This German U-boat was crewed by American sailors
On June 17, 1943, the Nazi Germany Kriegsmarine launched submarine U-858. The Type IXC/40 U-boat carried out two patrols during the war. For her second patrol, U-858 was sent to…
The spectacular naval origin of the phrase, ‘son of a gun’
These days, Americans are less likely to exclaim “son of a gun” than the more-explicit “son of a b*tch,” but there was a time when “son of a gun” itself was not used in mixed company — and that time was more than 200 years …
This Coastie crossed the English Channel 10 times on D-Day
Gordon Lease was 17-years-old and living in California when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. The next day Lease was queued up to join the Navy, but the line was so long, the recruiters told him he wouldn’t be able to join that day. Lease joined …
19 terms only sailors will understand
All sailors, from the “old salts” to the newly initiated are familiar with the following terms:
Chit: A chit in the Navy refers to any piece of paper from a form to a pass and even currency. According to the Navy history…
13 travel hacks to help sailors deploy like pros
They say that life at sea is like living in a prison, but you don’t have to live like an inmate.
A sailor’s life at sea means not stepping on land for long periods of time. Sailors have to live with the items they board the ship with un…
16 intense photos that show how sailors fight fires at sea
Firefighting is dangerous, scary work even when it’s done on solid ground where firemen can fall back if the flames get too fierce.
Sailors at sea, on the other hand, don’t have that luxury. They have to battle the fire on a ship fi…
21 things sailors who’ve served in Yokosuka will understand
The sailors assigned to the commands around Yokosuka, Japan know about high optempo. The units assigned to Forward Deployed Naval Forces Japan are either on deployment or working up for deployment.
But with limited liberty time, the sail…
The real reason pirates wore eyepatches was actually a good idea
There’s probably not a pirate book, movie, television show or other depiction of these seafaring mercenaries that doesn’t feature an eyepatch in some way, shape or form. Pirates are synonymous…
Today in military history: Request made to create Seabees
On Dec. 28, 1941, Rear Admiral Ben Moreell requested authority to create the Seabees. Well, he technically asked for authority to create Construction Battalions. Capital C. Capital B. C. B….
13 lessons every new sailor learns the hard way
Being a “NUB” or “boot” in the Navy usually involves a fair amount of pride swallowing and large doses of embarrassment. Old salts get their jollies by giving their fresh-caught shipmates impossible or fallacious tasks. Here are 13 fool’s err…