How does Santa get inside a submarine?
Men of the Dolphin Brotherhood, working and living in "sharks of steel" beneath the ocean's cloak, from the Arctic Circle to the Equator and beyond, share their stories of Christmas at sea.
By Nancy Y. Bonar
It's rumored submariners have seen Santa Claus at the North Pole. However, it's a fact that "Santa" does appear aboard deployed boats during the Christmas season, according to four Ohioans who rode in these "sharks of steel."
As you’re reading this, from the Arctic Circle to the Equator and beyond, submarines are diving and surfacing or, otherwise, “punching holes” in oceans. Their chief stealth and silent missions
include surveillance of surface ships and coastal regions, protecting aircraft carriers and destroyers from undersea threats such as mines and enemy submarines, dropping off and retrieving Navy SEAL special-operation forces, conducting scientific
experiments, and even shadowing drug traffickers.
The Silent Service is, by the very nature of its missions, very seldom in the public eye, including for the global war on terrorism. Exceptions are when submarines might be spotted
near home ports (and sometimes seen decorated for Christmas),
or participating in a special event for the public. Ask a submariner, “Where did you go, what did you do?” He’s sure to answer, “We went out, we came back.” He might add, "Whoever controls the ocean’s depths also controls its surface, and only submarines can do this.”
These nuclear-powered, windowless boats, on which submariners go for months without seeing the sun or stars, are among the most sophisticated weapons systems ever designed by man. Submarines and crews travel from two to more than nine months with the majority of that time submerged as deep as in
excess of 800 feet. (The Washington Monument is 555’ high; Cleveland, Ohio’s Key Tower, 999’.)
The length of one or two football fields, a submarine’s actual living space is about the size of a three-bedroom house. But imagine that within this “house” are 130 to 150 men or more men living and working in cramped quarters during 18-hour days. They alternate in six-hour shifts; six on duty; six studying, reading, playing board and card games, and watching movies; and, if they’re lucky, six hours sleeping in narrow stacked beds called “racks.” In groups, they take turns eating three full meals plus midnight rations or “midrats.”
The sailors are surrounded by nuclear reactors, missiles, and torpedoes, and always alert to the perils of the sea from both outside and within the boat. There’s little communication with loved ones.
The greatest morale booster for submariners is the high-quality, nutritious food prepared by the boats’ culinary specialists (CSs), who earn and qualify like other crew members to wear the coveted Dolphin pin. In fact, submarines are known for having the best food in the military. The six to eight CSs, and always a baker among them, daily prepare about 430 made-from-scratch meals plus midnight rations or “midrats.” There’s always freshly baked bread, rolls, pies, cookies or cakes and, routinely the historically beloved cinnamon sticky buns.
How the Christmas season is observed on a sub is determined by the boat’s commanding officer. But always, Christmas dinner is a five-star, soup-to-nuts feast. Activities on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day might comprise carols, movies, a “church” service, family-grams (40-word messages from families), and a crew gift exchange. Extra special for the crew are videos and/or gifts from families that are secretly stashed on the boat prior to going to sea, then handed out by a Santa-dressed crew member. Submariners squeeze these holiday activities between duties and time off.
Now hear this! Santa or his elves?
Retired Petty Officer 1st Class Larry Emmons, Massillon, Ohio, was never at home for Christmas during his 20-submarine career; rather, he was on 13 different patrols. His last tour was on the USS Henry L. Stimson (SSBN 655), a trident ballistic missile sub. “We made the boats as hospitable as
possible for Christmas so there would be good memories,” Emmons says. “We always carried a small decorated Christmas tree, and we used garlands to decorate the enlistees’ mess and officers’ wardroom.”
He adds, “Before deployment, wives or other loved ones made video tapes and the chief of the boat collected them as well as Christmas gifts. We played the tapes and opened gifts on Christmas Day. Dinner featured prime rib roast, roasted turkey, and several types of pie like pumpkin, apple, and mincemeat.”
Emmons concludes, “Christmas Eve was also special. A crew lay leader, Catholic or nondenominational, conducted a service and we sang carols.”
Medina, Ohio’s Mark Codding, once a machinist’s mate on the fast attack USS Narwhal (SSN 671), says, “I have some vivid memories of Christmas submerged at sea. Among these are receiving holiday family-grams delivered to me and other crew by a chief petty officer dressed as Santa and, on Christmas Eve, the boat being filled with the aroma from the night baker's cookies.”
Codding adds, “On Christmas Day, someone broke out boxes of hot cocoa mix that he’d hidden away for this special occasion and there were continuous movies. Food was always good on the Narwhal, but Christmas dinner with roast beef and turkey, and
even the food from cans, was extra special.”
John Ackerman, Kent, Ohio, a retired lieutenant.commander recalls, “It was a memorable Christmas season when the USS Argonaut (SS 475) surfaced as we passed through the Strait of Gibraltar and into the Mediterranean Sea before docking in Naples.” At the time, Ackerman was a young enlistee quartermaster on this diesel-powered attack submarine.
“Christmas dinner aboard the boat was even better than what we usually ate,” Ackerman continues. “The cooks really lifted our spirits with a fantastic menu. It was the same spread for the
enlisted crew’s mess and officers’ wardroom -- primte rib roast and roasted turkey with all the trimmings, and lots of homemade bread and rolls as well as pies, cookies, and cakes. And, as always, ice cream.”
Rather than focusing on Christmas trees, Naples is known, as it was when Ackerman visited, for its multitude of lighted nativity scenes and special holiday foods. But, says Ackerman, “It was only later I’d learn that the food of Naples, including pizza and pasta dishes, forms the basis for most of our Italian-American cuisine."
Ackerman remembers that "It had been earlier in December when I was really hit with Christmas memories of home
and family. The Argonaut was anchored near the French Riviera in Villefranche, home port of the Commander, U.S. Sixth Fleet. “It was beautiful looking at both the lighted city and, in the little harbor, decorated ships. Among them was the fleet flagship, the heavy cruiser USS Salem (CA 139) with its lighted "Joyeux Noel" banner.
Ron Halvorson, city of Green, Ohio, was a fire control technician second class aboard the fast attacks USS Key West (SSN 722) and USS Jacksonville (SSN 699). Upon leaving the submarine service in 1998, he became a Naval Reserves chief petty officer.
“Communication with loved ones and others at Christmas was the greatest gift,” says Halvorson. “I especially remember the glut of orange mail bags filled with packages and letters from home. The bags, transferred to us by a small boat from a surface ship, filled up the crews’ mess.” Halvorson also recalls the batches
having letters addressed to “Any Sailor” from schools, and civic
clubs such as Rotary, Kiwanis, and Jaycees. Some crew ended up with girl friends as a result of this Christmas mail.
"The command always made sure we had a break of some sort over Christmas. And they fed us right – prime rib with all the fixings or a nice surf and turf dinner.” Grinning, he says, “They saved the sweet and sour hot dogs for the days we were running short on food.”
Halvorson notes, “Submariners have a great sense of humor. One year the topside watch yelled into the announcing system: ‘Kris Kringle, arriving! Kris Kringle, arriving.’ With much of the crew
watching a movie in the crews’ mess, we all got a kick out of the duty officer charging through on his way topside to chew out the watchstander.”
Charitable activities are a part of submariners' lives. For instance, at home and in some foreign ports, and including during holidays, the sailors visit children’s hospitals, give blood, help
rebuild homes, provide submarine tours to school students, and run in charity marathons, to mention a few self-giving activities.
Pride runs deep for these special men of the Dolphin Brotherhood, both during and after service. They remain bonded to one another as in blood-related families. The late Capt. Harry M. Yockey (USN Ret), a submarine commander from Dover, Ohio, once explained: “We have something very special not shared by the rest of the Navy or military or, for that matter, not even the civilized world."
Editor's Note: This article was written by Nancy Y. Bonar, APR, Medina, Ohio, a USSVI lifetime member and USS COD Base, associate member. Her late brother, Capt. Yockey, was CO, USS Salmon (SS 573); XO, USS Runner (SS 476); had two officer tours, USS Sirago (SS 485); and was the Tomahawk Weapons System program manager for testing/development/successful launch.
Nancy, a frequent poster on the submarine message boards, is a former newspaper reporter/columnist and a retired, accredited public relations counselor who does freelance PR.
She's writing, with assistance from the U.S. Submarine Force’s master chief culinary specialist, a cookbook to educate the general public – through recipes and menus of boat culinary specialists – about the men of The Silent Service who, by the very nature of their missions, protect our freedoms without fan fare.
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