Written by Ron Stachevich On the shore of the Ohio River in Pittsburgh, right outside the Carnegie Science Center, there sits a World War II vintage USS Requin (SS-481), a TENCH class submarine commissioned in 1945. On its first patrol, the war ended. Converted to a radar picket from 1948 to 1959, the Requin
Written by Todd DePastino I'm convinced that Navy jargon exists mainly to befuddle the rest of us. But our main seafaring branch of service can't be blamed for creating its strange unit of speed measurement, the "Knot." That word, it turns out, came from previous generations of mariners. To be honest, I was never
Photos by Gary Yon Rarely do we post photos of our recent VBC storytelling events, but, then again, we don't usually have a photographer of Gary Yon's caliber taking them. Gary joined us once again at Grist House Brewing in Millville, PA, near Pittsburgh, for our annual VBC Burgers & Craft Beer event. Gary's
Written by Todd DePastino If you travel through Terminal 2, Concourse B of one of the busiest airports in the world, you can learn in impressive 3-dimensions how O’Hare in Chicago got its name. If asked, I probably would have guessed that Chicago O'Hare International Airport was named for a colorful but now forgotten
written by Todd DePastino US Navy Submarine Veteran Rick Elster attended our National Submarine Day event at the Carnegie Science Center on April 11 and told me about Tommy Cox, a folk hero in the submarine community. Tommy Cox touched the hearts of submarine veterans through his remarkable career and his passion for music.
written by Todd DePastino Happy 95th Birthday to Popeye, one of the few Americans to serve in four branches of service (Merchant Marine, Coast Guard, Navy, and, yes, Army--more on that below). He was also at once the toughest and most tender-hearted of cartoon characters. He overcame a one-eye disability, a serious
