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After SPINAX I attended Nuclear Power School at Mare Island, but one month short of graduation received orders to NESEP prep school in San Diego, thereby saving me from Rickover (or vice versa). After two years at Vanderbilt University, received BA in math and then commissioned after OCS at Newport, RI. Served briefly as Asst Eng on TENCH (SS517)in New London (Carnevale was CO then) while waiting for Sub School. Served as Supply Officer on SENNET (SS408) out of Charleston June 1967 through Dec 1968 when she was decommissioned. That was an interesting tour, we completed a circumnavigation of South America as part of UNITAS task force, during which I deployed TAD to a Brazilian Submarine for two weeks. We also had a two month training deployment to Guantanamo Bay on which we managed to fire a MK 14 exercise nearly up onto a Cuban beach. We didn't attempt to recover it. Then served as Weapons Officer on TRIGGER (SS 564) December 1968 through June 1970. On TRIGGER made one Mediterranean deployment which turned into simply a good will tour after our predecessor on station was detected, held down and eventually forced to surface in the eastern Med. We suffered storm damage to the superstructure off Italy and minor flooding from a non-cooperative snorkel induction valve and made voyage repairs in Athens. I then had a tour as NROTC instructor at Ohio State University, 1970 through 1973. I reported in just after the nearby Kent State riots and the first couple of years there was still considerable unrest on campus and among the faculty. I was still able to earn my MS in mathematics while there and enjoyed the shore duty. After OSU I went to Dam Neck for the Poseidon course and thence to TECUMSEH (SSBN 628) for four patrols as Weapons Officer, operating out of Holy Loch. Then I served on Weapons Officer on staff of SUBRON 18 in Charleston, 1974 - 76. During part of that time, we were embarked on SIMON LAKE with Gil Carlson as Executive Officer. He had given me my final walk-through exam for enlisted qualification on SPINAX in 1963. In 1976 I was selected as Engineering Duty Officer and went to SWFPAC at Bangor, Washington as Deputy to the Chief Engineer. After completion of POLARIS phaseout and building of the new TRIDENT facilities, I then became head of the Weapons Production department for production of the first five boatloads of TRIDENTS for the OHIO class. In 1983 I retired from the Navy as a Commander after 22 years active duty.
Since then I have started two second careers. I taught mathematics part-time for several years in area community colleges and high schools and eventually wound up on full-time faculty at Olympic College in Bremerton, Washington. During the same period, I was resurrecting my earlier interests in art and gaining some regional recognition as a professional artist. I finally quit teaching entirely in 1990 and have concentrated on being a full-time professional artist.
I met my wife Betty (Stephens) while at Vanderbilt University and we have been married since 1965. We have two daughters, both now married, and 5 grandchildren.
Larry Brownley, ETR3(SS) (Ret Cmdr) March 1963 to January 1964
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Life Afer Spinax: Larry Brownley