CDR Kevin Mooney Retirement Speech - Ex-skipper of USS San Francisco

Rontini.com ^ | 25MAR2006 | Kevin Mooney

[IonImplantGuru]

...............
After leaving COLUMBUS, I reported to the Pentagon, where I learned a new combat skill: PowerPoint warfare...
I soon had my best view of the Pentagon – in my rear view mirror – and ...
..............
Now some of you may think NATO stands for North Atlantic Treaty Organization - NOT TRUE. We never did settle on what the acronym NATO really denotes, but here were some of the contenders:
- Not At The Office
- Not After Two O’clock
- No Action Talk Only, and my personal favorite:
- Need Alcohol To Operate
All accurately describe NATO operations.
.........................
Just after being ranked as the best submarine in the Force in engineering readiness, San Fran set off from Guam to Brisbane, Australia in January 2005. You all know how the cruel sea punished us during this journey, so I’ll bypass the details, but please allow me to shed some perspective on the events that followed. After suffering the worst possible shock in the history of nuclear submarine operations, every single Sailor on SAN FRANCISCO – yes, every single one – did his military duty. Some did much more than their duty and acted in truly heroic fashion...
................
In the aftermath of our tragic grounding, we, the crew of SAN FRANCISCO, forged bonds that never can be broken:
– not by investigations, nor Admiral’s Mast, nor punishments
– not by grief, nor anger, nor sadness, and
– never by distance, space, or time
Why, you may ask, are these bonds so strong? Because as Chief Johnny Johnson surely would tell you, THERE ARE NO BONDS STRONGER THAN THOSE FORMED BY MEN WHO HAVE FACED DEATH TOGETHER.
.....

[IonImplantGuru]

I particularly liked CDR Mooney's proposals for what 'NATO' actually stands for:
- Not At The Office
- Not After Two O’clock
- No Action Talk Only, and my personal favorite:
- Need Alcohol To Operate

A lot of other good anecdotes in the full speech, linked above. All accurately describe NATO operations.

[IonImplantGuru]

One (((PING!))) only, to Steely-Eyed Killers of the Deep list.

[the invisib1e hand]

I guess one of the things you get by being down in submarine so long is a pretty good sense of humor.

[JRios1968]

Any guy who survives this

is alright in my book!

[Robert A Cook PE]

Still think they ought to waterproof the bow, tie up the SSN688 to the training site pier, and use the back end for training nukes.

Empty the front of all that can be salvaged for spares and replacements in the other boats.

[goodwithagun]

My cousin, Petty Officer Joey Ashley, was the sailor who did not survive this. It still makes me cry to see this image. But I know he died doing what he loved.

[JRios1968]

If he was doing what he loved, that's even more alright in my book! My apologies, didn't mean to insult the memory of your cousin.

[goodwithagun]

That's okay. It still is sometimes quite a shock to realize that someone I played with when I was little is dead.

[JRios1968]

I can only imagine. You can certainly be proud of having had his presence in your life, and rest assured that he's home with our Father.

[rsobin]

My son, one of the General's foot soldiers,being a born southerner, took his leave of The Navy and The USS San Francisco this month. With a tearful eye he spoke so highly of your cousin. He was and will always be loved and never forgotten. God Bless.

[Doohickey]

They did that to some of the old 640 class boomer hulls (S5W plants). It was kind of neat - I was in CNSY on Batfish when they were doing one. Can't remember which boat it used to be. Anyway, they cut out the missile deck and welded the forward and aft thirds together. DI water tanks took up most of the forward half, and they put a big disk in place of the screw so they could spin the shaft.

Not sure whether or not that sort of conversion is feasible in a 688 - or even if it smart to do so since they're not builing any more S6G plants either.

[Doohickey]

God bless your cousin, MM2(SS) Ashley. I can't read these San Franciso threads without thinking about my friend RM1(SS) Ray Bordelon who died onboard Bonefish trying to same someone else's life.

[judicial meanz]

THERE ARE NO BONDS STRONGER THAN THOSE FORMED BY MEN WHO HAVE FACED DEATH TOGETHER.

I'm not gonna mince words on this one. CDR Moody spoke no truer words than these.

The San Fran is a fine ship with a great crew. That ship sailed into harms way, the same way every submarine does every single day of the year. Thats why submariners get hazardous duty pay. This is a dangerous job, and it always will be. It isnt a walk in the park to serve in US Navy submarines, and it takes special people to make them work.

These guys beat the odds and brought their ship back in spite of the fact that damage may have sank any other boat in the world. They are all heros in my book, and they always will be.

God bless you, CDR Moody, Joe Ashley, and all the other members of the San Fran crew, from this qualified submariner, who knows what you guys pulled off, and stands in awe of your achievements in the face of adversity. BZ!!

[BykrBayb]

Thanks for the ping. This is one of the best threads I've seen. It's good to see these men receiving such high praise. Lord knows they've earned it. By all accounts, they are an excellent crew. My son went through A-School with one of them, and knows more than I about the crew and their activities, though less than some on this thread. He has nothing but the highest respect for them; not just because of their admirable actions during one fateful mission, but for their admirable actions at all times. With the accounts I've read, I couldn't agree more. I don't have a polished military salute, but I offer my best civilian salute to the crew of the San Fran.

[investigateworld]

Thanks for the ping. A crew that can pull together and get a 'boat' home like that one was damaged reflects well on their commander.

[SmithL]

Fair Winds and Following Seas, Commander. You are one of the Good Guys.

[IonImplantGuru]

Still think they ought to waterproof the bow, tie up the SSN688 to the training site pier, and use the back end for training nukes.
Empty the front of all that can be salvaged for spares and replacements in the other boats.

Can't disagree, Bob.

a. SSN-711 has a more modern plant than the old S5W (that was my cup of tea, back in the day) on the existing training subs, ex- Sam Rayburn & Daniel Webster, down in Charleston. San Fran has the S6G plant, which I assume has more up-to-date Rx control systems, rather than the magnetic amplifiers (sheesh!) that I had to deal with.

b. I just don't see how a boat could go through the shock that San Fran did - and continue to operate productively - without being derated for allowed maximum depth, operating areas, speed and who knows what other restrictions.

c. Would any rational sailor want to serve on a boat that had been through that kind of trauma? Not me.

[OCCASparky]

San Fran has the S6G plant, which I assume has more up-to-date Rx control systems, rather than the magnetic amplifiers (sheesh!) that I had to deal with.

Not necessarily. My first boat was a 688 (USS Buffalo) that wasn't even getting digital systems even during her DNP whereas the 637's (my second boat was USS Pogy) on all the major systems (NI's, etc). Then again, they got rid of inverters on 688's only to bring them back on the Tridents. Anyone know if they have them on the Seawolf/Virginia class?