Capt. Warren (Buz) Cobean 

      I couldn't help but reflect on Capt. Cobean's tour on Halibut and the memories he left in my mind. He was a special Naval Officer.

     Cdr. Cobean relieved Cdr. Dedrick as skipper of Halibut in 1961/62. Cdr. Dedrick was one of the most respected and admired men as a submarine skipper. The crew of Halibut truly loved him and he deserved that devotion. Then Capt. Cobean took control and exerted his leadership and management style to running the ship. He was also one of the most respected and admired men as a submarine skipper. Everyone on board would have followed either of these first two Halibut skippers to hell and back.

     I harken back to the port call Halibut made to Okinawa in 1962. This followed the longest submerged patrol Halibut had made (105 days if I remember correctly) to that date. For most of us it was a welcome diversion from all but continuous operations either off Kamchatka or off Oahu and it preceded an intense refueling availability at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, where the ship was scheduled to complete a refueling overhaul in a short 90 days.

So, everyone was running at full speed to enjoy every minute of time in Okinawa. The skipper arranged R&R flights to Hong Kong and Japan which allowed the crew to see other points in the Far East. Two events that I witnessed, or was a party to, illustrate the inverse loyalty and leadership style of Capt. Cobean. 

     The Ryukian Islands (Okinawa and others) were still under the control of the U.S. as a protectorate, so the law enforcement was in the hands of a military police organization called the Ryukian Armed Services Police (lovingly know as the RASP). At one point, several of us went ashore in Naha and sampled the local atmosphere. At the appropriate time, we hired a taxi cab and started back to the ship. As we rode along, one of our entourage (Gene Kahler to be precise) rolled down his window as we drove past two Marines wearing the uniform of the RASP. He shouted a familiar epithet regarding the sound fecal matter makes when it hits a fan – with the appropriate response; “Gyrine”. The two Marines were not impressed and immediately started chasing the taxi on foot. Certain that the Marines couldn’t outrun an automobile, we encouraged the driver to proceed with haste. I think the word was something like “hiako”. We chuckled until the taxi came to an abrupt stop at the edge of an excavation (trench) that extended across the full breadth of the street. So, we were nabbed, roughed, cuffed and carted off to RASP Headquarters. When word got back to the ship, Capt. Cobean dispatched Chief Engineman Tommy Thomas to RASP Headquarters to bring us back to the ship and out of the grasp of the local constabulary. Of course, the ship found an available location where the crew could enjoy a beer ball game.

     Most skippers avoid mixing it up with the crew, especially when they’re drinking, but Capt. Cobean was there for the duration of the game. It was testimonial to him and his style that no one took advantage of the situation to make an ass of themselves by abusing the chain of command. After the game was over, a group of Petty Officers decided to visit the nearby NCO Club for the 10 cent mixed drinks. The skipper asked if he could go along and struck out with the group. When we all arrived at the club, the club manager noted the skipper’s oak leaf collar devices and pronounced that it was an NCO club and as an officer, he wasn’t allowed in. Whereupon, Capt. Cobean took off his collar devices and asked one of the Chief Petty Officers for his collar anchors. After he donned the CPO collar devices, he asked the club manager if it was OK now. The manager looked startled and shrugged his shoulders and replied; “I guess so!” So, we all had a couple of drinks and went back to the ship.

     Capt. Cobean’s efforts always aimed to benefit his crew as much as possible. When Halibut was on its way to Mare Island for refueling overhaul, he and the XO worked very hard to get our families to Vallejo so they would be with us for the 90 days availability. This was especially important to most of us since there was not to be much import time in Pearl Harbor before we were to leave again for patrol off Kamchatka. Family time was a premium on Halibut. When we weren’t on patrol, we were engaged in local operations off the Hawaiian Islands. Wives and children were flown MATS from Hickham AFB to San Francisco and arrangements made for us to occupy government housing at Mare Island. When the overhaul was over, the families were transported back to Pearl Harbor on the USS Bexar (a troop transport ship). Halibut’s missile patrol days were limited to about 4 years, and along with Barbero, Tunny, Greyback and Growler. These guided missile carrying submarines were the mainstay of the Navy’s nuclear deterrent efforts just before the commissioning of the first Polaris armed submarine. Halibut was also the training platform for the Prospective Commanding Officers that would Command the first group of nuclear powered FBM Submarines. Capt. Cobean and others like him set the mold for the next generation of Submarine skippers, the Nuke Boat Commanders.

     We always knew; there were officers that demanded and we gave it to them because we were obliged to. Then there were officers that commanded respect, and we gave it to them because we were obliged to and we really wanted to. Their acts and deeds shaped our young lives as submarine sailors and we will always hold them in the highest respect and admiration, even when they are no longer with us. Capt. Warren Cobean was among the few. We will miss him dearly.

Ed Brooks