Fleet Plan of the Day

Welcome Aboard brochures were a common sight on Cold War boats. Maintained by the Ship’s Office, these brief pamphlets were handed out to visitors, riders, and the new shipmates reporting aboard.

While not useful enough to be used for boat quals, they often contained a brief history of the boat, a brief bio on the CO, sometimes the XO, and the omnipresent standard safety briefing…”Please remain in your seats with your seatbelts fastened,” or the boat equivalent!

Definitely a collectable, the Welcome Aboard brochures were periodically brought up-to-date, making them an interesting collectible that provides a time-specific snap-shot in the life of the boat.

Cold War Boats has recently acquired approximately 30 unique brochures, and five have been recently posted as part of the Welcome Aboard Brochure collection.

Booklets include the USS GRENADIER (SS 525), USS GRAYBACK (SS 574), USS SKATE (SSN 578), and the USS SARGO (SSN 583) and these join the USS WILLIAM H. BATES (SSN 680) bringing the current total on-line to six.

They can be found on each boat’s site in THE LOGROOM >> ARCHIVES >> SHIP’S BROCHURES and, in a new feature recently added, Collections, which is located on the main page under HOMEPORT >> HISTORY & HERITAGE >> COLLECTIONS >> WELCOME ABOARD BROCHURES.

You are invited to view these at your leisure, and even download and print a copy of your favorite for yourself! If you have any of these that do not appear on Cold War Boats, make sure we know about them. We will scan and return them and no cost to you, or you can email digital files, and we will get them posted accordingly.

You do not have to be registered or logged in to view the Welcome Aboard Brochure Collection in HERITAGE & HISTORY.