CDR Salamander Growing 'Phins?
CDR Salamander has returned from whatever spooky areas he disappears to, and throws up a couple of submarine-related posts. He posts his thoughts on the punishment of the San Francisco CO, and has an timely photo of a submarine conning tower (USS Pampanito, if you were interested) to celebrate the blogosphere's "clean sweep" of MSM idiocy. (My brief discussion of the history of the use of a broom on a submarine's masts is located here.) As far as I know, the Christmas tree lashed to a mast doesn't have any symbolic meaning, other than the obvious. For a discussion of the origin of the broom on the masts, as well as its surprising relationship with the tradition of the ship's commissioning pennant, click here -- 3rd paragraph down. The tradition was introduced to the U.S. Submarine Fleet, as far as I know, by CDR Dudley "Mush" Morton following the 3rd war patrol of USS Wahoo (SS-238). Anyone who knows of an earlier U.S. submarine use is welcome to enlighten me; this one I'm honestly not sure about.
Going deep...
posted by Bubblehead at 4:42 PM
3 Comments:
Phins?!?! Well, at least you didn't call me a Shoe. :)
Yep, you sub guys and your traditions. Check the link below. Very "touchy" with the "Jolly Roger" flag too. Go down to the "Dear Admiral Richie" entry about the naughty Kiwi Shoes. As for the picture that goes with the post; I'm not sure what that means.
http://www.submarinesaustralia.com/log_archives/log_16_may.html
2/14/2005 6:28 PM
Sorry, I can't answer for the Aussie submariners... they're a breed apart, even for us. Alan, any thoughts from your end?
2/14/2005 7:56 PM
The broom on the mast stems from De Ruyters or Tromps attacks up the Thames ca. the 1660s. I believe De Ruyter (though a quick Google search say Tromp) tied the broom to his mast as a message to the British: "I will sweep you from the Channel [or seas]." It's a very, very old tradition.
2/16/2005 6:28 AM
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