Edward M. Bell Oral History
Object NameRecording, Video
Transcript
Narrator
Edward M. Bell
Association
USS Growler (SSG-577)
DateOctober 2, 2014
PeriodCold War
MediumMTS, MOV, PDF
ClassificationsCommunication Artifacts
Credit LineCollection of the Intrepid Museum. Gift of Edward M. Bell. OHP.063
Object numberOHP.063
DescriptionEdward M. Bell served aboard the submarine USS Growler (SSG-577) from 1962 to 1964, as an electrician’s mate second class (EM2). The Intrepid Museum recorded his oral history interview on October 2, 2014.See transcript for complete interview. Below is a summary:
Edward Bell began his interview by discussing his upbringing in East Chicago, Indiana. He then stated why he joined the Navy. He was initially assigned to the destroyer USS William C. Lawe (DD-763), before he decided to re-enlist and join the submarine service.
As the interview continued, Bell discussed his training. He provided a brief overview of electrician’s mate training and also noted sub school. He then described his trip to Hawaii, as well as the housing he and his family lived in when they arrived. At this point, Bell noted that Growler was his first submarine, and the interview shifted to the topic of life aboard the sub. Bell described his bunk, discussed different forms of entertainment that were available to the crew, explained the crew’s schedule, and recalled his responsibilities.
The interview then shifted to the topic of qualifying. Bell explained the qualification process, stated why qualifying was important, and described how he felt after qualifying. He then discussed his responsibilities as an electrician, which involved maintaining and repairing all of the electrical equipment on the boat. Bell also noted his role as a petty officer, stating that he was eventually in charge of some men. This led to a discussion on interactions between crew members of different rates, and how these interactions differed between crews on submarines and crews on surface ships. Bell then explained how he worked with his men, and how lessons he previously learned had helped him in this role.
While discussing crew interactions, Bell, who is Black, also noted racial tensions. In his experience, racial tensions were present on surface craft, but they almost completely disappeared on submarines. Racial tensions and crew interactions were also brought up in regards to liberty. Bell then stated that Growler’s crew did not have many great opportunity for liberty because they only stopped in Adak, Alaska, so liberty occurred when they returned to Hawaii.
The interview then transitioned to Growler’s mission. Bell recalled that the crew and boat were expendable. He also explained that the crew made out wills so their families would be taken care of if anything happened to them. Bell then recounted that, while the crew was away on patrol, their families took care of one another back home. Knowing that their families were taken care of was beneficial for the crew. He also recalled the lack of communication between the crew and their families while the sub was on patrol.
The interview then shifted back to the topic of life on board a submarine. Bell explained that, due to his location in the engineering spaces, he did not know all of the information that was discussed in the control room. He also stated that the crew could feel the submarine’s movements, including diving, surfacing and turning. Bell recalled that they often dove during rough weather in order to avoid the rough seas on the surface. This led to a discussion on seasickness. Bell also explained how the submarine operated, describing procedures such as how the control room communicated with the engineering spaces and how they made fresh water. Fresh water was primarily used for operating the boat and cooking, which meant little water was available for showering. Even if the crew did shower, they did not have clean clothes to wear.
As the discussion of life on board continued, Bell covered other topics, ranging from the importance of properly operating the boat’s toilet, to the food that was served on board. He recalled that the cooks prepared good meals, including Thanksgiving dinners, and that this was important because food greatly affected morale. Bell also explained that the crew could listen to music and attend religious services. He then compared Growler’s "black and blue crew" to a nuclear submarine’s Blue and Gold crews, before discussing how new crew members were viewed and trained.
As the interview came to an end, Bell recalled Growler’s decommissioning and discussed Growler’s current role as a museum. He also noted what he hopes visitors will take away from seeing Growler and explained how he encourages people to visit Growler and Intrepid. Bell then ended his interview by stating that he was proud to serve aboard submarines.
Extent: 10 video files, 28 page transcript
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