Circumstances of the past six months have made it easy to neglect my routine updates regarding the progress that has been made on the coldwarboats.org website.

Work on the site has continued, with most of the effort directed toward completing the sites for 218 smoke boats and installing their basic menus. Currently, all the Gato class are done, as well as all the newer diesel classes: Albacore, Mackerel, Sailfish, Grayback, Darter, Barbel, and Dolphin. That leaves Balao, Tench, Barracuda, and Tang classes, which are about half the diesels left.

But at least all the nukes are done, both attack and missile, which should cover the bulk of all of you, and that is definitely good news.

The only site that has already fully absorbed it's standalone version, is the USS WILLIAM H. BATES (SSN 680)(SSN 680), it being my qual boat and all, and, as the builder of the original Bates site, made it easy to port into Cold War Boats.

Of course, the fun never stops. Once the fleet boats are done, I'll move on to the deep submergence unit, and the support groups like rescue vessels, tenders, schools, shipyards, and sub bases.

The best news is that we have moved into the beta phase as we complete block one projects, and opened the site for registration and access. Not everything is complete yet, but we can get you registered, and let you explore without hurting yourselves, or the site!

Messaging and email systems are working so you can communicate with other registered users, the Familygram system has been tested and released for group communication, and we are listing all command reunions, and enabling RSVPs, registration, attendance tracking, and even payments. If all else fails, the help request system is working and we can process your requests for help as we go.

So, you're invited to visit www.coldwarboats.org, and:

  • Register, making sure you list all commands your served on,
  • Visit your boats' websites, and leave a comment on the Pre-Comm Comments article halfway down each Quarterdeck page (This helps us direct our energy to the boats that have the most attention),
  • If you find something not working, generate a Help Request under the Watch, Quarter, and Station Bill menu in the right hand column of every page,
  • Visit the USS WILLIAM H. BATES (SSN 680)(SSN 680) site under Sturgeon Class Stretch Hulls, and see what your boat's website can become,
  • Start getting your photos and sea stories together, so we can start fleshing out the other boat sites,
  • Leave a comment on the site or here and let others know what you think.

Cold War Boats is for you and those important to you. Without you, it has no reason to exist. Register, and help capture the history of Cold War Boats!

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