2023 did not drift by. It moved, sometimes quietly, sometimes with a burst of energy, but always with the sense that the Bremerton Base had rediscovered its footing and intended to use it.
The year opened with a clear push, not inward, but outward. January and February carried a message that felt almost like a standing order: reach out, bring people in, tell the story while there is still time to tell it. It was not just rhetoric. The base leaned hard into communication, expanding its digital reach through its website, social media, and video channels. The idea was simple. A submariner did not have to walk into a meeting hall in Bremerton to belong anymore. He could connect from wherever he was, and the base would meet him there.
At the same time, the internal machinery was already moving. Meetings were being held, reports filed, and preparations made for the traditional cycle of events that would define the year. There was no hesitation about returning to activity. The base had done the hard work of surviving the pandemic years. Now it was time to operate again.
Spring brought the first real surge of activity. In April, the Submarine Birthday gathering brought members together, not just to mark a date, but to reconnect in person. It carried a different weight than it might have a few years earlier. People lingered longer, conversations stretched, and the sense of being back together was unmistakable.
The spring months also revealed the human side of leadership. While the base continued its schedule, the Commander was dealing with serious health issues, including surgery and recovery. It was not hidden or softened. It was shared plainly. And the base responded the way it always has, by continuing the work. Responsibilities shifted where they needed to, and the organization moved forward without losing momentum.
There were practical changes as well. The treasury transitioned during this period, with responsibilities passing from one set of hands to another. It happened without disruption, the kind of quiet change that tells you the structure is sound.
By early summer, the base had hit its stride. Activity was no longer tentative. It was full.
Parade season arrived, and with it, one of the most visible expressions of the base’s identity. The Bonefish float was back on the road, appearing in community events across the region. It was more than decoration. It was a moving piece of history. Members stood alongside it, answered questions, shook hands, and told stories to anyone willing to listen.
Those events mattered. They were not just outreach. They were connection points between generations. Children saw the float. Parents asked about submarines. Veterans recognized something familiar. The base was no longer just remembering history. It was presenting it.
Summer also brought a series of internal events that strengthened the base itself. The Soup Downs returned as regular gatherings, bringing members together around something as simple as a meal. There is nothing complicated about it, but it works. People show up. They talk. They stay connected.
The Holland Club continued its role as well, recognizing those who had carried their dolphins for fifty years or more. These were not ceremonial acknowledgments. They were reminders that service does not fade with time. It accumulates weight.
One of the more unique elements of the year was the “Travelling Dolphins” program. A set of dolphins passed from member to member, tracked and shared, creating a kind of living chain across the base. It might sound lighthearted, but it carried meaning. It reinforced the idea that qualification is not just an individual achievement. It is a shared identity that continues long after active service ends.
The base also made a point of highlighting its own members. Profiles and spotlights appeared, giving names and stories to people who might otherwise remain just faces in a room. It was a deliberate effort to make the organization more personal, to ensure that individuals were seen and recognized.
As the year moved into fall, the tempo did not slow. It shifted.
October brought events that connected the base to the broader community in different ways. Bangor’s Trunk or Treat placed members in direct interaction with families and children, handing out candy while quietly representing the submarine service. It was informal, even playful, but it mattered.
November carried the weight of Veterans Day. The base participated in ceremonies and observances, standing alongside other veterans, representing not just their own service, but the Silent Service as a whole. These were moments of visibility, but also of reflection.
and accomplishment. In 2023, the Bremerton Base elected the first female Base Commander in the history of the organization. Vie Commander Ileene Davis was unanimously elected to the post which she would assume in January of 2024.
The base also took part in programs like Wreaths Across America, ensuring that those on Eternal Patrol were remembered not just in words, but in action. A wreath placed on a grave is a small thing. It is also everything.
Throughout the fall, the base continued its steady work. Membership reports, financial updates, planning for the coming year. It is easy to overlook these details, but they are what keep the organization functioning. Without them, the events and gatherings would not exist.
And then December arrived, bringing the year to a close.
The tone shifted again, this time toward reflection. The Commander’s final remarks carried a sense of completion. Not finality, but transition. He spoke about stepping away from the role, comparing it to leaving the boat years earlier, just when everything finally made sense.
It was an honest assessment of leadership. You do not leave because you are finished. You leave because it is time for someone else to take the watch.
Looking back, the achievements of the year were not defined by a single event. They were defined by accumulation.
A successful return to full activity.
A strong parade season.
Community engagement across multiple events.
Recognition of members and their service.
Adaptation to new forms of communication.
A leadership transition handled smoothly.
And beneath it all, the constant thread of remembrance.
The base continued to read the names of those lost. Continued to tell their stories. Continued to ensure that the sacrifices made beneath the sea were not forgotten.
If there is a single image that captures 2023, it is not a meeting or a ceremony.
It is a group of submariners standing beside a parade float, talking to a child who has no idea what a submarine really is, and explaining it anyway.
Because that is how history survives.
Not in documents.
Not in reports.
In conversations.
And in 2023, the Bremerton Base had plenty of them.
2023 Eternal Patrol List
The Puget Soundings 