Welcome Aboard! On behalf of the officers and men of BOSTON, and USS BOSTON Shipmates everywhere, it is my pleasure to extend a sincere "Welcome Aboard" to each of you. We hope that this web site helps to answer questions you may have concerning Navy life. As your hosts, we hope that your visit is informative, interesting and enjoyable. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to make your stay more pleasurable. Commander David A. Olivier, USN Last Commanding Officer, USS Boston (SSN703)

Only a seaman realizes to what extent an entire ship reflects the personality and ability of one individual, her Commanding Officer. To a landsman, this is not understandable, and sometimes it is even difficult for us to comprehend - but it is so.

A ship at sea is a distant world in herself and in consideration of the protracted and distant operations of the fleet units, the Navy must place great power, responsibility and trust in the hands of those leaders chosen for command.

In each ship there is one man who, in the hour of emergency or peril at sea, can turn to no other man. There is one who alone is ultimately responsible for the safe navigation, engineering performance, accurate gunfiring and morale of his ship. He is the Commanding Officer. He is the ship.

This is the most difficult and demanding assignment in the Navy. There is not an instant during his tour of duty as Commanding Officer that he can escape the grasp of command responsibility. His privileges in view of his obligations are almost ludicrously small; nevertheless, command is the spur which has given the Navy its great leaders.

It is a duty which most richly deserves the highest, time-honored title of the seafaring world - "CAPTAIN." - Joseph Conrad