Guardfish on the Rocks

One of the things I most enjoy about attending SUBVETS meetings is listening to the sea stories. This morning over breakfast there was a lively discussion of the grounding of the USS Guardfish (SSN-612) on a Christmas Eve outside Pearl Harbor. One of our members was an engineering Officer for the Squadron command and received a call at home to get down to the base right away. Nobody would discuss why over the phone, so he got dressed and went into the office. There he was told “It’s your job whether you want it or not,” and to get down to the pier and tell the families that Guardfish would not be arriving today (Christmas Eve).

Now imagine that. You can give them no further information, other than the boat is overdue! In truth, she is on a reef just outside the harbor, stuck aground, but the chill that must…