Captain Craig Bailey's World Greetings from a consummate seaman! I have been involved with the sea since 1958 when I joined the Navy to see the world, and did...sea the world that is. I spent 5 years stationed in places like Hawaii. I was one of the Navy’s first Guided Missile Technicians at Guided Missile Unit 10, working with the first submarine launched Nuclear Cruise Missiles. I got to sail on some pretty neat submarines including the worlds first Nuclear Guided Missile Sub, SSGN Halibut. The SS Tuny, SS Barbero, SS Growler and SS Grayback made up our sub unit. There were also a few surface vessels in our unit but we mostly referred to them as targets. In the photo below the SS Barbero was launching the first Navy Missile Mail, unfortunately it crashed on landing in Kauai, with my mail on board! I finally got a chance to go to submarine school in New London Connecticut after I was practically qualified by riding so many subs out of Pearl Harbor servicing the missiles. Naturally I couldn't go back to Hawaii...that would have been too nice and the Polaris subs had just been introduced that made the Regulus Missiles obsolete. So I got to sail on the Atlantic and Med, sailing on the "AGSS Corsair" which we put out of commission at Portsmouth New Hampshire. I survived assignment to the "SSN Thresher" which was being overhauled on the same pier. I decided then and there that the old diesel boats were better for seeing the world because they had to go into port for food and fuel and a new place was there for me to explore. However, I was very sad when some of my former shipmates went down on Thresher when she sank during sea trials in 1963. I was then transferred to the SS Corporal. I began to think maybe I was lucky because the "Thresher" went down with all hands and I'm still here. But then we got to cruise the Arctic. I can't exactly say where but the Barents Sea rings a bell. NFFAA (no fun at all). Especially the day I got to dive out above the Arctic Circle to fix a hatch rattle. The things we do when we don't know any better! For more information about what we were doing then read the recent book "Blind Man's Bluff" by Sontag and Drew, Harper,1999. Got my Dolphins on USS Corsair (SS 435) This is the USS Corporal (SS 346) when I joined her, then cut in half, and finally, an almost new snooper. I took my discharge in San Juan Puerto Rico, after following around Russian Cargo Ships, and went to work on one of Mike Burke's Schooners, the "Tondelayo". What a great way to end the Navy. Sailing a big schooner all over the Caribbean. (Wish I had a picture.) College was calling, and my Dad finally threatened me enough to go back to school. I went back to Iowa, Cedar Rapids to be exact, and went to work for Collins Radio Company and attended the University of Iowa. About as far from the oceans as you can get.
Captain Craig Bailey's World
Greetings from a consummate seaman! I have been involved with the sea since 1958 when I joined the Navy to see the world, and did...sea the world that is. I spent 5 years stationed in places like Hawaii. I was one of the Navy’s first Guided Missile Technicians at Guided Missile Unit 10, working with the first submarine launched Nuclear Cruise Missiles. I got to sail on some pretty neat submarines including the worlds first Nuclear Guided Missile Sub, SSGN Halibut. The SS Tuny, SS Barbero, SS Growler and SS Grayback made up our sub unit. There were also a few surface vessels in our unit but we mostly referred to them as targets. In the photo below the SS Barbero was launching the first Navy Missile Mail, unfortunately it crashed on landing in Kauai, with my mail on board!
I finally got a chance to go to submarine school in New London Connecticut after I was practically qualified by riding so many subs out of Pearl Harbor servicing the missiles. Naturally I couldn't go back to Hawaii...that would have been too nice and the Polaris subs had just been introduced that made the Regulus Missiles obsolete. So I got to sail on the Atlantic and Med, sailing on the "AGSS Corsair" which we put out of commission at Portsmouth New Hampshire. I survived assignment to the "SSN Thresher" which was being overhauled on the same pier. I decided then and there that the old diesel boats were better for seeing the world because they had to go into port for food and fuel and a new place was there for me to explore. However, I was very sad when some of my former shipmates went down on Thresher when she sank during sea trials in 1963. I was then transferred to the SS Corporal. I began to think maybe I was lucky because the "Thresher" went down with all hands and I'm still here. But then we got to cruise the Arctic. I can't exactly say where but the Barents Sea rings a bell. NFFAA (no fun at all). Especially the day I got to dive out above the Arctic Circle to fix a hatch rattle. The things we do when we don't know any better! For more information about what we were doing then read the recent book "Blind Man's Bluff" by Sontag and Drew, Harper,1999.
Got my Dolphins on USS Corsair (SS 435)
This is the USS Corporal (SS 346) when I joined her, then cut in half, and finally, an almost new snooper.
I took my discharge in San Juan Puerto Rico, after following around Russian Cargo Ships, and went to work on one of Mike Burke's Schooners, the "Tondelayo". What a great way to end the Navy. Sailing a big schooner all over the Caribbean. (Wish I had a picture.)
College was calling, and my Dad finally threatened me enough to go back to school. I went back to Iowa, Cedar Rapids to be exact, and went to work for Collins Radio Company and attended the University of Iowa. About as far from the oceans as you can get.
