Submarine Sea Stories | Ever wonder what it's like to spend the cold war under water with 100 other guys?
Episodes
EP63 Generations Below: Patrick Roche's Legacy in the Silent Service
11 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join Bill Nowicki as he delves into the compelling life of Patrick Roche—a submariner shaped by family tradition, personal responsibility, and decad...
EP62 A Submarine Collision and The Life Lessons Learned: An Interview with Chris Waits
14 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this crazy episode of Submarine Sea Stories, Chris Waits shares his fascinating journey, from growing up in a Navy family, attending MIT, and findi...
EP61 Preserving Nuclear Legacies Oliver Hannan's Story
07 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join host Bill Nowicki as he dives deep into the remarkable journey of Oliver Hannan, a submariner with 44 years in the nuclear industry. In this epis...
EP60 A Decade Later: Revisiting Submariner Dave Bowman's Journey
08 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Submarine Sea Stories Podcast, host Bill Nowicki reunites with Dave Bowman, a former submariner who was first interviewed nearl...
EP59 Advancing Nuclear Power: Mark Schneider's Journey from US Navy to Australia
20 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Join us in this insightful episode as we dive into the world of nuclear energy with Mark Schneider, a former US Navy nuclear operator now working to r...
EP58, Commanding a Legend, Captain Bob Schuetz
06 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Bob Schuetz grew up in New Jersey and chose the ROTC when his parents couldn't afford college for all 4 kids. He joined the Navy and fell in love with...
EP57, Flying through the air on a sub, Bob Bailey Sonar Tech First Class
17 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Bob Bailey had to get out of New Mexico. He was running with the wrong crowd and "ran away from home into the Navy." He started out slow and was not t...
EP56, Surfer turned polar explorer and circumnavigator, Joe Miller
01 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Joe Miller grew up in Virginia Beach surfing and staying away from Navy. It wasn't until he was married and laid off, that Joe reconsidered his decisi...
EP55, From Community College Professor to Sub Captain, David Rifkin
20 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
David Rifkin never planned on joining the Navy. He found the salary for a community college professors not quite enough. He consented to an interview ...
EP54 Smoke Shack Standout, Daniel Newcomer
29 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel Newcomer started his submarine career aspirations in 8th grade. His dad was a traveling Baptist preacher and when he was onboard the USS City o...
EP53, Playing with the radio, Kevin Loewe, Radioman
11 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Kevin Loewe couldn't find a job in his native St. Louis, so he proposed joining the navy out of necessity. That began an over 22 years stint of active...
EP52, From a steel town to a submarine, Jim Glunt
30 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Jim Glunt grew up tough suburb of Pittsburgh, Pa where the smoke from the steel mills blocked his view of the night sky. He had to grow up quick also ...
EP51, From a Supply Officer's Son to Trident Missile Tech, Wood Frampton
26 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Wood Frampton grew up around the enlisted club on base where his Dad was a supply officer. He'd have french fries and watch the sailors get into fight...
EP50, Stew Burner (Mess Cook) Greg West
13 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Greg started his military career in the 8th grade (crazy story) and continued over several decades until he retired as a Chief Culinary Specialist. No...
EP49, Submariner through and through, PJ Clarke
10 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
PJ Clarke made a rash decision to join the submarine service. He was promised that the galley was open 24/7. That was enough to get him to volunteer. ...
EP49, From Subs to the Internet of Things, Rob Tiffany, CTO of Hitachi
30 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Rob Tiffany grew up in West Texas and set off to become a Navy pilot after seeing Top Gun. Of course, that didn't work out, but he found the submarine...
EP47, Royal Navy Artificer and Officer, David Cunningham
18 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
David grew up on the West Coast of Scotland and was surrounded by water. His Mom said he always talked about joining the Navy, but he doesn't remember...
EP46, Field Vets CEO and farm boy, Dan Eddinger
14 Sep 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Dan Eddinger grew up on a farm in eastern Ohio. He played in the woods a lot and really didn't have a plan after high school. He did fall in love with...
EP45, Duck down, there's a sub overhead!
31 Aug 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Neil Midkiff got a tour of the USS Iowa when he lived in Rio de Janeiro as a child from the Naval Attache, Captain Andrews. At that point his mind wa...
EP44, West Virginia golfer and submariner, Matt Tate
27 Feb 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Tate grew up in the mountains of West Virginia and landed a job at the Greenbrier as a caddy by the age of 12 (he lied about his age). After doin...
EP43, 9/11 Recruit and A Ganger, Hector Rodriguez
30 Dec 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Hector Rodriguez thinks everything happens for a reason. He grew up in East Oakland, California in a rough neighborhood. He loved sports so he played ...
EP42: Vietnam War Hero and friend, Lee Ellis
29 Dec 2016
Contributed by Lukas
*FOR MATURE AUDIENCES* Lee Ellis grew up on a farm in rural Georgia, but when he saw an airplane, everything changed. Even as a child, he longed to ha...
EP 41: Sonarman, enlisted, officer, skimmer and marine
17 Jun 2016
Contributed by Lukas
Stu Hubbard is the son of a Navy Mustang and became one himself. At the age of 17, he approached his Mom and Dad about enlisting which started his 20-...
EP40: Linguist, Lawyer and Bubblehead, Michael Goldstein
01 Dec 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Michael Goldstein grew up in Cleveland Heights, OH and was fascinated by submarines. He won a science fair contest at the age of 14 and was invited ...
EP39: Listen up Bubblehead! Shannon Cason, award winning storyteller, shares his wisdom
15 Nov 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Listen up bubbleheads! Shannon Cason is an award winning storyteller and he tells his backstory and explains his motivation to share his life on sta...
EP38: 2nd grade detention to striker, Tim Sullivan
27 Aug 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Tim Sullivan was an outlier. He went against his parent's wishes and joined the Navy on a whim. He became a striker, which means he started painti...
EP37: Jersey boy submariner and Sub Vets National Commander, Tom Conlon
11 Jan 2015
Contributed by Lukas
Tom Conlon was born and raised in the garden state of New Jersey. As a boy, submarine TV shows excited him so he joined the sub service when he was o...
EP36: Sonar dog fighter and listening to the ice
18 Dec 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Andrew Fletcher went three years in college and freaked out when he had $5,000 in debt. He ended up joining the Navy and trained as a Sonarman, one ...
EP35: Women in a snake ranch and smoke boat sister, Nancy Yockey Bonar
05 Dec 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Nancy Yockey Bonar became fascinated with submarines thanks to her brother, Captain Harry Yockey. You'll love Nancy's explanation of submarine livin...
EP35: Message from Bill and some great old episodes
21 Nov 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Bill provides some information on upcoming episodes and new initiative to help vets! Transitioning Vets Checkout some funny previous episodes: Clayton...
EP34: Boston native, submariner, tank guy and detective
13 Nov 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Ken Westhaver grew up in the tough streets of South Boston. He wanted to be on a submarine so bad he could feel it. Thrown aboard the Minneapolis ...
EP33: Submariner, A-Gang Chief, and Former Knucklehead Cage Fighter
07 Nov 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Darryl Jackson grew up on the tough streets of Newark, New Jersey. He was a standout athlete in school, but ended up in trouble with the Navy being ...
EP32: Active duty chief, submariner and submarine rescuer
31 Oct 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Raul Robles is a chief on a mission. He has 15 years serving aboard fast attack submarines and deep submergence rescue vehicles. Raul balances his...
EP31: Adapt, improvise and overcome: an ET story
24 Oct 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Mike Fieser is a winner. Besides being and Nuc ET and now a photographer, he won a radio contest to guess his profession. He came up with the ET v...
EP30: RADM Chuck Beers, Captain my Captain, where did the butter go?
17 Oct 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Radm Chuck Beers (retired) was a submariner as his dad before him. He eventually became the commanding officer of the USS Minneapolis / St. Paul, SS...
EP29: The lean submariner and coach, Bob MacPherson
10 Oct 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Bob MacPherson is the Lean Submariner, he know efficiency!. He started out as a submariner by chance and did not put in his best effort – to start...
EP28: We've dated for 3 weeks, let's get married and have 4 kids!
02 Oct 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Kurt Jarrio, a 20 year submariner was a hard partying, somewhat crazy plankowner aboard the USS Minneapolis / St. Paul. He was tied up by robbers, r...
EP27: Scamp Smells, Saturn Bologna and Barking Squids
26 Sep 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Rich Hust grew up scared he was going to end up in Vietnam doing something he might not like. Instead, after leaving jail, he walked into the Navy ...
EP26: First Naval Academy grad and Sub Captain
18 Sep 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Dave Butler grew up in a small town in Louisiana. By a twist of fate, he was handed a Naval Academy appointment. As a midshipman, he was first ass...
EP25: Boomer sailor sleeping between the missile tubes
12 Sep 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Rich Damm was born and raised on Long Island and decided to join the Navy. He spent several years working as a ballistic missile tech and transition...
EP24: Tank commander, wine taster and entrepreneur
05 Sep 2014
Contributed by Lukas
John Colley is a boarding school and Cambridge University graduate who became a tank commander. He went into finance and eventually became a entrepren...
EP23: Kicked out after 30 years! Fred the Nuc (FTN) talks about his storied career
28 Aug 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Fred T. Needham (FTN) joined the nuclear Navy way back and saw a lot of changes over the years. He met his wife and got engaged in a week. After ...
EP22: Wooden wheels and iron men, Bear Claw and Jaws, eating shark and crash dives
22 Aug 2014
Contributed by Lukas
David Helms grew up in a large family in Nebraska. Being a ballistic missile submarine sailor was his dream since he was in the 6th grade. He got ...
EP21: Fish battering, horse racing and playing golf on a British sub
08 Aug 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Wedding day Steve Norman is a British guy who looks back at his time on the sub as a great time. The people, the mission, he misses it all. Fa...
EP 20: Yeoman, author and actor
01 Aug 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Gannon McHale grew up in New England. He attended great schools but decided to enlist in the Navy to avoid the Vietnam draft. He served aboard US...
EP19: Russian submariner on the show!
25 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Nikolay Teplyakov went on his first submariner at the age of three. He eventually became a chief engineer. Nikolay discusses daily life aboard a ...
EP18:Ho, Ho, Ho, I'm escaping a submarine
18 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Dave Bowman grew up in Oklahoma but was hooked to joined the Navy when he was taught to sail as a youngster. Eventually he found his first love, the...
EP17: Bubbleheaded Lawyer
11 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Tom Weiss grew up in Michigan and was of age during the Vietnam War. He joined the Navy like his Dad before him. After joining, he missed Woodstoc...
EP16: An Airdale with the heart of a submariner
04 Jul 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Airdale friends, Tony Martin, Mark Carter and Brian Janssen Dad's retirement with the family: Steve, Mark and John Carter from left to right Mark Ca...
EP15: An officer and a gentleman (part 2)
27 Jun 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Dana McIntosh continues his interview and discusses a water in the people tank problem and what it is like being an ex submariner.
EP14: An officer and a gentleman (part 1)
20 Jun 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Dana McIntosh grew up with a Navy chief, World War II submariner. Dana went the officer root and ended up in an interesting interview with Adm Ricko...
EP13: Bill's parachute packing Mom
13 Jun 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Bill's 88 year old Mom discusses family, meeting her husband, packing parachutes in WW2 and her impressions of a sub. She also tells Bill her favori...
EP12: Hugging a missile tube while it hocks a loogie
06 Jun 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Ed Andre started out in a divorced family spread out between two states. He joined the Navy and became a Fire Control Technician Ballistic (FTB) an...
EP11: Saving the boat with a mattress and cutting the captain's hair
30 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Kevin Stewart cut one too many lawns and joined the Navy just before September 11th. He learned to navigate the ship and cut the captain's hair in r...
EP10: A Shipyard Nest and the Bone Band
23 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Jeff O'Donnell has his PhD now, but he was once a lowly reactor operator on a boat without a reactor. He served along with Bill Nowicki, Rory Buchan...
EP9: A submarine is safer than anywhere
16 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Harry and Dennis Ostrum grew up in a chaotic family. Harry and Dennis ended up escaping the chaos by joining the Navy and volunteering for submarine...
EP8: KGB stalker and drunk on grapes
09 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Steve Hallquist loves everything submarines. He shares some of his many stories from his time aboard submarines during the height of the Cold War incl...
EP7: Boomers, noisy shrimp and cleaning torpedo tubes
02 May 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Gordon Allen told his parents at 23 he was joining the Navy after reading Hunt for Red October. This decision was met with "restrained disappointmen...
EP6: Shipyard Pizza Thrower and Hawaiian License Plates
25 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Bob Burchfield grew up in rust belt and decided to go into the Navy and volunteered for submarines to be unique. His first days in the shipyard and ...
EP 5: Permission to bang and dragging string
18 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Mike Reed is British and was on a diesel and nuclear sub and enjoyed the diesel more.
EP4: Fighting about cutting a grapefruit
12 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Rory Buchanan grew up in California, lost his Dad and was set adrift. He found the navy and the nuclear program and he credits it with saving his life...
EP3: Swimming With Sharks and Hating Fresh Air
06 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Bill Nowicki grew up in a large family listening to his Dad talk about the Navy. Â After a year working at Friendly's, Bill decided it was time to j...
EP2: Billion Dollar Boat Driver
03 Apr 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Jody Durham grew up in a small town in East Texas. He listened to his Dad and Grandfather talk about their time in the Navy and the action they witn...
EP1: Family Grams and Popcorn
31 Mar 2014
Contributed by Lukas
Clayton Wetzel talks about his reasons for joining the Navy and volunteering for submarines. He relives what he went through and some stories lik...