….In the ’50’s we had Rock and Roll and Doo Wop and diesel subs....then in ’54 along came nuclear power which not only changed submarine-ing forever, it also took the romance out of subs....I realize that we cannot stop change, but gone are the days when you would hear "clear the bridge...clear the bridge" and the thundering noises as a surface ship became a submarine with the flick of a few switches.

....Gone are the days when you surfaced and the moon was just coming up....and you swore that every soul on earth could see you.

....Gone are the days, when you stood on the bridge in a class 3 or 4 hurricane and did battle with the forces of mother nature....the sting of rain and salt water tearing at your face....the boat straining at the sea; her nose dropping down into the on coming waves......and just before it hit you, you took a deep breath and prayed that she would come back up again.....and when your lungs were screaming for air, and you knew this was it.....she poked her lovely nose out of the angry sea and you could breath again.....man and boat against the sea.....cursing the God who created such weather and praying to that same God to see you through.

….Gone are the pounding headaches and the futile attempts to keep a cigarette lit just prior to either surfacing or snorkeling, and the sweet smell of fresh air as those rock crushers back aft started to suck in that precious element we were lacking for so long...oxygen.

....Gone are the days when every minute of every day was filled with excitement and FEAR as we poked around on our missions......not having the luxury of speed and/or depth in which to rely on......man against the sea and man against man.....It just doesn't get any better than that....young kids 18 - 21 riding their sub into harm’s way...my Dad wouldn't let me drive his car....wasn't responsible enough....yet the navy trained me to drive, dive and surface a 60 million dollar boat (in 1953 dollars).....not bad for an 18 year old kid from Brooklyn.

....Gone is the camaraderie of the crew on liberty.......we partied as hard as we worked......like the Three Musketeers.....all for one....and one for all......the Ward Room tolerating it 100%.

....No women aboard the boat.....swim calls instead of showers......and a concoction the ping pussies made out of the 100% alcohol (used for cleaning the equipment) and bug juice....had no idea of the "proof" of that stuff, but it would blow holes in your socks.....not to mention your liver.

….I don't think I could have survived in the glow boat navy.....too much chicken "you-know-what"....yeah they brought nuclear power into the navy.....but at the cost of the romance we once had.....I just don't know if it was a fair trade or not....pull the plug....Scotty

Paraphrased from a posting found on the ‘net. Author not known