5508 Sub with military provenance

[topcat30093]

Thank you to the OP for sharing with us this amazing story.
But also to all other participants, especially fozzy for the interesting information and history.

[cajuntiger]

Originally Posted by topcat30093

Thank you to the OP for sharing with us this amazing story.
But also to all other participants, especially fozzy for the interesting information and history.

Thanks, I really enjoyed learning more about her Dad and his cool watch

[interestedwatcher]

The lume looks like (and sorry if it's been said already) the mid to late 60s zinc sulfide tritium - when UVd it holds charge like radium, but dies off within a minute or so.

IT can look like your dial (sort of like a glow in the dark glue) or it can look granuley and falling apart. Many people say these are relumes, it's just not a particularly well understood lume.

[Easy Rhino]

I'll reply with more detail later, but radium dial watches were forbidden items on US Navy submarines from the earliest days of nuclear powered subs. The reason being that the radium radioactive decay would show up on the ship's radiation sensors and result in a goose chase to try to find the source of contamination. So that may play into the dial on this beautiful watch. I'll add that my active submarine service seemed to have overlapped with this officer. However, his DD214 does include officer submarine school (6 mos) but not naval nuclear power school, so he presumably was not a nuclear trained officer and would have then been assigned to the few remaining diesel electric submarines in the US Navy although it was a shrinking community as the number of nuclear powered boats increased.

[Easy Rhino]

A few other random notes although not all about the watch. He is shown being high wire transferred from the cruiser USS Macon (CA-132) presumably to the carrier USS Midway (CV/CVA-41).

He was awarded the Armed Services Expeditionary Medal for the Taiwan Straight Conflict which was August-December 1958. The Midway was part of that; however, it's not clear that his pictures of Midway are from that crisis. It is not shown on his DD214 to which ship he was assigned when he was awarded the ASEM.

He also was awarded the Navy Expeditionary Medal which was somewhat frequently awarded to submarines during the Cold War for "unspecified operations."

His pictures are great and include many good shots of ships in addition to him in snappy uniform with Bancroft Hall in the background. USNA grads will recognize this.

His Commander promotion certificate dated 1980 would be at a rather lengthy flow point to O-5, (22 years if USNA grad in 1958) perhaps reflecting how difficult it would have been to make rank as a non-nuclear submariner with few diesel boats left on which to serve. That is no reflection on this officer or his career, only the reality of being in a community when it is shrinking, eroding the chances of making rank. However, it should also be noted that his DD214 indicates that he successfully screened for command, which is no small feat - clearing the hurdles for command of a submarine is a HUGE deal.

Anyways, thanks OP for posting this. It helps to remind me, and perhaps others, of the tool watch nature of the classic Submariner. I served in the submarine force from 1979-2003 and later worked in the submarine maintenance community as a federal civilian and it was not uncommon at all to see Rolex Subs on officer's wrists as well as on Navy SEALs wrists. That's why I wanted one.

[subx]

great info @Easy_Rhino thx for sharing !

[SOG DIVER]

[QUOTE=Easy Rhino;13384482]A few other random notes although not all about the watch. He is shown being high wire transferred from the cruiser USS Macon (CA-132) presumably to the carrier USS Midway (CV/CVA-41).

He was awarded the Armed Services Expeditionary Medal for the Taiwan Straight Conflict which was August-December 1958. The Midway was part of that; however, it's not clear that his pictures of Midway are from that crisis. It is not shown on his DD214 to which ship he was assigned when he was awarded the ASEM.

He also was awarded the Navy Expeditionary Medal which was somewhat frequently awarded to submarines during the Cold War for "unspecified operations."

His pictures are great and include many good shots of ships in addition to him in snappy uniform with Bancroft Hall in the background. USNA grads will recognize this.

His Commander promotion certificate dated 1980 would be at a rather lengthy flow point to O-5, (22 years if USNA grad in 1958) perhaps reflecting how difficult it would have been to make rank as a non-nuclear submariner with few diesel boats left on which to serve. That is no reflection on this officer or his career, only the reality of being in a community when it is shrinking, eroding the chances of making rank. However, it should also be noted that his DD214 indicates that he successfully screened for command, which is no small feat - clearing the hurdles for command of a submarine is a HUGE deal.

Anyways, thanks OP for posting this. It helps to remind me, and perhaps others, of the tool watch nature of the classic Submariner. I served in the submarine force from 1979-2003 and later worked in the submarine maintenance community as a federal civilian and it was not uncommon at all to see Rolex Subs on officer's wrists as well as on Navy SEALs wrists. That's why I wanted one. [


The Grayback was one of those diesel boats that we in the 7th Special Forces Group(ABN) operated with off the N.C. coast. Our divers and A-teams
regularly conducted insertions using submarine night operations.
My 1680 red Submariner came from a leave trip to Hong Kong while on a combat tour with MACVSOG-5th Special Forces in Vietnam. There were at least 3 other Submariner 1680s purchased at the same time by fellow Green Beret officers. Rolex watches were almost an issue item in Special Forces units.

The Submariners enjoyed a reputation as tough tool watches that were resilient enough to stand up to harsh military conditions including combat.
Mine has withstood 50 years of service.

[Styles Bitchley]

This thread is so fantastic. Thanks to you all for the really interesting insights about the watch, the military and the man.

[Easy Rhino]

Originally Posted by SOG DIVER

The Grayback was one of those diesel boats that we in the 7th Special Forces Group(ABN) operated with off the N.C. coast. Our divers and A-teams
regularly conducted insertions using submarine night operations.
My 1680 red Submariner came from a leave trip to Hong Kong while on a combat tour with MACVSOG-5th Special Forces in Vietnam. There were at least 3 other Submariner 1680s purchased at the same time by fellow Green Beret officers. Rolex watches were almost an issue item in Special Forces units.

The Submariners enjoyed a reputation as tough tool watches that were resilient enough to stand up to harsh military conditions including combat.
Mine has withstood 50 years of service.

My second boat (SSN) operated with the Grayback in and around Hawaii and the Philippines in 1982-1983. Sadly, it was during this general period when five divers died aboard Grayback when the decompression chamber was not operated or did not operate correctly. She decommissioned shortly thereafter.

[linesiders]

Originally Posted by reedzpainter

Great to see these posts and fantastic pictures and information.
To add to early service dials; here is my ‘II.62’ 5508 from 1962 which has case back markings from a Rolex Geneva service ‘GE IV 1965’. The dial was replaced with a glossy Gilt Tritium lumed dial and on top of the lacquer layer is the silver depth rating which in this instance was inverted with ‘SUBMARINER’.

This is the 1964 era Tritium Dial with the lovely caramel lume and T SWISS < 25, or what I consider the second generation of service dials on these with Tritium instead of Radium.