Dive! Dive!

The USS Georgia (SSBN 729) in Dabob Bay in Washington State begins to dive. Air rushs from the ballast tanks, allowing water to enter giving the sub negative buoyancy allowing it to dive.

 

I don't think I photographed the Alabama. I have shots of Georgia, Alaska, Michigan, Ohio, Nevada. Looking quickly through a few sheets though, I found my Dad photographed the Alabama a bit when it was in port at Bangor, WA. Most of the ones I found quickly are of divers practicing working off the ship, shot in 1987.

 

Frank, I did two coffee table books on subs, "Silent Chase, Submarines of the US Navy", and "Sharks of Steel". In the course of shooting those books, I photographed some 50 different ships, so if your guy was on a sub in the late 80's or early 90's, chances are I have a photo of his ship.

 

Gale, I don't have time now. We are leaving early tomorrow morning to fly down to Seattle, and then continue in a few days to Phoenix. We're taking a float trip through the Grand Canyon; an oil painting workshop trip for Marybee.

Lisa, the shots in Dabob Bay would have been a sound test run where they try to determine if there are any aberrant noises coming from the ship prior to going on patrol. There was a Discovery Channel film crew aboard during some of the time I was working with the ship.

 

My Dad was in subs, and the navy for 37 years. He was the second nuclear trained officer. Early in his career, he was in charge of a panel of officers who worked on the design of the Polaris subs, then headed the panel setting the design specifications of the Los Angeles (688) class. He was in charge of Trident from it's inception and secured funding by testifying in Congress on behalf of the Navy; Trident was at the time our largest defense project. He chose the home port of Bangor, WA for Trident, and then had King's Bay, GA forced upon him for political reasons. He retired in 1980 as the senior three star Admiral in the Navy. He died of complications related to Parkinson's last September, and was buried with full military honors in Arlington.