How a Fletcher Class Destroyer Became a DDG Overnight By John J. Gobbell
(Reprinted with permission from the fall, 2007 issue of Tin Can Sailor) February, 1962 U.S.S. Tingey (DD 539) Somewhere near the coast of Honshu, Japan Tingey, a 2,100 ton Fletcher class destroyer rolled easily in the calm Pacific under a moonless night. Yesterday, she had emerged from a series of bone-jarring [See More]
ON BROTHERLY LOVE by John J. Gobbell
(As printed in the Fall 1995 issue of THE SCROLL of Phi Delta Theta.) Orson Welles as Harry Lime in The Third ManVice Admiral John S. "Slew" McCain In Italy, for thirty years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder, bloodshed. They produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. [See More]
SOSUS AND CONNECTING THE DOTS by John J. Gobbell
(As printed in the Spring 2019 issue of Tin Can Sailors, magazine.) I marvel at the way this was revealed to me. I marvel at the way our Navy works without tipping its hand. The first of several dots connecting this story began in 1949. As twelve year olds, we were [See More]
USS McCambell (DDG 85) Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) class destroyer heads to Portland Oregon
It isn’t often we see a new modern destroyer steam past in such elegance. She is the USS McCampbell, homported in Yokosuka, Japan and in this clip, headed up the Columbia River to Portland, Oregon for modernization. The shot is so great since we get to stand on the riverbank and [See More]
U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) Men’s Glee Club visits Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic Church
U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) Men’s Glee Club visits Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic Church in Newport Beach, California, singing the Navy Hymn and the Battle Hymn of the Republic. In 2017, yours truly was able to get into my church which has a capacity of about 1,100. It was a [See More]
This Week in America October 21, 2014
On October 21, 2014, John was honored to be on This Week in America with Ric Bratton. While the radio show is yet to air, the studio recording is available right now on YouTube. Watch the video below.