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Owens, Robert L.

 Person

Dates

  • Existence: June 3, 1924 - April 8, 2017

Biography

Robert L. Owens, from Sanger, California, served aboard the submarine USS Growler (SSG-577), first as executive officer, then as commanding officer, from February 1960 to December 13, 1963. Owens began his submarine service during WWII aboard the USS Tinosa. After the war, he pursued his education, and then returned to the Navy, this time in the reserves. Owens became involved in the Regulus Program, switched from the reserves to regular Navy, and eventually joined Growler. After decommissioning Growler at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Owens continued his naval career, returning to COMSUBPAC Staff as the Polaris Targeting Officer, commanding the fast attack boat Sea Leopard, and joining CINCLANT as part of the team that would send the go-message to the Polaris boats. He was then the Assistant Chief of Staff for Plans and Operations for SubFlot 6, received orders to the Pentagon for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, where he was the Submarine Officer attached to the Chairman’s SALT negotiation team, and ended his 28 years in the submarine service as the 688 Project Officer. After his career in the submarine service, Robert Owens returned to Sanger, California, where he ran his family’s plumbing business.

Chronology:
1943
Start of Military Service (WWII)
1946
End of Military Service (WWII)
1952
Start of Military Service
February 1960
Start of Service Aboard Growler
December 13, 1963
End of Service Aboard Growler
1975
End of Military Service

Found in 4 Collections and/or Records:

Allen Odette Oral History

 Item
Identifier: OHP 111
Scope and Contents Allen Odette served aboard Growler from August 1961 to December 1963, as a fire control technician (missile guidance systems) second class. Odette began his interview by speaking about his decision to join the Navy. He noted that he first went into the reserves in Illinois before joining the regular Navy after moving to California. He also discussed his experiences in boot camp as well as his decision to apply for the submarine service after receiving a tour of a submarine from a friend of a...
Dates: September 14, 2016

Robert L. Owens Oral History (Second Interview)

 Item
Identifier: OHP 126
Scope and Contents Robert L. Owens served aboard Growler, first as executive officer, then as commanding officer, from February 1960 to December 13, 1963. He began his second interview by recalling his early Navy career when he was drafted during World War II. Owens stated that he attended boot camp in Farragut, ID, and electrician school, before volunteering for submarine service and completing five war patrols on Tinosa. After discussing his experiences in the submarine service during World War II, Owens...
Dates: March 14, 2017

Filtered By

  • Subject: Growler -- control room and attack center X
  • Subject: Guided Missiles -- Cruise Missiles -- Regulus 1 X

Additional filters:

Subject
Engines -- Heat Engines -- Internal Combustion Engines -- Compression Ignition Engines -- Diesel Engines 3
Growler -- sail 3
Military Forces (United States) -- Navy 3
Recreation 3
Strategy -- Deterrence 3
∨ more
United States (nation) -- Alaska (state) -- Aleutians West (national division) -- Adak (inhabited place) -- Naval Air Facility Adak (air base) 3
Communications Technicians, CTs 2
Discipline 2
Discipline -- Captain's Mast 2
Education -- Training -- Military Training -- Naval Training -- Submarine Training 2
Education -- Training -- Military Training -- Naval Training -- Submarine Training -- Qualifying 2
Food 2
Growler -- wardroom 2
Humor -- Practical Jokes 2
Maintenance Equipment -- Drydocks 2
Navigation 2
Navigation -- Inertial Navigation 2
Navigation -- Radio Navigation -- Hyperbolic Navigation -- Loran 2
Russia (nation) -- Kamchatskiy Kray (kray) -- Kamchatka (peninsula) 2
United States (nation) -- Hawaii (state) -- Honolulu (county) -- Oahu (island) -- Pearl Harbor Naval Reservation (defense installation) 2
Celebrations -- Holidays -- Christmas 1
Commanding Officer 1
Communication And Radio Systems 1
Cuban Missile Crisis, October 16 - 28, 1962 1
Decommissioning, May 25, 1964 1
Defense Systems -- Countermeasures -- Electronic Countermeasures 1
Detection -- Submarine Detection 1
Engineering -- Marine Engineering -- Shipbuilding 1
Executive Officer 1
Families (Human) -- Family Members 1
Families (Human) -- Family Members -- Wives 1
Fire Control Technician (Missile Guidance Systems) Petty Officer 2nd Class, FTG2 1
Growler -- chief petty officer quarters 1
Growler -- crew's quarters 1
Growler -- enlisted mess 1
Growler -- missile checkout and guidance center 1
Growler -- missile hangar(s), port missile hangar, starboard missile hangar 1
Growler -- officer stateroom 1
Hazing 1
Intelligence -- Military Intelligence 1
Liberty 1
Lieutenant Commander, O-4 1
Master Chief Petty Officer, E-9 1
Navigation -- Celestial Navigation 1
Navigation -- Dead Reckoning 1
Navigation -- Navigational Aids -- Navigation Charts 1
Noise -- Noise(Sound) -- Submarine Noise 1
Optical Equipment -- Periscopes -- Submarine Periscopes 1
Ordnance -- Ammunition -- Antiship Ammunition -- Torpedoes 1
Performance Tests -- Psychological Tests 1
Petty Officer 1st Class, E-6 1
Petty Officer 2nd Class, E-5 1
Quartermaster 1st Class Petty Officer, QM1 1
Radioman Master Chief Petty Officer, RMCM 1
Recreation -- Entertainment -- Movies 1
Russia (nation) -- Kamchatskiy Kray (kray) -- Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy (inhabited place) 1
Russia (nation) -- Primorskiy Kray (kray) -- Vladivostok (inhabited place) 1
Security -- Information Security -- Classified Materials 1
Social Sciences -- Psychology -- Social Psychology -- Human Relations -- Race Relations 1
Tubes -- Torpedo Tubes 1
United States (nation) -- California (state) -- San Diego (county) -- San Diego (inhabited place) -- Naval Training Center San Diego (naval base) 1
United States (nation) -- California (state) -- Ventura (county) -- Point Mugu (cape) -- Naval Air Station Point Mugu (air base) 1
United States (nation) -- Connecticut (state) -- New London (county) -- Groton (inhabited place) -- Naval Submarine Base New London (submarine base) 1
United States (nation) -- Hawaii (state) -- Honolulu (county) -- Oahu (island) -- Honolulu (inhabited place) 1
United States (nation) -- Hawaii (state) -- Honolulu (county) -- Oahu (island) -- Naval Air Station Barbers Point (air base) 1
United States (nation) -- Midway Islands (possession) 1
Vacuum -- High Vacuum 1
Weapons -- Antisubmarine Weapons -- Depth Charges 1
World War II, December 1941–September 1945 1
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