Sea stories

Sea stories are a foundational part of Naval culture. Whenever military folks get together — whether still on active duty or decades removed — sea stories will start flowing. They’ll usually carry valuable info, e.g. all junior officers on subs better know what a “trim party” is before they cause a breach, are inevitably self-deprecating, get style points for danger or malicious compliance with regulations, and serve as a shibboleth to find common ground across specialties, eras, and commands. Like fish stories, they often grow in the telling or with the addition of camaraderie and alcohol.

They’re also a lot of fun to write. They’ve given me excuses to shake the alumni network to check memories and timelines. I plan to keep doing them.

I also realize that not every reader wants to learn about what happens when a nuclear reactor drops a control rod into the core. Or how to properly flood a hallway to conduct carrier landings. So, I’ve added “Sea Stories” as a tag and a section like “How I…” That way you can skip them when you are more interested in telling me why my thoughts on the future of AI and product development are wrong, but find them if you decide Sea Stories are your cup of tea.