Welcome to the Cold War Boats Association!
The Association exists for three specific reasons:
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- Assisting shipmates from years ago in reconnecting, simply, easily, and without compromising their privacy,
- Preserving the unclassified history of Cold War submarine crews and their boats in the form of photographs, stories, artifacts, and audio or video recordings, and
- Honoring the sailors and families who sacrificed so much to help bring an end to the Cold War.
This is the future home of the Cold War Boats Association website for a specific boat. Someday in the not too distant future, this will be a place for everyone who ever served on her. You'll be able register, allowing you secure access to a family of shipmates that served in one of the most rigorous assignments in the United States military, the Submarine Service.
Here you will be able to reconnect with shipmates who, like yourself, will have already registered with the Association, allowing you to reach out and connect without revealing any more personal info than you choose. This isn't Facebook, we respect your privacy here, and we have designed Cold War Boats so that shipmates and friends can contact you without revealing your email, phone numbers, street address, and anything else you choose to keep private.
One day, you'll find a huge collection of photographs from back in the day, dozens of sea stories, actual copies of ships documents like Personnel Diaries and Deck Logs, as well as forums for talking about the things you want to talk about, reinforcing the bond you built with a few other sailors who also earned their dolphins, reserving a place in this community and the living history that is Cold War Boats.
Like a combat submarine being constructed in a shipyard, it doesn't happen overnight! There is a lot of work to get from a slab of hull metal laid down for the keel to an operational boat on mission. The same is true of this site, and it will be evolving continuously. To see an example of what this site might look like, check out the USS WILLIAM H. BATES (SSN 680) website here. This is what the future will look like!
So what does this mean for you?
One, you'll have to be patient. It's going to take time and energy.
Two, you'll have to register - if you don't, you won't be counted as an active member, and there may be shipmates that would like to reconnect.
Three, you can help us out with photos and stories. Contact the admin to contribute.
Four, you can volunteer. We need Site Leads for each boat. No experience required, your responsibiities are limited to content - photos and articles and members - locating and registration. We do all the hard work of of managing the website behind the scenes - you don't have to know anything about how websites work! (We prefer, but do not require, Site Leads that served on the boat or boats they manage.)
Five, subscribe! Membership, and access necessary to reconnect will always be free, but there is a cost to maintaining the Cold War Boats Association and the website you're viewing right now. Your subscription or one-time contribution is vitally necessary to continue this service, enabling us in:
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- Assisting shipmates from years ago in reconnecting, simply, easily, and without compromising their privacy,
- Preserving the unclassified history of Cold War submarine crews and their boats in the form of photographs, stories, artifacts, and audio or video recordings, and
- Honoring the sailors and families who sacrificed so much to help bring an end to the Cold War.
In the meantime, grab a cup of joe, visit the Bates site, and learn your way around.
We are pleased to have you here!
