Veteran Spotlight: Seaman 1st Class John Keating

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — John Keating served his country in the Navy from 1949 to 1953 as a seaman first class during the Korean War.

 

The North Adams native also had two brothers who served – Lloyd in the Army and Robert, a gunner's mate on a Navy destroyer. 

 

At 92 years of age, he is tremendously kind, genuine, highly intelligent and possesses an extraordinary memory.

 

He went to basic training at Great Lakes Naval Station in Illinois and remembered that when he went to enlist, "They said if I wanted to go right away, they could get me into submarines." 

 

His first assignment was in New London, Conn., aboard the USS Piper, a World War II diesel submarine. 

 

"It was winter time and we did lots of drills … we were also taking students out of sub school to show them how to run a sub," he said. "We went to Philadelphia for repairs and I wasn't sure I wanted to be on a sub. I was scraping off rust from the bottom of the submarine and I was up in the ballast tank

a couple of times — not a lot of fun and not a place to be if you're claustrophobic."

 

After sea trials, the USS Piper then headed to Hamilton, Bermuda.

 

"What a weekend that was! Found an American Legion Post and had quite the celebration" he remembered.

 

When asked about the holidays, he replied, "It was nothing big. I never got homesick. You were at sea and had to do your job. we used to have a Christmas tree on the bow of the sub, the food was great not only on holidays but all the time — we ate better than the rest of the military." 

 

He would go on to be assigned to the USS Flying Fish SS229. In a bit of trivia, Keating was onboard the sub when it made its 5,000th dive. 

 

"We took people in an underwater lab, they worked on sonar and a variety of things," he said. "They were looking to build the first nuclear submarine so there were a variety of tests and experiments."

 

He said they spent a great deal of time on the bottom of the sea off Block Island, N.Y.

 

"The commanders of the submarines were all WWII vets," Keating recalled. "They went through a lot, all good guys. I had four different commanders and they were all for the men." 

 

Keating also spoke of the dangers of being out at sea. 

 

"One time we were going around Cape Hatteras (in North Carolina) and the waves were extremely high. We were above water when a massive wave blindsided us," he remembered. "I was in the conning tower where the periscope was. It was pretty scary, we had nine compartments in the submarine. Steel doors separated all the compartments. You had a control room, after-battery room, crews quarters, a galley, a couple of engine rooms. Lots of different stuff."

 

He said the crew had to wear many hats from controlling dives, taking orders from the officer on duty to serving as a lookout.

 

"There's so much to a sub — stern planes, bow planes, firing a torpedo, which never really bothered

me. I didn't really hear anything" he said. 

 

He also spoke of all the different facets of practicing on a sub. 

 

"When we submerged the sub we got down to 60 feet (to periscope depth). If you went beyond test depth and didn't know what you were doing, the pressure would crush the sub," Keating said. 

 

He had major surgery in 1982 and shared this personal story: 

 

"I had open heart surgery and I was on the same floor as Henry Kissinger who was also having an operation. His flowers took up five floors! He gave them to everyone. He found out I worked on a submarine and came down to visit me [with] lots of Secret Service," he remembered.

 

He lives alone after losing his wife several years ago but is checked on by his children and grandchildren. 

 

Seaman 1st Class John Keating, thank you for your service to our great country.