Holy Loch, Scotland at Work

(Note: These pages are graphic intensive please be patient)

Holy Loch

This is the first view of Holy Loch that you would have coming in from patrol

"The Holy Loch"

Never a Slow Day!

Lets see, that's a 616, a 640, a 594, a 637, the YD 245 floating barge crane and a YTB tug boat, that's got to be a record!

Typical* day in the life of a Missile Technician

Missile move on the Webster

* Sarcasm Intended..... Having been there, I can attest to the fact that this day was anything but typical. Can any of you "old" MT's out there figure out what's wrong with this picture?

"Holy Loch, Summer Of '79"

USS HOLLAND (AS 32)

I took this picture during the summer of '79 while conducting turnover with the Gold crew. The submarine along side the HOLLAND is USS JOHN ADAMS (SSBN 620). If I remember the inlaid tile on the decks of this ship correctly, they proclaimed themselves to be "WGT" (the Worlds Greatest Tender). My last visit on board the HOLLAND was during their last Poseidon NTPI in Charleston, South Carolina. This was either in '90 or '91, I was conducting their NTPI as part of the SUBLANT inspection team. My understanding was that they were leaving soon after that to become the forward deployed submarine tender in Guam. Can anyone verify that?

Update: The Holland was in Guam from at least '93 through '96 their decommissioning was in May of '96 in Bremerton, Washington. (Thanks for the info Jeffrey!)

Sea Story Break: Any of you Poseidon Missile Technicians remember that when loading ballast someone had to literally ride the base plate in a boson's chair as it was lowered into the missile tube from a crane (and then as each ballast can was put in place you were again lowered into the tube to adjust the spider). My first experience at this was during the 1979 spring refit tied up next to the Holland. Only after I was picked up with the crane did I realize the operator was a friend from Sub school and "A" and "C" schools. Let's just say he stopped lowering me into the loch as the cold water was causing certain parts of my body to shrivel. I can only imagine what the ramifications of such a heinous crime would be today. Back then, the only thing that was hurt was a little bit of my pride and his sides from all of the laughter...

"Another View of the Loch"

Contents of the Loch:

USS Proteus (AS 19) Started the first refit in Holy Loch with the arrival of USS Patrick Henry (SSBN 599) on 8 March 1961. She remained in the Loch until 1963.

USS Hunley (AS 31) '63 - '66

USS Simon Lake (AS 33) '66 - '70

USS Canopus (AS 34) '70 - '75

USS Holland (AS 32) '75 - '81

USS Hunley (AS 31) '81 - '87

USS Simon Lake (AS 33) ... Was the resident submarine tender from May 1987 till 1992

Los Alamos AFDB 7 How many knew that what was in Holy Loch was only part of the Los Alamos? AFDB's were sectional Drydocks. Sections C, D, E and G were in Holy Loch (Sections A and B were held in reserve on the James River, Virginia.)

Naval Support Activity, Holy Loch, Scotland The shore based contingent

YFNB 31 ... (Living/Working barge) Boat Ops

YFNB 42 ... (Living/Working barge) Tech Rep Barge and Submarine Crew Temp Berthing

Saugus YTB 780

Natick YTB 760

Piqua YTB 793

LCM-8's ... ("mike-8 boats")

LCM-6's ... ("mike-6 boats")

YD 245 ... Floating Barge Crane

Assorted barges, donuts etc.

This data is from personal experience and my limited memory. If you can help fill in some of the blanks and round out the limited number of years that I have shown, your help would be greatly appreciated.

"A Crew Flight out of Prestwick"

Submarine crews would fly to Holy Loch from two different Homeports (Charleston, SC and Groton, CT). Normally those flights would land in Prestwick, Scotland. The picture above is the crew of the USS Lewis and Clark (SSBN 644) boarding the plane in Prestwick flying back to Charleston (January 1988). We always had the pleasure of flying some of the better known airlines; SKYWORLD, WORLD AIRWAYS, EVERGREEN INTERNATIONAL and etc. Charter flights you got to love them.

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