SSN 680 Plan of the Day
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- Brad Williamson
Take a look at the USS HARTFORD (SSN 768) as she breaks through the Arctic Ice.
Thanks to Jamie Hogan for this gem!
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- Brad Williamson
Mark Gray and Terry Fessner’s efforts to document and locate every submariner that ever served on the USS WILLIAM H. BATES (SSN 680) continue to be a genuine encouragement to me. I’ve worked beside these dedicated Missing Shipmate Coordinators, and know what a daunting task it can be.
Every lead has to be pursued, validated, tested, and rarely do you have the satisfaction of picking up the phone and hearing someone say “Yes!” when you ask the question, “Are you the guy that served on the Bates, back in the 70’s?” Usually, it’s “Sorry, wrong number!” or worse, and every day that goes by, the odds of finding a former shipmate diminish as time and our intrinsic mortality take their toll.
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- Brad Williamson
The Ship's Store on the USS WILLIAM H. BATES (SSN 680) was a small metal locker with a plexiglass front that hung on the forward bulkhead of the Crew's Mess. In stark contrast to the Ship's Store on a capital surface ship, which offered everything from personal hygiene supplies to gee-dunk, our Ship's Store only had room for a few lighters, a couple of Bates patches, maybe a ball-cap or two, and the occasional T-shirt. Despite it's diminutive size, all the profits from the store went into the Rec Fund, enabling the occasional party on the beach or bar-b-cue on the pier.
In the finest tradition of the Bate's Ship's Store, the SSN-680.org Ship's Store carries on the practice by being small, hard-to-notice, and a decidedly limited selection. I routinely add items of interest to the store and it currently includes books, movies, and miscellanea related to the Bates or to the submarine community in general.
Because the Ship's Store is an Amazon affiliate, it generates revenue from all Amazon sales that start their search here, even if you don't purchase an item from the Bates Store!
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- Brad Williamson
On your end, the most important thing to know is that all the content is still there - we aren't dropping anything. All the photographs, all the sea stories, the Crew Gallery, the forum we call the Scuttlebutt all remain intact just as they where when you last saw them.
The most important new feature is that the two databases we were using, one for the Registered Site Users, and one for the Master Sailing list have been combined into one.
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- Brad Williamson
Memorial Day.
For many years, I didn't give much thought to the differences between Memorial Day and Veteran's Day. Based on the media coverage of the holiday and the celebrations in Washington last night, it seems I'm not alone. I suppose that it is easier to confuse the two than one might imagine.
Both days are a day to pay tribute to those that have gone before us, especially our shipmates, and that's a good thing. Both days we recognize that service to our country, and the attendant sacrifice of our lives, if necessary, is among the highest callings, and worthy of honor. These similarities, and the compulsion of our hearts caring as they do, drives us to remember, to honor, and to commemorate the service of those, like ourselves, who have given so much.
Honor, courage, devotion to country, and the ultimate sacrifice are all things worthy of praise...
