Standing Watch

American Submarine Veterans Remember the Cold War Era

By Jonathan Li-Chung Leung

SERIES: Maritime Currents: History and Archaeology

University of Alabama Press

The first book to capture and preserve the inside story of the exclusive brotherhood that manned the front lines of the Cold War

Featuring interviews from seventeen veteran submariners, Standing Watch: American Submarine Veterans Remember the Cold War Era offers the perspective of the submariners themselves—lending them a voice and paying homage to their service. Jonathan Li-Chung Leung provides an original glimpse into a world of unique challenges and characters, a life isolated and submerged, and a duty defined by the juxtaposition of monotonous routine and unparalleled excitement.

These personal accounts of life below the surface offer readers a front-row seat to close encounters with Soviet submarines and the naval blockade during the Cuban Missile Crisis, as well as an intimate understanding of daily life onboard the vessels, the culture of military discipline, and the religious-like fervor exercised in honoring traditions big and small. By applying first-hand perspectives to a larger thematic overview, this book uses authentic narratives to deliver a lively and colorful picture of the Silent Service.

Set against the backdrop of sobering geo-political disputes and their own role as the nation’s defenders against a seemingly ambiguous super-enemy, these veterans focus on their responsibilities and reflect on careers built on the simple axioms of pride and service. This invigorating and unalloyed account is an unprecedented addition to the existing literature on naval and military history.

Standing Watch offers a rare inside look at the Silent Service and the extraordinary men who helped us win the Cold War. Leung captures both the camaraderie and the tense moments of submarine life, and his book helps flesh out an important part of our history that was largely hidden beneath the waves.’
— Christopher Drew, coauthor, Blind Man's Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage

‘Readers will be amazed by the interesting and engaging description of the dangerous and uncertain nature of submarine service. Leung reminds us that someone always stands the watch protecting our nation, its global interests and our democratic values. Standing Watch left me wanting to learn more and enhanced my appreciation for the men and women in today’s submarine force.’
—Regina T. Akers, historian at the Naval History and Heritage Command in Washington, DC

As a career US Cold War submariner with a huge submarine library, I feel comfortable in saying that Standing Watch is the first book to my knowledge to examine the perceptions of the effect of the Cold War on junior US Submarine Force personnel.’
—Alfred S. McLaren, author of Unknown Waters: A First-Hand Account of the Historic Under-Ice Survey of the Siberian Continental Shelf by USS Queenfish (SSN-651)

‘Through the recollections of enlisted men, Jonathan Li-Chung Leung’s Standing Watch: American Submarine Veterans Remember the Cold War Era provides a special perspective on life in the American Submarine Navy. BRAVO ZULU!!’
—Gannon McHale, author of Stealth Boat: Fighting the Cold War in a Fast Attack Submarine

Jonathan Li-Chung Leung volunteers on the USS Blueback (SS-581) at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry in Portland where he started leading public tours in 2002, and is now involved mostly with the maintenance crew and in special projects. He now works as Air Traffic Control Specialist at Honolulu Control Facility.

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chapter 1. Adventure’s Beginning

Chapter 2. Underway

Chapter 3. A Unique Culture

Chapter 4. Fighting the War

Chapter 5. Foreigner

Chapter 6. Looking Back

Epilogue: Parting Legacies

Appendix A: Biographical Information

Appendix B: US Submarine Losses (Cold War)