Marooned at Westlock

Westlock was the place in Pearl Harbor where we went to load torpedoes. It seemed like it was in the middle of no-where and we had to keep the reactor running because there was no shore power.

Steely Eyed (Tugboat) Killers of the Deep

I reported to the USS Aspro in 1986 just in time to make her last deployment before an overhaul at Mare Island. Of course, being a non-qual, I had little time for doodling. It wasn't till after the ship returned to Pearl Harbor in 1989 that the creative wit began to flow.

A note on the back fills in where my poor memory left off:

18 OCT 89 while backing into the channel from S-4 on the way to Westlock for weapons, the USS Aspro (SSN-648) pushed the USS Tuskegee (YFB-806) into the pier. The tugboat was not actually damaged, except for her pride.
P.S. It was pointed out to me that Hawaii is a no-fault insurance state.

A Beginning and End

I served twelve years in the U.S. Navy, most of it on submarines. I served on both fast attacks and ballistic missile submarines, and on both coasts as well as Hawaii.

At some point, I started drawing. I think it was a way of relieving the stress of submarine life. I started posting cartoons outside the space where I worked. It was a good way to poke fun of the absurdity of some of the things we went through without getting in too much trouble with the brass.

I did have a couple printed in the Pearl Harbor base newspaper in 1989. Other than that, I just made them for the crew. At the end of my third patrol on the USS Francis Scott Key (SSBN-657) in 1992, I put some together a booklet. I think I sold them for a buck or two. And that was the end.

So, here they are, twenty years later, on the web. They give a good glimpse of life as a cold-war submariner in the late '80s / early '90s. I assume that most the humor is lost on other than bubble heads, so I will include some background information to help those who just stumble in.

Life on board subs was a crazy experience. I'm glad I did it, but sure wouldn't want to do it again. This blog is dedicated to all the amazing guys I served with that made it almost bearable. Hopefully they can fill in some of the lost memories, or at least the good ones.