Everyone I know loved Jimmy Buffett and has stories about good times shared at his shows. My memory in the U.S. Navy has nothing to do with music or fun times. It’s a part of his life that most people don’t know, but why I consider him more than just a great musician and entertainer. He is a patriot, hero, and an American treasure.
This occurred toward the end of the Cold War with the former Soviet Union and
sounds like something Tom Clancy would have written, but it's a true story. While serving as an Electronic Warfare Technician in mid 1980 aboard the Second Fleet Command Ship, USS Mount Whitney, I participated in Refresher Training off Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, after a stint in the Norfolk Shipyards for upgrades.
Training was hot, tiring, grueling, and you had to be alert and balanced because
drills came at all hours. You had to be prepared for anything. I thought I was, but there are certain things you can’t anticipate. On an otherwise routine day, one of my shipmates reported highly unusual signals and frequencies that appeared to be transmitting from a Soviet-era ballistic missile submarine. As they were emanating from the surface and not moving, rather than from a sub that should be running silent and deep, it was improbable. We figured we were being tested and didn’t panic. The chance of that type of detection was about as likely as seeing a school of mermaids. However, as that class of submarines carried nuclear warheads, torpedoes, and other armaments, we didn’t take it lightly. We noted it in the logbook, got out manuals to do research, and continued to keep an eye on it, but generally dismissed it. Minutes later, a radioman began banging on the door. Announcing he had received a radio message on a civilian frequency from a guy on a yacht claiming to be Jimmy Buffett who was reporting a Soviet submarine sitting at the surface. He wanted to know if we could confirm it. We then bolted into action. This was no drill or war game. It was serious.
Our senior chief petty officer was alerted and was skeptical but listened intently. He
walked into the Combat Information Center to inform the admiral’s watch captain, a Navy legend, Captain James “Red” Best. We waited for the chief to return with instructions and never imagined what was next. Suddenly, the hatch slammed open, and together with our chief was Captain Best. He was known for his salty ways, he was both loved and feared. Captain Best wanted to hear firsthand what we knew. When the radioman told him that someone claiming to be Jimmy Buffett reported an unusual but specific sighting, Best exploded! “If Jimmy Buffett says there is a Soviet sub sitting on the surface, then there is! He knows what he is talking about!” He returned to the CIC to alert our ship’s captain, Larry Lubbs, Second Fleet Commander, Vice Admiral Henry “Hank” Mustin, Navy “royalty” and (at the time) of one of the most famous and decorated military families in history. What happened next was intense, the most serious moment in my career, and what we trained for. General Quarters was sounded, and all hands manned their battle stations. Mine was on the ship’s main deck, I was responsible for the chaff launcher. It launches electronic countermeasures designed to lure hostile missiles away from ships under attack by creating false targets. It was the stuff you see in movies, and I liked it for the thrill, but mostly because I could get fresh air and a view after being inside the tin can for so long. Monitoring what was going on below deck by radio, I saw with my own eyes that an impressive yacht was allowed to pull up alongside us, and off stepped Jimmy Buffett, greeted warmly by who I now know to be his longtime and good friend, Captain Best. I could not see it from my position, but was told that Jimmy was escorted directly to the bridge by Best, where he talked to our ship’s captain, and then CIC, where he briefed the senior staff.
From my vantage point, I witnessed various U.S. fighters and attack planes moving in. While I couldn’t see it, I was aware that our constant companion supporting
the admiral’s flagship, the submarine USS Bonefish, was just below the water’s surface
ready. It was undoubtedly keeping close tabs on its Soviet counterpart, which had
been forced to surface due to some unknown mass casualty event.
(An ironic sidenote is that over a year later, the USS Bonefish suffered explosions and fire in her battery compartment operating in the Caribbean, killing three. The Bonefish surfaced, and orders were given to abandon ship since the fire spread quickly, with dense smoke. She was decommissioned a few months later.)
What happened with that Soviet sub and crew, I certainly don’t know. I’m sure it was
unpleasant. I didn’t have a need to know, and there are just certain things you don’t ask.
Jimmy eventually disembarked our ship, and I watched his yacht pull away as we
departed. When I returned to my station, my shipmates had questions and accounts for me, as I did for them. They told me they were shocked to see ANY civilian, much less Jimmy Buffett, walking through passageways, especially under the circumstances. I learned over the years that Jimmy Buffett was always a fan of the Navy. He had wanted to go to the Naval Academy and applied to Officer Candidate School but was denied due to a health issue. But his love and support for our military, particularly for the Navy, endured.
In 2018, Jimmy Buffett was presented the highest award that can be given to a
civilian by the Secretary of the Navy. The citation read, in part: “For Superior Public
Service in recognition of the exceptional and wide-ranging contributions made to the
Department of the Navy, Mr. Buffett is an unwavering supporter of the men, women, and
families of the Navy and Marine Corps. His dedicated service to our Sailors, Marines,
wounded warriors, and civilians ensured that they were provided highly visible support
and gratitude that greatly enhanced morale and welfare across the Department.”
This proud Navy veteran will, more than all his concerts and songs, always remember
my brief encounter with this American hero in a way that few others ever have.