Tag Archives: blog

2025 Memorial Day Commemoration

Video

Reply

Bowfin | May 26, 2025

On Memorial Day Monday May 26, 2025 at 1100 hours, dozens of Bowfin Pearl Harbor Base Submarine Veterans, submarine veteran wives and widows, active and retired military members, and friends of the Submarine Force participated in the annual Memorial Day commemoration at USS Parche and Submarine Memorial Park on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (formerly known as Submarine Base Pearl Harbor.)

The U.S. Submarine Veterans of World War II assigned a submarine lost during the war to each state of our great nation as their state submarine.  The USS Growler (SS-215) was designated as the State Submarine of Hawaii. After Growler’s fourth war patrol during which Medal of Honor winner Commander Howard W. Gilmore issued his final order to “Take her down!”, sacrificing all for his country and his severely damaged submarine, the Growler made her way back to Brisbane for repairs. USS Growler was dubbed the “Kangaroo Express” by the Australians when, after the extensive and miraculous repairs to the ship’s bow, the Australian shipyards welded a kangaroo coin to each side of her repaired bow. For the Royal Australian Navy, Bowfin Pearl Harbor Base Vice Commander Tim Sparks, CMDCM(SS) (Retired) Gary Johnson presented a lei.

Among the over 3,500 submariners who lost their lives, we have the names of seventeen Filipino U.S. Army Rangers who were lost with USS Seawolf (SS-197). The U.S. Army’s 1st Filipino Infantry Regiment, represented today by Mrs. Anita Loando-Acohido, once again honors our ceremony as they do every year to place a lei on the special plaque engraved with the names of those seventeen heroic Filipinos who went down with Seawolf.

Honoring our ceremony were several organizations presenting flower wreaths. Representing Bowfin Pearl Harbor Base Submarine Veterans – RM2(SS) Dan Del Monte; representing the Pacific Fleet Submarine Memorial Association – Captain (Retired) Homer Ring; representing the Aloha Chapter of the Naval Submarine League – Captain (Retired) Pete Miller; and representing the Pearl Harbor Submarine Officers’ Spouses’ Association – President Kristen Newman and Vice President Jeanine Banyear

In honor of our submarine widows, a single rose was presented to Nancy Kreis.

Our keynote address was given by Captain Corey A. Poorman, Commander, Submarine Squadron 7.

The ceremony ended with a 3-gun volley by Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam Navy Honor Guard Detachment followed by Taps by Bugler MU3 Andrew Gushiken of the U.S. Pacific Fleet Ceremonial Band.

On behalf of the Bowfin Pearl Harbor Base Submarine Veterans, mahalo to all for joining us in commemorating our submarine hero’s.
 
God Bless our Submarine Force, God Bless our Navy, and God Bless the United States of America.  ALOHA!

Following our commemoration, Bowfin Pearl Harbor Base members, families and friends gathered for a Memorial Day barbecue at Lockwood Lanai.

For more pictures of the days events click HERE.

D-Day 81st Anniversary – All Gave Some, Some Gave All, Lest We Forget!

Video

Reply

June 6, 2025

On June 6th, 1944 Allied soldiers, in one of the most pivotal battles of World War II, invaded the French coastline in order to propel German soldiers out of Western Europe and lead the way for victory against the tyrants of that era. Overlord was the largest air, land, and sea operation undertaken before or since June 6, 1944. The landing included over 5,000 ships, 11,000 airplanes, and over 150,000 service men.

 After years of meticulous planning and seemingly endless training, for the Allied Forces, it all came down to this: The boat ramp goes down, then jump, swim, run, and crawl to the cliffs. Many of the first young men (most not yet 20 years old) entered the surf carrying eighty pounds of equipment. They faced over 200 yards of beach before reaching the first natural feature offering any protection. Blanketed by small-arms fire and bracketed by artillery, they found themselves in hell.

 When it was over, the Allied Forces had suffered nearly 10,000 casualties; more than 4,000 were dead. Yet somehow, due to planning and preparation, and due to the valor, fidelity, and sacrifice of the Allied Forces, Fortress Europe had been breached.

National D-Day Memorial

The National D-Day Memorial is a war memorial located in Bedford, Virginia. It serves as the national memorial for American D-Day veterans. However, its scope is international in that it states, “In Tribute to the valor, fidelity and sacrifice of Allied Forces on D-Day, June 6, 1944” and commends all Allied Armed Forces during the D-Day invasion of Normandy, France on June 6, 1944 during World War II.

National D-Day Memorial Webpage
National D-Day Memorial Video

The “Bedford Boys”

The memorial, bordering the Blue Ridge Mountains in southwestern Virginia, is an area of over 50 acres that overlooks the town of Bedford.

Thirty-four Virginia National Guard soldiers from the town of Bedford were part of D-Day. Nineteen of them were killed during the first day of the invasion, and four more died during the rest of the Normandy campaign. The town and the “Bedford Boys” had proportionately suffered the greatest losses of the campaign, thus inspiring the United States Congress to establish the D-Day memorial in Bedford.

The Bedford Boys included three sets of brothers: twins Roy and Ray Stevens, with Ray killed during the landing while Roy survived, Clyde and Jack Powers, with Jack killed and Clyde wounded but surviving, and Bedford and Raymond Hoback, both killed. The losses by the soldiers from Bedford were chronicled in the best-selling book “The Bedford Boys” by Alex Kershaw, and helped inspire the movie Saving Private Ryan.

The X-Craft and D-Day

The landing at Normandy has come to mark the “beginning of the end” of the war in Europe. The Higgins landing craft has become synonymous with the invasion as the boat that won the war. However, one type of vessel that is often forgotten from the narrative is the British midget submarines that played a key role in the landing efforts.

Preparations for D-day were extensive. Operation Neptune, the codename for cross-channel portion of the invasion, under Neptune was Operation Gambit, the use of two X -class British submarines that would mark the ends of the British and Canadian invasion beaches.

The submarine could carry a four-man crew and remain at sea for days. She could dive up to 300 feet. Due to her small size, the X-craft had only one access hatch and a small periscope that was mostly unreliable. Navigation was done through a Browns A Gyro Compass and Auto Helmsman. The X-craft could either be towed by a conventional submarine or launched from the deck of a submarine to reach its intended target. Two 3,570-lb mines were attached to its sides. A hand crank could release them when they were positioned below the hull of an enemy ship. The small crew consisted of one commanding officer, a first lieutenant, an engineer, and a diver.

Two X-class submarines would return to the beaches of Normandy leading up to the invasion to help aid in what would become the eventual downfall of the German troops. HMS X-23 and HMS X-20 would be the first vessels off the shores of Normandy leading up to the attack. Arriving on June 4, the X-crafts fixed their positions and waited for nightfall to surface to begin their mission. It wasn’t until they surfaced that they received the message that the operation had been postponed due to bad weather.

On 6 June at 0445 the submarines surfaced in rough seas. They set up the 18 feet high navigation beacons that each were carrying and switched them on. These shone a green light indicating their position away from the coast, visible up to 5 miles away although undetectable to anyone on land. They used the radio beacon and echo sounder to tap out a message for the minelayers approaching Sword and Juno beaches. The incoming fleet appeared on time and roared past them.

Operation Gambit was a success, the British and Canadian forces were able to land on their respective shores without falling off course or hitting any rocks, thanks to the beacons from the X-crafts.

While the X-20 and X-23, served only a minor role in the D-Day invasion, it shows the vital role a submarine can play in a nation’s arsenal.

25th Annual Re-dedication Submarine Veterans Memorial

Video

Reply

Bowfin Pearl Harbor Base | April 11, 2025

L-R: Pat Suenaga, Karl Dye, Jay Dunn, and Dan Del Monte

USSVI Bowfin Pearl Harbor Base Veterans conducted their annual re-dedication of the Submarine Veterans Memorial on the Memorial Walk-Way at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

“The Submarine Veteran plaque was dedicated and placed here on April 18, 2000 and we conduct a small re-dedication ceremony every year on the anniversary of the U.S. Submarine Force,” said Base Commander Paul Jurcsak.

Photo Album

Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum Monthly E-Newsletter – December 2024

Posted on by
Reply

December 23, 2024

Celebrating the 82nd Anniversary of the USS Bowfin

This December marks the 82nd anniversary of the USS Bowfin (SS-287), a milestone that honors the pivotal role of American submariners in helping turn the tide of the War In The Pacific during World War II. Launched on December 7, 1942, one year after the attack on Pearl Harbor, the USS Bowfin (SS-287), she was appropriately dubbed as the “Pearl Harbor Avenger.”

In this edition…

Answering The Call: Pearl Harbor Remembrance

Thanking Our Supporters

Read full newsletter HERE.

🎁🎄🎅 Mele Kalikimaka! 🎅🎄🎁

Posted on by
1

On behalf of the Bowfin Pearl Harbor Base Submarine Veterans, we want to wish you and your family Mele Kalikimaka!

As we gather together with our families, our friends, and our neighbors to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas, more than any other day of the year, allows us to take a step back from the busyness of our everyday lives to thank God for the blessings he has bestowed upon us, our state, and our nation.

Regardless of what else is going on in our lives, we all can be thankful for his ultimate gift, the gift of his Son, which expresses the true meaning of Christmas and a love that knows no bounds; a love that we are called to emulate.

So, while we are celebrating with our family and friends this Christmas season, I would also encourage each of us to remember those who are struggling with problems we may never know. We must do our part to spread his love, and his blessings to our family, our friends, and our neighbors, who need it now.

It’s also a time for us to be especially grateful for the men and women in the U.S. Submarine Force and all our Armed Forces who are away from their families protecting us so that we may enjoy this holiday season. I encourage everyone to find time to take a special moment to say a prayer or just say “thank you” to those who are deployed during this holiday season.

May the Christmas season fill your home with joy, your heart with love and your life with laughter. Wishing you Mele Kalikimaka and we look forward to seeing you in 2025.

Mahalo,
Paul Jurcsak
Base Commander

T’was The Night Before Christmas at 400′
(A submariners Christmas poem)

T’was the night before Christmas, and what no-one could see,
The men with the dolphins were under the sea.
Most of the crew was flat on their backs,
Snoring and dreaming all snug in their racks.

Those men on watch were making their rounds,
Some manning the planes or listening for sounds.
Back in maneuvering or down in the room,
They all hoped the oncoming watch would come soon.

I’d finished some PM’s whose time was now due,
And hoped for some sleep, even an hour or two.
Against better judgment I took a short stroll,
And found myself wandering into control.

The Nav had the Conn, the COW was in place,
The COB had the Dive and a scowl on his face.
The helm and the planes were relaxed but aware,
The QM and ET were discussing a dare.

To comply with the orders the Nav told the Dive,
To bring the boat up with minimum rise.
The orders were given and soon they were there,
At periscope depth with a scope in the air.

The QM confirmed our position with care,
The broadcast was copied, we brought in some air.
The Nav on the scope let out a small cry,
He shook his head twice and rubbed at his eyes.

He looked once again to find what it was,
That interrupted his sweep and caused him to pause.
Try as he might there was nothing to see,
So down went the scope and us to the deep.

I asked what it was that caused his dismay,
He sheepishly said, “I’m embarrassed to say.”
It could have been Northern Lights or a cloud,
Or a meteorite he wondered aloud.

But to tell you the truth I guess I must say,
Whatever it was it looked like a sleigh.
And though it passed quickly and never was clear,
I almost believe it was pulled by reindeer.

We laughed and teased him and I got up to go,
When our moment was broken by “Conn, Radio.”
They told us a message was just coming in,
We looked at the depth gauge and started to grin.

“Radio, Conn, I feel safe to say,
Your attempt at a joke is too long delayed.
If it had been sooner it might have been neat,
But I doubt we’re receiving at four-hundred feet.”

“Conn, Radio, you can come down and see,
We’re not playing games to any degree.”
I headed aft with nothing better to do,
Surprised by the fact it was still coming through.

It stopped and was sent to control to be read,
The Nav read it slowly and scratched at his head.
Then again he began but this time aloud,
To those that now waited, a curious crowd.

“To you Denizens of the Deep and men of the sea,
Who risk your life daily so others stay free.
I rarely have seen you on this, my big night,
For far too often you are hidden from sight.

But purely by luck I saw you tonight,
As your scope coaxed the plankton to glow in the night.
And lucky for me I’ve finally won,
The chance to say thanks for all you have done.

I know that you miss your families at home,
And sometimes you feel as if you’re alone.
But trust what I say and I’ll do what’s right,
I’ll take something special to your families tonight.

Along with the gifts I’ll take to your kin,
I’ll visit their dreams and leave word within.
They’ll hear of your love, and how you miss them,
I’ll tell them that soon you’ll be home again.

It might not be much I know that is true,
To thank you for all the things that you do.
But I’ll do what I can, while you do what’s right,
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight.”

USS Virginia returns from 6-month deployment: ‘Just in time for the holidays’!

Posted on by
Reply

Stars & Stripes | December 22, 2024

The USS Virginia returned to Naval Submarine Base New London, Conn., on Friday after a six-month deployment to the U.S. European Command area of operations.

Excited families and loved ones waited in anticipation on the pier. Santa was also seen waving from the ship as it was guided back into port by tugboats.

Read more HERE.

Australian Officer Earns US Navy ‘Gold Dolphins’!

Posted on by
Reply

Stars & Stripes | December 19, 2024

An Australian naval officer recently became the first of his countryman to earn the U.S. Navy Submarine Warfare Device, often referred to as “dolphins.”

The Australian lieutenant commander, identified only by his first name, James, received the award during a Dec. 12 ceremony at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, according to a Navy news release Tuesday. It did not list the officer’s last name, citing Australian navy guidelines.

“It is always an honor to pin dolphins on a Sailor’s uniform and welcome them into an elite community of undersea warfighters,” Rear Adm. Chris Cavanaugh, commander of Submarine Group 7, said in the release.

Read more HERE.

Navy Beats Army

Posted on by
Reply

Military Times | December 11, 2024

Midshipman Blake Horvath shines as Navy dominates in a 31-13 victory over Cadet Bryson Daily and No. 19 Army

This was an Army-Navy game unlike any before it. The teams had combined for 19 victories this season before their annual clash, a record for the rivalry.

Of course, only one of them would be responsible for No. 20 — the biggest win of them all.

Blake Horvath outplayed Bryson Daily at quarterback, accounting for 311 yards and four touchdowns to help Navy beat No. 19 Army 31-13 on Saturday. Horvath threw for 107 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 204 yards and two TDs.

Read more HERE.

Navy expects to have first female submarine commander by 2028

Posted on by
Reply

Military Times | December 11, 2024

Fourteen years after the Navy began integrating women into submarine crews, the population of enlisted women and officers in subs continues to grow steadily year-over-year — and the service projects it will name the first female submarine commanding officer by 2028.

Read more HERE.

Member of Little Rock Nine christens nuclear submarine named for Arkansas

Posted on by
Reply

AP | December 7, 2024

The nuclear submarine USS Arkansas was christened Saturday, almost a decade in the making since the U.S. Navy announced that a Virginia-class submarine would bear the state’s name.

Carlotta Walls LaNier, one the nine Black students who desegregated Little Rock Central High School in 1957, launched a bottle of sparkling wine into the hull of the Virginia-class submarine at Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia.

Read more HERE.