Jack of Harts

Kings Bay in Georgia erased decades of lax security and personnel procedures in the months following the sinking of USS Georgia with all hands. One operational method they used was never admitting when or how they spent time in dock, even when undergoing long term repairs or maintenance. As the months turned into years and then decades, historians know that Georgia retired or lost some of their ballistic missile submarines as maintenance became harder and more expensive. But they never admitted it. All boats remained on their fleet registers and were officially “on patrol” at all times. Even their funding and expenditures remained at a level required to operate their entire official fleet. They banned funerals and memorial stones for crewmembers who died in the line of duty. Social media presences remained active, and letters continued to go to family as usual. Pay accrued and was deposited into family accounts as usual until they officially died of old age or a random illness that had nothing to do with their duty on board a nuclear boat. Because all of Georgia’s boats continued to operate as the final deterrent to any foreign power that may have ill intent towards America. Everybody knew it was a lie at the time, but no one knew where the lie was, so they had to treat the lies as possibly true.

The ballistic missile submarine crews who made Kings Bay their home became more insular after one of their number followed Federal orders to fire on America before being immediately sunk. They had always been a bit squirrelly by the metrics of other sailors, but they withdrew further after that incident. They were angry at the friends who pulled the trigger, on both sides. They never wanted to see anything like that happen again, and so they set about making certain it never would. Their first action was to investigate all current crewmembers for potential foreign or Federal entanglements, and then unilaterally kicked dozens of men and women off the literal boat. They changed the screening procedures that investigated potential crewers for submarine duty, and improved their psychological and financial support structure. Georgia desperately wanted to keep them in Kings Bay and supported every effort to reform and rebuild. Against all odds, they succeeded.

There were three American submarine bases on the East Coast when the Second Great Depression began. New London in Connecticut, Kings Bay in Georgia, and Norfolk in Virginia. The sinking of USS Georgia after it fired nuclear missiles on Virginia would have drastic effects on all three bases. Connecticut would join the New England Federation when it formed, just as Georgia and Virginia would join the Confederation of Dixie in time. But the submarine service was united in its wish to not be ordered to fire on Americans again. No matter which flavor of Americans they were. Which is why, once the Convention of States reformed the Federal government, the submarine bases became joint commands of the States they resided in and the new Federal government. With the binding agreement that they would never be deployed against any other American State. Ever. Under any circumstances.