USS Casimir Pulaski (SSBN-633)

was the name given to the US Navy's initial nuclear powered ballistic missile launching submarines.  All forty one vessels were the most expensive and most powerful warships ever launched by any nation.  Carrying sixteen Polaris A-1 intercontinental ballistic missiles, these underwater giants could rain death and destruction upon an enemy on a scale once only imagined.  "Mutually Assured Destruction" or "MAD," was the order of the day.  "You bomb me and I'll bomb you to a level from which you'll never recover."  This was the creed behind the US Navy's SSBN fleet.  The submarines, nicknamed "Boomers" came to symbolize all that the Cold War stood for. 

This site deals with one of those submarines; the USS Casimir Pulaski (SSBN-633).  The five hundred and fifteenth US Navy submarine and the only US Navy vessel named for a Polish national, Count Casimir Pulaski.  Her motto was "Per Tridentem Libertas" - or peace through seapower, and for thirty years from 1963 to 1993 she patrolled the world's oceans keeping America and her allies safe from the threat of nuclear war.  To quote George Orwell: "we sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm."  I was one of those men.  I served onboard USS Casimir Pulaski from October 1985 to April 1989. 

I am writing a book about the "Pulaski Fish" to glorify her existence and let others know of the sacrifices her crew made daily to keep her at sea, defending her nation.  She served silently, carrying her cargo of sixteen missiles and her one hundred fifty crew to and from patrol after patrol.  If you served onboard the Pulaski I'd like to hear from you.  You can contact me at:  JDM4791@Juno.com.  In the meantime, enjoy your visit to the site.  Be sure to read the SECURITY and OVERVIEW sections and by all means, drop me a line with any questions, compliments, complaints, etc.

Cheers,

Don

6 July 2010 - The third reunion in Groton, CT was a success with new faces showing up, great food and lots to do in the area.  Due to email voting, the location of the next reunion was set for summer of 2012 in Eugene, Lane County, Oregon.  As always, please be sure to check out the Reunions And Meetings page for the latest information.  If you are a former crew member, please be sure to sign the guestbook.  People now have the ability to add their own photos to the galleries.  HOWEVER - please keep naval security in mind!  Do not upload any photos of the engine room or any place back aft without clearing the photos with me first.  Photos are still coming in of the third reunion and will posted later this month.  Thank you to the Brands and Whealtons who planned and gave us a fantastic, memorable reunion.  These reunions don't plan themselves and we were fortunate to have their expert planning skills.  Thank you again Groton team for a fantastic weekend.  Also, as you may have noticed, the site's overall look (template) has changed.  This was done to improve some page loading speed and make some navigation changes to the menu item that the old style wouldn't handle.  Hope you like it.  Also took the opportunity to tweak some verbage here and there.  So if it's been a while since you've read a favorite page or two (mine is the "Port Calls" page) you may wanna take a spin through the site again.   

Last update:  5 July 2010

This website is not affiliated with the US Navy, the Department Of Defense or the U.S. Navy Submarine Force.  Any opinions expressed herein are my own and do not neccessarily reflect the blah, blah, blah...you know the drill. 

I have made many attempts to contact past shipmates.  If you see your photo here and you wish it to not be here, please email me and I'll remove your photo.  Likewise, if you are an ex shipmate and would like a copy, let me know as well and I'll make you one.  And further to the likewise, if you are an ex shipmate and would like your photo/photos posted on this website for everyone to see, let me know.  All photos submitted either digitally or physically will become the property of the www.usscasimirpulaski.com website unless you desire them to be returned to you.  All photos will be credited to the person who submitted them.  This is interesting as you may be submitting the photo but you may not be the photographer!  Never fear - if you see your work on this site and it is incorrectly credited, email me and I'll make the neccessary amendments. 

All this stuff is to the best of my knowledge, my own.  If you feel that I'm stealing your ideas or copying your work let me know.  Everything here is recollected as best I can remember.  I was retired in 1989 and have not stepped foot onboard a Polaris SSBN since then.  So if you read something that doesn't sound right, or if you're an ex shipmate and I describe something that's not how you "remember it," by all means, let me know.  This website deals with a submarine that served throughout the Cold War.  It was there at the early stages and it was there at the end.  The whole point of this website is not to justify the actions of the various government's involved or to say who was right and who was wrong.  The sole purpose of this website is to educate the public by remembering the sacrifices of the US Navy's Submarine crews who patrolled the world's oceans, keeping our nation and the nations of our allies, safe for democracy.

This is a story who's telling is long overdue - both by the crewmembers who lived the life and by the U.S. Government.  The world wide web has given many people an outlet for capturing memories and recollections.  Let's hope that this website gives birth to many others, because as you will find out on this site, the USS Casimir Pulaski was but one of hundreds of submarines keeping the free world safe. 

Enjoy your visit!