666 – THE DEVIL BOAT
So there you are, just a few weeks from graduating “C” School. Your instructor comes in with orders to your first submarine. You are a little apprehensive about going to your first boat. You’re wondering what heck you were thinking and why you volunteered for submarine duty in the first place, must be crazy. You flash back briefly to how you got here to this point and time. Good up bringing in a small town, Father worked hard at the local factory. Your Mother made sure you attended church every Sunday and did your homework. Upon your high school graduation, some fancy talking dressed in all white recruiter persuades you into a career and adventure on the High Seas. Whole deal sounds like a good ticket out of the small town you have grown up. Mother was worried about the enlistment, especially when she found out you were going to be on a submarine. Your father gave you his blessing, although he and rest of the family had served in the Army in previous wars, Navy was close enough to being in military and doing your patriotic duty. You remember how everyone wished you well and a good fortune before you left for Bootcamp.
So now it’s your turn to get your orders. “Petty Officer Jones, congratulations! You have received orders to USS Hawkbill, SSN 666.
SSN what??? 6 6 6! NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
When I first found out about USS Hawkbill “The Devil Boat“, I let that scenario I just described, play out in my head. I wondered what it might of been like to be stationed on the boat that carried the sign of the devil. You would think it would be one bad omen after another. Can you imagine having to call home to Mom and tell her that your boat is SSN 666. I’m sure some mothers and wives had sleepless nights while thier sailors were deployed. Well, since today is 06/06/06 and barring that nothing superstitious or on the scale of Armageddon happens, I figured a few quick links and discussion on USS HawkBill SSN 666 might be appropriate. Maybe we might get a former crew member to stop by with a sea story or two. The USS Hawkbill had a long and successful career. 28 years to be exact. It appears at first glance, that everyone survived a tour of duty onboard. Here is a Quote from wikipedia’s website on the devil boat:
Hawkbill was sometimes called “The Devil Boat” or the Devilfish because of chapter 13 of the Revelation of Saint John the Divine, which begins “And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea….” and ends “Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred threescore and six.”
Here are some other great links for USS HAWKBIll SSN 666:
usshawkbill.com Navsource Hawkbill (SSN-666) facts and images
USS Hawkbill SCICEX 99 Submarines Under Ice
CNN – Onboard the USS Hawkbill
USS Hawkbill at the North Pole