September 2008 - New Key shipmates added in September 2008. Cwiklinski, Ronald 69 - 72; Douglas, Michael 76 - 80; Robertson, Charles 83 - 87; Spruitenburg, Fredrik - CO 79 - 82; Horn, Joe 88 - 92. Check crew list for details.

September 11, 2008 - We will never forget.

September 10, 2008 - A first for the Key web site! We just received our first video of inside the Key on patrol 71, the last blue crew patrol. This was sent to us by LT Tom Wagner. Here is his e-mail to me:

"Little science experiment here, let's see if this works. I think I've converted about 40 seconds of VHS tape to an ok MPEG file, it's about 6MB. This is during a test dive during patrol 71 (Spring of 1992) when we did the last blue crew patrol, kind of weird in that we went all the way from Kings Bay into the Med, did a few days alert, got a port call, and then all the way back home. It was strange being mod-alert almost all the time, the "feel" was probably a lot more like being on an SSN because we were transiting deep and fast and coming up a couple times a day to clear the broadcast. Actually it was a lot like late that year in 1992 after we converted back to single crew for decommissioning and were sort of a "slow attack" for a while. An SSN with MTs (missile techs) and missile tubes full of ballast water, if you will.

Well anyway I hope this attachment comes through the email ok and plays alright. I figured you being an MT and all, I'd use a small clip showing MCML around Launcher. This is during a test dive and the string in the picture is when we tried that thing where you tie a string athwartships and see if it sags as the boat goes deeper and deeper. Most of the guys in the clip are either MTs, STS (sonar techs), and the guy in the red shirt is one of the MSs (cook). Hope you like it."

We hope Tom is soon able to convert more of the VHS for us to see. Click here (Launcher Video) to view 40 seconds of video taken as Tom enters middle level missile from ops.

September 1, 2008 - A few months ago shipmate Ken McCracken on this web site, asked everyone to send in their sea stories to him for a book he wanted to write about the Key. Well, Ken has finished the book and he has called it Key Memories. Ken sent me the 79 pages in a pdf file so that all Key shipmates could enjoy the stories. To read or download the book just click on Key Memories. Here is a taste of the book, Page 1.

I am a sailor still.

I erupt with harsh, strong language in tack, thank you very much. The ocean still

captivates me. I seldom do serious offshore anymore, but just the other side of

Fishers Island is the real ocean, and "...your ocean is so great and my boat is so

small" applies nearly every weekend.

Sailing quietly in a pea soup fog, hoping your navigation gets you to Block Island

and not Portugal, the 30-knot squall line that hits you in the middle of a quiet day

sail, or having to head home against a howling Westerly and of course against the

tide....

"It all brings me to like and where I want to be. It is true; sailors belong on ships,

and ships belong at sea."

Steve Rosen, Blue Crew 67 - 70

_________________

sub"ma"rine (sub´mu ren´) ... 2. (n) a kind of warship, armed with torpedoes, missiles, etc., that can operate under water.

Sub"ma"rin"er (sub´mu ren´ er) 1. (n) one of the dumb sons of bitches that dives, drives, lives and loves submarines. (See sewerpipe sailor, bubblehead, dumb shit, snorkle sniffer,...)