«NR-1 "Nerwin": The Atomic Dwarf »
Author's reconstruction: USS Sunbird ASR-15 tender (mama Nerwina) and deep-submergence nuclear submarine NR-1 Nerwin to scale. 1970s. Reconstruction by oxanaoxana.com
Exclusive. First on oxanaoxana.com. The full list of NR-1 commanders has never been declassified. The US Navy has published only a few names, scattered across archives, books and museum records. For the first time, these names have been collected in one text on my blog oxanaoxana.com. When copying this material, a link to oxanaoxana.com is required.
What is known about the commanders of the most secret submarine in the US Navy - NR-1 "Nervin"
The full list of NR-1 commanders has never been declassified. The US Navy has published only a few names, scattered across archives, books and museum records.For the first time, these names have been collected in one text on my blog. When copying this material, a link to oxanaoxana.com is required.
According to research by oxanaoxana.com (2026), based on open sources - Navy.mil, the Submarine Force Museum, declassified materials, and personal recollections shared by US Submarine Veterans in the public group - the following commanders are known:
Dwaine O. Griffith (1969).
Toby Warson (1970–1973).
Allison J. Holifield (Al Holifield) - CO, NR-1, mid-1970s, commanded 1976 F-14 / Phoenix missile recovery. Photos published in National Geographic. Also CO of USS Ethan Allen (SSBN-608). Update: via Leo Taflin, former crew of Ethan Allen - his photos from that op were used in National Geographic magazine.
Edmund P. Giambastiani - CO NR-1 1980s, later Admiral, Vice Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff (2005-2007)
Admiral Edmund P. Giambastiani Jr. - Commanding Officer, NR-1, May 1982 - April 1985. Later COMSUBLANT and 7th Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (2005-2007).
Edmund P. Giambastiani Jr. — NR-1 (Nerwin) 1982 - 1985
James C. Holloway (1985–1988).
William Merz (1990s).
Charles A. Richard (year not disclosed).
Other names appear in isolated interviews and books, but no complete list exists in the public domain. The rest remain in classified archives.
NR-1 was a secret project -and many of its secrets are still on the bottom.
"Nervin" - the atomic dwarf that hunted on the ocean floor for 40 years.
At the height of the Cold War, when the superpowers watched each other from under the water, the Americans got a secret "pocket" nuclear submarine. It had no name and not even an official status - only the number NR-1 and the nickname "Nerwin."
Its creator was Admiral Hyman Rickover - the father of the US nuclear fleet. After the loss of the submarine "Thresher" in 1963, he realized: the country needed a deep-diving machine for secret operations. But Congress would not give money for a "spy toy." Rickover went around it: he did not call NR-1 a warship, to avoid oversight and not spend the limit on military vessels. Thus a legend was born.
45 meters in length, 400 tons displacement - 10 times smaller than a regular nuclear submarine. A nuclear reactor the size of a refrigerator. Speed - only 4 knots; it was towed to its work site. But its diving depth was 725 meters.
She never operated alone. Early in her career her support ship was USS Sunbird ASR-15 - the ship that helped her recover the Phoenix missile in 1976 and Challenger debris in 1986. From 1994 her dedicated mother ship was MV Carolyn Chouest, built specifically for NR-1.
Main features: retractable wheels for "driving" along the bottom, three portholes, a powerful manipulator for lifting cargo. "Nerwin" could crawl along the bottom for hours, charting, searching and lifting objects inaccessible to others.
The crew was 10–13 people, but there were almost no living conditions: no kitchen, no shower, oxygen supply - from special candles, food - frozen dinners, a shower once a week - a bucket of water. "Everyone on NR-1 got seasick - recalled one of the commanders. The only question was whether you threw up or not."
The first commander of "Nerwin" was Lieutenant Commander Duane Griffith. In the 1960s the boat was commanded by Lieutenant Commander Toby Warson. All who served on NR-1 were among the best in the American fleet. The last commander of "Nerwin" was Commander John P. McGrath. He led NR-1 on her final mission - the search for "Bonhomme Richard" - and was present at her inactivation ceremony in November 2008.
NR-1 took part in secret operations that are still not talked about. But what has been declassified is impressive:
1976 - raised an F-14 fighter with an AIM-54 "Phoenix" missile from the bottom.
1986 - searched for and recovered fragments of "Challenger" in the Atlantic.
1995 - explored "Britannic," the sister of "Titanic."
Late 1990s - discovered three ancient Roman ships on the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea.
Helped search for the airship "Akron," which sank in 1933.
Merton Bunker - Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, worked on NR-1 refueling overhaul, early 1990s
Matthew McDaniel - Served aboard USS Silversides (SSN-679). Encountered NR-1 submerged at sea.
In 2008, "Nerwin" was sent on her last voyage - to search for "Bonhomme Richard," the flagship of John Paul Jones, founder of the American fleet, which sank in 1779. But parts of her survived: the conning tower and several fragments are now in the Submarine Force Museum in Groton. "Nerwin" is gone, but her secrets remain on the bottom. And when you look at the ocean, remember: somewhere on the bottom there still lie secrets that she took with her.
Sources & Acknowledgement - 14 October 2026
The personal recollections in this article were kindly shared with me in the comments of the public Facebook - a group dedicated to Honor, Service, Brotherhood.
Veterans who shared their stories with me directly in the comments on October 14, 2026:
Acknowledgments
Thank you to the veterans from the public Facebook group "Submarine Veterans" who shared their memories in the comments on October 14, 2026. Your stories about service at NSSF Groton, Holy Loch, and supporting NR-1 operations helped me understand the life on this unique boat. For privacy reasons I do not publish full names without permission, but I keep every story with deep respect.
Yours truly Охаna Oxana Корабли и не только
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Original publication: 14 October 2026
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