Secretary of the Navy tours the Los Angles-class attack submarine USS Charlotte

US Navy ^ | 27 Feb 2004

[BykrBayb]

040227-N-9662L-063 Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (Feb. 27, 2004) – The Honorable Gordon R. England, Secretary of the Navy, tours the Los Angles-class attack submarine USS Charlotte (SSN 766) at the pier at the Naval Submarine Base Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The Secretary arrived in Hawaii following a trip to the Asia-Pacific region that included visits to Japan, Singapore and Guam. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 2nd Class John F. Looney. (RELEASED)

[BykrBayb]

My son is an electonics technician in navigation aboard the USS Charlotte.

[chainsaw]

These new navy fighting ships are something else. We old Navy salts tought we had it good back in the 50-60-70's.

[BykrBayb]

Yeah, just look how roomy it is, for starters.

[gorush]

Submarine related...just finished "Silent Running, My Years Aboard a WWII Attack Submarine" by James Calvert. Very good.

[BykrBayb]

Give us some highlights or an overview of the book.

[chachacha]

Sure beats the old diesel powered sub I was on. That said the food was terrific.

[gorush]

He was Chief Exec at age 24 when the war ended, watching, through binoculars, the festivities aboard the Mighty Mo in Tokyo Harbor.

He had been on 9 patrols mostly aboard The Jack. The Jack sank the 9th most in tonnage out of 200 US subs. Calvert was the TDC operator...he with the most responsibility for getting the fish to their targets. The stories of these patrols are fasinating.

Calvert left the Navy at age 52 as Rear Admiral. He was the third nuke skipper, taking the Skate to, and surfacing at, the North Pole for a first. This voyage is described in a prior book by Calvert which I haven't tracked down ...yet.

[BykrBayb]

Sounds like a really good book. After I asked you to give an overview, it occurred to me to go to amazon.com. There were several reviews, all of them quite positive. I assume you've looked for his earlier book at amazon and ebay. I don't know where else to look.

[BykrBayb]

My son complains about the food on his sub. Of course, he liked the IHOP in Groton, CT, so I don't put much stock in his food critic abilities. Before anybody jumps on me about how good IHOP is, try the one in Groton. You'd have to be drunk as a sailor not to notice how bad it is.

[gorush]

Calvert of the aforementioned book also said that the food was great. He spoke with reverence of the cooks that he served with, and also said the chow was not as eagerly anticipated on other boats.

[KeyTapper]

I've toured a few of those old WWII subs and couldn't wait to get out of there. Claustrophobia big time!

[Triple Word Score]

Awesome. God bless your son and keep him tolerant of his fellow man in such close quarters!

You know, someone who can avoid getting a submarine lost must be very good to have around when visiting an unfamiliar town.

/no sense of direction bump!

(Whups, you probably don't want to 'bump' your son's submarine thread!)

[dogbrain]

"...You'd have to be drunk as a sailor not to notice how bad it is."

I kinda remember the IHOP in Groton, and I was ALWAYS drunk when eating there.

[BykrBayb]

These new subs sure are roomy. And the technology so much more advanced.

[BykrBayb]

LOL

As a matter of fact, I used to wait until after school let out to run my errands, so I wouldn't get lost. He's always been a great navigator.

[BykrBayb]

If you'd ever gone there sober, you'd have noticed the waitresses were all Grotweillers and Grotopotomusses. And take my word for it, the service and food were lousy.

[PogySailor]

NavET bump! Hope your son is enjoying his time on board. Does he have his dolphins yet?

[dogbrain]

....Grotweillers?

That's not being too nice to some dogs.

VERY funny tho!

[KeyTapper]

Have you seen his ship? I'd love to tour a modern sub to see how they're different. My cousin's husband served on a nuclear sub, if I remember correctly. That was quite a few years ago, though.

You must be so proud of your son! My nephew is at Annapolis, but he plans to be a pilot. He's a freshman and made the varsity hockey team. Proud Auntie thinks this boy is going places. :-)

[KeyTapper]

What was the name of Calvert's other book?