The DECOM organizing committee is requesting a head-count of those who plan to be present at the Ceremony at Keyport.
During this unprecedented time, with restrictions still in effect, the number of alumni desiring to attend is an important factor. The State of Washington and the Navy requirements are monitored on a daily basis for signs of further relaxing of the restrictions. Nevertheless, “early” intel is useful to accommodate the many alumni, supporters and active-duty crewmembers of USS Bremerton who want to be a live part of the boat’s history.
In addition to the DECOM to be held at Keyport’s Naval Undersea Museum, plans for celebration and reunion events on May 18th are currently in progress in Bremerton and Poulsbo (more news to come). The number of alumni planning to take part is of paramount importance.
Please send an email to BremertonReunion.alumni@gmail.com to signal your plans to attend along with a brief description of your service history aboard SSN-698.
Note: If you are a Plankowner who has not already registered with this website, please state you are a Plankowner in your E-mail response.
Cold War Submariner Paul Henri Gagnon of Fernandina Beach, Florida, departed 12/25/2019
He qualified in submarines aboard JOHN ADAMS in 1965
Paul served on USS John Adams SSBN 620 (G) & (B) 1963-1971
NRD Boston 1971 thorugh 1975
USS Bergal SSN 667 1974 to 1978
USS Bremerton SSN 698 1978 to 1981
Submarine Squadron Seven 1981 to 1986
He served in the USN from 1962 to 1986
He was a Life and Holland Club member of USSVI Bowfin Base.
Sailor, Rest your oar.
USS Bremerton SSN 698 Plankowner and Chief of the Boat
by bremertonreunion.net
The Chief of the Boat (COB) carries an immense responsibility in the Silent Service as the the senior enlisted advisor to the commanding officer and executive officer.
It cannot be overstated, how the leadership of one man, in conjunction with the commanding officer, directly effects the cohesion necessary for an effective fighting unit, especially in the closed, intimate, and demanding environment of a submarine preparing for its life and execution of its duty at sea.
The COB’s support for the discipline, morale, meaningful navy tradition, and personal mentorship manifests in the collective soul of the crew and through their work, the submarine herself.
Command Master Chief Paul Henri Gagnon performed his duty with invaluable leadership, authenticity, and heart, eliciting great respect from officers and enlisted men whose loyalty and admiration for the man continues undiminished to this day.
We bid him peace on his journey onward with the greatest gratitude for his dedicated service to his shipmates and to his country.
Paul’s wishes are to be interred along side his wife at the National Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Image of MMCM/SS Paul Gagnon from the USS Bremerton’s Commissioning program, courtesy of John Scanlan, plank owner.
Some of the Bremerton Boys at Norm’s and Annie’s Lounge in Groton, CT. (circa 1979) Bottom Row: Ken “Colonel” Collins. Tom “Mac” McPhillips, Donald Jones, Ray Rich, Tim “Burt” Noble. Top row: Jim Rowe, Peter Berns. Timmy Naylor, Jim “the Rev” Jones, and Russ Woods (photo courtesy of Russ Woods). More photos at the end of article.
How Norm’s Lounge and the Bremerton Boys came to be
Story by Russ Woods, Plankowner
It was late in 1979 the Bremerton Boys were in search of a place to hang out and let our hair down. Someone in our posse heard the soon to be legendary Tommy Cox, was gonna be playing at Rosa’s Cantina. Of course being newly minted sailors fresh out of Sub School we flocked to see this balladeer of the Submarine.
As it turned out Tommy Cox, was a good ole boy who welcomed us nubs as though we were salty veterans of the deep abyss. We danced and cheered as Tommy sang songs of daring do, done by bad ass boat sailors. After his show he willingly engaged us in conversation and informed us he and his band mates would be playing regular at “Tug Boat Annie’s” AKA Norm’s Lounge beginning the next week. Well of course we marked the date and time in our calendars. We eagerly arrived as early birds and staked out prime real estate in the corner near the fire place which was never used. This became our corner.
Tommy and his band arrived and played our songs mixed with some nice covers of the day’s standard country music fare. We all felt like this was a cool place to be. Moving forward every Friday and Saturday night from then until Bremerton left for Hawaii save for a handful of times we were at sea the Bremerton Boys were there in our corner.
We developed a strong bond with the owners Norm and Annie. Yes, Tug Boat Annie, was Norm’s wife. I have no clue how she got that moniker. We were such a fixture in our corner of the bar on those few occasions when we had to go to sea, the staff would close that section off lest some interlopers might attempt to stake it out as theirs.
There were nights at Norm’s when one or more of us would be nursing a single beer for an hour. The waitress would see this and magically that sailor’s beer would be refreshed on a regular basis. Gratis. I know this to be true because I was the beneficiary of this kindness on at least one occasion. I know from conversation others in this group were treated with equal generosity.
Many magical things occurred at Norm’s. My A#1 good buddy Peter Burns met the love of his life Lori there. Another charter member and very dear friend Timmy “Tithead” Naylor, got real good acquainted with his lifelong love Daphne while hanging at Norm’s.
Many of our Bremerton shipmates would stop in every so often some more often than others. We always had a party going on in our corner. We were as much a fixture in there as Tommy and his band. We would be dancing and singing along and on occasion there would be dancing on the tables. The harder we partied the more energetic Tommy and his boys played.
Norm and Annie were also very forgiving. In my youth I was not always patient with folks and on some occasions there were ner’ do wells who sought to interject themselves into our party in what might be considered a rude manner. Normally a discrete trip out to the parking lot would allow a solution for the problem. On one occasion the misunderstanding escalated quickly and someone got a bloody nose right there in our corner. Of course that behavior was frowned upon by most civilized folks and Norm. He came over after the offending group had left.
He had a look on his face and I was sure I was about to get banished forever. I was very sad and angry at myself for behaving as I had.
Norm sat in a chair and motioned for me to sit beside him. The Bremerton boys all moved away as far as they could in the corner giving us space. I think they sensed Woody was about to get the boot.
Norm looked at me like I was the Beaver, and he was Ward Cleaver.
In a very fatherly tone he asked me “What happened?”
I explained in the most contrite manner I could muster up the miscreant who had just been smited about the head and shoulders was talking trash about this place and those of us who were there. “…I took offense and lost my temper and I am sorry.”
Norm smiles puts his arm around my shoulder and says,
“Well, we’re gonna do better to stay calm next time. Right?
“Yes Sir, I certainly will.”
He got up and never said another word.
On other times during Christmas and New Year’s Norm would close the bar – It would be invitation only. Steamship round and beer. The beef was free we paid for the beer. Tommy would be playing and of course the Bremerton Boys were VIP’s.
Norm bought the building next door. He asked if we would be able to show up on Saturday and help knock down the wall between the two buildings. We did not understand how God could grace us with such great luck. A really cool bar, with a really cool owner, Tommy Cox Band playing AND we get to come in and tear shit up without getting into trouble. Well understand we took great glee in knocking down that wall. Our only regret is we weren’t allowed to knock down the wall on the other side. Norm paid us off in cold Miller beers.
During the time we haunted Tug Boat Annie’s. A number of the Chiefs and Officers including Capt. Anderson made visits on a Saturday night. In our brief time together, in our little corner of a small bar in Groton, Connecticut, we were all royalty. It was a grand time to be alive and none of us will ever trade our time there for anything.
After Bremerton sailed us around to Pearl, Tommy Cox continued to play at Norm’s a few more years. We left there in 1981 and I returned in 1983 for my second trip through Elastic Boat. I of course made my way in there. Our waitress was still there, she hugged me and said Friday and Saturday nights were never the same after we left. I replied the same was true for us.
RW
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Candid shots of Norm and Annie’s Lounge with the Bremerton Boys
Photos courtesy of Larry and Marianne Tharp.
Larry and Marianne Tharp had their wedding reception at Norm and Annie’s Lounge with Tommy Cox and his band providing the entertainment.The Tommy Cox Band, Larry Tharp and Marianne on the dance floor
Jeff Dietrich, Mary, and “Balladeer of the Submarine” Tommy Cox
Peter J. Berns and Ken Burnside with the epic smoke hanging off his lips.
Clemon “C.C.” Cager
Sharon and Ken Burnside with friends of the Tharps, Patty, howard, Shirley, and Ronnie.Jeff Dietrich and Larry Tharp with their ladies.
Marianne Tharp with Tommy Cox’s father
This token is courtesy of Marianne Tharp and she shares this story to go along with it: “Tommy Cox gave it to me one night. We have his album and his CDs. Larry [Tharp] and I met at Norm’s Lounge in January of 1980 and he asked me to marry him in February 1980…. and got married on May 10th, 1980. Seems like after that someone got married every few weeks… so much fun we all had. Good memories for sure!”
Editor’s Note: If anyone is able and willing to contribute a few qualified photo’s of Norm’s Lounge with 698 Shipmates and/or especially photos of Norm and Annie or the store front. please contact me through this website. I will amend this article with the appropriate photos.
LISTEN TO TOMMY COX SING
“The Dives We’ve Known” and more on You-Tube including “Still on Patrol” which mentions the Bremerton
click on the image
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LOOKING BACK – Bremerton’s Sister-Ships at Electric Boat
Electric Boat yard, USS Ohio (SSBN-726) and the USS Jacksonville (SSN-699). Photo source U.S. Navy Institute.
LOOKING FORWARD
USS Bremerton, the most senior not yet de-commissioned submarine in the United States Navy, is currently at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard preparing for Decommissioning.
SAVE THE 698
Join the Movement. Are you passionate about preserving the USS Bremerton in any way shape or form after her decommissioning for the benefit of the public and of naval history? You are invited to a new closed group forum on Facebook “SaveThe698” to be involved in public discussion related to Saving 698. You can see the group site by clicking HERE.
Editor’s Note: I want to thank Russ Woods, ICC/SS USN (Ret) for keeping the memory alive with another great candid eye-witness reflection about one of the original USS Bremerton SSN 698 sailors.
This is a republication of an original posted in January 2017 in effort to consolidated some relevant 698 history and sea-stories in the bremertonreuion.net website.
If you would like to submit an “unclassified” 698 sea story for publication, please contact me, Challen Yee, for assistance.
MM1(SS) Michael Riley McGann
By Russ Woods
I submit this short recollection of one of the major players aboard Bremerton SSN 698during our early days in the shipyard of Electric Boat. The delays in construction caused by the shipyard created a condition where we did not get to sail with a lot of the senior Petty Officers and Chiefs who are normally an integral part of a crew, not just for the successful deployment of a brand new submarine but for the development and future success of us – the junior nubs.
I chose MM1 (SS) Michael Riley McGann to write about first simply because I know what a profound effect he had on all of us non-quals. He is not the only one that deserves tribute in this manner. Others will come. I have several I would like to see admired if you will. I am hoping through the 698 Facebookgroup Challen Yee has put together, my shipmates might also name one or more that they believe impacted us in a significant way.
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From the USS Bremerton SSN 698 Commissioning Program.
Front row:Michael McGann, MMC(SS) Ken Richardson (A-Div LPO), Ed Putnam, Mark Bilsborough. Back row: Sean Hankin, Raymond Lee Rich (aka Rich Ray), Timothy Ohlman, Lee Cable*, Ken Collins (aka Colonel Ken), Elmer Jatko, Jr., Doug Neeld. *It should be noted Lee Cable was from Bremerton, WA. One of the 3 hometown sailors to be assigned to USS Bremerton (Thanks to Plankowners Sean Hankin and Russ Woods for recalling everyone’s names. Photo Source: Plankowner Tom McPhillips).
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For those unfortunates who never got to experience Michael Riley McGann(aka M.R., Michael Riley, McGann), allow me to set the stage. He stood about 5’7″ maybe 8″ with a swimmers physique. He would come to the boat in the AM with clean dungarees. By 08:00 he was covered in oil and grease. He was a human pipe cleaner. His size allowed him to get deep into the piping and valves of the different A-Division equipment: Hydraulic systems, air systems and of course the Diesel engine. If there was grease or oil available to stain a set of dungarees MR could find it.
When he was not growling at some non-qual he had a boisterous laugh. Now what someone could miss about McGann, with his gruff no nonsense demeanor and a standard unparalleled when it came time to check a young sailor out on a particular system, was inside there was a genuine desire for all of us to excel and do well. He was not hard on us because he was as one might think….an asshole. He took pride in knowing when he signed his name on your qual card you had stretched the limits of what you believed you were capable of.
An observant person could see he was proud of you for earning that signature. Michael would not say it out loud. More than likely after signing your card he would give it back and tell you to go away and stop bugging him. But the pride in you was there.
I have no doubt he was most likely the heaviest toad on the boat. A-gang Master Chief Gagnon, never to my knowledge had a disparaging word to say to or about M.R. McGann, he was respected by all on board – from lowlifes like me, a Fireman Recruit, to the Skipper, Captain Anderson. This respect was demonstrated one day on the IX-504 barge. When after morning quarters the buzz went out that McGann was UA (Unauthorized Absence). OH SNAP! The idea of McGann getting busted was a definite WTF? (OH Crap) The Command was looking all over for him. Not at home, not in the hospital, not in jail.
Now Michael Riley, was also known to party hard. “He was a real Boat Sailor.” I don’t think there could have been more concern if the reactor had scrammed and it was yet to go critical. So about 11:00-ish, Michael Riley staggered into the barge. Oh My! He looked like hell. He was one hung over puppy. Us fresh out of boot camp non-quals were sure MM1 McGann was soon to be MM2 McGann. But you wanna know what happens when you are the heaviest toad on the boat who out-works all others when you screw the pooch? Nuthin! Absolutely Nuthin!
For at least 48 hours there were whispers and concerns about what would become of M.R.
The incident just…disappeared.
And we the crew somehow understood why.
He was one of very few who could have dodged that bullet. But in his case the bullet never got fired. Most of that is due to who he was and the contributions he made to the boat. That McGann signatureon your qual card was indeed gold. Another reason for his escape was that between Capt. Anderson, the XO Frankie Lee from Tennessee, and the COB Master Chief Pomella, there was not a wit of interest from these three in taking down Michael Riley. These men believed in an aggressive Navy. They wanted hard working, hard playing, and yes, hard fighting sailors. McGann was all three in spades.
RW
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USS Bremerton SSN 698 News
“Aloha” Bremerton, coming back into Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
LOOKING FORWARD
USS Bremerton, the most senior commissioned submarine in the United States Navy, is currently at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard preparing for Decommissioning.
SAVE THE 698
Join the Movement. Are you passionate about preserving the USS Bremerton in any way shape or form after her decommissioning for the benefit of the public and of naval history? You are invited to a new closed group forum on Facebook “SaveThe698” to be involved in public discussion related to Saving 698. You can see the group site by clicking HERE.
The Decommissioning Committee is seeking PLANKOWNERS and Plankowner surviving next-of-kin from USS Bremerton (SSN 698) to take special part in the upcoming Ceremonies, details TBA.
All 698 Alumni are welcome to take part in the Ceremony events.
Please contact 698 Alummi/Plankowner search coordinator with your mailing address (and other contact info if you are willing) ASAP:
08 MAY 1976: KEEL LAID
22 JUL 1978 LAUNCHED
28 MAR 1981 COMMISSIONED
11 JUL 1981 DEPARTS GROTON
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28 OCT 1981 Reports to Homeport PEARL HARBOR
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18 AUG 1998 Reports to Homeport SAN DIEGO
16 SEP 2003 Reports to Homeport PEARL HARBOR
27 APR 2018 Arriving in BREMERTON to begin inactivation/DECOM process
Photos/Images sources or courtesy of: Bremerton-Olympic Navy League Council of the US, Donald Jones, Google, US Navy, John Scanlan, Challen Yee, Ray Proud, GlobalSecurity.org, and USS Bremerton-SSN698, spec mention to Clint Ceralde, originator of the BadFish