P.O.D.
USS WILLIAM H. BATES (SSN 680), Diego Garcia, 1983
USS WILLIAM H. BATES (SSN 680), Diego Garcia, 1983

It is the fourth of July, and it seems both fitting and proper to remind you of what we do at Cold War Boats to honor the memory of those who gave so much to preserve the freedoms on which this country was founded and that have so long endured.

The Cold War Boats Association exists in service to the men who served on the submarines of the United States Navy Submarine Service during the forty-six years of the Cold War, those sailors that supported them, their families, friends, and associates.

The three-fold mission of the Association is:

  • 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.

Everything we do is aligned to these three precepts,

from the daily development of a complex, secure, and private website, to building an organization that can sustain these functions after those of us who served have finally shipped our oars.

If you served on a Cold War boat, the Cold War Boats Association exists for you!

If you were a spouse or family member of a Cold War submarine veteran, then the Association is for you as well.

If you supported Cold War submarines in deep submergence research, rescue, tenders, or the training pipeline, we couldn't have done it without you. You are welcome here.

As a friend or associate of a Cold War submarine veteran, what we did, we did for you, and those like you. You are also welcome here.

The Cold War Boats Association cannot function without your support. Your photographs, your sea stories, your artifacts, your financial contributions, your volunteer hours in tracking down missing shipmates or administering the hundreds of boats represented here are required for the Cold War Boats Association to pursue our mission.

Please forward this to a friend. If you received this from a friend, please register, and consider a becoming a Patron, Sponsor, or Contributor, or a volunteer to help us build the Cold War Boats Association.

Every hand helps, and remember, we are doing this for you!

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OPSEC Policy

The Cold War Boats Association prohibits the posting of Classified material on the the coldwarboats.org website.

Any documents, photographs, audio or video recordings, or artifacts that are currently considered Classified are not permitted, and will be removed.

Any information that could compromise the operational security of active duty personnel, commissioned ships, or their missions is not permitted, and will be removed.

Access to personally identifiable information (PII) of active-duty service members or information related to the crews of submarines currently in full or limited commission is restricted to administrators only.

Full details of the Cold War Boats Association's Security Policy can be found at: www.coldwarboats.org/security.

Questions and concerns should be directed to the Security Manager at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Copyright Information

 
 
© 2024 Brad Williamson
and/or the
Cold War Boats Association
or respective image owners
 
All Rights Reserved
 
Permission is granted for not-for-profit reproduction
of text and images under the condition that
all attribution as to owner and source is included,
and additionally, when republished electronically, a link to is provided.
 
 

Privacy Policy

The Cold War Boats Association is committed to protecting your personally identifiable information (PII). 

This information, your PII,  includes your email, your street address, your phone number(s), your personal records (such as a DD-214) and various other related information.

Your PII will never be shared, given, sold, or rented. It will not be accessible by others, except by administrators or moderators of the www.coldwarboats.org website as necessary in the performance of their duties.

Your use of the www.coldwarboats.org website is your acknowledgement that these limitations are understood.

Full details of the Cold War Boats Association's Privacy Policy can be found at: www.coldwarboats.org/privacy.

Questions and concerns should be directed to the Privacy Manager at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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