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Big day today. On February 14th, 96 years ago, America commissioned its first diesel submarine. It was the USS Skipjack: 135 feet long, with multiple 700hp engines. It wasn't the first diesel submarine in the world; the French had beaten America to that distinction. France had also beaten America in a number of other ways. French was thought to be a better language for lovers than English, (even American-English!). Paris was a whole city for lovers. Whereas Washington D.C. was just stuffy and uncomfortable. And America was the home of the brave, but not the amorous. France might have stolen an early lead, but the contest wasn't over yet. America had a secret weapon...

...and that was: scale. By the start of World War II, America had constructed more submarines than any other nation. And as part of a classic one-two punch, this victory was swiftly followed by a strong marketing push from Hallmark Cards to make February 14 Commercialised Affection Day across the globe. America would finally lead the world in both love and submarines.
And sure enough, that history is now written, the world has changed and non-spontaneous romantic gestures have come to dominate this day. But I choose to remember a simpler time, a less commercialised time. A time when the U.S. diesel-submarine fleet was still only a beautiful dream. Join me in honouring that memory. Click on the thumbnail to the left, view the image in all its glory and dare to dream.