LT. Jon Rennie
U.S. Navy – Nuclear Engineer
U.S.S. Tennessee
1989-1994
U.S. Navy – Nuclear Engineer
U.S.S. Tennessee
1989-1994
‘It should be uncomfortable to be unqualified.’ – All In the Same Boat
Jon Rennie was born and grew up in Manchester, New Hampshire where he attended Trinity High School. Jon described Manchester as a blue collar town where, “people are born there, they live there, they die there, they have their kids there, their kids have their kids there. My grandparents were born there, my parents were born there, and I was born there.”
Jon’s grandfathers were his heroes. Like many men of their era, both of Jon’s grandfathers answered the call to serve their country during World War II. Growing up, Jon listened to their stories about the places they had been and the things they had seen during the war. He was captivated by what he imagined it was like and he wanted to have a great adventure and see the world.
Growing up during the Cold War, Jon read about submarines playing their cat and mouse games with the Soviet submarines. He was also fascinated with the stories about the American submariners during World War II. By his freshman year in high school Jon knew he wanted to be a submarine officer and went to his high school guidance counselor and asked what he had to do to achieve his dream. “You’re the first person that has ever asked that question. Let me do some research.” The answer was he had to get into a good engineering program and then get accepted into the nuclear engineering program in the Navy.
Jon was accepted at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and he enrolled in the mechanical engineering program in September of 1985. He was the first person in his family to attend college and this was a dream come true. Jon also joined the ROTC program and after his first semester he was awarded a full scholarship. During his junior year he went to Washington, DC to interview with a Rear Admiral for admission to the nuclear engineering program. Although Jon found it very intimidating, he presented himself well and was selected for the Navy’s nuclear engineering school.
In June of 1989 Jon graduated from WPI and was commissioned an Ensign. Jon’s grandfather, a retired Army Major, was there for the pinning ceremony. With college behind him, he packed his bags and headed for Nuclear Power School in Orlando, FL. Jon found himself in a six month program surround by 35 of the smartest engineering students from MIT, Stanford, and other top engineering schools. “It’s the hardest thing I have ever done in my life.” There was a fair amount of attrition, but Jon made it through. “Some of it was luck. I never thought about the end. I thought about it one hurdle at a time. It was like boot camp for geeks.”
While Jon was attending Nuclear Engineering School, he met his future wife, Valerie. She was the daughter of an Air Force Major and was working in the local Maxi Mart where the Navy officers and sailors frequented to replenish their beer supply. They were married in 1991. After graduation Jon headed to Windsor, CT for the next phase of training known as Prototype. The facility in Connecticut had a land based nuclear reactor and for 6 months Jon and his cohort learned all aspects of running a nuclear reactor. The next stop was Groton, CT for three months of Submarine School. The Navy Submarine School provided specific training for officers and enlisted sailors that gave them the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively operate and maintain submarines and execute missions. Upon graduating he received orders to the USS Tennessee.
Jon headed to Georgia to report to the USS Tennessee, an Ohio class submarine that was 560 feet long and 4 stories tall. The typical operating depth was 500 feet, but the Tennessee could dive in excess of 800 feet. The Tennessee was Jon’s home for the next four years where he completed seven patrols and spent approximately 500 days underwater.
The Tennessee was a missile boat and carried nuclear weapons. The primary mission of a missile boat is to be prepared to fire its missiles if called upon to do so. Part of that mission was to avoid detection. Each submarine would be assigned to a section of the ocean where they would “hide” from the Soviets. Sometimes the Tennesse patrolled the North Atlantic where the winter was very inhospitable. “We got into some pretty heavy seas for about 14 days. You would think a submarine could get down deep enough where you wouldn’t feel it. But that was not the case. It was just like being inside of a washing machine.” Everyone was sick. In later deployments they would patrol further South.
A mission would last 100 days and during that time the submarine never surfaced or made port and the sailors could not communicate with their family. The crew spent such a long time underwater it was easy to lose track of the time of day. Jon said you could tell what time of day it was by the meal that was being served.
A typical day was 18 hours. During his first two patrols Jon was a Reactor Controls Assistant. He led a team of sailors who were responsible for the care and maintenance of all the electronic systems that controlled the reactor. Officers were also responsible to stand watch. There were two types of watches. The Engineering Officer of the Watch was responsible for running the back half of the ship that included the reactor operations. The Officer of the Deck was in-charge of the entire ship.
Part of the Cat and Mouse game was having soviet ships waiting for them as soon as they reached international waters. “We saw them. They were looking at us and we were looking at them.” The boat would travel at very slow speeds to avoid detection. It was very important that the boat be as quiet as possible to avoid detection by enemy sonar. The crew would wear tennis shoes to muffle their steps. If they were to encounter another submarine or an anti-submarine warfare platform, they would “rig for ultra-silence.” This would require all nonessential crew to remain in their racks (beds) to keep noise to a minimum.
There was a great deal of training while at sea. Training would include mock battles with surfaces ships, other submarines, and aircraft. “We would spend a couple of weeks trying to hide from American submarines.” Jon said they knew where the Soviet submarines and ships were located and never came close to them. Jon served at the tail end of the Cold War. On his first deployment he recalled the entire Atlantic Ocean filled with Soviet ships and submarines. As the years passed there were fewer and fewer Russian assets because of the crumbling Soviet economy. “They couldn’t feed their sailors or fuel their ships.”
The Russians have rebuilt their capabilities and Jon views them as the most capable submarine fleet after the Americans. China has a few submarines and North Korea has one. “It looks a little scary. I wouldn’t want to submerge in it.”
At the end of a mission the crew would turn the boat over to another crew who would take it to sea for 100 days. The first 3 to 4 weeks back from a deployment the crew would be on leave so they could get reacquainted with their families. The next two months were spent training for their next deployment.
Jon was based in Kings Bay, Georgia. Former President and Georgia Governor, Jimmy Carter, was a Naval Academy graduate and served on submarines. While governor of Georgia he set aside land to build a submarine base. The fleet of U.S. missile boats is based here. The fast attack boats are based in Norfolk, VA. The Kings Bay location requires a high level of security and special handling facilities to handle the nuclear weapons.
Every submariner wants to earn his Dolphins. Submarine dolphins are pin awarded by the Navy to submariners who have shown mastery in every submarine system, procedure, casualty response, tactical action and watch station. It is proudly worn on a submariner’s uniform and signifies having completed the grueling qualifying experience. When sailors report to their first submarine they are given a blank qualification card. Over the next year the card holder must receive hundreds of signatures from experienced officers and sailors as proof that the holder has proved their knowledge and skill in every area of the submarine. Until a sailor becomes qualified, they are referred to as a NUB – a ‘Non-Useful Body’. There was constant pressure to achieve, show their competencies and prove they could carry their own weight. “Peer pressure on the boat worked. We all wanted to belong.”
In earning your Dolphins, you become qualified in all aspects of operating the submarine. “Most people are surprised when I tell them I am a trained firefighter.” When a submarine is at sea and they encounter a problem, no one is coming to help. The crew needs to be able to address every potential problem including fires. A fire is particularly dangerous for a submarine. The flames can ignite volatile materials including the weapons, damage the various operating systems and the smoke can fill the compartments and corridors quickly lead to asphyxiation. Opening a window or door is not an option. When a fire breaks out everyone runs to the fire and follows their training to control and extinguish the fire. Preparing to face life threatening emergencies helps the submarine crew to become a tight-knit team. Jon earned his Dolphins and his wife pinned them on during his ceremony.
Jon mentioned he was on deployment during the first Gulf War when the joint chiefs of staff declared DEFCON 2 on Jan. 15, 1991. Although but his boat saw no action because there was no need for nuclear weapons, he mentioned, “there were two submarines that fired missiles (conventional missiles) during that conflict, and it was the first time that a submarine fired in anger since World War II. It was very historic for the submarine community.
Jon was on deployment during the summer of 1991 when there was an attempted coup in the Soviet Union. “ We had some worries….because we really didn’t know who had control of the nuclear weapons for two or three weeks.” The coup eventually collapsed in late August.
On one of Jon’s deployments the Tennessee made the 3,000th strategic deterrent patrol. This was a landmark within the submarine community and when the Tennessee returned to base there was a big celebration including a speech by General Colin Powell.
With the end of the Cold War Jon didn’t feel the same level of excitement and purpose as when he was first commissioned. There was also the added factor of being at sea for 200 days a year and the pressure it puts on a marriage. With some sadness Jon decided to leave the Navy. On the night of his last watch, he climbed the ladder to the bridge, cigar in hand, and into a warm, windy mist. Upholding one of the finest traditions of the submarine community, he replaced the American flag with the Jolly Roger Pirate flag. With the skull and crossbones fluttering in the wind Jon saw the sun coming up on the horizon. His last watch was complete. After 5 years in the Navy, he left with two job offers. One was to be a salesman for a drug company and the other was to be an engineer with ABB. Soon he and his wife would be heading to Orlando, FL to work with ABB.
Jon’s start with ABB began with far less precision than a submarine operating environment. “My first four weeks I didn’t have a computer. They gave me a cubicle and a stapler. I self-taught my way into what I was supposed to do. I just started asking people what do we do here.” Jon eventually went on to run manufacturing facilities for ABB. After 7 years he left to join a global welding company where he ran plants in Pennsylvania and Ohio. “It was a good opportunity, but it was a really hard job.” After five years, ABB was looking for a new plant manager and asked Jon if he would like to come back. Jon decided to return and spent 8 more years at ABB. Jon enjoyed his time at ABB because of the entrepreneurial environment but as the company grew the entrepreneurial spirit was slow snuffed out and Jon felt it was time to move on to other things.
He took a position at Schneider Electric, but the corporate environment lacked the entrepreneurial spirit that Jon truly enjoyed, and he didn’t have the same level of respect for the management ranks as he did in the Navy. After a little over three years Jon decide to leave corporate America behind for a more entrepreneurial environment. “In the military you had a lot of respect for your senior officers because they had been there and done that. In corporate, people can get promoted for any reason. You may not have the most experienced people that you are working for. I think sometimes veterans get frustrated with that.”
Jon had worked with a Chinese supplier that was looking to make its products in the US. Jon and a partner decided to set up a factory for them and then worked on developing products compatible with the U.S. market demand. In 2021 the owner of the Chinese company wanted to move on to other ventures. Jon and his partners bought the company.
In addition to running his business, Jon has authored four books on leadership including, I Have the Watch, All In the Same Boat, and You Have the Watch. He also hosts a podcast, Deep Leadership, that focuses on leadership. He is also working on a doctorate degree in Strategic Leadership. “I just can’t sit still.”
Jon and his wife Valerie have two sons. One son is carrying on the tradition of military service and is a fire control technician for the AEGIS weapons system on the USS Thomas Hudner which is deployed in the Persian Gulf. His other son is an accountant in Charlotte, NC.
Looking back fondly on his career Jon had the following observation. “It took me seven years after getting out of the military to figure what I wanted to do. I had achieved all my goals at 24 years old. What do you do after that? I trained all my life for this thing I did. I did some of the coolest things in the world. Now I’m gonna what? Just work in some cubicle somewhere. I talk to a lot of veterans who have that as well.”
Jon, thank you for all the time you spent submerged patrolling oceans to keep America safe. We also thank you for taking all the leadership principals you learned in the Navy and sharing them with the civilian world.
‘Life is simple. You’re either qualified or you’re not’ – an anonymous submariner.
Jon Rennie was born and grew up in Manchester, New Hampshire where he attended Trinity High School. Jon described Manchester as a blue collar town where, “people are born there, they live there, they die there, they have their kids there, their kids have their kids there. My grandparents were born there, my parents were born there, and I was born there.”
Jon’s grandfathers were his heroes. Like many men of their era, both of Jon’s grandfathers answered the call to serve their country during World War II. Growing up, Jon listened to their stories about the places they had been and the things they had seen during the war. He was captivated by what he imagined it was like and he wanted to have a great adventure and see the world.
Growing up during the Cold War, Jon read about submarines playing their cat and mouse games with the Soviet submarines. He was also fascinated with the stories about the American submariners during World War II. By his freshman year in high school Jon knew he wanted to be a submarine officer and went to his high school guidance counselor and asked what he had to do to achieve his dream. “You’re the first person that has ever asked that question. Let me do some research.” The answer was he had to get into a good engineering program and then get accepted into the nuclear engineering program in the Navy.
Jon was accepted at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and he enrolled in the mechanical engineering program in September of 1985. He was the first person in his family to attend college and this was a dream come true. Jon also joined the ROTC program and after his first semester he was awarded a full scholarship. During his junior year he went to Washington, DC to interview with a Rear Admiral for admission to the nuclear engineering program. Although Jon found it very intimidating, he presented himself well and was selected for the Navy’s nuclear engineering school.
In June of 1989 Jon graduated from WPI and was commissioned an Ensign. Jon’s grandfather, a retired Army Major, was there for the pinning ceremony. With college behind him, he packed his bags and headed for Nuclear Power School in Orlando, FL. Jon found himself in a six month program surround by 35 of the smartest engineering students from MIT, Stanford, and other top engineering schools. “It’s the hardest thing I have ever done in my life.” There was a fair amount of attrition, but Jon made it through. “Some of it was luck. I never thought about the end. I thought about it one hurdle at a time. It was like boot camp for geeks.”
While Jon was attending Nuclear Engineering School, he met his future wife, Valerie. She was the daughter of an Air Force Major and was working in the local Maxi Mart where the Navy officers and sailors frequented to replenish their beer supply. They were married in 1991. After graduation Jon headed to Windsor, CT for the next phase of training known as Prototype. The facility in Connecticut had a land based nuclear reactor and for 6 months Jon and his cohort learned all aspects of running a nuclear reactor. The next stop was Groton, CT for three months of Submarine School. The Navy Submarine School provided specific training for officers and enlisted sailors that gave them the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively operate and maintain submarines and execute missions. Upon graduating he received orders to the USS Tennessee.
Jon headed to Georgia to report to the USS Tennessee, an Ohio class submarine that was 560 feet long and 4 stories tall. The typical operating depth was 500 feet, but the Tennessee could dive in excess of 800 feet. The Tennessee was Jon’s home for the next four years where he completed seven patrols and spent approximately 500 days underwater.
The Tennessee was a missile boat and carried nuclear weapons. The primary mission of a missile boat is to be prepared to fire its missiles if called upon to do so. Part of that mission was to avoid detection. Each submarine would be assigned to a section of the ocean where they would “hide” from the Soviets. Sometimes the Tennesse patrolled the North Atlantic where the winter was very inhospitable. “We got into some pretty heavy seas for about 14 days. You would think a submarine could get down deep enough where you wouldn’t feel it. But that was not the case. It was just like being inside of a washing machine.” Everyone was sick. In later deployments they would patrol further South.
A mission would last 100 days and during that time the submarine never surfaced or made port and the sailors could not communicate with their family. The crew spent such a long time underwater it was easy to lose track of the time of day. Jon said you could tell what time of day it was by the meal that was being served.
A typical day was 18 hours. During his first two patrols Jon was a Reactor Controls Assistant. He led a team of sailors who were responsible for the care and maintenance of all the electronic systems that controlled the reactor. Officers were also responsible to stand watch. There were two types of watches. The Engineering Officer of the Watch was responsible for running the back half of the ship that included the reactor operations. The Officer of the Deck was in-charge of the entire ship.
Part of the Cat and Mouse game was having soviet ships waiting for them as soon as they reached international waters. “We saw them. They were looking at us and we were looking at them.” The boat would travel at very slow speeds to avoid detection. It was very important that the boat be as quiet as possible to avoid detection by enemy sonar. The crew would wear tennis shoes to muffle their steps. If they were to encounter another submarine or an anti-submarine warfare platform, they would “rig for ultra-silence.” This would require all nonessential crew to remain in their racks (beds) to keep noise to a minimum.
There was a great deal of training while at sea. Training would include mock battles with surfaces ships, other submarines, and aircraft. “We would spend a couple of weeks trying to hide from American submarines.” Jon said they knew where the Soviet submarines and ships were located and never came close to them. Jon served at the tail end of the Cold War. On his first deployment he recalled the entire Atlantic Ocean filled with Soviet ships and submarines. As the years passed there were fewer and fewer Russian assets because of the crumbling Soviet economy. “They couldn’t feed their sailors or fuel their ships.”
The Russians have rebuilt their capabilities and Jon views them as the most capable submarine fleet after the Americans. China has a few submarines and North Korea has one. “It looks a little scary. I wouldn’t want to submerge in it.”
At the end of a mission the crew would turn the boat over to another crew who would take it to sea for 100 days. The first 3 to 4 weeks back from a deployment the crew would be on leave so they could get reacquainted with their families. The next two months were spent training for their next deployment.
Jon was based in Kings Bay, Georgia. Former President and Georgia Governor, Jimmy Carter, was a Naval Academy graduate and served on submarines. While governor of Georgia he set aside land to build a submarine base. The fleet of U.S. missile boats is based here. The fast attack boats are based in Norfolk, VA. The Kings Bay location requires a high level of security and special handling facilities to handle the nuclear weapons.
Every submariner wants to earn his Dolphins. Submarine dolphins are pin awarded by the Navy to submariners who have shown mastery in every submarine system, procedure, casualty response, tactical action and watch station. It is proudly worn on a submariner’s uniform and signifies having completed the grueling qualifying experience. When sailors report to their first submarine they are given a blank qualification card. Over the next year the card holder must receive hundreds of signatures from experienced officers and sailors as proof that the holder has proved their knowledge and skill in every area of the submarine. Until a sailor becomes qualified, they are referred to as a NUB – a ‘Non-Useful Body’. There was constant pressure to achieve, show their competencies and prove they could carry their own weight. “Peer pressure on the boat worked. We all wanted to belong.”
In earning your Dolphins, you become qualified in all aspects of operating the submarine. “Most people are surprised when I tell them I am a trained firefighter.” When a submarine is at sea and they encounter a problem, no one is coming to help. The crew needs to be able to address every potential problem including fires. A fire is particularly dangerous for a submarine. The flames can ignite volatile materials including the weapons, damage the various operating systems and the smoke can fill the compartments and corridors quickly lead to asphyxiation. Opening a window or door is not an option. When a fire breaks out everyone runs to the fire and follows their training to control and extinguish the fire. Preparing to face life threatening emergencies helps the submarine crew to become a tight-knit team. Jon earned his Dolphins and his wife pinned them on during his ceremony.
Jon mentioned he was on deployment during the first Gulf War when the joint chiefs of staff declared DEFCON 2 on Jan. 15, 1991. Although but his boat saw no action because there was no need for nuclear weapons, he mentioned, “there were two submarines that fired missiles (conventional missiles) during that conflict, and it was the first time that a submarine fired in anger since World War II. It was very historic for the submarine community.
Jon was on deployment during the summer of 1991 when there was an attempted coup in the Soviet Union. “ We had some worries….because we really didn’t know who had control of the nuclear weapons for two or three weeks.” The coup eventually collapsed in late August.
On one of Jon’s deployments the Tennessee made the 3,000th strategic deterrent patrol. This was a landmark within the submarine community and when the Tennessee returned to base there was a big celebration including a speech by General Colin Powell.
With the end of the Cold War Jon didn’t feel the same level of excitement and purpose as when he was first commissioned. There was also the added factor of being at sea for 200 days a year and the pressure it puts on a marriage. With some sadness Jon decided to leave the Navy. On the night of his last watch, he climbed the ladder to the bridge, cigar in hand, and into a warm, windy mist. Upholding one of the finest traditions of the submarine community, he replaced the American flag with the Jolly Roger Pirate flag. With the skull and crossbones fluttering in the wind Jon saw the sun coming up on the horizon. His last watch was complete. After 5 years in the Navy, he left with two job offers. One was to be a salesman for a drug company and the other was to be an engineer with ABB. Soon he and his wife would be heading to Orlando, FL to work with ABB.
Jon’s start with ABB began with far less precision than a submarine operating environment. “My first four weeks I didn’t have a computer. They gave me a cubicle and a stapler. I self-taught my way into what I was supposed to do. I just started asking people what do we do here.” Jon eventually went on to run manufacturing facilities for ABB. After 7 years he left to join a global welding company where he ran plants in Pennsylvania and Ohio. “It was a good opportunity, but it was a really hard job.” After five years, ABB was looking for a new plant manager and asked Jon if he would like to come back. Jon decided to return and spent 8 more years at ABB. Jon enjoyed his time at ABB because of the entrepreneurial environment but as the company grew the entrepreneurial spirit was slow snuffed out and Jon felt it was time to move on to other things.
He took a position at Schneider Electric, but the corporate environment lacked the entrepreneurial spirit that Jon truly enjoyed, and he didn’t have the same level of respect for the management ranks as he did in the Navy. After a little over three years Jon decide to leave corporate America behind for a more entrepreneurial environment. “In the military you had a lot of respect for your senior officers because they had been there and done that. In corporate, people can get promoted for any reason. You may not have the most experienced people that you are working for. I think sometimes veterans get frustrated with that.”
Jon had worked with a Chinese supplier that was looking to make its products in the US. Jon and a partner decided to set up a factory for them and then worked on developing products compatible with the U.S. market demand. In 2021 the owner of the Chinese company wanted to move on to other ventures. Jon and his partners bought the company.
In addition to running his business, Jon has authored four books on leadership including, I Have the Watch, All In the Same Boat, and You Have the Watch. He also hosts a podcast, Deep Leadership, that focuses on leadership. He is also working on a doctorate degree in Strategic Leadership. “I just can’t sit still.”
Jon and his wife Valerie have two sons. One son is carrying on the tradition of military service and is a fire control technician for the AEGIS weapons system on the USS Thomas Hudner which is deployed in the Persian Gulf. His other son is an accountant in Charlotte, NC.
Looking back fondly on his career Jon had the following observation. “It took me seven years after getting out of the military to figure what I wanted to do. I had achieved all my goals at 24 years old. What do you do after that? I trained all my life for this thing I did. I did some of the coolest things in the world. Now I’m gonna what? Just work in some cubicle somewhere. I talk to a lot of veterans who have that as well.”
Jon, thank you for all the time you spent submerged patrolling oceans to keep America safe. We also thank you for taking all the leadership principals you learned in the Navy and sharing them with the civilian world.
‘Life is simple. You’re either qualified or you’re not’ – an anonymous submariner.