Month: December 2024

Grayling Hosts the PACFLT Change of Command

The final days of 1941 were a grim chapter for the United States Navy. The devastating attack on Pearl Harbor had left the Pacific Fleet crippled, with eight battleships sunk or heavily damaged, three cruisers and four destroyers similarly incapacitated, and over 2,400 Americans killed. The harbor’s waters, once bustling with activity, were now a murky graveyard of oil-slicked wreckage. The Navy’s confidence was shaken, and the American public demanded leadership that could reverse the tide of despair. Continue reading “Grayling Hosts the PACFLT Change of Command” →

0

Bent Spoons and Bravery

The USS Silversides (SS-236), a Gato-class submarine, represented the peak of naval ingenuity and resilience during World War II. Commissioned in December 1941, just after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the submarine quickly gained renown in the Pacific Theater, credited with sinking 23 enemy ships totaling over 90,000 tons. While its success in battle is legendary, one of its most remarkable stories is not about torpedoes or evasive maneuvers but an extraordinary act of medical improvisation deep beneath enemy waters. In December 1942, during its fourth war patrol, the crew of the Silversides faced a dire medical emergency that would test their resourcefulness and resolve.

Continue reading “Bent Spoons and Bravery” →

0

Silent Sacrifice

In the early 20th century, the U.S. Navy was taking its first daring steps into the unknown realm of submarine warfare. These undersea vessels were cramped, untested, and dangerous, but they represented a bold new chapter for the Navy’s evolving Silent Service. Among the pioneers of this era was the USS F-1 (SS-20), originally named Carp. At just 142 feet long and displacing 330 tons, she was small by today’s standards but sturdy and agile, a formidable achievement for her time. Laid down in 1909 at Union Iron Works in San Francisco, she was commissioned on June 19, 1912. Her crew—volunteers to an unknown life beneath the waves—would navigate new technology, constant risk, and a sea of uncertainty. Continue reading “Silent Sacrifice” →

0

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑