine school in New London shortly after World War I and been stationed at the Coast Guard Academy XE "Coast Guard Academy" years later, but her forbearers were listed on the tax rolls at the New London town hall as early settlers and owners of property in New London itself.As for me, never in my wildest dreams, on the 4th of July 1949, when I first walked on to the submarine base, did I imagine that I would be returning someday as the Admiral in charge. This struck me most forcibly when we entered the guest quarters at the BOQ-- the very place where Jimmy Fife XE "Fife, James" had lived and played the loud music 22 years before when I had lived just across the driveway in the submarine base BOQ—and was always apprehensive about his presence.The change of command ceremony four or five days later would hardly be held up today as a ceremonial model. The band started to play ruffles and flourishes in honor of the official party before they arrived. Even more memorable, the gun salute had a “cook-off.” That is, a round that had not gone off in its turn--was left loaded (as was the proper procedure)--only to go off in the middle of the ceremony. (There are always at least two guns in a saluting battery, which fire alternately in order to be able to handle at least one such misfire.)But nothing could dampen the thrill I experienced at my first change of command as a flag officer. I thought the 13 gun salute, which followed the breaking of my flag on the high hill by the gate, was quite special. It brought scenes to my mind of the older days of sail. “Inky XE "Vogelberger, Inky" ” Vogelberger XE "Vogelberger, Peter" who, with her husband, Pete, greatly pleased us by attending, put this in perspective by remarking after the ceremony that, while she had been most impressed with the gun salute, she was disappointed that I was still standing after the firing had been completed.Several days after the change in command, we moved into the Admiral’s quarters, a magnificent house. Again, it hardly seemed possible that 15 years before we had occupied a set of temporary quarters right across the yard before moving in to our house off base at 5 Round Hill Road in Groton.The Admiral’s quarters had been the original farm house on the land when the Navy acquired the property for the establishment of a submarine base before World War I. As a matter of fact, then Commander E.J. King XE "King, Ernest J." (and later a five star Admiral during World War II) had been an early occupant. The guest house, the tennis court, and the golf course across the street on the Thames River were but a few of the amenities.With respect to the golf course, golf balls would rain upon the house like hail, particularly on weekends, and the golfers, who were understandably reluctant to come into the Admiral’s yard, would not come to retrieve them. This pleased our dog, Aaron, immensely, who was delighted to bring us as many golf balls as were there.It was an extremely comfortable house to live in, with each of the bedrooms having its own full bath.Sibyl, our cat liked, it, too, because our bedroom had a window which opened on to a fire escape. In warm weather we would leave the window open at night and she could come and go as she wished, using the fire escape.The real circumstance that made it so pleasant were the great stewards who served us. Initially, there was Chief Steward Butler XE "Butler, Chief Steward" with his assistant, Steward Second Class Bernaby XE "Bernaby, Steward Second Class" , who had been the stewards for the Perrys. When they departed, First Class Steward Miranda XE "Miranda, Romeo" and Second Class Steward Carandang XE "Carandang, Armando" , who had been with me in Scotland and wished to remain with us in New London, arrived. In addition to the two stewards, a personal aide (Dave Krieger XE "Krieger, David" ), a writer (personal secretary), approximately 20 officers on my immediate staff, a grand office and flag mess, a car, a driver and an Admiral’s barge--all came with the job.28860752438400Admiral’s Quarters0Admiral’s QuartersCHAPTER 48Another Challenging JobBut there is more to a job than its perks. There may even be an axiom that the perks of a job may be directly related to the problems and difficulties associated with it. Certainly in the case of my New London assignment this axiom was SUBFLOT XE "COMSUBFLOT 2 or Commander Submarine Flotilla Two" 2 had broad responsibilities: four submarine squadrons, with one far distant in the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" ; the submarine schools, both officer and enlisted; the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" fleet ballistic missile submarine off-crews and their training support; a big submarine base repair facility; three submarine tenders, including the one in the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" ; Compass Island, a former Navy transport ship which was home ported at Cape Canaveral XE "Cape Canaveral" and served as the instrumentation ship for missile firings at the Cape; two submarine rescue vessels; and the many barracks for single sailors and, for those who were married, a very large Capehart housing project.I had two bosses, COMSUBLANT XE "COMSUBLANT or Commander Submarine Force Atlantic" in Norfolk, to whom I was responsible overall, and the Commandant of the Third Naval District at 90 Church Street in New York City, who had area coordination responsibility for shore based activities in the Third Naval District, which included the submarine base. In addition, there was always Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" , who was deeply involved not only with the operating submarines, but with the submarines under construction at Electric Boat XE "Electric Boat Company" , this being the height of submarine building activity there. Overall, there must have been some 54 ships under my command, of which close to 50 were submarines, virtually all of them nuclear powered.On the subject of the command structure, there was another nuance. Most of my principal senior subordinates were officers I had known for many years and many were either close friends and classmates, like Jeff Metzel XE "Metzel, Jeffrey" who had command of Submarine Squadron 10 at State Pier or Chuck Carlisle XE "Carlisle, Charles \"Chuck\"" who was my Chief of Staff, or former seniors like the base commander, Captain Jack Hawkins XE "Hawkins, John \"Jack\"" , who was three years senior to me before I made flag rank. While this never presented an overt problem, it was never a completely easy situation for either me or, I am sure, them.The large Navy retired community also created situations that from time to time tried my patience because they required diplomacy and tact beyond what I sometimes felt the situations warranted. First, there was Admiral Jimmy Fife XE "Fife, James" . Although he was never a problem, you always went out of your way to be sure that he was shown great deference and respect in order to be sure that he remained contented and happy with the management, as it were.Then there was retired Vice Admiral “Big John” Tyree XE "Tyree, John" , a former Submarine Flotilla Two commander who, a week after retiring to New London, sent me a strong letter complaining about something or other that disturbed him at the Navy Exchange.My old friend and former commander of Squadron 14 XE "Squadron 14" , Dave Bell XE "Bell, David" , was a sad case. He undertook selling insurance, standing in the lobby of Dealey Center, “buttonholing” young officers who were passing through.Retired Vice Admiral Vernon “Rebel” Lowrance XE "Lowrance, Vernon" , a COMSUBLANT XE "COMSUBLANT or Commander Submarine Force Atlantic" whom I respected greatly, was a joy to have in the community. He was always helpful and appreciative of anything I did for him. His wife, on the other hand, frightened Ruth (with some cause) or at least made her uneasy.This retired group, which consisted of four or five flag officers and three or four former squadron commanders, had a poker gathering at the officers’ club once a month. Fortunately, Ruth and I were able to avoid all but a couple of these.Finally, with regard to the retired civilian community, Hap Perry XE "Perry, Oliver \"Hap\"" told me before he left to expect an invitation from the Athenaeum Club. I asked, “What the hell is that?”He replied, “Well, it is sort of a secret organization of 10 or 12 elderly, retired New London men who were former movers and shakers back over the years. They meet quarterly for a black tie stag dinner, after which one of the members delivers a paper on some obscure subject of his choosing.”I groaned, but sure enough, I was asked. Still having the “button fly tux” that I had purchased secondhand in Glasgow (from a funeral parlor, I think), I gritted my teeth and at least escaped without having to deliver a paper.CHAPTER 49“Gut Check” Time AgainTwo problems had national implications which impacted during my tour of duty as COMSUBFLOT 2 XE "COMSUBFLOT 2 or Commander Submarine Flotilla Two" : Vietnam and race relations. The former, fortunately, precipitated only one crisis, but it was always simmering beneath the surface.Early one night, mercifully after most of the base traffic had diminished for the day, two large groups of anti-war activists blocked the two entrances to the base. With their signs and vocal protestations, they in effect shut the base down.The local police arrived but said they had no authority to disperse the groups. So on one side of the fence were these long-haired protesters. On the other side of the fence were a group of less than supportive, to say the least, short-haired sailors who wanted to go home. The latter the Navy could handle, but the former proved difficult.After some uneasy hours watching the scene from my office, a federal judge was located and an injunction issued. The police then dispersed the protesters. For a while, though, it was a situation which could have been explosive.Race problems, on the other hand, came up with frequency. Admiral Zumwalt XE "Zumwalt, Elmo" in his well-intentioned effort to deal with the situation in the Navy had established a direct communications link to him via minority representatives in each ship and squadron. This frequently totally bypassed the normal chain of command and, as you might expect, was a disaster.On occasion, a commander might learn of a real or imagined grievance from the Chief of Naval Operations directly. This was unsettling to say the least. With many black sailors serving in the submarines and submarine tenders and also on the base, I sometimes felt that I was under siege. (I should say at this point that the submarine force never had the severe problems that the aircraft carriers, for example, experienced.)My problems generally were exacerbated by the number of small radio stations in the New London area which were always trying to outdo their competition. The black sailors soon learned that they had a wonderful vehicle to get the attention of the white hierarchy. I had many occasions to be reminded of Admiral Swanson XE "Swanson, Leroy" ’s wise counsel to me after the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" fire, “Remember, McMullen, the best news is no news.”During the height of some of our recurring racial complaints, Admiral Zumwalt XE "Zumwalt, Elmo" decided to visit New London. It was not solely for this reason, I am sure, but for other reasons the timing could have been better.Dennis Wilkinson XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" decided not to come to New London for the CNO’s visit although he said later he had agonized over this. (Dennis XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" never told me why he decided not to come, but I suspect that knowing how close he, Dennis XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" , was to “the Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman" ,” and how much Zumwalt XE "Zumwalt, Elmo" and Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman: Relationship with CNO Zumwalt " XE "Rickover, Hyman" disliked each other, I suspect he felt his presence would not be a plus.)The visit went poorly. The tone was established, probably, when my driver slammed the door on Admiral Zumwalt XE "Zumwalt, Elmo" ’s finger while he was getting out on his arrival at the submarine base.The biggest mistake I made regarding Zumwalt XE "Zumwalt, Elmo" ’s visit was in hosting a reception and dinner at the officers’ club so that he could meet the submarine community officers. This got off on a sour note when four or five of the officers from the several diesel submarines still in commission explained to him how they felt about Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s selection process, which had excluded them. (Their motto was, “Diesel boats forever.”) They gave him an earful. Later, three or four nuclear officers described the long hours they put in and pressures they were under in fulsome detail. Finally, at dinner, several nuclear trained officers forcefully complained about Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s policy on sea/shore rotation. (In this regard, Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s policy emphasized the sea over the shore.)The upshot of this was that, when Admiral Zumwalt XE "Zumwalt, Elmo" got back to Washington, he wrote Dennis Wilkinson XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" a personal letter expressing his concern over the fact that the New London community seemed, in his words, “unhappy.” When Dennis XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" read the letter to me over the phone, his spirits were low. He said, “You know, I think that is the worst letter I have ever received.”I said that, “While I have no way of knowing whether it was the worst, I do know that it may well have been the most unfair.” I added that, “You know as well as I how the diesel officers feel and we can’t do anything about it anymore than we can do anything about the unforgiving standards and pressures endemic to operating a nuclear power plant safely--and this includes not transferring officers between sea and shore at the revolving door rate that the rest of the Navy follows.”Finally, I observed that, “Zumwalt XE "Zumwalt, Elmo" , with his barrage of ‘Z grams’ permitting beards, long hair, new uniforms and the like [he put out a long series of these, liberalizing long-standing Navy policies and traditions, most of which have now been rescinded], is simply marching to a different drummer, and I’d put the performance of the nuclear Navy up against the surface Navy any day of the week, and you and I both know that the nuclear Navy would win hands down.”I didn’t cheer Dennis XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" up, but I told him that I would draft a reply for him to send to the CNO, which I did. I don’t know whether he used it or not, nor did the subject ever come up again.CHAPTER 50National AttentionI am sure the CNO remembered me after his visit. Certainly if he didn’t, I am sure his memory was refreshed shortly thereafter (I hadn’t been on the job very long) when late one night one of the Squadron 10 submarines at State Pier, which was bringing its reactor critical, discharged “radioactive water” into the Thames River.When main coolant water is heated up after reactor criticality is achieved, its pressure is increased and, in order to relieve this and establish a normal operating pressure, some main coolant water has to be discharged overboard. Since it may--depending on the age of the reactor--be slightly radioactive (the coolant water does not come into direct contact with the reactor core, so it does not necessarily become radioactive), rather than putting the coolant water into the river, as was done for many years, the procedure was to transfer it via a pipe hook-up to the submarine tender’s holding tank. (The submarine tender, depending on when its tanks were full, would go well out to sea and pump the coolant water overboard.) There were detailed procedures to be followed in carrying out this process, as there was for every process that involved the nuclear reactors. But, as in all things, if something can go wrong, it will sometime go wrong.In this case, there was a rather large leak in a pipe flange between the submarine and the submarine tender, and a couple hundred gallons of main coolant water went into the Thames River before it was detected by matching flow gauge readings between the submarine and the tender. (Recall that this was late at night.)I had a call about eight o’clock in the morning from the squadron commander, my classmate, Jeff Metzel XE "Metzel, Jeffrey" , to report the problem. I said to Jeff, “I’m on my way over.”I left immediately by barge for State Pier. When Jeff met me he said that my chief staff officer, Chuck Carlisle XE "Carlisle, Charles \"Chuck\"" , had called and left a message that Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s office had called for me and that he, Chuck, had said that I was en route to State Pier. (The Admiral’s system was always amazing for the speed with which bad news could reach him.)I elected not to return the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman: Thames River Spill " ’s call until I had some facts. It very quickly became apparent that it was purely and simply human error. An engineering duty officer and his watch standers had relaxed their guard and nuclear power, as it will, bit them. Just as the price of liberty is eternal vigilance, so is the price of safe nuclear power operations.While there was no environmental hazard since the submarine plant history indicated that you could safely drink the water that had been discharged (which was about 200 gallons in all), from a reactor procedure standpoint it was a gross violation, with unique public relations aspects as I was to find out.I returned to my headquarters and, with more than the usual trepidation, put in a call to Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman: Thames River Spill " . His phone was always answered by one of the three or four secretaries who sat outside his small office. At this time he was at Crystal City in Alexandria, Virginia, the old, temporary buildings dating from World War I behind Main Navy having been torn down by this time, over his objections, since he considered them to be both adequate and entirely appropriate for government office space. I could hear the secretary call out in a loud voice--this was the mode of communication between Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman: Thames River Spill " and his outer office staff--”McMullen on the phone.” (His secretaries always knew who or who not to put through to the Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman" .) He, as was his procedure, picked up the phone and said, “Go ahead.”I said, “McMullen, Admiral. I have just returned from the submarine that had an unauthorized discharge last night.”He interrupted, still in a calm voice, “How much did they put in the water?” (He knew the amount, I am sure, by then.)I said, “200 gallons.”He XE "Rickover, Hyman: Thames River Spill " shouted, “200 gallons? How could you let that happen?” Then, still shouting he said, “Listen, if you can’t fix that god damn situation in New London, I’ll find someone who can,” and he slammed the phone down.I then called Dennis XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" Wilkinson XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" , my boss in Norfolk, and filled him in. He had been “there” before, as it were, and knew as I did that these things happen. But the saddest part was that it meant that the submarine’s Commanding Officer would now be forever on Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman: Thames River Spill " ’s “loss of confidence list,” which would be terminal from the point of view of his getting a squadron or higher command. In this case, it was particularly poignant for me because the Commanding Officer was Phil Bayne XE "Bayne, Phillip" , a brilliant and outstanding officer from my Lincoln XE "Lincoln, USS Abraham" days.There were several more conversations over the next several weeks with Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman: Thames River Spill " outlining the actions that I had taken as a result of the spill and other actions that I was taking to be sure that our overall reactor operations were as safe as we could make them.The Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman: Thames River Spill " ceased, after about a week, to talk about the subject. However, I continued to be bothered by the press aspects of the spill since the environmentalists were much in evidence on the Connecticut scene at this time. So I decided it might be prudent to draft a press release, should the subject be raised, and position this response with the flotilla duty officer for his release if either the chief staff officer or I were not immediately available. My thinking was that it would serve to “low key” the incident to have a quick reply at hand, rather than have a delay while we got back to the person asking the question.This proved to be one of the most dreadful decisions I ever made. Murphy’s law again [What can go wrong, will go wrong]. Some “loyal” staff member (at least I guess this is what happened) apparently contacted the press because one morning on the front page of The New York Times was a bold headline, “Nuclear Submarine Pollutes Thames River with Radioactive Discharge.” All hell broke loose (shades of the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" fire)! We had radio, TV and press queries from up and down the east coast. The only good thing, ironic as it may seem, was that we had a press release ready. Yes, the press release which had triggered this. So we were able to respond quickly, at least.While the furor was raging, the senior Rear Admiral who was Commandant of the Third Naval District called to say he was mad as hell that he had not been informed and that his boss, the very senior Vice Admiral who was Commander of the Eastern Sea Frontier, was even angrier. I replied that I was very sorry for his embarrassment, but that I had followed the prescribed channels for reporting matters of this sort, that is, direct to Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" , who handled further distribution.He calmed down at the mention of Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman: Thames River Spill " , although he did add that these sorts of prescribed channels didn’t make much sense to him.I had no other calls from my superiors, either Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" or Dennis Wilkinson XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" . It wasn’t until much later that I was told that when Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman: Thames River Spill " saw the headline he immediately picked up the phone and made an appointment to see the President. He then put on his uniform, which was highly unusual, and after stopping by the Pentagon to tell the Secretary of the Navy what he was going to do, he went directly to the White House. There, he walked in to the President and reminded him that he had, when the President assumed office, reported to him that he, Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman: Thames River Spill " , was directly responsible to the President of the United States for nuclear reactor safety and that he was there that day in that capacity. What further the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman: Thames River Spill " told the President, I don’t know, but I do know that the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman: Thames River Spill " never mentioned his visit to me.My relations with Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" during the New London flotilla period became very close--for two reasons, probably. The New London submarines, at least after the spill, were avoiding big problems that would trigger the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s ire and, as with Ben Sherman XE "Sherman, Ben" , my predecessor in the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" , and now with Hap Perry XE "Perry, Oliver \"Hap\"" , my predecessor in New London, both had gotten on the wrong side of the Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman" . So I was in a position in both cases to look good by comparison. But I always bore in mind Bob Long XE "Long, Robert L.J." ’s admonition, “Remember, you can never love the Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman: “Remember, you can never love the Old Man enough” " enough.”I made my obligatory weekly calls to him to tell him what I was doing to “fix things.” He on occasion would call me, sometimes at the quarters in the evening to talk about a report or a letter from a Commanding Officer of one of my submarines. One night he XE "Rickover, Hyman" asked if I was going to be home later on. I replied that I wasn’t, that I was going to dinner at Admiral Fife XE "Fife, James" ’s. He said, “Who?” I replied, “Admiral Jimmy Fife XE "Fife, James" .”The Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman" then delivered his most often repeated comment about those that he disliked, and there were many. “He is a fool.” Then he went on with his conversation.One of the most interesting telephone conversations I had with the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman: Thames River Spill " in New London was sometime after the Thames River spill. Somehow the subject came up, probably in the sense of his asking if there were any residual problems with the public in that regard, and I replied in the negative, but added, “Admiral, there is a minor problem I have with the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" who is the Commandant of the Third Naval District. He is unhappy that he had to read about the spill in the newspaper. He thought I should have told him.”The Admiral said, “What do you care about him?”I replied, “Well, he makes out a fitness report on me.” The Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" said, “What is his name? I’ll call him.”I replied, “Admiral, there is no need to do that. It will just make things worse.”The Admiral shouted, “Give me his name.”So I did. I never heard any more about it until some weeks later when I was staying overnight with the Commandant in his historic set of quarters in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. (As you can see, I had made a real effort to have closer ties with him after the animosity that the spill generated. He wasn’t a bad guy--just an old destroyer sailor who harbored the customary suspicion and ill will towards all submariners.)Over a Tanqueray gin he said, “I want to tell you about the damnedest call I had the other day.”I replied, “Is that right?”“Yes,” he said. “One morning my secretary said that Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman: Thames River Spill " is coming on the line. I am in a state of shock. What is he calling me for? I picked up the phone and this voice on the other end said, ‘You did a fine job on the New London spill.’ Before I could reply, he hung up. What the hell was he talking about? I couldn’t have done anything about it if I had wanted to since I didn’t know anything about it.”I said, “Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman: Thames River Spill " sees things sometimes in a different light than mere mortals.”He replied, “It still beats the shit out of me. What was he talking about?”CHAPTER 51The Personal Side of Admiral RickoverThere are many stories about Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman: Personal Side"’s experience at the Naval Academy, where he was one of two Jewish midshipmen in his class. It apparently was true that their pictures and biographies were placed together on a separate page in The Lucky Bag (the USNA’s yearbook), but it was untrue that it was a tear-out page.One day, the subject of the Naval Academy came up, which was always a sore point with him because he didn’t think the Academy’s emphasis on engineering subjects was sufficient, to say nothing of what he thought of the Naval Academy’s effort to try to teach leadership. So I was surprised when he said to me, “You know (referring to his Naval Academy experience), I got better than I deserved there.” And I bet this was the case. The Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman" was probably hell on wheels as a midshipman fighting the system.During my tour as COMSUBFLOT XE "COMSUBFLOT 2 or Commander Submarine Flotilla Two" 2, it was expected that I would periodically pay a visit to the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" in Washington, D.C. I would do this every couple of months. I would check in first with his senior assistant, Bill Wegner XE "Wegner, William \"Bill\"" , and after talking with Bill, Bill would call the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s office and say he was coming down with me. We would go in and the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" would say, “Sit down.”He XE "Rickover, Hyman: Personal Side"would be sitting in his rocking chair behind his desk, working on papers. He would say simply, “Go ahead,” and you needed to have some subject immediately ready, like a submarine that wasn’t doing well and what you were doing about it. When you finished, unless he remembered something to get angry over, he would say, “Is that all?” At that, you would get up and leave, heaving a sigh of relief, of course.One visit, though, was particularly memorable. I had no more than been seated when his secretary shouted in through the door that his call to Pittsburgh was on the line. The Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman" picked up the phone and began a shouting tirade which was severe even by his standards. He would pause every so often, apparently to let whomever he was talking to say something, then resume his shouting. I couldn’t tell who it was he was talking to, but the subject was something about delivery times and quality control. Finally, he ended the conversation by slamming down the phone. He XE "Rickover, Hyman: Personal Side"turned to me and said, very calmly, “It was good for you to hear that.”I replied, “Yes, sir.”When Bill Wegner XE "Wegner, William \"Bill\"" and I left the office I said, “Bill, who was the poor soul the Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman" was chatting with?”Bill said, “Oh, that was the CEO of Westinghouse.”The Admiral also visited New London periodically, whenever he needed to administer the customary pre-critical examination to the new construction crews at Electric Boat XE "Electric Boat Company" or when he rode the newly constructed ships, as he had with Polk XE "Polk, USS James K." , on their initial sea trials.With one exception, he XE "Rickover, Hyman: Personal Side"would always insist on staying aboard one of the old, decrepit barges at Electric Boat XE "Electric Boat Company" . He would arrive early Friday evening and frequently convene a “Come to Jesus meeting” both with the area submarine commanders and with the management of the Electric Boat Company XE "Electric Boat Company" .Other times, when he didn’t do this, he simply indicated he wanted to see me sometime during the evening.During one of these visits, at about eight o’clock in the evening, I drove to Electric Boat XE "Electric Boat Company" , parked the Navy car by the pier and went aboard the submarine where the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" was staying. He was alone. I went in and said, “Good evening, Admiral.”He XE "Rickover, Hyman: Personal Side"replied, “Sit down. Tell me about your daughter.”I was completely taken aback to have the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" address a personal question to me. He just didn’t do this.But obviously Dennis Wilkinson XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" had told him that Christine had taken ill in Paris, and the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman: Personal Side" genuinely wanted to see if there was something that he could do to help. I was deeply touched.I mentioned that there was one occasion when Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman: Personal Side" did not stay on a barge at Electric Boat XE "Electric Boat Company" . For some reason he asked me one day on the telephone, “How is the BOQ there?”I replied that it was fine. He said, “I want to stay there when I am in town this weekend.”I replied, “Yes, sir,” thinking, “Oh my God, what kind of problems will this cause?”It turned out well, but not without a lot of preparation. First, the telephone had to be rigged so that if he picked it up he would get an operator--an operator with the important numbers he might wish to call (like the Atomic Energy Commission offices, Electric Boat XE "Electric Boat Company" , his office, my quarters, etc.). Also, there needed to be assurance that anyone dialing his room would get the operator first.Then all the standard “Rig for Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman: Rig for Rickover " ” items: clocks that don’t strike, a light-tight room, fruit, peanuts, etc. Probably the best idea that we implemented was to be sure that all of the rooms were empty on the floor of the wing where he was going to stay in order to avoid late night noises. And as always, the submarine base optical shop was alerted to stand by for the usual check of the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s 1918 vintage stop watch.I met the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" at the BOQ entrance. XE "Rickover, Hyman: Personal Side"was alone, and we went to his room. He said, “Sit down.”It was a very Spartan room, which was probably what caused him to comment, “This is just right.”(I thought, “Oh, my God. This is going to be his permanent New London stopover place.”)Then he said, “Have a peanut.”I said, “No, thank you, sir.” (No one ever touched the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman: Management Style" ’s peanuts and I am sure I would have been unable to crack one, let alone swallow it.)He XE "Rickover, Hyman: Personal Side"then started to talk about things which troubled him, like he never had talked in my presence before. One of his comments I still remember. Somehow the conversation turned to the future of the nuclear powered Navy, and I felt emboldened enough to say that I was sure, as he knew, that there would probably be a blood bath insofar as nuclear trained officers were concerned when he was no longer around, caused by those many who disliked him. He answered calmly, saying simply, “I can’t help that.” XE "Rickover, Hyman: Personal Side"CHAPTER 52The “Fun” PartEven with stress and pressure attendant to being COMSUBFLOT XE "COMSUBFLOT 2 or Commander Submarine Flotilla Two" 2, this period was a fun time for me: a great house; Christmas with everyone home; stewards who made life really effortless in the sense of shopping, cooking and the entertainment demands of the job, taking care of the laundry, the uniforms and all of this. I had a fine staff and an outstanding aide, Dave Krieger XE "Krieger, David" , who continually tried to anticipate my desires. Then there were the car, the driver, the boat, and the list goes on.Dave Krieger XE "Krieger, David" became really more like a member of the family than an aide. One of our most enjoyable evenings, which illustrates how close Dave was to us, was when his parents came for dinner. His father was a former district manager for a liquor distributor. He was a very engaging man, a wonderful conversationalist, and he played the piano. No one even minded when, during dinner, he signaled the end of his day by putting his head on his plate. (I shouldn’t say no one--Dave was embarrassed, but he shouldn’t have been). Again, I only recount this to indicate how close Ruth and I felt to Dave and how delighted we are now with his lovely new wife Janie as well.I have mentioned Jimmy Fife XE "Fife, James" several times. He was a legendary World War II senior submarine commander and, towards the middle of the war, he made admiral. Then in Australia, he started to feud with everyone in sight, or so it seemed, by the stories that he told--Admiral Ralph Christie XE "Christie, Ralph" and Admiral “Chips” Carpender XE "Carpender, Arthur \"Chips\"" were adversaries of his, to name but two. He had also served after the war with Admiral Mountbatten XE "Mountbatten, Louis" in Malta, and he had many sea stories in that regard.Admiral Fife XE "Fife, James" was COMSUBLANT XE "COMSUBLANT or Commander Submarine Force Atlantic" in 1949 when I reported to Submarine School XE "Submarine School" . I think most of his former subordinates, since most of his peers were dead, viewed him with a mixture of respect and fear. For example, I never heard anyone address him other than Admiral Fife XE "Fife, James" , even his closest friend in the New London area, Vice Admiral Lowrance XE "Lowrance, Vernon" .Admiral Fife XE "Fife, James" lived in a house situated in a rather large, forested tract, which he owned, located in Groton Long Point. The house was rustic and filled with mementos. The Admiral would entertain periodically, always with the same attendees, Ruth, me, the Lowrances XE "Lowrance, Vernon" and the Thompson XE "Thompson, Tommy" s (the Coast Guard Academy XE "Coast Guard Academy" commandant).The thing that struck Ruth and me most about these dinners was that his former chief steward, who had been with him for years during their active duty days, would cook and serve the drinks and dinner. His name was Deere and although I am not sure how it was spelled, probably D-e-e-r-e, it was pronounced “dear.” It was always startling to hear the Admiral say, in Malta “Would you serve the dessert [or something like this], Deere?”The dinner with Admiral Fife XE "Fife, James" that I recall most vividly was when Tommy Thompson XE "Thompson, Tommy" , the Coast Guard Commandant arrived and was already several “sheets to the wind.” He almost put his face in the plate before dinner was over. The Admiral, a teetotaler, was not amused.I enjoyed knowing Rear Admiral Tommy Thompson XE "Thompson, Tommy" . He was, as a Coast Guard cadet, an all-American football player and still looked the part. He and his wife Margie were always included in the New London retired Navy social scene.One of Ruth’s and my most interesting New London experiences was occasioned by Tommy. It happened in connection with his invitation for me to take a parade review at the Coast Guard Academy XE "Coast Guard Academy" . I was honored by this and particularly mindful that Ruth’s father, a career coast guardsman, would have been pleased.Before the ceremony, which included a pass and review, there was a reception for the parade guests in the library hall at the Academy. I knew almost everyone there with the exception of a gentleman resplendent in a Navy-like uniform that I had never seen. I assumed him to be some foreign officer until Tommy introduced me to Mr. Bill Payson XE "Payson, William" .It turned out that Bill was visiting New London with his yacht, and the uniform was of his own design. He was rich, his aunt being the Payson XE "Payson, William" who was at the time the owner of the New York Mets, and he and his wife were Tommy’s houseguests. (Tommy had his sights set for a Coast Guard Academy XE "Coast Guard Academy" contribution of some sort from Payson XE "Payson, William" .) Oh, yes, his yacht was one of the still surviving mahogany and teak boats that the Electric Boat XE "Electric Boat Company" Company XE "Electric Boat Company" had manufactured in its earliest days and this particular one had been the one on which the Lindberghs had spent their honeymoon.I chatted with Payson XE "Payson, William" and discovered that he had another interesting hobby: collecting vintage cars including the one that had been used in Sean Connery’s first James Bond film and a 1920 Rolls Royce hearse which he had purchased in England and had refurbished by fixing up the area where the deceased would ride as a sitting room, replete with bar. He indicated his interest in, and liking for, the Navy and New London and, on the spur of the moment, I asked if he and his wife would like to be Ruth’s and my houseguest for the Submarine Birthday Ball, which was imminent. (I told Tommy I was going to try to get some of the same money that he had his sights set on.)The Paysons XE "Payson, William" accepted and arrived on the day of the ball, causing some little commotion at the gate when Dave Krieger XE "Krieger, David" got a call from the guard saying some people by the name of Payson XE "Payson, William" were there in a chauffeur-driven Rolls Royce and that they said they were coming to see the Admiral. Dave went to the gate and directed them to the quarters. (The car, incidentally, was the Rolls Royce that Frank Sinatra had given to Mia Farrow as a wedding gift. This day it was raining and one of the rear windows wouldn’t close, so they had had a damp trip from New York.)Mrs. Payson XE "Payson, Mrs. William" , Ruth said, disembarked from the car followed by the chauffeur carrying magazines for her bedroom reading. We put them in Charles’ bedroom suite, the one on the third floor, high among the trees. The Paysons were interesting guests impressed, as I am sure they were, by our life style.A month later, the Paysons asked Ruth and me to visit them. So on a Saturday morning Ruth, Dave and I drove to their home in Southport, Connecticut, a very wealthy bedroom community that serves New York City. Their house, really an estate, was as impressive as I had imagined it would be. It included a large, indoor swimming pool with a sliding roof for summer usage. And Bill had just purchased an original Gilbert Stuart of George Washington, of which he was very proud.That afternoon we went sailing on Bill’s boat. (No, he wasn’t wearing his uniform.) During the sail, however, he almost ran down one of the large channel buoys. He was not a particularly skilled yachtsman.On returning, we went to his multi-car garage to admire his antique cars. I particularly admired the hearse.Bill XE "Payson, William" said that he was sorry that the chauffeur wasn’t there so that we could go for a ride, adding that the hearse hadn’t been run for a while. Later, after looking at the other cars, he suddenly said, “Heck, let’s go for a spin.”A spin it was, on I-95, with Ruth, Dave and me in the “sitting room” and the Paysons up front.Bill XE "Payson, William" was right. Just after pulling onto I-95, the car stalled and then started to jump and buck. It clearly wasn’t firing on all cylinders. So, until we could reach an exit from 1-95, we drove at 10 to 15 miles an hour, belching smoke in this old Rolls Royce hearse, a real experience.That evening the Paysons hosted a black tie dinner for their friends and neighbors, people like the publisher of Time Life and other CEOs. We went back to New London the next day agreeing that it was a weekend to remember.Along in May of 1972, I realized that my tour in New London would probably end that summer. But I hoped that I might be overlooked since I knew that both Dennis Wilkinson XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" and Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" were pleased with New London’s performance. Frank Reviews Midshipmen at the Coast Guard Academy XE "Coast Guard Academy" (above); Frank and Ruth (below)2952753175000Frank with his Aide, David Krieger00Frank with his Aide, David Krieger1936753175000Ruth and the Family Dog, Aaron0Ruth and the Family Dog, Aaron5238753937000Christine and Ruth0Christine and Ruth2603503937000Frank III, Christine and Charles0Frank III, Christine and CharlesCHAPTER 53Lightning StrikesEarly in June of 1972, Ruth and I were attending one of the receptions after a new submarine’s launching at a large mansion at Eastern Point, which the Coast Guard had taken over in World War II. I recall this reception particularly because John Warner XE "Warner, John" ’s very young daughter was the submarine sponsor. (Inappropriate, both Ruth and I felt. However, when you are both John Warner XE "Warner, John" and Secretary of the Navy, ordinary customs are put aside.) Ruth and I were going into the mansion and I felt someone tap me on the shoulder. I turned around, surprised, because I thought we were alone. It was the “Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman" .” He said simply, “You are going to 02.”I interpreted this to mean I would be going to Washington, D.C. to be Dennis XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" ’ assistant. (Dennis XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" had orders in hand to go from COMSUBLANT XE "COMSUBLANT or Commander Submarine Force Atlantic" to Washington to be the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Submarines (OP-02), sometimes referred to as “02.” I wasn’t surprised, because I knew Dennis XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" to be a strong supporter. Also, it would be a first rate assignment, setting me up, if I were lucky, to go from there to command one of the two submarine forces.I heard nothing more from anyone until sometime in the latter part of June when one afternoon Dave Krieger XE "Krieger, David" came into the office. He said, “Congratulations.”I said, “For what, Dave?”He replied, “Your orders are here.”I said, “Well, I’m not surprised. I had indications of this a while back,” adding, “Washington, D.C. is not such bad place.”Dave said, “What is this Washington, D.C.? You had better read this.”He handed me the orders. COMSUBPAC XE "COMSUBPAC or Commander Submarine Force Pacific" ! I felt absolutely overwhelmed.I simply couldn’t believe it. This was the most prized job a submarine rear admiral could have and it generally went to someone much more senior than I. The present incumbent was Paul Lacy XE "Lacy, Paul" , from the Naval Academy class of 1943, for example, four years senior to my class. And there were three or four submarine rear admirals in earlier classes of ‘44, ‘45 and ‘46 that I knew wanted this assignment badly. It represented a resounding vote of confidence from the “Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman" ” and Dennis XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" (and Bill Wegner XE "Wegner, William \"Bill\"" , I am sure, had much to do with it since he and Dennis XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" normally agreed on assignments before bringing them up to the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" ).I called Dennis XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" in Norfolk and said, “Admiral, there must be some mistake, I just got ordered to SUBPAC XE "SUBPAC or Submarine Force Pacific" and the Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman" mentioned some time ago that I would be going to 02 with you.”Dennis XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" , as was his wont, simply said, “No, you are relieving Paul Lacy XE "Lacy, Paul" . I’ve got to run now. Be talking to you.”The remaining time in New London passed quickly. First, there were our dog, Aaron, and our cat, Sibyl, to think about, since Hawaii had a six month quarantine period during which pets coming from the mainland had to be kept in cages for observation in an area in the interior of Oahu, to which we didn’t want to subject our dog, in particular. But two days after the orders came out, I had a call from my classmate, Chuck Slonim XE "Slonim, Charles \"Chuck\"" , in Washington, D.C. He said, “Okay, we’ll take him.”I said, “Chuck, what are you talking about?”He replied, “It’s our turn to take care of the dog.” (When the Slonims had been posted to Hawaii some years before, we assumed custody of their dog, Dinah.)So one pet problem was solved, and Sibyl’s disposition was determined when we found out that we could go to Honolulu by ship. We decided that we would take Sibyl with us, and she would just have to endure the six-month quarantine period.PART XI 1972-1975FORCE COMMANDCHAPTER 54We Sail Into the SunsetI would like to be able to say that traveling by ship to Honolulu was a great experience. Unfortunately, it did not measure up to expectations.Sure, there were highlights--sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge (although I had done this before as officer of the deck on Diodon XE "Diodon, USS" , I was much too preoccupied then with the shipping and strong currents to savor the moment), standing into Long Beach Harbor XE "Long Beach, California" where I had spent my early years in Astoria XE “Astoria, USS” , being seen off from Long Beach XE "Long Beach, California" by Len XE "Erb, Len" and Yvonne Erb XE "Erb, Len" (he was then working for Litton Industries and they lived in Woodland Hills) and the splendid shipboard accommodations which Ruth and I had, replete with picture window. But that is about all. The weather was cool and overcast. There was little to do except overeat, and I recall the children were less than enthusiastic about their accommodations in “steerage.” And the cat was trying to recover from wounds inflicted by feral cats during our stop at the farm owned by Ruth’s sister and her husband in the Sacramento Valley.We were all, I think, happy to arrive in Honolulu, where we were met by Paul and Kay XE "Lacy, Kay" Lacy XE "Lacy, Paul" , whom we were to relieve, and various members of the SUBPAC XE "SUBPAC or Submarine Force Pacific" staff. Our old family friends, Jim and Dottie Wilson XE "Wilson, James and Dottie" , met us as well (Jim was then serving as CINCPAC XE "CINCPAC or Commander-in-Chief Pacific" ’s executive assistant). They were our back door neighbors in the Navy housing complex for senior officers located above Pearl Harbor XE "Pearl Harbor" on the ridge of the extinct Makalapa volcano.We went directly to 30 Makalapa Drive for lunch. 30 Makalapa was traditionally COMSUBPAC XE "COMSUBPAC or Commander Submarine Force Pacific" ’s quarters, and we would be living there after the Lacys XE "Lacy, Paul and Kay" departed.The seven or eight houses on Makalapa Drive were all of pre-World War II vintage and had been used to house Admiral Nimitz’s senior staff officers (without wives) during the war. I was frequently reminded that it was from the front yard of his house across the street that Admiral Kimmel first saw the carnage wrought by the Japanese that early Sunday morning in December 1941.Admiral Kimmel’s shore office when he wasn’t aboard his flagship, the battleship Pennsylvania, was the one occupied by Paul Tomb XE "Tomb, Paul" as Commanding Officer of the submarine base. It was right across the street from COMSUBPAC XE "COMSUBPAC or Commander Submarine Force Pacific" ’s office.The Makalapa houses are large and airy. Ours had a huge banyan tree in the front yard that was beautiful. However, I was most impressed by a banana tree close by the front walkway liking, as I do, bananas.But until the Lacys XE "Lacy, Paul and Kay" left, we were going to stay, first, in guest quarters on the submarine base, and then in a large apartment high above Waikiki beach next to Fort DeRussy. The view was absolutely spectacular. View from Apartment Overlooking Waikiki Beach1266825265239530 Makalapa Drive, Traditional Home of COMSUBPAC0030 Makalapa Drive, Traditional Home of COMSUBPACMore Views of 30 Makalapa DriveCHAPTER 55Commander Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific FleetCOMSUBPAC XE "COMSUBPAC or Commander Submarine Force Pacific" was, and I am sure still is, considered to be the premiere job in the Submarine Force, not only because of its geographical situation (read “Hawaii”), but because of its scope. While there were about the same number of submarines as in New London, unlike in New London I was the operational commander as well. (COMSUBLANT XE "COMSUBLANT or Commander Submarine Force Atlantic" was the operational commander of the Atlantic submarines.)There were frequent under the ice operations and submarine special operations of the sort popularized by Tom Clancy. This meant it was an active and exciting job.Specifically, my responsibilities encompassed a tender and a squadron of ballistic missile submarines in Guam XE "Guam" , two squadrons of nuclear attack submarines supported by a very large submarine base in Pearl Harbor XE "Pearl Harbor" , two more attack squadrons supported by two tenders in San Diego XE "San Diego" , as well as a development group squadron in San Diego engaged in advanced tactical research and development, a troop carrying submarine in the Philippines XE "Philippines" , a shore-based detachment in Yokosuka XE "Yokosuka, Japan" , Japan, which was the operating point for submarines that were deployed to the Western Pacific, and all the nuclear submarines in overhaul at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Mare Island Naval Shipyard XE "Mare Island Naval Shipyard" and Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard XE "Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard" . My immediate staff numbered approximately 50.The attractiveness of the job was not diminished by a barge (nice for entertaining), two stewards who worked in the house, a car, a driver and the use of two beach houses--the one at Kaneohe Bay being our favorite.All of this meant a lot of travel, but San Diego XE "San Diego" , San Francisco and Hong Kong XE "Hong Kong" were hardly hardship destinations. Then, too, my first aide, John Chernesky XE "Chernesky, John" , later Commanding Officer of the battleship Missouri, made travel both easy and enjoyable.First, you have to know that John Chernesky XE "Chernesky, John" had the “accoutrements” of a brass monkey. For example, he always managed to upgrade every situation, be it hotels or airlines. In the case of the latter, he not only would insist on a first class upgrade, but two particular seats in the first class section of the Boeing 747s then flying the trans-Pacific routes--the ones nearest the hors d’oeuvre table. I have to confess that I was frequently embarrassed when I overheard John’s aggressiveness, but never so embarrassed that I ever thought of intervening.Indeed, John and I had some memorable trips. I recall one, in particular, going from Honolulu to Hong Kong XE "Hong Kong" . On this trip, John met a very prepossessing young man at the bar in the first class section of the Boeing 747 on which we were traveling (in those days, the upper deck of a 747, which one accessed by a circular staircase, was devoted entirely to a spacious first class cabin). It turned out that this young man was the Far East manager for White Stag (an American clothing manufacturer with factories throughout the Far East). He had enlisted in the Army during the Korean War, had been sent to language school and had become fluent in Korean. This was the springboard to his current position. All he had to learn then, he said, was how to sew.John introduced us and, to make a long story short, the White Stag manager for the Far East insisted that we visit him at his home during our Hong Kong XE "Hong Kong" stay. This turned out to be a large cocktail party in our honor at his prestigious apartment overlooking Hong Kong, attended by a cross section of Hong Kong society. This was typical Chernesky XE "Chernesky, John" .I had several personal aides as COMSUBPAC XE "COMSUBPAC or Commander Submarine Force Pacific" (officially they are referred to as flag lieutenants) after John, but none matched him--or even came close.The command structure in the Pacific--and probably the same in the Atlantic in the case of COMSUBLANT XE "COMSUBLANT or Commander Submarine Force Atlantic" --provided a ubiquitous challenge for me. The fact that my boss, Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Fleet (CINCPACFLT XE "CINCPACFLT or Commander in Chief Pacific Fleet" ) was a four-star Admiral, and his boss was another four-star Admiral, the Commander-in-Chief Pacific Forces (CINCPAC XE "CINCPAC or Commander-in-Chief Pacific" ), presented a situation providing many inherent opportunities for a COMSUBPAC XE "COMSUBPAC or Commander Submarine Force Pacific" to step on his “crank” if he was not careful.CINCPAC XE "CINCPAC or Commander-in-Chief Pacific" was Noel Gayler XE "Gayler, Noel" (formerly head of the National Security Agency, and before that he had had the JSTPS XE "JSTPS or Joint Strategic Target Planning Staff" assignment which I was subsequently to have). Noel was a capable, prepossessing, strong personality who both my CINCPACFLT XE "CINCPACFLT or Commander in Chief Pacific Fleet" bosses, who also had strong personalities (first, Chick XE "Clarey, Bernard" Clarey XE "Clarey, Bernard" and then Mickey XE "Weisner, Maurice \"Mickey\"" Weisner XE "Weisner, Maurice \"Mickey\"" ), felt was always too much in their business. Mickey XE "Weisner, Maurice \"Mickey\"" would time and again say when Gayler XE "Gayler, Noel" did something he didn’t like, “God damn it, that’s fleet business.”With the high profile of my submarine operations, Gayler XE "Gayler, Noel" was always calling me and asking if I would bring up to his office a returning Commanding Officer for a personal briefing (that is, the Commanding Officer of a submarine that had just returned from special operations). Neither Chick XE "Clarey, Bernard" nor Mickey XE "Weisner, Maurice \"Mickey\"" liked this when I informed them, but there was little they could do, except perhaps feel that somehow I was aiding and abetting this relationship with the “enemy”--or at least I felt that way.Noel was deeply involved in the Honolulu community as the senior officer in the area. He played polo, tennis, golf and had all the other hobbies of the rich and famous. Indeed, he was close to movers and shakers like Clare Booth Luce XE "Luce, Clare Booth" , who lived in a beach-front mansion in Honolulu. (Clare Booth Luce XE "Luce, Clare Booth" was the wealthy widow of the founder of Time magazine, Henry Luce, and in her own right was an accomplished playwright, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Ambassador to Italy and then Brazil.) Noel had established an unofficial advisory committee of people like Mrs. Luce and would periodically want a briefing from me and my staff to brief them on submarine operations, followed by dinner at his quarters. My bosses, I am sure, were asked to attend, but, hardly being on speaking terms with Gayler XE "Gayler, Noel" , they never attended. Their obvious unhappiness with the situation always weighed on my conscience, but there was little that I could do about it. During my first year as COMSUBPAC XE "COMSUBPAC or Commander Submarine Force Pacific" , Chick Clarey XE "Clarey, Bernard" as CINCPACFLT XE "CINCPACFLT or Commander in Chief Pacific Fleet" was so deeply involved with the Vietnam War and the recurrent racial problems of the Pacific fleet that I saw very little of him. As long as things went well, as they did in SUBPAC XE "SUBPAC or Submarine Force Pacific" , he maintained a “hands off” attitude. His inner peace during this period, I am sure, was disturbed (or at least colored) by the fact that he had been Admiral Zumwalt XE "Zumwalt, Elmo" ’s chief contender for Chief of Naval Operations and bore him no great admiration, I might add.Chick XE "Clarey, Bernard" had long been a hero of mine from his days when he was a Division Commander when I was in Diodon XE "Diodon, USS" in San Diego XE "San Diego" . It wasn’t until he retired, however, that I really got to know him, and in so doing became an even greater admirer. It was then that he recounted to me the circumstances of his “almost CNO” experience. In 1970, Chick XE "Clarey, Bernard" was very close to Admiral Tom Moorer XE "Moorer, Thomas" , the soon to be relieved CNO, whose promotion to be the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff had been announced. Tom’s strong recommendation as to who would be his successor was that it be Chick XE "Clarey, Bernard" Clarey XE "Clarey, Bernard" , then the Vice Chief of Naval Operations. But it was obvious to both Chick XE "Clarey, Bernard" and Admiral Moorer XE "Moorer, Thomas" that Admiral Zumwalt XE "Zumwalt, Elmo" , from his position as Commander of U.S. Naval Forces in Vietnam, was going to be a strong challenger. This became manifest, Chick XE "Clarey, Bernard" said, when Zumwalt XE "Zumwalt, Elmo" sent one of his staff back to Washington to ostensibly improve liaison with the office of the Chief of Naval Operations, but the real purpose in mind was to mount a lobbying effort on Zumwalt XE "Zumwalt, Elmo" ’s behalf with the Secretary of the Navy, the Secretary of Defense and key Congressmen on the Hill.The denouement, Chick XE "Clarey, Bernard" said, came on a Saturday afternoon. Admiral Moorer XE "Moorer, Thomas" , he knew, had prepared two letters for the Secretary of the Navy to send on, one recommending Chick XE "Clarey, Bernard" as CNO, and the other Zumwalt XE "Zumwalt, Elmo" . About one o’clock on Saturday afternoon Admiral Moorer XE "Moorer, Thomas" took them both to the Secretary of the Navy’s office. When he returned, Chick XE "Clarey, Bernard" had gone to play racquetball in the Pentagon gym, not knowing of Admiral Moorer XE "Moorer, Thomas" ’s mission. So Chick XE "Clarey, Bernard" was surprised when Admiral Moorer XE "Moorer, Thomas" came down to the racquetball court, called him off and said, “I’m sorry, Chick XE "Clarey, Bernard" . Here’s your letter. He took the other one.”Chick XE "Clarey, Bernard" then went on to become CINCPACFLT XE "CINCPACFLT or Commander in Chief Pacific Fleet" --actually probably a better job.Chick XE "Clarey, Bernard" retired after my first year as COMSUBPAC XE "COMSUBPAC or Commander Submarine Force Pacific" . His relief, another former Vice Chief of Naval Operations, was an aviator, Admiral Mickey XE "Weisner, Maurice \"Mickey\"" Weisner XE "Weisner, Maurice \"Mickey\"" . Mickey XE "Weisner, Maurice \"Mickey\"" was diminutive in stature, but that was the only area in which he was less than a giant. He was a tough, no nonsense, no excuses leader. He expected outstanding performance. Less that that was unsatisfactory.My submarines performed well, so we got along well. He later became one of my strongest supporters--and an aviator being even mildly supporting a submariner was an unusual event.One of the things that I enjoyed most in working for Mickey XE "Weisner, Maurice \"Mickey\"" was the opportunity to get to know Bobby Ray Inman XE "Inman, Bobby Ray" , later of CIA fame with CIA Director Bill Casey. Bobby was an intelligence duty only officer, but had been Mickey XE "Weisner, Maurice \"Mickey\"" ’s executive assistant when he was the Vice Chief of Naval Operations. I recall Dennis XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" Wilkinson XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" remarking sometime in the past, before I had met Bobby, that Captain Inman XE "Inman, Bobby Ray" was the most outstanding officer he had ever encountered, adding, “I don’t mean the most outstanding Navy Captain. I mean the most outstanding officer of any rank or branch of service.” This was an awesome accolade.Bobby and Mickey XE "Weisner, Maurice \"Mickey\"" were very close and, with the heavy intelligence aspect of submarine operations, I had many dealings with Bobby. I came quickly to share Dennis XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" ’ view. To say Bobby Ray was brilliant was an understatement. He was simply awesome.As a very young boy, Bobby had been a “Quiz Kid,” in the early days of a radio program by that name. He started off to become a lawyer at the University of Texas, but somehow dropped out of that and decided to teach school, which he did before entering the Navy during the Korean War. He unfortunately was steered into the intelligence specialty, which meant that he was not an “unrestricted line officer” and thus ineligible for command at sea. This foreclosed high positions of responsibility in the Navy, particularly positions like the Chief of Naval Operations.I told Bobby XE "Inman, Bobby Ray" several years after we had both left CINCPACFLT XE "CINCPACFLT or Commander in Chief Pacific Fleet" and he was a Rear Admiral heading the Navy’s intelligence efforts, that he ought to be the Chief of Naval Operations. He answered (and Bobby had very little mirth and always said exactly what he thought), “I agree, but they would never stand for it.” By “they” he meant the line officer community. A great misfortune.Bobby and I developed a firm professional relationship. Both he and Mickey XE "Weisner, Maurice \"Mickey\"" were later to play significant roles in my future, which I shall talk about later.My success as COMSUBPAC XE "COMSUBPAC or Commander Submarine Force Pacific" was obviously due to the performance of the Pacific Fleet submarines, particularly that they did so well as compared to the surface and aviation communities. This was as it should be, because the Submarine Force had the cream of the crop in terms of personnel from the lowest seaman to the captains who were commanding the squadrons and the tenders. All of them had survived and adopted (at least most of them had) the tough, inexorable standards of Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" .While, with the exception of my chief of staff and my material and personnel officers, my immediate staff was not nuclear trained (there were just not enough “bodies” to do this), they were the very best of those who for whatever reason had been forsaken by Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" . Splendid officers like my operations officer, Captain Ralph Goulds XE "Goulds, Ralph" , and his assistant, Commander “Muns” Muncie XE "Muncie, \"Muns\"" , to name but two.The chief of staff was a key person in an organization as far-flung and active as COMSUBPAC XE "COMSUBPAC or Commander Submarine Force Pacific" . My first chief of staff, as in New London with Chuck Carlisle XE "Carlisle, Charles \"Chuck\"" , was a classmate, Mike Leddick XE "Leddick, Michael" . Just as with Chuck Carlisle XE "Carlisle, Charles \"Chuck\"" , Mike had stood very high in our class at the Naval Academy and had preceded me into Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s program by some six months. Both, while not on Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s thumbs down list, were obviously not on his thumbs up list. Both, however, still aspired to make Admiral.I would through my fitness report on each have a strong say in whether or not their ambitions would be realized. This is because, as one of the aspects of the fitness report, the reporting senior is required to rank all of the officers of a certain grade or seniority who report to him. So, for example, you could be good, but if you are in fast company like nuclear submariners, your ranking may not be as high as if you were in a slower community like the diesel submariners.I could rank neither Chuck Carlisle XE "Carlisle, Charles \"Chuck\"" nor Mike XE "Leddick, Michael" as No. 1 among the many captains that I reported on. Chuck accepted the fact that just because he was my chief of staff didn’t mean that he would rank No. 1. Mike, however, did not, and to this day, I am sure, he bears me a certain amount of anger. This was but one of the tough aspects of any command.My second chief of staff was Captain (later Rear Admiral) Logan Malone XE "Malone, Logan" , who moved over from command of one of the Pearl Harbor XE "Pearl Harbor" submarine squadrons. He was everything a chief of staff should be and we became very close. As a result, my final two years as COMSUBPAC XE "COMSUBPAC or Commander Submarine Force Pacific" went even smoother than had the first.CHAPTER 56A “Typical Day”Perhaps the best way to impart at least a slight flavor of what a COMSUBPAC XE "COMSUBPAC or Commander Submarine Force Pacific" does would be to describe a typical day in Pearl Harbor XE "Pearl Harbor" when I was not “on the road.”Of course, there was really no such thing as a typical day, excepting for the first several hours. My car and driver would pick me up at my quarters at about 7:30 in the morning. I would arrive in the office maybe ten minutes later and my chief staff officer, who had arrived earlier and read all the message traffic which had come in overnight, would come in and we would talk about what had happened and what our problems of the moment might be.I would look at the message traffic which he had flagged for me and then we would both go down to the large COMSUBPAC XE "COMSUBPAC or Commander Submarine Force Pacific" conference center on the next level where my senior staff and the commanding officer of the submarine base and the commanders of the two submarine squadrons in Pearl Harbor XE "Pearl Harbor" would assemble. Senior staff members would cover operations during the last 24 hours, material problems, personnel situations and matters such as this.At about 8:30, my car and driver would take me to CINCPACFLT XE "CINCPACFLT or Commander in Chief Pacific Fleet" ’s headquarters at Makalapa where I, together with the other fleet component commanders who were located in Pearl Harbor XE "Pearl Harbor" (the commanding general of the Fleet Marine Force Pacific, Lou Wilson XE "Wilson, Louis" , the Vice Admiral commanding the Third Fleet and Captains representing COMCRUDESPAC and COMAIRPAC, both headquartered in San Diego XE "San Diego" ) would meet with the Vice Admiral who was the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Fleet in order to tell him anything of importance that had happened in their areas of responsibility during the last 24 hours.Then, joined by Rear Admiral Howie Greer XE "Greer, Howard \"Howie\"" , who was CINCPACFLT XE "CINCPACFLT or Commander in Chief Pacific Fleet" ’s Operations Officer, and Captain Bobby Inman XE "Inman, Bobby Ray" , we would go into the Commander-in-Chief’s office and brief him and, in turn, learn of anything on his mind.Then all of us would accompany the Commander-in-Chief to his briefing theater for a rundown on the Pacific Fleet situation for the last 24 hours and for the next 24 hours. This being the height of Vietnam, this briefing generally lasted for about an hour.Following this, I would return to my headquarters and deal with paperwork, briefings, callers and the like.I always talked to my senior subordinate commander, the Rear Admiral in charge of the submarine group in San Diego XE "San Diego" , each day and talked frequently to the squadron commander in Guam XE "Guam" . After my noon hour, which I always spent playing tennis, and of which I’ll talk later, I would spend the afternoon generally “managing by walking around,” visiting Pearl Harbor XE "Pearl Harbor" submarines or the many activities of the submarine base.Evenings were frequently marked by social functions, either military or with civilians. I always enjoyed these, particularly because they were almost always “aloha attire.” This meant you could wear an aloha shirt and be appropriately dressed.Evenings, when we did not go out, the stewards fixed and served dinner. Throughout the 24 hour period, however, I was always in contact with my command center either by the hot-line phone in the bedroom or in the car or with the “brick,” which was a portable radio I carried when I was not by either of these two phones.When I went on the road to visit submarines under my command, a detailed schedule would be prepared to, as the staff would say, “maximize my time.” Calls on other Admirals in the area, business with my senior commanders, briefings and visits with submarines where I would try to get a feel for how things were going.After the number of years that I had spent aboard submarines, it was still interesting to me to confirm how quickly I could divine the general state of the crew, the state of its training, and the material condition of the submarine, just by walking through. I suppose this was not unlike a king going out to show his face and press the flesh with his subjects.On evenings when I was on the road, there would be the inevitable social functions.Life as COMSUBPAC XE "COMSUBPAC or Commander Submarine Force Pacific" was interesting, frequently exciting (like when a submarine was overdue in “reporting in” from special operations, or when intelligence reports would indicate that unexpected Soviet naval activity was occurring in an area which might be near one of our submarines) and always enjoyable.CHAPTER 57Problems with RickoverHow about the “Kindly Old Gentleman?” Had he forgotten me? Had he dropped out of my life? No way!The time difference between Washington and Honolulu complicated telephone contact between Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" and me. In Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s case, he always assumed that the District of Columbia and Honolulu were in the same time zone--if he ever considered it at all, which he probably did not. So many of my calls from him were at terrible hours and there was no escape since he simply had my command center put his call through, day or night.My relations started on the same high note as they had been in the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" and in New London. Bill Wegner XE "Wegner, William \"Bill\"" , his assistant, was in Pearl Harbor XE "Pearl Harbor" shortly after I relieved Paul Lacy XE "Lacy, Paul" . As he was leaving, he said (and he never spoke except for the Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman" ), “I am sure glad to have you sitting in that chair.”As you might surmise, it was not so much because of me but because, as I found out later, Paul Lacy XE "Lacy, Paul" had fallen onto the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s “He’s a fool” list. But I’ll talk about that later.Midway in the first year, things went sour between Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" and me, so bad that Bill Wegner XE "Wegner, William \"Bill\"" convinced the Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman" to come to Pearl Harbor XE "Pearl Harbor" with the hope, I am sure, that we might patch things up. Finally, during my third and final year, which was unprecedented since never before had anyone ever had SUBPAC XE "SUBPAC or Submarine Force Pacific" for three years (and no one has since), relations were again at a high. I’ll talk about all of this next.My “problems with Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" period” began shortly after I relieved Paul Lacy XE "Lacy, Paul" as COMSUBPAC XE "COMSUBPAC or Commander Submarine Force Pacific" . One of the Pearl Harbor XE "Pearl Harbor" submarines was just finishing overhaul at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard XE "Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard".To begin with, the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" thought the Pearl Harbor XE "Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard" Naval Shipyard XE "Rickover, Hyman: Problems with Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Captain Swanson" was a sloppily run yard and had for some time been trying to get everyone he could to put pressure on them to do better. COMSUBPAC XE "COMSUBPAC or Commander Submarine Force Pacific" was the logical person to do this, being close at hand and the only nuclear customer, as it were, of the shipyard.He had been trying hard to get Paul Lacy XE "Lacy, Paul" to do this, and he continued his efforts with me. And his opportunity came. The submarine in question had experienced problems with Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" --delays, unsatisfactory nuclear work--all shipyard responsibilities. But with Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" , when there was a problem, everyone was responsible.He XE "Rickover, Hyman: Problems with Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Captain Swanson" told me one day, “The trouble with you is that you are just a pretty boy with no guts.” He was back on this “pretty boy” routine that I had first heard during my initial interview. “You tell Clarey XE "Clarey, Bernard" that he needs to get Swanson out of there.” (Captain Chuck Swanson XE "Swanson, Charles \"Chuck\"" , an old friend from EB XE "Electric Boat Company" days, was the shipyard commander.)“Why don’t you write the CNO,” he said to me, “and tell him to fire Swanson?” XE "Rickover, Hyman: Problems with Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Captain Swanson" Not surprisingly, Chuck Swanson XE "Swanson, Charles \"Chuck\"" had the firm support of his superiors in the Bureau of Ships XE "Bureau of Ships" (BUSHIPS), if for no other reason than Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" was after him. So for me this was a no-win situation. Rather it was one where you could only hope that the submarine would get out of the yard as quickly as possible and that the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman: Problems with Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Captain Swanson" might calm down a bit, at least until the next time.CHAPTER 58The Submarine That Couldn’t SubmergeThen Murphy’s Law intervened. The submarine in question finally got to sea and, of all things, was unable to submerge. I had never heard of this happening. Granted there were a lot of weight changes incident to an overhaul, but this was all accounted for by the shipyard. The notion of being so light that with all the main and variable ballast tanks flooded, the submarine still would not go down, was shocking.There was an immediate return to port and a recheck by the shipyard of their figures and a re-verification that all of the submarine’s lead ballast was in place. Nothing appeared to be amiss. As you might imagine, the “submarine that couldn’t submerge” became a subject of some mirth among my peers at CINCPACFLT XE "CINCPACFLT or Commander-in-Chief Pacific Fleet" . But it wasn’t mirthful to Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman: Problems with Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Captain Swanson" . I didn’t need a phone to hear his shouts.I don’t recall exactly the train of events after that, except that on the second try the submarine still wouldn’t go down. I think then they added some more lead ballast and, on the third attempt, success was achieved.Then all hell broke loose. It was discovered in the course of rechecking everything that the Bureau of Ships XE "Bureau of Ships" , with the acquiescence of the shipyard and the ship’s commanding officer (and maybe COMSUBPAC XE "COMSUBPAC or Commander Submarine Force Pacific" ’s material officer before I arrived, I couldn’t be sure), had put on an experimental screw. Even though this had no impact on the submarine’s submerging, even under the best of circumstances this shouldn’t have been done without careful review and consideration, and certainly not with a submarine coming out of overhaul for her initial dive.The Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman" was fit to be tied and inveighed against any and all. I remember Chick XE "Clarey, Bernard" Clarey XE "Clarey, Bernard" telling me that he had had a call from the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" , who was so mad that he was hardly coherent. The thrust of the call was that, “McMullen didn’t know what he was doing” and that, “You [Clarey XE "Clarey, Bernard" ] had better get into this before it was too late.”Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman: Problems with Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Captain Swanson" then renewed his efforts to “Get Swanson XE "Swanson, Charles \"Chuck\"" .” Swanson, with the encouragement of his BUSHIPS superiors, then started to fight back. He enlisted the aid and support of Chick XE "Clarey, Bernard" ’s boss, Noel Gayler XE "Gayler, Noel" (CINCPAC XE "CINCPAC or Commander-in-Chief Pacific" ), as well as the local Congresswoman, Patsy Mink XE "Mink, Patsy" . He also took his case to the shipyard unions (who became very vocal), the local press and Congressional circles in Washington. The struggle stretched over several months. The issue was not so much the shipyard’s performance, but Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" versus the Navy.It was a very unpleasant time for me. For example, I recall being in Washington during this period to visit with Dennis Wilkinson XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" , who was then the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Submarines, and being called by the Vice Chief of Naval Operations, whom I had never met (Mickey XE "Weisner, Maurice \"Mickey\"" Weisner XE "Weisner, Maurice \"Mickey\"" ), and being questioned rather severely about the Swanson situation and Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman: Problems with Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Captain Swanson" ’s role in it. This was difficult because it put me between the Swanson XE "Swanson, Charles \"Chuck\"" XE "Swanson, Charles \"Chuck\"" forces (the Navy) and Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman: Problems with Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Captain Swanson" .I ice skated as best I could and I was able to report to Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" later, as I had to, that I had been supportive of his position (which I was, but to get out in front would have been suicidal).As you might expect, Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman: Problems with Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Captain Swanson" finally prevailed, principally because the Navy came to realize that, in the case of shipyards, Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman: Problems with Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Captain Swanson" could make life so difficult for them in the nuclear power area that, while they might win this battle, they would lose the war.CHAPTER 59Metzger XE "Metzger, Robert" Causes Problems in San Diego XE "San Diego" Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" seemed to calm down insofar as our relations were concerned, but things were still strained. Then, close on the heels of the Pearl Harbor XE "Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard " Shipyard problem, the San Diego XE "San Diego" submarines started having incidents with respect to their nuclear watch standing procedures.I need to provide a little background information at this point. Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman: Shipyard Representatives" had initiated a program whereby his representatives at the various shipyards would, on a periodic and unannounced basis, go aboard in-port submarines and monitor their nuclear material conditions and procedures: logs, chemistry, radiological controls and watch standing. Then, in their reports, these “inspectors” would report deficiencies that they had found to Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman: Shipyard Representatives" , in writing or by phone if severe enough.The “Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" inspector” for San Diego XE "San Diego" was my old shipmate from Diodon XE "Diodon, USS" days, Bob Metzger XE "Metzger, Robert" . Bob, after Diodon, had gone to MIT for a post-graduate degree and then resigned and went to work for Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" as a civilian. Bob was widely regarded as being tougher and even more irascible, if that is possible, than the Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman" himself. He caused the Pacific Submarine Force many problems in this regard while submarines were in overhaul at his shipyard, Mare Island Naval Shipyard XE "Mare Island Naval Shipyard" , located outside of San Francisco. As COMSUBPAC XE "COMSUBPAC or Commander Submarine Force Pacific" , I was continually having to put out fires with Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" that had been ignited by Metzger XE "Metzger, Robert" .Metzger XE "Metzger, Robert" didn’t really want to have to visit San Diego XE "San Diego" to do his monitoring, so he became an even tougher inspector of San Diego submarines undergoing overhaul at Mare Island Naval Shipyard XE "Mare Island Naval Shipyard" . Nothing was too small for him to note. Metzger XE "Metzger, Robert" ’s reports started coming in to the Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman: Shipyard Representatives" , and they made it sound like the San Diego submarines were being run like the Russian Navy.Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" was beside himself with both me and Rear Admiral Joe Russell XE "Russell, Joseph" , my subordinate commander in San Diego XE "San Diego" . Joe was a superb officer, and he personally began his own monitoring program almost every evening. He was effective. But Metzger XE "Metzger, Robert" ’s goal was to get out from under the monitoring responsibility, so his reports continued to be disastrous in tone.Finally, one day the Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman" called and said, “Let me read this report to you on one of your San Diego XE "San Diego" submarines.”The gist of the report was that the author (obviously Metzger XE "Metzger, Robert" ) said that, despite his repeated inspections in San Diego XE "San Diego" , the state of the nuclear powered submarines there was continuing to go downhill at a fast clip.“Are you going to do something about it, or am I going to have to find someone who will?”He closed by shouting, “Russell XE "Russell, Joseph" is a fool!” and slammed the phone down.I had replied before he put the phone down, “Yes, sir, I will.” I, of course, didn’t know what else to say, or for that matter, what else to do.Then a stroke of good fortune occurred. Metzger XE "Metzger, Robert" ’s visits stopped. I don’t know what happened, but I know the Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman" was not unaware of what Metzger XE "Metzger, Robert" was doing, because much later he said to me during a phone conversation, “You know, Russell tried.” But by then it was too late for Joe. He had been moved out, relieved by Carl Trost XE "Trost, Carl" (later to be the CNO).Bob Metzger XE "Metzger, Robert" continued to cause problems at Mare Island, but this was partially solved because every time there was a problem I would immediately call Trost XE "Trost, Carl" and say, “Carl, get on an airplane and get up there and sort it out.”Carl was good. He was able to moderate Metzger XE "Metzger, Robert" , at least to a degree, and things became easier.It was about this time, too, that a Captain’s billet was established at all shipyards for an ex-nuclear powered skipper to act as the force commander’s representative for nuclear power. This helped to take some of the heat off me as well. (This was a billet that was certainly not sought after by any ex-skipper.)Frank Presides over Carl Trost XE "Trost, Carl" Taking Command of Submarine Flotilla One in San DiegoCHAPTER 60A Visit From “The Old Man”It wasn’t too long after matters had subsided somewhat, insofar as my relations with Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" were concerned, when Bill Wegner XE "Wegner, William \"Bill\"" called one day to say that the Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman" would be coming out the next weekend. I said, “Fine. What can I do?”He replied, “The shipyard will meet him [by shipyard he meant Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s representative at the shipyard], and he would like to stay at the submarine base.”I again said, “Fine.”I recognized that a trip to Pearl Harbor XE "Pearl Harbor" was not something that the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman: Visit to Pearl Harbor" would undertake lightly, because it was a long way to travel and because he insisted on adhering to his regular schedule of only traveling over the weekend.Bill Wegner XE "Wegner, William \"Bill\"" much later told me that he had been encouraging the Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman" to come out to see me. Bill had in mind that this could be a way to reestablish our “bonding,” and Bill also used as a reason the desirability of Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" talking with the new shipyard commander.I made the usual “Rig for Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman: Rig for Rickover " ” preparations in the submarine base’s BOQ-VIP suite that we had stayed in before relieving Paul Lacy XE "Lacy, Paul" , as it had been very nice.However, the suite had been subsequently renovated and looked like, I thought, a bordello. I was uneasy at the prospect of having the Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman: Visit to Pearl Harbor" become upset by its rather garish appearance and also by the obvious fact that money had been spent on something I was sure he would consider to be wasteful.It may be appropriate to mention that the submarine base BOQ was a massive, heavily built building. It had been built from a set of Navy plans well before World War II, which were standard plans for such quarters wherever and whenever they were built throughout the world, including Alaska. It was said that the sub base BOQ could withstand six feet of snow on its flat roof. I believed it. This was good, since it was virtually soundproof, so there should not be any noise to come to the Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s attention.The BOQ was staffed by 10 or 15 stewards, who were excellent in everything except speaking English. They were from Guam XE "Guam" and the Philippines XE "Philippines" . I solved this potential problem by stationing some of the top-flight yeomen from the SUBPAC XE "SUBPAC or Submarine Force Pacific" staff in key places, such as the switchboard, during Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman: Visit to Pearl Harbor" ’s visit. Similarly, some of the senior staff stewards from the SUBPAC staff whose English was excellent were strategically placed near the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman: Visit to Pearl Harbor" ’s room in standby for his needs. Of course, grapes, peanuts and all of the items that he liked were put in place.He arrived alone, carrying only a briefcase filled with papers. He was, as I have indicated before, always the very model of how to travel light.I had a set of khakis, some underwear, and shaving gear laid out for him in the suite. As was his practice, he changed on arrival. The sub base cleaners and laundry immediately received and dealt with his clothing. The submarine base optical shop was placed on standby for his stopwatch but, unfortunately--or fortunately--the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman: Visit to Pearl Harbor" had not brought it with him.He was obviously tired. It was late Saturday afternoon and he was no longer a young man at this time, having had two heart attacks. But he XE "Rickover, Hyman: Visit to Pearl Harbor" said to me, now in his khakis, “I want to see . . . “ and a whole series of names followed, like the shipyard commander, the representative for nuclear power inspections on the CINCPACFLT XE "CINCPACFLT or Commander-in-Chief Pacific Fleet" staff (whose body belonged to CINCPACFLT, but whose soul belonged to Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" ), Rear Admiral James Watkins XE "Watkins, James" (later CNO, who then was commanding a cruiser division that was passing through Pearl Harbor XE "Pearl Harbor" ) and others whom I have forgotten.I didn’t remain in the room during any of these calls, but as sound resistant as the massive bulkheads were, I could still hear his voice when he had his “chat” with the new shipyard commander --simply imparting “enthusiasm and purpose,” you might say.Towards early evening, when we were alone, he said to me, “They finally got that God Damn Swanson XE "Swanson, Charles \"Chuck\"" out of here. He was a fool.”Then he XE "Rickover, Hyman: Visit to Pearl Harbor" asked how the Pearl Harbor XE "Pearl Harbor" folks were “taking it,” meaning Admiral Gayler XE "Gayler, Noel" and Admiral Clarey XE "Clarey, Bernard" . I replied, “Of course, you know that Admiral Gayler XE "Gayler, Noel" was a principal supporter of Swanson XE "Swanson, Charles \"Chuck\"" .”He XE "Rickover, Hyman: Problems with Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Captain Swanson" dismissed that out of hand by saying, as he always did, “He’s a fool, too.”I said, “As to Admiral Clarey XE "Clarey, Bernard" , you know I think he considers that the Swanson XE "Swanson, Charles \"Chuck\"" matter put him in a rather awkward position with his boss, Admiral Gayler XE "Gayler, Noel" .”The Admiral replied, “I know that. I would like to talk to him. Give me his phone number.”I did, and the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman: Visit to Pearl Harbor" then tried to reach Admiral Clarey XE "Clarey, Bernard" , but was unsuccessful. I heard him say that no, that he didn’t want word to be sent to Admiral Clarey XE "Clarey, Bernard" to call him.The Admiral, though, was genuinely disappointed that Chick XE "Clarey, Bernard" Clarey XE "Clarey, Bernard" didn’t get in touch with him, because I am sure the word had gotten to Admiral Clarey XE "Clarey, Bernard" that he had called, because he said to me after about 30 minutes, “I’m disappointed Clarey XE "Clarey, Bernard" didn’t call. I always thought he was one of the good ones.”At no point did the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman: Visit to Pearl Harbor" bring up the subject of our recent past problems. He simply said about seven o’clock, “I’m tired now. I’m going to bed. I’ll see you tomorrow.”After I inquired as to what time he XE "Rickover, Hyman: Personal Side"wanted to get up and said that I would have breakfast sent up when he XE "Rickover, Hyman: Visit to Pearl Harbor" was ready, I left. I knew then that, although I had not been forgiven, I was still on his team and he was prepared to go forward as if there had been no harsh words between us. He was like that. Bill Wegner XE "Wegner, William \"Bill\"" once said that one minute the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" could be apoplectically angry over something Bill had done, ranting and shouting at him. An hour or so later he would go into the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s office and the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" would be totally transformed, all sweetness and light as if nothing had happened.The balance of my tour as COMSUBPAC XE "COMSUBPAC or Commander Submarine Force Pacific" insofar as Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" was involved was generally smooth. There were the usual flaps over an incident on this or that submarine, but with Carl Trost XE "Trost, Carl" (and later Jack Williams XE "Williams, Jack" ) in San Diego XE "San Diego" , good representatives in the shipyards (like Bobby Bell XE "Bell, Robert \"Bobby\"" at Puget Sound) and a strong staff material officer, Captain Warren Kelly XE "Kelly, Warren" (later a Rear Admiral), fine squadron commanders and Paul Tomb XE "Tomb, Paul" running the submarine base, there were no big crises.I was still careful to keep the Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman" informed. He didn’t like to learn about something second hand, like the time when one of the San Diego XE "San Diego" tenders was visiting Australia, and I received a message from the Commanding Officer several days out of port heading for San Diego that a stowaway had been discovered encamped in one of the lifeboats: a female “friend” of one of the crew. I thought, “Oh, shit! This could make the eastern papers. I better get on the horn to the Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman" .”I did, and when the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" came on the line I said, “Admiral, there is a problem on one of the tenders that I want to tell you about.”He said, “Go ahead.”I replied, “Well, they had been in Australia and two days out of port a stowaway was discovered.”He interjected in a loud voice, “A what?”I said, “A stowaway.”Then, expecting some strong words, including aspirations on the deficiencies of the Commanding Officer and his superiors--like me--he said, “Let me tell you about the time in 1920 when I was an ensign in the battleship Nevada when I found a stowaway.”Then he XE "Rickover, Hyman" went on to describe the circumstances. When he finished he said, “Is that all?”I replied, “Yes, sir.”Then he hung up. What I thought was going to be the usual “Come to Jesus” soliloquy from him turned out to be a very interesting conversation. You never knew.CHAPTER 61A State of MindSomeone once said Hawaii is a state of mind. If you have, or can acquire, a taste for the things that are right at hand--the weather, beaches, golf, tennis--you will like it. If you don’t, or can’t acquire this, you will not like duty in Hawaii. I believe this to be true.My first year, I followed my usual workaholic routine--like lunch was meant for working. To simply stretch out in the sun was beyond my comprehension. But how I changed.First, I discovered tennis, and every noon I would walk the short distance from the SUBPAC XE "SUBPAC or Submarine Force Pacific" headquarters to the two courts by the submarine base BOQ, one of which would always be reserved for me. I played doubles normally with my chief of staff, Logan Malone XE "Malone, Logan" , on one side or the other. In addition, I discovered that several former college tennis players were on the COMSUBPAC staff.One junior officer I particularly enjoyed being teamed with had been on a tennis scholarship at the University of Colorado and had been the all-Big Eight doubles champion in his senior year. Another had been on a tennis scholarship at the University of Texas. Both, interestingly, were burned out from the rigors of being in an athletic scholarship program and didn’t want to come near a court. I, not surprisingly, was able to persuade them otherwise.Another of the young officers, though, was so disenchanted with the game of tennis that he no longer had any tennis attire. He would appear on the court dressed for cleaning out a garage, but he was good. With him as my partner, we would challenge other senior officers in the area. Literally, I don’t recall anyone ever returning his first serve. Playing with him gave me a heady, almost Walter Mitty-like feeling, until one day I noted that he covered the court like a blanket, my side as well as his. This was readily apparent because his non-regulation tennis shoes left pronounced scuff marks wherever he had been. From then on I kept my feelings of tennis proficiency in proper perspective.One of my flag lieutenant’s first assignments each day was to arrange my tennis match. One of my favorite matches, which was normally scheduled once a week, was with now retired Admiral Clarey XE "Clarey, Bernard" and also retired Admiral Johnny Hyland XE "Hyland, John" , who had been Chick XE "Clarey, Bernard" ’s predecessor at CINCPACFLT XE "CINCPACFLT or Commander-in-Chief Pacific Fleet" . Johnny was a good player. Chick XE "Clarey, Bernard" was a bit better than I, and so, with Logan Malone XE "Malone, Logan" as our fourth player, who also was a good player, we had some fine, spirited matches.I really got to know Chick XE "Clarey, Bernard" Clarey XE "Clarey, Bernard" in this way, and he told me that he too was pleased that I had thought of doing this. After playing, we would sometimes have a sandwich in the Officers’ Club bar and Chick XE "Clarey, Bernard" would regale us with war stories. I always encouraged him to record them, because he had access to yeomen and an office at the submarine base, which I arranged for him when he retired.On the road, too, I always planned for tennis, even playing at high noon on Guam XE "Guam" , which is much like playing in an oven.While I still felt guilty about going to the beach, I did rise above this feeling and, between tennis and the sand, acquired what you may call a world class, “George Hamilton” suntan, playing tennis as I did without a shirt.I mentioned that VIP beach houses were available for our use. We had the use of CINCPACFLT’s VIP house at Barbers Point, the Air Force’s at Bellows, or the Marine’s at Kaneohe Bay (K-Bay). K-Bay was breathtaking in being situated overlooking the ocean and, with the golf course right outside the door, it was easily our favorite.Submarine birthday balls each year were big events in Honolulu--lavish and well attended. The nicest part as far as Ruth and I were concerned was the fact that the Royal Hawaiian Hotel XE "Royal Hawaiian Hotel" always made the Kamehameha suite available for COMSUBPAC XE "COMSUBPAC or Commander Submarine Force Pacific" . This was not only a large suite but the hotel’s most famous and most expensive, with its own lanai overlooking the ocean (some 6,000 square feet in all). The suite would be the setting for the before-dinner cocktail party for guest VIPs, and Ruth and I would remain there on Saturday night after the ball.It is interesting that one of the guests was always Honolulu’s long-time mayor, Bridgeport, Connecticut’s own Frank Fasi XE "Fasi, Frank" and his lovely Japanese wife, Joyce. I think Mayor Fasi XE "Fasi, Frank" may have had broken service, however, since the general ploy in Honolulu mayoral elections was to try and indict the incumbent. As you might expect, the grounds were usually at hand to do this, but by any standard, Frank Fasi XE "Fasi, Frank" was a survivor.As in New London, every large submarine community has a Jimmy Fife XE "Fife, James" : an old submariner who achieved flag rank during World War II and was still held in some awe, and generally some fear, by those who were junior officers during the war, but were now flag officers themselves.In Pearl Harbor XE "Pearl Harbor" , it was Rear Admiral Ralph Christie XE "Christie, Ralph" , a bitter foe of Admiral Fife XE "Fife, James" . As a matter of fact, I don’t know of any of his still living contemporaries who called him a friend. Chick XE "Clarey, Bernard" Clarey XE "Clarey, Bernard" particularly disliked him.Ruth and I, though, got to know the Christies, and we liked them. They lived in the shadow of Diamond Head in a house that we would have liked to have had ourselves. Memorably, Ruth and I went there for dinner one night (we were the only guests), and found that Admiral Christie XE "Christie, Ralph" had been a concert pianist in his late teens before he entered the Naval Academy. He could still, at 85, play the piano--brilliantly!It was Christie XE "Christie, Ralph" who sent me a COMSUBPAC XE "COMSUBPAC or Commander Submarine Force Pacific" change of command program some years later, on which he noted that I had been COMSUBPAC for longer than any other who had held the job, adding, “and the best.” I appreciated that.1426845-314960Submarine Birthday Balls0Submarine Birthday Balls2095502818765Cutting the Cake with Admiral ClareyCutting the Cake with Admiral Clarey3302002818765Cutting the Cake with Admiral Weisner0Cutting the Cake with Admiral Weisner2762253504565Speaking at a Submarine Ball00Speaking at a Submarine Ball-31753504565With Honolulu Mayor Frank Fasi and his Wife00With Honolulu Mayor Frank Fasi and his Wife Frank as a Chippendale at a Pearl Harbor Costume Party (note Frank’s tan honed by playing tennis every noon in the Hawaiian sun)CHAPTER 62What’s Next?Towards the end of the second year as COMSUBPAC XE "COMSUBPAC or Commander Submarine Force Pacific" , I knew it was about time to be hearing about my relief. I had heard rumors. The most frequent was that Jack “Nick” Nicholson XE "Nicholson, Jack" , my classmate and old friend, would be coming to Pearl to relieve me. This sounded reasonable because Jack had been a member of the commissioning crew of Nautilus XE "Nautilus, USS" and still very close to Dennis Wilkinson XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" (Nautilus XE "Nautilus, USS" ’ first skipper). Also, he had had a recent tour as the submarine squadron commander in Guam XE "Guam" . But no one said anything to me and I didn’t bring the subject up.After my third year had started, I made a routine trip to Washington, D.C., as I did several times a year, to touch base with Dennis XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" and the “Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman" .” As a matter of fact, Ruth also went and we stayed with the Wilkinsons XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\" and Janice" in their Navy Yard quarters.To digress a bit, on one of the afternoons during this visit Dennis XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" said, “Let’s go home early and play some tennis.”So we went to the Navy Yard, changed clothes and walked across to the two tennis courts across from his quarters. They were filled, but Dennis XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" said, “That’s okay, let’s just stand here a bit.”After a good five minutes, Dennis XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" went up to the players on one of the courts and said, “Would you like a game of doubles when you finish this set?”We then played. When we finished and returned to Dennis XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" ’ quarters, I asked Dennis XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" why we had delayed before challenging the two players we had just defeated. He replied, “I wanted to be sure we could take them.” XE "Rickover, Hyman: Visit to Pearl Harbor" Dennis XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" was a highly competitive person, to say the least. He was arguably the Navy’s best poker player, a fact which disturbed Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" when he heard about it and, when he had been exiled to Japan by Paul Nitze XE "Nitze, Paul" , who was then Secretary of the Navy (because he had opposed something that Paul had wanted done--Dennis XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" , of course, marched to Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s drum, not the Secretary of the Navy’s), he won by his own admission thousands of dollars “plucking the pigeons.” [Admiral Wilkinson XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" was Chief of Staff for U.S. Forces in Japan from 1966-1969].But to return to the point, after I had seen Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" in Washington, Bill Wegner XE "Wegner, William \"Bill\"" , Bill Bass and I went to lunch at a place nearby in the Crystal City complex in Virginia, where Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" was now located. Bill said, “You know you are going to stay another year.”I replied, “No, I’d been wondering.”Bill Wegner XE "Wegner, William \"Bill\"" said that Dennis XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" had pushed hard with him to support Nick as my relief. Bill Wegner XE "Wegner, William \"Bill\"" said Dennis XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" finally said one Saturday morning, “Well, I’m going to go to the ‘Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’ on this.”Bill replied, “Go ahead, Dennis XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" .”Dennis XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" then knew that Bill Wegner XE "Wegner, William \"Bill\"" held the cards. He had already cleared it with the “Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman" ,” so Dennis XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" didn’t press the matter further.I was to learn what had happened much later. Simply put, Nick had several submarines, when he had the command of the submarine squadron in Guam XE "Guam" , which had made the “bad submarine list” insofar as Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" ’s staff was concerned. When the “Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman: Reporting Requirements" ” started getting very personally involved in the “Guam situation,” he “rained” all over Nick (and his boss, Paul Lacy XE "Lacy, Paul" , my predecessor as COMSUBPAC XE "COMSUBPAC or Commander Submarine Force Pacific”) for not keeping him totally and completely informed. Nick tried to defend himself, at least to Dennis XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" and Wegner XE "Wegner, William \"Bill\"" , by pointing out that he had kept Paul Lacy XE "Lacy, Paul" informed, but that was not enough. Paul had not told the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" and, as a matter of fact, Nick should have told the Admiral XE "Rickover, Hyman" directly in any event. So now, for Bill Wegner XE "Wegner, William \"Bill\"" to support Nick as a force commander looked to him, I am sure, to be too hard.The Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman" had a long memory and if Nick were, as COMSUBPAC XE "COMSUBPAC or Commander Submarine Force Pacific", to have nuclear problems (and this was unavoidable), Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" would make life miserable for both Bill Wegner XE "Wegner, William \"Bill\"" and Dennis Wilkinson XE "Wilkinson, Eugene \"Dennis\"" for placing him in the job.So I was there for a third year, which I welcomed. And it was a fine year. I enjoyed working for Mickey Weisner XE "Weisner, Maurice \"Mickey\"" very much.There was a trip to Taiwan as a guest of the Taiwanese government. (We had given them a submarine and we were involved in its training.) Also, there was another Far East swing through Hong Kong XE "Hong Kong" and Yokosuka XE "Yokosuka, Japan" on which Ruth accompanied me.Frank Takes the Review at a Taiwanese Naval BaseMeeting with Taiwanese Naval OfficersCHAPTER 63DisappointmentTowards the end of 1974, I knew that the end of my tour as COMSUBPAC XE "COMSUBPAC or Commander Submarine Force Pacific" was approaching. I started to hear rumors that Noel Gayler XE "Gayler, Noel" might be promoted to become Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which he very much wanted, I knew, and that he would in turn be relieved by Mickey XE "Weisner, Maurice \"Mickey\"" Weisner XE "Weisner, Maurice \"Mickey\"" . Sometime later, I believe it was Bill St. George XE "St. George, William" , then the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Fleet, who said, “You know, you will be coming up here to relieve me.”I replied, “No, I hadn’t heard that.” He said, “Well, it depends on Gayler XE "Gayler, Noel" .”I didn’t press the matter further, but the notion of a third star and becoming the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Fleet was exciting to say the least. But, as it happened, Gayler XE "Gayler, Noel" did not make Chairman nor did he retire. So Mickey XE "Weisner, Maurice \"Mickey\"" stayed on as CINCPACFLT XE "CINCPACFLT or Commander-in-Chief Pacific Fleet" and with him St. George XE "St. George, William" . I was most disappointed, but on the other hand, Mickey XE "Weisner, Maurice \"Mickey\"" ’s obvious support for me was pleasant to receive.I subsequently learned that Mickey XE "Weisner, Maurice \"Mickey\"" ’s relief, had he relieved Gayler XE "Gayler, Noel" , would have been Vice Admiral Bob Baldwin XE "Baldwin, Robert" , Class of ‘45, who was then COMAIRPAC and an old tennis acquaintance of mine. We would have been a good team, I think.A month later I again was in Washington and I stopped by BUPERS--my old home many years before in Arlington--to see Vice Admiral Jim Watkins XE "Watkins, James" , then the Chief of Naval Personnel. (Jim and I had made Rear Admiral the same year and he later became the Chief of Naval Operations.) He said he was sorry the Deputy CINCPACFLT job hadn’t happened, and it looked like I would be coming to Washington as either the three star who was the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Antisubmarine Warfare or his two star assistant. I allowed as how I never looked askance at another star, but neither of the two assignments really excited me.After we talked for a while he said, “Come on out for dinner. Sheila is away and we will talk some more.” (Sheila was his wife.)I accepted. Jim lived out just off Nebraska Avenue in Washington in a fine set of quarters located on the Naval Security Station.When we arrived he excused himself to take a phone call and down the steps came this very attractive young lady. She didn’t introduce herself, and I thought perhaps Sheila was home after all and that I had forgotten what Sheila looked like since I did not know her well and had not seen her for some time.When Jim returned it was apparent that this was one of his daughters, the one who had a brief but I think very substantial romance with Prince Charles, both in London and when the Prince was visiting in San Diego XE "San Diego" . This was duly recorded in the American press. My only purpose in this diversion is to attest, I suppose, to the Prince’s good taste.After dinner, Jim XE "Watkins, James" tried to put a good light on my present circumstances. I think, though, he captured my feelings when he said, “I’m sure it’s tough to see others like me who were well back in the pack pass you now, but don’t give up. It’s all a matter of timing.”I returned to Pearl Harbor XE "Pearl Harbor" and, not long after, orders came. The orders said I was to report as the two star deputy for anti-submarine warfare. I was not happy, but by now I was reconciled.It was shortly thereafter that the Vice Chief of Naval Operations called (my classmate Worth Bagley XE "Bagley, Worth" ) and said, “Where do you want to live? In the Navy Yard or at Andrews Air Force Base? Or do you give a damn?”I was surprised to be offered quarters in Washington, D.C. as a two star, but I immediately said, “The Navy Yard,” which I knew was where the three stars were normally housed when quarters were available to them. I don’t know who caused this to happen, maybe Hal XE "Shear, Harold" Shear XE "Shear, Harold" , since Worth Bagley XE "Bagley, Worth" was no fan of mine. (He and his brother were very close to Zumwalt XE "Zumwalt, Elmo" , which meant that I was not on his team.)CHAPTER 64The Tour EndsAs my COMSUBPAC XE "COMSUBPAC or Commander Submarine Force Pacific" tour drew to a close, there were the usual round of farewell parties. Again, my position against taking up a collection for a farewell gift turned out unexpectedly well (as it had in New London) when I received a handsome model submarine display of all the submarine types serving in the Pacific fleet during my tour.Among the many other presentations made to me on the occasion of my departure as COMSUBPAC XE "COMSUBPAC or Commander Submarine Force Pacific", I particularly enjoyed receiving a framed baseball uniform shirt commemorative of my disestablishment of the venerable SUBPAC XE "SUBPAC or Submarine Force Pacific" baseball team. Previously, I have recounted how the Pacific submarine force had long been active across the years in fielding teams in football, baseball and basketball. While these teams may have been fine for the morale of the Admiral and the players, it wasn’t for the shipmates of team members, who had to stand the players’ watches while they were off for several months playing ball.I had experienced this firsthand in Diodon XE "Diodon, USS" many years before when Bo Coppedge XE "Coppedge, Bo" left to coach the SUBPAC XE "SUBPAC" football team, leaving us to stand his watches. I never thought at that time that I would have an opportunity to be in a “pay-back” situation, but lo and behold the opportunity was at hand. I disestablished the SUBPAC baseball team. (Football and basketball had already disappeared some years before.)I guess, though, the “troops” had the last word with their presentation to me of the “00” baseball jersey (the number “00” refers to the standard Navy staff routing system, 00 being the Admiral, 01 the chief of staff, 03 the operations officer, etc.) inscribed: “Upon his detachment from duty as COMSUBPAC XE "COMSUBPAC or Commander Submarine Force Pacific", Rear Admiral F.D. McMullen’s varsity baseball uniform was permanently retired and enshrined in the SUBPAC XE "SUBPAC or Submarine Force Pacific" Varsity Hall Of Fame.”I never shared this with Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" , although I know he would have enjoyed it. It reminded me of the time in New London when, during a phone conversation with the “Old Man XE "Rickover, Hyman: Suggested Elimination of Navy Bands" ,” the subject of Navy bands came up for some reason. He asked, “Do you have a band?”I replied, “Yes, sir. There is one on the Sub Base.” (As a matter of fact, it was quite a good band and played at change of command ceremonies as well as launchings and commissionings at Electric Boat XE "Electric Boat Company" .)He XE "Rickover, Hyman" snapped, “Why don’t you get rid of the damn thing?”I said, “The problem is that bands are required by Navy Regulations.”Not to be put off, he quickly interjected, “Okay, why not reduce it to a single trumpet player?” XE "Rickover, Hyman: Suggested Elimination of Navy Bands" I kind of laughed and said, “Gosh, Admiral.”He XE "Rickover, Hyman" quickly interjected, “You haven’t got any guts!” and slammed down the phone. XE "Rickover, Hyman: Suggested Elimination of Navy Bands" I am still greatly amused when I reflect on the reaction of Admiral Fife XE "Fife, James" and the other retired flag officers in New London when they first saw the “new” Sub Base band--consisting of a director and a sole trumpet player at a ceremony. It still gives me a chuckle to this day.Following my relief as COMSUBPAC XE "COMSUBPAC or Commander Submarine Force Pacific" by Chuck Griffiths XE "Griffiths, Charles \"Chuck\"" , class of ‘46, Ruth and I spent a week visiting Molokai and Maui. While we were visiting, among other things, we rode the mules on Molokai and visited Lindbergh’s grave at Hana, Maui. I was particularly impressed with Lindbergh’s burial site, to see its setting beside the beautiful, small, missionary church is to understand why Lindbergh decided to be laid to rest there rather than have a viewing in the Capitol rotunda and an Arlington Cemetery ceremony which he would undoubtedly have been accorded.I recall reading in the Honolulu Advertiser a recountal of Lindbergh’s death and burial where it was reported that the service had to be delayed for 30 minutes to await the arrival of his Hawaiian friend who helped build his house on Sam Pryor’s nearby ranch. The friend had gone home to change his shirt after digging Lindbergh’s grave. (Pryor was the longtime general counsel for Pan American Airways and had let Lindbergh build a home on his large ranch near Hana.)Travel between Maui and Honolulu was fairly informal in those days. You went to the small air strip on Maui and put in a phone call, literally, in order to have a plane stop. This led to a wonderful “leaving Hawaii” experience when the pilot who arrived said, “How would you like to go home?” He then gave us the choice of routes in order to see up close the beauty of Maui, Lanai and Molokai.We left Honolulu, upgraded to first class, of course, for a stopover in San Diego XE "San Diego" , where Bobby Bell XE "Bell, Robert \"Bobby\"" had arranged for us to stay in a very grand suite on the top floor of the condo building adjacent to the San Diego Yacht Club. Bobby would never tell me how he arranged this, but it was an experience to remember.After several days we enplaned for Washington, D.C. where we were to stay with the Malones XE "Malone, Thomas \"Logan\"" awaiting the availability of our quarters in the Navy Yard. PART XII 1975-1976NAVY YARDCHAPTER 65Some Career FactsThis may be a good place to reflect on the opportunities and constraints that were now at hand insofar as my Navy future was concerned. My long time number one standing in my submarine year group, first among those who had been selected for Admiral the year that I was, my number one standing in Rickover’s training course, and my rapid progression from COMSUBFLOT XE "COMSUBFLOT 2 or Commander Submarine Flotilla Two" 2 in New London to an unprecedented early and long assignment as COMSUBPAC XE "COMSUBPAC or Commander Submarine Force Pacific" as a very junior Rear Admiral, would seem to indicate that my future was bright. Then, too, there always had been the implied expectation that I would be the submarine force candidate for Chief of Naval Operations when the time was right, with a “grooming” stop--perhaps as a Superintendent of the Naval Academy. But the “real world” at this time presented several severe obstacles to these “submarine force expectations,” the largest being Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" .Let me see if I can explain it. Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" had firm control over the destiny of any officer serving in a billet or Commander Submarine Force Pacific involving the command of nuclear powered vessels. COMSUBPAC XE "COMSUBPAC or Commander Submarine Force Pacific" then, by definition, was one of the last senior billets that he controlled insofar as I was concerned (COMSUBLANT XE "COMSUBLANT or Commander Submarine Force Atlantic" and the CNO Deputy for Submarines being the other two). If I was to be promoted after this point in my career, the regular flag officer assignment system would come into play. Being on the “Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" team” became a severe impediment from this point forward because the “system,” insofar as three and four stars were concerned, was directly (and very personally) administered by the Chief of Naval Operations.Putting it another way, unlike selection for Rear Admiral by a promotion board, Vice Admiral and Admiral promotions occurred only when a Rear Admiral was detailed to a Vice Admiral or Admiral’s billet. These billet assignments were under the purview of the Chief of Naval Operations, with the concurrence of the Secretary of the Navy. But, depending on the Secretary of the Navy, his input was minimal (much later, this was the source of much controversy between John Lehman XE "Lehman, John" , the Secretary of the Navy appointed by Ronald Reagan, and Chief of Naval Operations Carl Trost XE "Trost, Carl" , when John tried to get into the business of deciding which officers would fill flag billets--leading to the New York Times publicity in which Carl said that he thought that John Lehman XE "Lehman, John" was mentally unbalanced). So the Chief of Naval Operations was the key to advancement to three or four star rank.It is easy to see, then, that if the Chief of Naval Operations did not like Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" , and to use the term “dislike” would be an understatement, it was hard to advance. XE "Rickover, Hyman: Relations with CNO Holloway " The Chief of Naval Operations at this time, Jimmy Holloway XE "Holloway, James III" , always sought the input of his four stars, either informally or during their periodic visits to Washington. (Hal Shear XE "Shear, Harold" , who was the Vice Chief of Naval Operations at this time, told me later that, during several of these four star meetings when I was COMSUBPAC, Holloway would say, “McMullen? Who is this McMullen you are so high on?”)I am sure that both Hal Shear XE "Shear, Harold" and Mickey Weisner XE "Weisner, Maurice \"Mickey\"" , who was also close to Holloway XE "Holloway, James III" , were the ones who were pushing hard for me and, as a matter of fact, no doubt supported the decision to promote me into the Deputy CINCPACFLT XE "CINCPACFLT or Commander-in-Chief Pacific Fleet" job if Noel Gayler XE "Gayler, Noel" had retired and Mickey Weisner XE "Weisner, Maurice \"Mickey\"" had relieved him as CINCPAC XE "CINCPAC or Commander-in-Chief Pacific" .I suspect that Holloway XE "Holloway, James III" went along with this largely because of his respect for Mickey XE "Weisner, Maurice \"Mickey\"" --because to have someone in the Deputy CINCPACFLT XE "CINCPACFLT or Commander-in-Chief Pacific Fleet" job who he not only didn’t know, but moreover was someone obviously a member of Rickover’s team, must have gone down hard. But I have already described what happened at this point, so obviously a Washington assignment as a two star was the best I could expect until Holloway could find the answer to his question, “Who is this McMullen?”CHAPTER 66OP-95My Washington tour as deputy to the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Antisubmarine Warfare (sometimes referred to as “OP-95”) was mercifully only a year in length. It was the only assignment across my many Navy years that I disliked. I suppose my feeling of disappointment at having the three star job as a deputy commander of the Pacific Fleet not materialize greatly influenced my attitude. As a measure of this is the fact that I have only one album picture of this period--being presented with my newly striped Vice Admiral’s coat by Hal Shear XE "Shear, Harold" and Bob Long XE "Long, Robert L.J." the afternoon I was detached.My boss in this position was Vice Admiral Dan XE "Murphy, Daniel" Murphy, who had recently commanded the 6th Fleet. As a Captain, he had been a military assistant to the Secretary of Defense and then worked for Henry Kissinger in the White House. He was very political and knew all of the “players.” He had autographed pictures on his office walls to verify his background, as it were.Dan XE "Murphy, Daniel" later left to become George H.W. Bush’s four star Deputy at the CIA. Then, still later, after retiring, he was Bush’s chief of staff during the first part of Bush’s Vice Presidency.Dan XE "Murphy, Daniel" was not well liked by his three star peers in the office of the Chief of Naval Operations (OPNAV), probably because of his political connections. Nor was he really suited for the job, which was very technically oriented and, in the OPNAV arena, required rapport with your three star counterparts in order to be effective in the budgetary and programmatic “horse trading” that was necessary to advance the programs under your cognizance.Hal Shear XE "Shear, Harold" , then the Vice Chief, didn’t like him. Jimmy Holloway XE "Holloway, James III" , the Chief of Naval Operations, seemed to view him with suspicion (probably because of his political connections). And finally, Bob Long XE "Long, Robert L.J." , the deputy chief for submarines, particularly disliked him and sought ways, it seemed to me, to thwart him. (Bob probably was the first among equals at that time among the OPNAV three stars.)I liked Dan XE "Murphy, Daniel" . He viewed his situation with an equal measure of resignation and good humor, and I think he viewed my situation in a similar light.The office of the Chief of Naval Operations was a large organization. At the top were the CNO and his vice chief, both four stars. Under them were six or seven three stars with responsibility for submarines, air, antisubmarine warfare, research and development, communications, plans and policy and the like. If the CNO could be viewed as the king, these three stars might be viewed as the king’s dukes. They were charged with shepherding their material programs (shipbuilding, aircraft production and the like) through the vast and complex programmatic and budgetary maze in the Department of Defense.In reality, this meant spirited competition among the dukes to achieve their objectives. And it was really a zero sum game. It meant, too, that success generally accrued to the duke with the most intimate knowledge of how the complicated system really worked (informally), as well as the duke with the ear of the CNO. Each three star duke had a two star deputy.It is easy to see why Dan XE "Murphy, Daniel" wasn’t too successful and I wasn’t much help to him, this being my first OPNAV tour. We both shared a common goal, however: to move on to another assignment.CHAPTER 67Living in the Navy YardThere were some brighter spots to this year, however. First, Ruth and I always liked living in Washington, and living in the Washington Navy Yard was especially interesting.The Navy Yard was a small, fortified oasis situated in what was then a slum-like area in southeast Washington, D.C., surrounded by a high brick wall topped with barb wire and with Marine guards with dogs stationed at the gates. Inside the main gate were approximately ten sets of quarters of ancient vintage, the largest then being the home of the Commandant of the Washington Naval District (and now the quarters for the Chief of Naval Operations). This house is the oldest dwelling still extant in the District of Columbia, having been the original farmhouse on that site.All the quarters were wonderfully maintained and very comfortable. Our neighbor on one side was Wally Dowd XE "Dowd, Walter \"Wally\"" , highly regarded as the Chief of the Bureau of Supplies and Accounts. On the other side was a large cafeteria serving the Navy Yard workers. Across the street was an old building used by the Navy Band. Next to it was a dispensary. It sounds rather grim in description, but it was really quite delightful.Among our other neighbors was Levering Smith XE "Smith, Levering" , who headed the Navy’s Special Project Office and was the brains behind the Polaris missile system. (Indeed, Levering was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in recognition of his help to the British missile program.)Also, there was Parker Armstrong XE "Armstrong, Parker" . He was the “duke” for Research and Development in OPNAV and an old friend from CINCPACFLT XE "CINCPACFLT or Commander-in-Chief Pacific Fleet" days. And irascible old John Buckley XE "Buckley, John" of torpedo boat fame (he won the Medal of Honor for taking Douglas MacArthur out of the Philippines XE "Philippines" in World War Two), who had lived in the Navy Yard for years and years, was also a neighbor.The most impressive structure in the Yard to me was the main gate, designed by Latrobe. It was through this gate that President Lincoln used to arrive in his carriage on Sundays during the Civil War to visit with John Dahlgren, who was then developing guns in the building at the foot of the street. Above the gate were the guest quarters where we stayed when our oldest son was married a few years earlier.Our cat, Sibyl, also liked living in the Navy Yard. She used to take delight in tormenting the Dowd’s small dog by calmly perching on the fence separating our back yards, which would send the dog into paroxysms of barking. I speak of the location of the Navy Yard as being in the slums. It was convenient to the Pentagon, however. Near enough that I frequently came home for lunch to get away.My transportation needs were solved early on when Wally Dowd XE "Dowd, Walter \"Wally\"" sold his Buick to me. It was at least 10 years old. It was both dented and venerable in appearance. It resembled a tank more than a car. It ran well, however, and was ideal for the Washington, D.C. traffic. It seemed that I was generally afforded the right-of-way in traffic by those with newer and more fragile cars.Ruth’s mother passed away while we lived in the Navy Yard. The quarters were well suited to this sad occasion, in order to handle the many relatives who arrived for the funeral in Arlington Cemetery, some of whom Ruth hadn’t seen for years and did not know. Also, the fact of the cafeteria next door was very useful in meeting the need of feeding all these visitors.It was the night of the viewing at a Washington, D.C. funeral home prior to the Arlington Cemetery ceremony the next day that another example of the Navy Yard setting comes to mind. I had worked later than usual and, when I returned, Ruth and her relatives had departed for the funeral home. I noticed coming through the Latrobe gate that many police cars were parked in the vicinity of the deserted public housing high-rise directly across the street from the Navy Yard.Sometime later, Ruth called to say that they couldn’t get in to the Navy Yard. It had been sealed off by the Marines, who advised everyone to leave the area because there was a sniper in the abandoned high-rise. (I had already had a call to say to stay inside.) The interesting aspect of this that there was never any mention of the event on either the evening news or in The Washington Post in the morning. Indeed, snipers and general lawlessness in this part of Washington were too common of occurrences to be newsworthy at this time.CHAPTER 68EscapeAbout six months after I had arrived in OP-95, Dan XE "Murphy, Daniel" Murphy received orders to be promoted to four stars and become George H.W. Bush’s CIA deputy. I don’t know how Dan XE "Murphy, Daniel" arranged this assignment, but undoubtedly his fine Republican political connections were not harmful. I do know, notwithstanding this, that Bob Long XE "Long, Robert L.J." was in a “funk” for a while because he felt he was deserving of the next four star assignment to come along.Shortly after Dan XE "Murphy, Daniel" departed, Dr. Gene Fubini XE "Fubini, Eugene" , long a well-connected scientific advisor to numerous Secretaries of Defense and who was doing some work for OP-95, stuck his head in my office and said, “It looks like you will be promoted into Dan XE "Murphy, Daniel" ’s job.”I replied, “I haven’t heard that,” and the subject was not pursued.Gene was wrong.Shortly thereafter the word was out that Vice Admiral Ed Waller XE "Waller, Edward" , a patrol plane aviator who was then in a Test and Evaluation billet in OSD, would be Dan XE "Murphy, Daniel" ’s relief. This was a fine assignment because Ed really knew the OP-95 business, having served several tours in OP-95, the last as a junior Rear Admiral heading one of the major sections when Hal Shear XE "Shear, Harold" had had Dan XE "Murphy, Daniel" Murphy’s job.So I wasn’t overly disappointed except by the thought that now that Dan XE "Murphy, Daniel" had escaped, this might delay my “escape” in order not to have a total turnover in OP-95 within too short a time.I got on well with Ed XE "Waller, Edward" . He was a fine officer. He was also close to Hal Shear XE "Shear, Harold" and had the respect of Jimmy Holloway XE "Holloway, James III" as well. So OP-95’s relationships with the front office improved a great deal.During the month after Dan XE "Murphy, Daniel" departed and before Ed had arrived, I had a measure of exposure to Jimmy Holloway XE "Holloway, James III" . We didn’t seem to “hit it off.”I always had the feeling that the first thing that came to his mind when he saw me was Rickover, like having a “R” emblazoned on my forehead. Perhaps I do him disservice, though. In any event, we were never very easy or comfortable in our interactions.A year had passed now. We were into September. Ed Waller XE "Waller, Edward" was doing well, but I remained dissatisfied, particularly as I could see no indication that there was an end in sight before at least another year had passed. So for the first time, Ruth and I started to think about retirement.One Saturday morning, I “bit the bullet.” I phoned Bobby Inman XE "Inman, Bobby Ray" , my old friend from CINCPACFLT XE "CINCPACFLT or Commander-in-Chief Pacific Fleet" days, who was now the Director of Naval Intelligence as a Rear Admiral. Bobby was very close to Mickey Weisner XE "Weisner, Maurice \"Mickey\"" , who was still CINCPACFLT. He also, I had discovered over the past year, was one of Holloway’s inner circle.I said, “Bobby, I’ve decided to hang it up. I don’t feel the OP-95 assignment is something I want to continue into the future.”Bobby XE "Inman, Bobby Ray" replied, “Understood. But would you be open to a counter-offer?”I indicated I would.I don’t know what happened from this point, but I am sure that not only Bobby XE "Inman, Bobby Ray" , but Mickey Weisner XE "Weisner, Maurice \"Mickey\"" and Hal Shear XE "Shear, Harold" became involved. I had no further discussions with anyone. It was interesting, though, that one day several weeks after I had talked with Bobby I was passing the SECDEF’s office and saw Admiral Noel Gayler XE "Gayler, Noel" . We exchanged greetings and he asked, “How are things going?”I replied, “Well, I’m anxious to get back to the ‘operating’ side of things, but I don’t know whether that will be in the cards.”He answered, “I hear you are going . . . ,” and before he could complete the sentence, the SECDEF’s military assistant stuck his head out of the Secretary’s office and said, “The Secretary is free now.”Noel turned on his heel and left me standing there. Very strange, but I thought, “Perhaps there’s still hope.”About the first of October, I was chairing a meeting of several two star deputies like myself on an OP-95 sonar development project when there was a phone call that the Vice Chief of Naval Operations wished to see me right away.I left the meeting, went to the Vice Chief’s office and was ushered in to a broadly smiling Hal Shear XE "Shear, Harold" . “You are going to JSTPS XE "JSTPS or Joint Strategic Target Planning Staff" to relieve ‘Yogi’ Kaufman XE "Kaufman, Robert \"Yogi" . Yogi will be coming back here as Deputy for Communications.”I smiled as broadly as Hal XE "Shear, Harold" and replied, “Great. Thanks for all your help.”Hal XE "Shear, Harold" dismissed this with a wave of his hand and I rushed to phone Ruth with the good news.Shortly thereafter, I received orders to report as the Deputy Director of the Joint Strategic Target Planning Staff XE "JSTPS or Joint Strategic Target Planning Staff" and promotion to Vice Admiral (to be “frocked” on detachment).I mentioned I was sure Mickey Weisner XE "Weisner, Maurice \"Mickey\"" , who carried great weight with Jimmy Holloway XE "Holloway, James III" , had been involved.A week after I had my orders in hand, I was leaving the Navy Yard and I saw Mickey XE "Weisner, Maurice \"Mickey\"" and his wife about to enter the guest quarters above Latrobe Gate. He apparently was back from Hawaii for one of his periodic Washington visits. I rolled down the car window when I saw him to say hello. He yelled across the street, “Is everything okay?”I replied, “Yes, sir. Thank you.”He made no reply, simply gave me a “thumbs up.”On the 22nd of October 1976, I was detached. From the picture of Hal Shear XE "Shear, Harold" and Bob Long XE "Long, Robert L.J." doing the “formalities” of frocking me, you can tell that I am pleased. Much of this pleasure was from the fact that I felt unusually well qualified for the next assignment. Not only had I been a long-time user of the product (that is, our nuclear war plan, the single integrated operational plan or “SIOP XE "SIOP or Single Integrated Operational Plan" ”) but, from my experience with Carl Walske XE "Walske, Carl" , I had an exposure to nuclear planning and nuclear weapons that in combination was probably unique.Hal Shear and Bob Long present Frank with his first Vice Admiral’s uniformPART XIII 1975-1976VICE ADMIRALCHAPTER 69“SAC’s Admiral”Although I disliked my OP-95 job, Ruth and I did enjoy living in the Washington Navy Yard--its location near the United States Capitol, the sense of history it embraced and the house itself. We had come a long way from our first Washington home on South Four Mile Run Drive.The move to Omaha was made easy by the availability of the nearby Flag Officer guest quarters over Latrobe Gate, where we had stayed previously for older son’s wedding. We stayed there for several days after our furniture departed for Omaha. Pete and Inky XE "Vogelberger, Inky" Vogelberger XE "Vogelberger, Peter" came down from Baltimore the evening before we left and we enjoyed our last visit with them (as a fresh three star, I think Ink wanted to puncture any new sense of pomposity that the promotion might have engendered). I’d sold the “Buick Tank” without effort for under $100 and, except for trying to find our cat, who had disappeared for several days, our departure was uneventful. The cat had been a “gift” from our neighbors, Jon and Trink Howe XE "Howe, Jonathan" , and had probably returned to her roots thinking we were about to abandon her. She instead was found outside of the place where we were staying.Regarding Jon Howe XE "Howe, Jonathan" , he had been the Gold crew engineer when I had command of the Blue crew of Patrick Henry XE “Patrick Henry, USS” . (As mentioned above, Polaris submarines had two crews, the Blue and the Gold, which would alternate operating the submarine in order to maximize the time which the submarine could be at sea within range of its targets.) Jon was a remarkable young man, noted for his intellect and his ability to work for forty hours straight during the crew turnover period. He became famous after I left Patrick Henry for an article that he had published in the Naval Institute magazine. The article took Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman: Critical U.S. Naval Institute Article" to task for the manner in which he controlled the selection, training and assignment of nuclear trained officers.The article immediately seized the attention of Admiral Rickover XE "Rickover, Hyman" and caused Bob Blount XE "Blount, Robert" (my submarine school roommate who had relieved me in Patrick Henry XE “Patrick Henry, USS” and was now Jon Howe XE "Howe, Jonathan" ’s Commanding Officer) to be summoned on the next plane to Washington in order to “explain” his lack of leadership.Jon was banished to the surface navy. As a measure of his superlative performance, he was in Flag Quarters in the Navy Yard even though he was just a captain. He was then the administrative assistant to Vice President Rockefeller, as a result of which all things were possible. Jon went on has four stars and succeeded Bob Gates as the deputy national security advisor when Bob Gates was appointed as CIA Director. [Jon Howe XE "Howe, Jonathan" is more generally known for subsequently having been in charge of the United Nations effort in Somalia when the “Black Hawk Down” incident occurred in 1993].During my thirty days leave before reporting to Omaha, we went by car across country. During this trip, on November 6, 1976, voting returns made Jimmy Carter XE "Carter, Jimmy" , the 39th President of the United States. As a Naval Academy classmate, I was appalled.We arrived at the main gate of Offutt Air Force Base XE "Offutt Air Force Base" on a typically cold November day to embark upon what was to be a unique and enjoyable tour of duty--also my last as it turned out. I was to become “SAC’s Admiral,” as the Navy termed the job, a three star Navy officer working directly for a four star Air Force officer, the Commander-in-Chief of the Strategic Air Command XE "CINCSAC or Commander-in Chief Strategic Air Command" .CHAPTER 70JSTPS XE "JSTPS or Joint Strategic Target Planning Staff" The Joint Strategic Target Planning Staff, or JSTPS XE "JSTPS or Joint Strategic Target Planning Staff" , had its genesis in the early 1960s when the first Polaris submarines joined the fleet. Before that time, only the Air Force and its Strategic Air Command XE "SAC or Strategic Air Command" (SAC) had strategic nuclear weapons, and SAC was charged with targeting responsibilities. That is to say, taking intelligence from all sources on the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies and following the Top Secret presidential guidance on the objectives to be achieved if the United States ever were to use its strategic nuclear weapons, the JSTPS XE "JSTPS or Joint Strategic Target Planning Staff" figured out how to “lay down the stockpile.” The resulting plan was called the Single Integrated Operational Plan or SIOP XE "SIOP or Single Integrated Operational Plan" . This plan coordinates the strikes of all our nuclear forces both to achieve the specified limits of damage and to insure that timing conflicts do not occur.It is perhaps self-evident that he who defines the application of strategic nuclear weapons can influence service force levels; i.e., Air Force/Navy force levels. So, when the Navy acquired the Polaris missile, it was not at all anxious to have its new weapon “misused,” at least indirectly, by the Air Force. A large inter-service squabble then ensued, with the final compromise being that while the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force’s Strategic Air Command XE "SAC or Strategic Air Command" (CINCSAC XE "CINCSAC or Commander-in-Chief Strategic Air Command" ) would continue to be in charge of weapons application, a Navy Vice Admiral would come in as his deputy.When I joined the JSTPS XE "JSTPS or Joint Strategic Target Planning Staff" , the planning staff had about 350 members--mostly officers from all services. There were two divisions. One division, the Applications Division (JP), was headed by a SAC two star general. The other division, the Intelligence Division (JL), was responsible for intelligence gathering and correlation, and was headed by either a SAC Brigadier General or a Navy Rear Admiral on a rotating basis. Both divisions reported through the Navy Vice Admiral to CINCSAC XE "CINCSAC or Commander-in-Chief Strategic Air Command" . CINCSAC XE "CINCSAC or Commander-in-Chief Strategic Air Command" in turn was responsible directly to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.Translating the presidential guidance into the finished plan was a complex task, requiring not only high speed computer support and elaborate intelligence input, but a high level of technical expertise in areas dealing with nuclear weapons effects, damage expectancy calculations and Soviet nuclear plans and procedures (insofar as we knew them). It was a fascinating endeavor for which my experience working in the Office of the Secretary of Defense in this area and my further experience as commanding officer of a nuclear submarine well equipped me to perform.The SIOP XE "SIOP or Single Integrated Operational Plan" was maintained on a daily basis with new revisions issued to incorporate target changes in the Soviet Union, as well as changes in force levels and nuclear weapons improvements. During the course of a year, a new revision would be constructed not only to incorporate all previous changes but to effect more major refinements and improvements.Shortly after the first of each year, CINCSAC XE "CINCSAC or Commander-in-Chief Strategic Air Command" and I would take the revised plan to Washington and, by means of a very detailed and elaborate briefing, give the results and the details to the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the “tank”. After their approval, I (or CINCSAC XE "CINCSAC or Commander-in-Chief Strategic Air Command" and I) would take a team to Europe to brief CINCUSNAVEUR XE "CINCUSNAVEUR or Commander-in-Chief U.S. Navy Europe" in London, CINCEUR XE "CINCEUR or Commander-in-Chief Europe" at his NATO Headquarters in Belgium and his Deputy, DEPCINCEUR in Stuttgart, Germany. Following this, I would go to the Pacific to brief CINCPAC XE "CINCPAC or Commander-in-Chief Pacific" in Honolulu and from time to time would be called to Washington to update the National Security Council staff at the White House.CHAPTER 71Traveling in StyleAs part of my JSTPS XE "JSTPS or Joint Strategic Target Planning Staff" job, there were frequent trips to Washington D.C. to meet with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and his staff. Also, I traveled to brief the various War Colleges: the Navy at Newport, Rhode Island, the Army at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, the Armed Forces Staff College at Norfolk, Virginia and the Air Force Staff and Command School at Mobile, Alabama. The traveling involved was never onerous. When I traveled with CINCSAC XE "CINCSAC or Commander-in-Chief Strategic Air Command" , it was always on his airplane, a converted Boeing 707. On other trips, I would use my own airplane, a DC-3. This particular DC-3 was formerly the plane of the president of McDonald Douglas and came complete with a pilot, co-pilot, crew chief, steward and a galley.The accommodations when I arrived at a briefing point were always “adequate.” In Europe, I would be the house guest of either General Al Haig XE "Haig, Alexander" in Brussels or Air Force General Dutch Huyser XE "Heiser, Robert E. \"Dutch\"" in Stuttgart, Germany. I particularly enjoyed Stuttgart. Dutch’s house was high on a hill overlooking the city. It had been the home of a Nazi general during the war and had formal gardens and very elaborate furnishings.There were always dinners with foreign officers and civilians on these trips. On one occasion in Stuttgart, General Rommel XE "Rommel, Manfred" ’s son, Manfred (who was then the mayor Stuttgart), was my dinner companion. On another occasion, an 80-year old German admiral who had been close to Admiral Doenitz during World War II was present.On the Washington trips, my aide and I would be met by the JCS protocol officer, who would escort us to the Fort Myer guest quarters, near the swimming pool and horse barns which the children enjoyed those many years ago. During the day, I would be furnished an office in the Pentagon with full staff support. When arriving in the traffic pattern of an Air Force base, a Code 3 would be declared by the airport tower. This meant that all traffic was frozen (unless a four star was also in coming) until the plane was on the ground. So, in addition to no baggage problems, there were never any arrival or departure delays.During my first year, I visited F.E. Warren Air Force Base XE "F.E. Warren Air Force Base" in Wyoming for several days in order to become familiar with the Titan and the Minuteman I and II missile systems. This included visiting several missile silos and talking with the crews.To appreciate the B-52s’ contribution to the nuclear war plan, I went to the Air Force base at Minot, North Dakota for a week. During this time, I flew as an observer over a low level bombing range. This was an unnerving experience since most of the route was at tree level with nuclear blast curtains pulled. This meant that the pilot flew the plane totally on instruments. And there was nothing resembling finger-tip control on the part of the pilot. He flew hunkered down, wrestling with the controls; resembling nothing so much as someone on top of a bucking bronco.But I suppose the most mind-boggling experience was my flight in an FB-111 at Pease Air Force Base XE "Pease Air Force Base" in New Hampshire. I flew as the bombardier/navigator (there are only two seats in this plane). As with the B-52, we traversed a bombing range on the Canadian border. This time the plane was on automatic pilot using its terrain following radar. This meant you would be right at tree top level heading for a hill and suddenly the automatic controls would lift you as if you were in an express elevator, then descend after the hill was traversed just as precipitously. Needless to say, I didn’t do much “bombing.”When we arrived back at Pease XE "Pease Air Force Base" , the pilot said to me on the intercom, “Now I would like to show you how to land a fighter plane, if you would like.”I replied, “No, I think my imagination will suffice.”The night before the flight I drove to West Rye in an Air Force car and saw the XE "Morris, T.J. and Betty" Morrises for the last time at their beachfront house. As a special treat, they had many lobsters and clams. It rapidly became apparent that this was not what I would have “ordered on the beach” when I had no idea how to open either the lobster or the clams.Flying in an FB-111 at Pease Air Force Base XE "Pease Air Force Base" , New Hampshire7734305144770Frank and his son, Capt. Frank D. McMullen, III, USA outside Frank’s personal plane (which Frank later eliminated as an economy measure)00Frank and his son, Capt. Frank D. McMullen, III, USA outside Frank’s personal plane (which Frank later eliminated as an economy measure)CHAPTER 72The People I Served WithMuch of the pleasure of serving as the Vice Director of the Joint Strategic Target Planning Staff XE "JSTPS or Joint Strategic Target Planning Staff" was due to the impressive Air Force and Navy members of the staff. My first boss as CINC SAC/Director of Joint Strategic Target Planning was Russ Dougherty XE "Dougherty, Russell" .Russ was a legendary in the Air Force. Brilliant. A fantastic writer. A gifted speaker. A superb politician. An inspiring leader. But he was more than that in my judgment. He was truly one of “nature’s noblemen.”His administrative assistant, Colonel Jack Charles XE "Charles, Jack" (later a three star), once described his view of Russ--and he knew him well. He said, “The General ranks everyone on a scale of 0 to 4.0, and no one ever receives less than a 3.8.” He added, “You have to remember too that General Dougherty XE "Dougherty, Russell" is only vaguely aware of time. He may look at the clock several times a day and say ‘Oh it’s such and such a time’, but this is done much in the sense of looking outside and saying, ‘Oh, it’s raining.’” This meant that when you were with Russ you had his undivided attention for however long you wished. Also, not a sparrow fell anywhere within SAC’S far flung operations that he didn’t know about.As an example of General Dougherty XE "Dougherty, Russell" ’s involvement in all things under his command, I recall being in General Dougherty XE "Dougherty, Russell" ’s office one Saturday morning just as the new brigadier general promotion list was about to be released from Washington, D.C. But before the new brigadiers could receive the word, Russ was on the telephone giving the news to the new brigadiers’ wives. The way in which he did this I still remember. It was without parallel because of its grace and style.There was another side to Russ that was sometimes overlooked--perhaps the one that made him most effective. Admiral Hal Shear XE "Shear, Harold" told me of his first encounter with Russ Dougherty XE "Dougherty, Russell" . Hal XE "Shear, Harold" was a Navy captain at the time and Russ was an Air Force colonel. Hal XE "Shear, Harold" said the issue that brought them together was one which had been very contentious between the Air Force and the Navy. The meeting went exceedingly well in Hal XE "Shear, Harold" ’s judgment. He felt he had won every major point of contention. It just seemed too easy. As he walked out, he thought to himself that this guy Dougherty XE "Dougherty, Russell" was going to be great to work with. Then Hal XE "Shear, Harold" looked down. Russ had “removed his pants.” Russ’ dedication, long hours (and just caring too much, perhaps) and the fact that his wife Jerri was dying of cancer at the time, led to his heart attack during my second year at JSTPS XE "JSTPS or Joint Strategic Target Planning Staff" .Russ’ relief, General Dick Ellis XE "Ellis, Richard" , couldn’t have been more different in every way but brilliance. He was aloof, private, even almost cold. A man of few words. This was exacerbated by the approach of his wife, Peg XE "Ellis, Peg" , who was feared by the SAC wives. In short, there was great consternation among the occupants of the houses known as “Generals’ Row” at the change.Notwithstanding his aloof personality, Dick Ellis XE "Ellis, Richard" was a splendid CINCSAC XE "CINCSAC or Commander-in-Chief Strategic Air Command" in my judgment--just different from Russ Dougherty XE "Dougherty, Russell" . I came to admire Dick as much as I had Russ and got along with him very well. And both Ruth and I became very fond of Peg XE "Ellis, Peg" . I even reached the point in my private meetings with Dick that I would address him as “Boss” as I had Russ. I think the key to serving Dick Ellis XE "Ellis, Richard" lies in a story his Vice CINC, Dick Leavitt XE "Leavitt, Richard" , told me some years later. I had been puzzled as to why (after I retired) I was hearing stories that my relief, Vice Admiral Jack Nicholson XE "Nicholson, Jack" (my old classmate and friend that I mentioned previously) had gotten “cross-threaded” with Dick Ellis XE "Ellis, Richard" . In fact, it was apparent from my occasional meetings with Jack that he was not happy. The proximate cause was one of “approach” Dick Leavitt XE "Leavitt, Richard" said. Early on after Jack’s arrival, he and Dick Leavitt XE "Leavitt, Richard" were alone with General Ellis XE "Ellis, Richard" in his office when Jack sat down on the corner of Dick’s desk and, turning to the General who was seated, said “Well, Dick, here’s what I think.” That was not the way to approach Dick Ellis XE "Ellis, Richard" (or any four star you didn’t know very, very well).After his retirement, Dick went to Geneva to serve on the SALT negotiating team, only to die suddenly in 1989. As I indicated, the Joint Strategic Target Planning Staff was served by a number of outstanding officers. The first head of the Applications Division was Air Force Major General Jerry O’Malley XE "O’Malley, Jerome" , a superb officer who graduated from West Point (before the advent of the Air Force Academy XE "Air Force Academy" ). Jerry, when he left the JSTPS XE "JSTPS or Joint Strategic Target Planning Staff" , went to the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington and thence became the Vice Chief of Staff of the Air Force. He was clearly being groomed to become the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff when it was the Air Force’s turn for the chairmanship. Before this was come to pass, however, he and his wife Diane XE "O'Malley, Diane" were killed tragically in the crash of a T-39 jet--with Jerry at controls while making an approach at a small airport in Pennsylvania. Jerry and Diane were en route to fulfill a speaking engagement when the plane went off the end of the runway and burned.Jerry’s relief was Air Force Major General George Miller XE "Miller, George" , a United States Naval Academy graduate. A superb officer and close friend, whose wife Betty Lou XE "Miller, Betty Lou" we also liked very much. George went on to become a three star in Washington and, after his retirement, George became the executive director of the U.S. Olympic Committee. He left the last post, however, because he couldn’t stand the “malfeasances” of his boss (who later had to resign because of his misdeeds). George was vindicated, but it came too late.On the intelligence side, Air Force Brigadier General Jim Enney XE "Enney, James" was my assistant. Jim was absolutely the most knowledgeable officer of any service about the military capabilities of the Soviet Union. Jim was fun to work with, but probably not fun to work for. He not only did not suffer fools gladly, but let them know it. The Defense Intelligence Agency staff had a fear that he might come back there someday and “clean house” (which it badly needed).There were also several key officers who worked for Jerry/George or Jim. Navy Captain John “Smokey” Stoval XE "Stoval, John \"Smokey\"" was the key member of the Applications Division. A naval aviator who somehow, probably because he never met a martini that he didn’t like, was not on the path to flag officer. But if sheer intellect and consummate knowledge of the SIOP XE "SIOP or Single Integrated Operational Plan" were the only criteria, “Smokey” would have been the Chief of Naval Operations hands down.I had first encountered Smokey in the Pentagon some years before when I was working for Carl Walske XE "Walske, Carl" . Carl XE "Walske, Carl" was out of town one day when Paul Nitze XE "Nitze, Paul" called to say that the head of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency had called him and wanted a briefing on the security of our battlefield nuclear weapons in Europe. I was to schedule an appointment with the head of the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency in order to enlighten him.I first went to Air Force Lieutenant General John C. Meyer XE "Meyer, John C." , who was then the Operations Director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (J3). John called Colonel Ray Sitton XE "Sitton, Ray" (later a three star) who worked for him and told him to go with me. John then said, “But be careful, the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency XE "Arms Control and Disarmament Agency" is no friend.” This wasn’t much help since neither Colonel Ray Sitton XE "Sitton, Ray" nor I were familiar with the exact details of the internal nuclear release procedures in Europe. In other words, we needed help.Help materialized in a form of an officer whom the Joint Chiefs of Staff called in from CINCLANT XE "CINCLANT or Commander-in-Chief Atlantic" ’s staff in Norfolk—Captain John Stoval XE "Stoval, John \"Smokey\"" . I had in mind that we would take this “expert” with us until we met him. He looked like death warmed over. He had obviously, as Len Erb XE "Erb, Len" used to say about himself, “Fallen into the martini patch” en route from Norfolk. But his knowledge of nuclear weapons, security procedures and the European Theater was extraordinary.The call on Arms Control and Disarmament Agency went all right, that is armed with Smokey’s knowledge. It wasn’t until I arrived at Offutt Air Force Base XE "Offutt Air Force Base" some years later that I again encountered Smokey Stoval XE "Stoval, John \"Smokey\"" .General Dougherty and FrankFrank and General EllisCHAPTER 73My Classmate VisitsEach new President upon assumption of office traditionally travels to Offutt Air Force Base XE "Offutt Air Force Base" and revisits the presidential guidance upon which the SIOP XE "SIOP or Single Integrated Operational Plan" is based. Jimmy Carter XE "Carter, Jimmy" was no exception, and he visited early in his administration in company with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General Dave Jones XE "Jones, David" . Elaborate preparations were made to brief and tour him through the JSTPS XE "JSTPS or Joint Strategic Target Planning Staff" underground area. Quite naturally, the Air Force wanted to push the other services into the background during President Carter XE "Carter, Jimmy" ’s visit. It was a bit difficult to entirely do this, so I was introduced by Russ Dougherty XE "Dougherty, Russell" quickly at the start of the presidential tour.Carter XE "Carter, Jimmy" , as he shook my hand merely commented, “It’s good to see a Navy man here.” I had time to only reply “Yes, sir,” before Russ quickly steered the President on his way.On visits of lesser personages, like congressmen or ambassadors, I frequently was the only briefer. These were interesting occasions on two counts. First, the visitors frequently lacked any knowledge or interest (like the then Ambassador to the Soviet Union, IBM’s former CEO Tom Watson XE "Watson, Tom" , who set the record for the speed with which his eyes glazed over, or Nebraska Senator Ed Zorinsky XE "Zorinsky, Edward" , whose curiosity set a new low on the day he visited). Secondly, I was continually bemused by the many high level officials of undisputed intellect who were pre-disposed, and remained so even after the briefing, to the notion that the Russians were really nice guys and would never harm or threaten anyone.The final aspect of the JSTPS XE "JSTPS or Joint Strategic Target Planning Staff" experience that I enjoyed was the opportunity to visit and interact with the various think tanks which were engaged in a number of endeavors for us in the area of Russian capabilities and intentions. My enjoyment was heightened by the fact that they were invariably located in warm and sunny climates: Palo Alto, Newport Beach, Santa Monica or La Jolla, California.CHAPTER 74Living On “The Row”The real highlight of our “SAC experience” was the opportunity to live on Generals’ Row, i.e., the fifteen or so commodious brick duplexes lining the parade ground at Offutt Air Force Base XE "Offutt Air Force Base" , originally Fort Crook, which housed the general officers attached to the Strategic Air Command XE "SAC or Strategic Air Command" . (These houses had been built in the late 1800s as homes for the cavalry officers stationed at Fort Crook.) Our longtime friend and favorite steward from the Holy Loch and New London, Romeo Miranda XE "Miranda, Romeo" (now a master chief petty officer), came again to work for us. He was simply outstanding, as reflected by his subsequent assignment as the steward in charge of the Secretary of the Navy’s mess. (Incidentally, his associate in the Holy Loch XE "Holy Loch, Scotland" and New London who worked for us, Armando Carandang XE "Carandang, Armando" , finished his navy career as the steward in charge of the Chief of Naval Operations’ mess.)I shall always remember fondly returning from work in the evening to Quarters 3. Miranda XE "Miranda, Romeo" always greeted me with a Tanqueray and a wood fire in the fireplace. I would sip my Tanqueray in the serene knowledge that dinner would be exactly “what I would have ordered on the beach.”We were made to feel completely at home on the Row. The traditions seemed very natural. Row residents only used the back door when they were visiting with other Row residents. There were quarters-to-quarters parties, particularly at New Year’s Eve. In general, it was an “across the back fence atmosphere” which prevailed. The tone was set by Russ Dougherty XE "Dougherty, Russell" , whose fine hand was apparent everywhere.No detail was too small to escape Russ’ attention, from one day changing the name of the street behind Jerry O’Malley XE "O’Malley, Jerome" ’s quarters to “O’Malley XE "O’Malley, Jerome" ’s’ Alley” or, hearing that one of the Row children was concerned about the safety of the rabbits that crossed the street behind the Row, erecting a sign saying “Caution-Rabbit Crossing.”Russ’ attention to detail was also illustrated by an experience we had shortly after we arrived at SAC. The SAC Chief of Staff, Major General Ed Harris XE "Harris, Edward" , and his wife Ethel were taking us to a function in town. His car telephone rang. Ed picked it up and merely said “I’ll take care of it, sir.” Ethel said, “What was that Ed?” Ed replied, “That was the General calling to inform me that I had flunked flag.” (That was, the American flag in front of his quarters was still up after sunset.)I often played tennis at noon, with my aide being in charge of setting up the tennis matches. There were both indoor and outdoor courts. Among my regular partners were Generals Jerry O’Malley XE "O’Malley, Jerome" and Earl Peck XE "Peck, Earl" . As I indicated, I generally played doubles. One of my double partners was Peggy Campbell, Brigadier General Bill Campbell’s wife. One time, she and a friend played with Al Haig XE "Haig, Alexander" and me during one of Haig XE "Haig, Alexander" ’s frequent visits. Al was a fair tennis player, but Jack Nicholson XE "Nicholson, Jack" (who had played with him when Jack was on his staff in Brussels) had already cautioned me never to give Al any pointers on improving his backhand, because Al did not take to this kindly--as Jack had found out. I told Jack there was no danger of this, since my backhand was probably even worse than Al’s (it was).Finally on the Row, there was the Vice CINC of the Strategic Air Command XE "SAC or Strategic Air Command" , the only other three star present in the area. While he was not in my chain of command, he was someone who, because of his close relationship with the CINC, was always a factor to be considered. The Vice CINC during my first year was Air Force Lieutenant General Jim Keck XE "Keck, James" , who ran unsuccessfully for the Senate after he retired. Neither Ruth nor I cared for the Kecks. Ruth found Bobbie Keck XE "Keck, Bobbie" to be imperious in the sense that she wore Jim’s stars. She was unpopular among the officers’ wives as well. Jim, I sensed, looked upon me as a Navy adversary, and our relationship was never very close.Jim Keck XE "Keck, James" ’s relief was Lieutenant General Dick Leavitt XE "Leavitt, Richard" . He proved to be a great friend, although he was not universally viewed in such a friendly way in Air Force circles. He had served with Dick Ellis XE "Ellis, Richard" in Europe when Dick commanded the U.S. Air Forces there and had worked well with him. Dick Leavitt XE "Leavitt, Richard" was smart, aggressive, outspoken and didn’t suffer fools gladly, if at all. Nonetheless, he and I got along well.As a departing gift from “the Row,” we were presented with a winter scene of General’s Row signed by the residents at that time. It brings back many pleasant memories.CHAPTER 75SAC and OmahaI had never in my Navy experience witnessed a closer relationship between a military and civilian community than that between SAC XE "SAC or Strategic Air Command" /Offutt XE "Offutt Air Force Base" and Omaha. Until I had had the opportunity to visit other SAC bases, I thought perhaps this was unique to SAC/Offutt XE "Offutt Air Force Base" . It was not. Every SAC base had the same relationship in place. The foundation of this special base/civilian interaction at SAC bases was a “SAC Consultation Committee,” a group of eight to ten leading business leaders who gave freely of their time and money to “good works” in support of SAC personnel. In turn, SAC made this group feel special through briefings and trips to witness events such as the yearly SAC bombing competition or visiting Vandenberg Air Force base to witness missile firings. There were numerous social functions hosted by both groups. All of this resulted in a very close relationship that was not only pleasurable, but useful as well. For example, unlike many Navy bases, there were never any military/civilian community problems. The consultation committees made them go away.Ruth and I were immediately included, along with the other general officers on the Row, in all consultation committee functions, and quickly became acquainted with the business leaders of Omaha. Little did we know at the onset of this exposure that it would change our lives.PART XIV 1979RETURN TO BARRACKSCHAPTER 76The End in SightIn the early fall of 1978, Dick Ellis XE "Ellis, Richard" asked me what plans the Navy might have for me when I finished the JSTPS XE "JSTPS or Joint Strategic Target Planning Staff" assignment (it was normally a two year tour and I was going to complete two years in late November). I replied that I hadn’t heard anything, but perhaps this was because I was happy at JSTPS XE "JSTPS or Joint Strategic Target Planning Staff" . Dick indicated that he was glad to hear this because he was pleased with the way I was doing the job. He said that he had only raised the subject because he thought that the J3 (Operations) position on the Joint Chiefs of Staff might be opening up and that I might want it.J3 is the key position on the Joint Staff and rotates among the services (Army Lieutenant General Tom Kelly XE "Kelly, Thomas" occupied this position during the Gulf War in 1991-1991 and his press briefings were much covered by TV). I think that Dick was not entirely disinterested when he made this suggestion, because the then Army incumbent was about to leave, and it was probably going to be the Navy’s turn. Nonetheless, I felt complimented that Dick would support me in this way because it meant that through his close relationship with Dave Jones XE "Jones, David" (then the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff), the assignment was probably a sure thing.This marked the first time that I began to reflect on retirement. Before, when the thought had occurred to me, I had always placed it in the category of being hit by a truck. In other words, it was something that always happened to somebody else. On the plus side, I could see that if I didn’t make too many Navy enemies while in the JCS J3 job, I might conceivably look forward to a subsequent “twilight assignment,” like the four star job in London, one which had always attracted me (just as it had my predecessor in the JSTPS XE "JSTPS or Joint Strategic Target Planning Staff" position, Yogi Kaufman XE "Kaufman, Robert \"Yogi" ). On the other hand, the JCS assignment would be all consuming. It would also require a move to Washington, D.C. and there was our daughter to consider. I didn’t pursue the matter further except to start thinking at odd moments about the future.I’m not entirely sure as I look back now of the next sequence of events. There were, however, some principal participants in my future: Union Pacific’s Controller John Deasey XE "Deasey, John" , whom I had come to know and admire, his and my friend, retired Air Force Colonel Don Adams XE "Adams, Donald" , and John Woods XE "Woods, John" , President and CEO of Omaha’s largest bank and a member of the SAC Consultation Committee (Don Adams XE "Adams, Donald" worked for John). I do recall that, at a SAC function, John Woods XE "Woods, John" said to me, “I understand you may be considering retiring. We, here in Omaha, have a new idea about the Chamber of Commerce XE "Omaha Chamber of Commerce" . Would you be interested in becoming its President?”My reply was then “Heavens, no, I don’t know anything about Chambers of Commerce.” But I added, “Let me think about it.”And the more I reflected on it and talked with Ruth, the more I felt that retirement would be the best decision for us at this point and time. So just before Christmas, I told Dick Ellis XE "Ellis, Richard" that, while I appreciated his support, I was going to hang it up and asked to remain on the job until June. He said that he regretted my decision, although he understood my reasons, and that I would be welcome to stay as long as I wished. I then informed the Chief of Naval Operations.In March, I had breakfast with ConAgra’s Chairman Mike Harper XE "Harper, Michael" , John Deasey XE "Deasey, John" from Union Pacific, Bill Fitzgerald XE "Fitzgerald, William" from Commercial Federal Savings and Loan, Dale TeKolste XE "TeKolste, Dale" of InterNorth and several other Omaha leaders who were then involved with the Chamber of Commerce XE "Omaha Chamber of Commerce" . I was offered and accepted the Chamber of Commerce XE "Omaha Chamber of Commerce" Presidency. But this is all another story, except to thank John Deasey XE "Deasey, John" --whose friendship and support, then and now, have placed him in the group of those across the years to whom I owe so much.Along about May, Dick Leavitt XE "Leavitt, Richard" and I were talking about my future plans and the subject of a retirement ceremony came up. I said to Dick that I didn’t want a ceremony but much preferred to “silently steal away.”Dick Leavitt XE "Leavitt, Richard" didn’t reply, but a week later Dick Ellis XE "Ellis, Richard" phoned me one morning and said, “I understand you don’t want a retirement ceremony”.I replied, “That’s right, sir”.He said simply, “No Way. Pick a Date. It’s going to happen.”And happen it did. The ceremony was made even more memorable because not only did my brother, Larry, his wife, Marilyn, and son, Andy, come from Kansas City, but Ruth’s sister, Charlotte, and her husband, Jack, and their son, Warren, came all the way from California to attend.As the SAC Honor Guard and SAC Band marched away after the ceremony, I was reminded of an old Scottish pipe tune, “Return to Barracks.” This tune, which gave rise to the title of this chapter, was used by the Scots much as we use the beautiful tattoo bugle call as a prelude to taps. As the SAC Honor Guard marched away, I thought of this because, for Ruth and me, it was indeed a tattoo…the evening of a host of wonderful memories.Retirement Ceremony685803257551General Ellis, wearing an obsolete white Air Force uniform to match Frank’s Navy Whites, congratulates Frank on Receiving the Distinguished Service Medal (Mrs. Ellis is in the background)0General Ellis, wearing an obsolete white Air Force uniform to match Frank’s Navy Whites, congratulates Frank on Receiving the Distinguished Service Medal (Mrs. Ellis is in the background)3143253257550Frank Reviews the Honor Guard00Frank Reviews the Honor GuardReturn to BarracksAPPENDIX: RETIREMENT MESSAGESLetter from Admiral Thomas Hayward, Chief of Naval OperationsLetter from Admiral Harold Shear, Commander-in-Chief Allied Forces Southern EuropeTelegram from General Alexander Haig, Supreme Allied Commander EuropeINDEX INDEX \c "2" \z "1033" Abraham Lincoln, USS, 76, 127, 153, 154, 160, 164, 201Adams, Donald, 447Air Force Academy, 184, 194, 435Allen, James and Donna, 109, 110, 203Amethyst, HMS, 51, 52Anderson, William, 135Apra Harbor, Guam, 14Arco, Idaho, 115, 154Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, 436Armstrong, Parker, 414Astoria, USS, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 14, 21, 22, 23, 24, 27, 30, 35, 37, 38, 40, 42, 43, 44, 46, 50, 51, 54, 55, 58, 59, 71, 129, 252, 354Bagley, Worth, 399Baldwin, Robert, 397Bancroft, USS George, 204, 209Battleships-Cruisers Pacific, 4Bayne, Phillip, 154, 331Beckerly, Lloyd, 60Bell, C. Edwin, 73, 74, 76, 77Bell, David, 185, 190, 191, 192, 193, 199, 200, 270, 322Bell, C. Robert "Bobby", 154, 162, 163, 385, 404Bellah, James, 134, 137Benjamin Franklin, USS, 204, 213Berger, Peter, 51, 52, 283, 309Photo, 287Bergner, Al, 73, 76, 77Bernaby, Steward Second Class, 319Besac, Buzz, 93Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory, 128, 154Blaine, Ralph, 116, 123, 124Blairmore, Scotland, 279, 289, 310, 312Blount, Robert, 60, 65, 203, 424Boxer, USS, 23Boyne, Peter, 232Breadalbane, Motor Vessel Countess of, 289Brittain, Thomas, 23Bromley, John, 279Brooke, Betty Lou, 23, 81Brooke, Rupert, 12, 23, 81, 87Buckley, John, 414Bucknell, Howard, 153, 250BuPers or Bureau of Naval Personnel, 93, 101, 102, 104, 105, 117Bureau of Ships, 113, 124, 150, 373, 374Bureau of Yards and Docks, 103Burroughs, James (Class of 1932), 5Burroughs, Jim (Class of 1946), 39Bush, Prescott, 116Butler, Chief Steward, 319Byrd, Mark, 280, 281Canopus, USS, 278, 279, 280, 281, 288, 306, 307Cape Canaveral, 163, 165, 232, 321Cape Wrath, Scotland, 199, 311, 312Caracas, Venezuela, 112Carandang, Armando, 309, 319, 441Carlisle, Charles "Chuck", 115, 322, 330, 365, 366Carmichael, Archie, 290, 297Carpender, Arthur "Chips", 342Carrington, Lord, 298Carter, Jimmy, 424, 439Carter, Louis, 6, 7, 8, 9Case, John, 27Cavalla, USS, 144Chaffee, John, 295Charles, Jack, 433Charleston, South Carolina, 166, 187, 192, 193, 194, 233, 234Chateau Thierry, France, 315Chernesky, John, 359, 360Christie, Ralph, 342, 390Christopher, Kay, 31CINCEUR or Commander-in-Chief Europe, 427CINCLANT or Commander-in-Chief Atlantic, 178, 184, 187, 192, 193, 203, 276, 281, 436CINCPAC or Commander-in-Chief Pacific, 250, 354, 360, 375, 407, 427CINCPACFLT or Commander in Chief Pacific Fleet, 360, 361, 363, 364, 367, 368CINCPACFLT or Commander-in-Chief Pacific Fleet, 374, 383, 388, 397, 407, 408, 414, 417CINCSAC or Commander-in Chief Strategic Air Command, 425CINCSAC or Commander-in-Chief Strategic Air Command, 426, 427, 428, 434CINCUSNAVEUR or Commander-in-Chief U.S. Navy Europe, 276, 281, 282, 307, 427Clarey, Bernard, 360, 361, 362, 363, 372, 375, 383, 384, 388, 390Clark Field, Philippines, 250, 251Clark, Chief Petty Officer "Snuffy", 111, 112Clay, Hank, 46, 47, 59Clifford, Clark, 246, 248, 258Coast Guard Academy, 317, 343, 344, 348Cobean, Warren "Buster", 115, 227Coen, Earl, 3Cole, William, 182Columbia Club, London, England, 169, 254, 313Comstock, Carol, 102COMSUBFLOT 2 or Commander Submarine Flotilla Two, 61, 307, 308, 321, 325, 337, 342, 406COMSUBLANT or Commander Submarine Force Atlantic, 65, 153, 184, 193, 233, 237, 276, 281, 295, 321, 322, 343, 350, 358, 360, 406COMSUBPAC or Commander Submarine Force Pacific, 54, 152, 307, 351, 355, 358, 360, 361, 363, 364, 365, 366, 367, 369, 372, 374, 377, 385, 389, 390, 393, 395, 397, 401, 402, 403, 406COMSUBRON 14 or Commander Submarine Squadron 14, 171, 283, 304, 309Connecticut College, 63, 65, 66, 130, 131CONSUBFLOT 2 or Commander Submarine Flotilla Two, 276Cooke, Edward, 162, 187Cooper, David, 113Coppedge, Bo, 72, 77, 92, 401Cruden, David, 163Cruiser Division 13, 4, 14, 46Culloden, Scotland, 310, 311Darter, USS, 61, 105, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 115, 116, 119, 123, 124, 126, 219, 310Davis, John, 288Deasey, John, 447, 448Denmark, 253Dew, Carlos, 115Dickson Mabon, 283Diodon, USS, 54, 65, 66, 69, 71, 72, 75, 76, 81, 82, 86, 87, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 101, 127, 354, 362, 377, 401Photo, 79, 80Dougherty, Russell, 433, 434, 439, 441Douglass, Jim, 171Douglass, Robert, 171, 205, 210, 225, 231, 232, 241Dowd, Walter "Wally", 413, 414Dubois, Raymond, 134, 143Duke of Argyll, 121, 170, 276, 294Duke of Cumberland, 310, 311, 313Duncreggan Lodge, 288, 289, 290, 296Dunford, James M., 127, 128Dunoon, Scotland, 275, 281, 289, 290, 296, 297, 310Durbin, Peter, 245Early, Paul, 309Electric Boat Company, 105, 109, 111, 113, 124, 125, 137, 141, 198, 203, 204, 209, 211, 213, 224, 226, 232, 233, 321, 338, 339, 340, 344, 372, 402Ellis, Peg, 434Ellis, Richard, 434, 435, 443, 446, 447, 448Enney, James, 435Erb, Len, 76, 152, 153, 154, 155, 160, 161, 166, 175, 308, 354, 436Erb, Yvonne, 154F.E. Warren Air Force Base, 429Familygrams, 181Fasi, Frank, 389Fife, James, 65, 317, 322, 334, 342, 343, 390, 403Fitzgerald, William, 448Fluckey, Eugene, 182Fort Sill, Oklahoma, 253Foster, Johnny, 246Francis Scott Key, USS, 205Fromm, Larry, 152Fubini, Eugene, 416Garland, Keith, 205, 210, 215, 216Garmisch, Germany, 315Gayler, Noel, 360, 361, 375, 383, 384, 397, 407, 418George Washington University, 93, 99Gibson, Julie, 145Goulds, Ralph, 365Graham, Frank, 205Gray, L. Patrick, 116, 117Green, David, 72, 76, 82, 90Greene, Walter, 135Greenland, 253Greenock, Scotland, 174, 275, 281, 282, 289Greer, Howard "Howie", 368Grenfell, Elton W., 193Griffiths, Charles "Chuck", 280, 403Griggs, Jack, 218Guam, 14, 16, 17, 23, 250, 252, 358, 368, 382, 388, 393, 395Haig, Alexander, 428, 442Halifax, Nova Scotia, 125Hardhead, USS, 60, 61, 117, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 140, 142, 143, 144, 145, 150, 219Harper, Michael, 448Harris, Edward, 442Hawkins, John "Jack", 322Henson, George, 205Hine, William, 172Hobbs, Elizabeth, 172Hobbs, Worth, 172, 181, 194Hoffheins, William, 38, 39, 40, 56, 58Hokkaido, Japan, 83Holloway, James III, 407, 408, 411, 417, 419Holloway, James Jr., 102Holy Loch, Scotland, 51, 166, 169, 171, 174, 175, 176, 179, 182, 183, 184, 187, 188, 192, 194, 195, 198, 200, 240, 254, 272, 278, 279, 281, 282, 288, 294, 298, 300, 305, 307, 311, 313, 321, 326, 332, 333, 371, 441Hong Kong, 359, 360, 395Honshu, Japan, 83Hoover, Richard, 279, 306Hopper, Mary Beth, 171Hopper, Thomas, 171Howe, Jonathan, 423, 424Huey, Enders P., 119, 131, 151Huyser, Robert E. "Dutch", 428Hughes, Stuart, 162, 163Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, 85, 86Hyland, John, 388Inman, Bobby Ray, 363, 364, 368, 417, 418Jarrett, Harry Bean, 16, 17, 37, 38, 39Jimenez, Perez, 112, 113Johnston Island, 250, 252Jones, David, 439, 446Jortberg, Richard, 65, 205Jortberg, Richard and Joann, 203, 245JSTPS or Joint Strategic Target Planning Staff, 360, 419, 426, 428, 433, 434, 435, 439, 440, 446, 447Juneau, Alaska, 42, 44Kaufman, Robert "Yogi, 419, 447Keck, Bobbie, 443Keck, James, 443Kelly, Richmond, 22Kelly, Thomas, 446Kelly, Warren, 385Kidd, Issac "Ike", 313Kiehl, Al, 115Kilmun, Scotland, 296King, Ernest J., 318King, Frank, 123, 124, 127, 131, 245, 308Knox, Frank, 31Krieger, David, 315, 319, 342, 345, 350Kwajalein, 17Lacy, Kay, 354Lacy, Paul, 152, 153, 351, 354, 371, 372, 381, 395Lacy, Paul and Kay, 355Lakenheath, England, 291Laney, Robert, 128LaNiece, Peter, 282, 313, 314Lanning, Richard, 135LaPerouse Straits, 83Leavitt, Richard, 434, 443, 448Leddick, Michael, 365, 366Lehman, John, 151, 407Leonard, Guy, 181Levitt, Horace, 135, 136, 137Lewis, Jack, 22, 23, 25, 35, 38, 40, 43, 44, 55, 100, 308Lincoln, Mary Beckwith, 164Lincoln, USS Abraham, 61, 152, 154, 165, 166, 175, 331Lindsey, Jack, 76Livermore Laboratory, 253Logan, Diana, 171Logan, Joseph, 171, 181, 189London, HMS, 51Long Beach, California, 2, 3, 4, 18, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 35, 42, 46, 50, 56, 354Long, Robert L.J., 152, 171, 194, 200, 334, 410, 411, 416, 420Lowrance, Vernon, 237, 322, 343Luce, Clare Booth, 361Mabon, Dickson, 282Maguire Air Force Base, New Jersey, 174Malone, Logan, 366, 387, 388Malone, Thomas "Logan", 404Marblehead, USS, 124, 233Mare Island Naval Shipyard, 55, 56, 76, 90, 358, 377, 378Martin, William, 204, 208Masek, Bill, 77, 84, 86, 182Mathiowitz, Donald, 232Mayes, Luther, 71, 76, 77McKinney, Robert "Black Mac", 233Meir, Golda, 270Metzel, Jeffrey, 40, 322, 330Metzger, Robert, 66, 76, 377, 378, 379Meyer, John C., 259, 436Miller, Betty Lou, 435Miller, Donald, 152, 162, 164, 165, 166, 175, 204, 213, 245Miller, Donald and Marquita, 162, 245Miller, George, 435Miller, Louis, 56Miller, Marquita, 152, 162, 164Miltenberger, James, 205, 210Mink, Patsy, 375Minor, Hugh, 18, 43, 46, 48, 59Miranda, Romeo, 309, 319, 441Mollison, Ollie, 137Moorer, Thomas, 259, 362, 363Morris, Betty, 163Morris, T.J., 163, 164Morris, T.J. and Betty, 430Mountbatten, Louis, 342Muench, Jerry, 154Mull of Kintyre, Scotland, 176, 188Muncie, "Muns", 365Murphy, Daniel, 410, 411, 412, 416, 417National War College, 265, 266, 272Nautilus, USS, 115, 154, 393Naval Reactors Branch, 126, 150, 152, 153Nereus, USS, 69New London Submarine Base, 63, 105, 106, 137, 141, 245, 317New Orleans, Louisiana, 112, 113Nicholson, Jack, 115, 393, 434, 442Nitze, Paul, 246, 248, 249, 257, 394, 436Nordan, Earl, 172O’Malley, Jerome, 435, 442Offutt Air Force Base, 424, 437, 439, 441, 444Omaha Chamber of Commerce, 447, 448O'Malley, Diane, 435Orem, Skip, 163Otaru, Japan, 83Palmer, Grant, 75, 76, 83, 89, 90, 101PALs or Permissive Action Links, 246, 247, 257Panoff, Robert, 127Parker, Captain (USMC), 16Pasadena, USS, 4Patrick Henry, USS, 60, 152, 166, 171, 172, 181, 182, 183, 184, 187, 190, 192, 193, 194, 195, 198, 199, 201, 203, 221, 295, 423, 424Payson, Mrs. William, 345Payson, William, 344, 345, 346Pearl Harbor, 14, 18, 38, 50, 55, 65, 81, 82, 85, 307, 354, 358, 366, 367, 368, 371, 372, 381, 383, 390, 399Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, 358, 372Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, 377Pease Air Force Base, 429, 430, 431Peck, Earl, 442Perry, Oliver "Hap", 152, 276, 308, 323, 333Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, 60Philippines, 16, 135, 250, 251, 358, 382, 414Pickett, George, 259Polk, USS James K., 61, 171, 175, 198, 203, 204, 205, 207, 208, 209, 212, 213, 216, 217, 223, 224, 226, 233, 234, 240, 245, 338Pomodon, USS, 127Prestwick, Scotland, 174, 294, 299, 304Price, Walter, 307Princeton, USS, 39Proteus, USS, 174Quinn, Martin, 283, 297Quonset Point Naval Air Station, Rhode Island, 174Ramage, Lawson P. "Red", 184Ramsey, William, 232Raborn, William, 165, 193Reeder, William, 5, 30, 31, 35, 38, 50, 66Rhee, Syngman, 54Rickover, Hyman, 11, 63, 65, 117, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160, 162, 163, 166, 182, 183, 204, 206, 208, 209, 210, 211, 212, 213, 215, 216, 217, 218, 219, 220, 221, 222, 223, 224, 225, 226, 227, 246, 272, 278, 283, 304, 305, 306, 308, 321, 326, 327, 330, 331, 333, 334, 335, 337, 338, 339, 340, 347, 350, 351, 365, 371, 372, 373, 375, 377, 378, 379, 381, 382, 383, 384, 385, 386, 393, 394, 395, 402, 403, 406, 407, 424Critical U.S. Naval Institute Article, 424Favorite Foods, 212Initial Interview, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132Interview Procedures, 158, 159, 160Letters from Sea Trials, 224, 225Management Style, 155, 156, 157, 341Naval Reactors Branch and Atomic Energy Commission, 150On Teaching Leadership, 158Personal Side, 337, 338, 339, 340, 341, 384Polk Sea Trials, 215, 216, 217, 218, 219, 220, 221, 222, 223, 224, 225, 226, 227Problems with Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and Captain Swanson, 372, 373, 374, 375, 376, 384Relations with CNO Holloway, 407Relationship with CNO Zumwalt, 326Reporting Requirements, 156, 157, 204, 208, 209, 395Rig for Rickover, 211, 212, 213, 304, 340, 381Ship Building Supervision, 204Shipyard Representatives, 377, 378Suggested Elimination of Navy Bands, 402, 403Supervision of Polk’s Fast Cruise, 208, 209, 210Thames River Spill, 330, 331, 332, 333, 334, 335, 336Thresher Memorial Service, 194Using Fire Axe to Get Attention, 305Visit to Pearl Harbor, 381, 382, 383, 384, 394Visit to the Holy Loch, 304, 305, 306Rider, Eugene, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 117, 308Risk, John, 289Roberts, Jean, 265Rommel, Manfred, 428Roosevelt, USS Theodore, 182, 183Rota, Spain, 234, 237, 238, 239, 240, 270, 272Rothesay, Scotland, 119, 123, 310Royal Hawaiian Hotel, 14, 389Russell, Joseph, 378SAC or Strategic Air Command, 426, 441, 443, 444Sagami Wan a/k/a Sagami Bay, 54Saipan, 14, 17San Clemente, California, 46, 48San Diego, 26, 30, 35, 43, 65, 66, 67, 69, 74, 75, 76, 81, 83, 87, 89, 90, 91, 127, 171, 358, 359, 362, 367, 368, 377, 378, 385, 398, 404Sandia Corporation, 252Sasebo, Japan, 54Schlech, Walter, 170, 185Scott, Richard, 247, 257Scottish National Party, 279, 282Seawolf, USS, 115Seoul, Korea, 54, 55Shah of Iran, 270Shanghai, China, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54SHAPE or Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, 254Sharp, U.S. Grant, 250Shear, Betty, 169, 295Shear, Harold, 166, 169, 170, 171, 193, 295, 307, 308, 399, 407, 410, 411, 416, 417, 418, 419, 420, 434Sherman, Ben, 275, 278, 288, 333SIOP or Single Integrated Operational Plan, 420, 426, 427, 436, 439Sirocco, David, 137Sitton, Ray, 436Skate, USS, 115Slonim, Charles "Chuck", 352Smith, Bromley, 248Smith, Levering, 413Smith, William, 137Special Projects Office, 165Sperry, USS, 69Springfield, USS, 4Spruce Goose, 26Squadron 14, 184, 198, 272, 275, 276, 305, 322St. George, William, 397St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, 112, 124Stimson, USS Henry, 205Stone, Earl T., 8, 10, 11Stoval, John "Smokey", 436, 437Strasbourg, France, 315SUBLANT or Submarine Force Atlantic, 65Submarine School, 60, 63, 65, 66, 71, 111, 128, 130, 131, 132, 137, 158, 159, 343SUBPAC, 401SUBPAC or Submarine Force Pacific, 351, 354, 361, 372, 382, 387, 401, 402Swanson, Charles "Chuck", 372, 373, 375, 383, 384Swanson, Leroy, 282, 326Tabor, T.O., 4, 5TeKolste, Dale, 448Thompson, Richard, 205, 238Thompson, Tommy, 343, 344Toll, David, 66Tollefson, Swede, 72, 78, 84Tomb, Paul, 355, 385Tongue, Scotland, 165, 187, 192, 311, 312Trost, Carl, 379, 380, 385, 407Tsingtao, China, 50Tsugaru Straits, 83Turberville, Madame, 288, 290Tyree, John, 322Ulmer, Donald, 172Verdun, France, 315Victory, HMS, 313, 314Viele, John, 150Vogelberger, Inky, 111, 112, 318, 423Vogelberger, Peter, 111, 124, 318, 423Vosatka, George, 89, 91Walker, Frank, 37, 39Waller, Edward, 416, 417Walske, Carl, 55, 240, 245, 246, 247, 248, 249, 250, 251, 252, 253, 254, 255, 257, 258, 259, 265, 266, 275, 308, 420, 436Warner, John, 294, 295, 350Warnke, Paul, 258Watkins, James, 383, 397, 399Watson, Tom, 439Wegner, William "Bill", 157, 304, 308, 337, 338, 351, 371, 381, 384, 394, 395Weir, Lady, 170, 196Weisner, Maurice "Mickey", 360, 361, 363, 364, 375, 395, 397, 407, 408, 417, 418, 419Westerman, Edward "Rocko", 9, 10, 308Westmoreland, William, 258Whangpoo River a/k/a Huangpu River, 50Wheeler, Earl, 245White, Jacqueline, 31, 32White, Sam, 101, 102White, Thomas, 103, 104Wilkinson, Eugene "Dennis", 134, 272, 276, 280, 283, 295, 307, 308, 326, 327, 328, 331, 333, 339, 347, 350, 351, 363, 364, 375, 393, 394, 395Wilkinson, Eugene "Dennis" and Janice, 393Wilkinson, Janice, 295Williams, Jack, 127, 129, 385Williams, Joseph, 153, 205, 209Wilson, George, 55Wilson, Henry "Hank", 99Wilson, James and Dottie, 245, 354Wilson, James B., 93Wilson, Louis, 367Woodall, Ruben, 305Woods, John, 447Wright, Warrant Officer, 7, 8WSRT or Weapons System Readiness Test, 178, 179Wyatt, Judge, 170, 296Yeager, Chuck, 250, 251Yeager, Glennis, 250, 251Yokosuka, Japan, 54, 55, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 358, 395Young, Congressman, 223Zook, Jane, 129Zorinsky, Edward, 439Zuckerman, Sir Solly, 304Zumwalt, Elmo, 307, 325, 326, 327, 328, 362, 399 ................
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