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Dorado's crew at Polly's Inn, Montville, CT., August 13, 1943.

If you were to catch a sailor in one of those rare wistful and reflective moments, that sailor may tell you that a ship has a soul, a personality and energy all of its own. There may be something to that, but at the end of the day a ship, even a highly sophisticated one like a submarine, is just a collection of mechanical devices contained within a steel tube. It can't move on its own or fight on its own, it needs a crew to be truly alive. The crew IS the boat's soul, it provides it with its heartbeat and will, and its ability to carry out the mission it was built for.

The crew is lead by its officers, college educated men that provide the boat with its direction and resolve. At the top is the Commanding Officer (aka CO or Skipper), a seasoned veteran and experienced man of the sea, a man who knows the "art" of submarining down to its core. During WWII the CO could be a senior Lieutenant (LT), but was most often a Lieutenant Commander (LCDR) or Commander (CDR). By 1943 the CO of a fleet submarine had risen up through the officer ranks, having served on several submarines previously, and had likely also had surface ship experience. He would be intelligent and driven, capable of multi-tasking on a high level. He would be capable of solving complex mathematical calculations quickly in his head, all the while managing a complex fighting machine in a calm and decisive manner.

LCDR E.C. Schneider, USN

For the Dorado that man was LCDR Earle Caffrey Schneider. A native of Beaufort, North Carolina, Schneider had the Navy in his blood. His father was a wisened, experienced, and "salty" Chief Petty Officer (see below) with over 36 years of service. Because of his father's service Schneider had spent his formative years around ships and navy bases. He was a good student, and this got him an appointment to the Naval Academy in 1929, as a part of the class of 1933. After graduation and commissioning he served aboard the battleship Pennsylvania (BB-38) and the carrier Ranger (CV-4) before transferring to submarines. He served on the Pompano (SS-181) from 1939 to 1942 and made his first war patrols aboard her. He then transferred to Trigger (SS-237) and made several very successful war patrols as her Executive Officer (XO), or second in command. With the Submarine Service rapidly expanding with the war effort, experienced men were needed to man the new boats being built at Electric Boat, Portsmouth, and the other yards. After two war patrols on Trigger, Schneider was detached to return to New London to put the Dorado into commission as her Commanding Officer

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