The O'Kane Cribbage Board

 Click here to watch cribbage being played on The O'Kane Board in the USS Olympia.

 The O'Kane Cribbage Board is arguably America's most famous such board.  The O'Kane Board is so steeped in lore, legend and longevity that it's unlikely any other cribbage board could conceivably be more famous. Plus, The O'Kane Board is guaranteed a place of Honor in perpetuity so it's only going to become MORE famous as the future unfolds.

So what exactly is The O'Kane Board?  Well, it all started on a submarine in April 1943. The USS Wahoo was ordered to be the very first submarine to enter the shallow Yellow Sea.  Morale of the entire crew plummeted to a new low ebb and nervousness ran rampant.  Near the nadir of the crew's apprehension about their upcoming dangerous mission, the Wahoo's Commander Dudley "Mush" Morton challenged his Executive Office Richard Hetherington "Dick" O'Kane to a game of cribbage.  As outlandish fate would have it the CO dealt the XO a perfect hand of 29 points.  As any cribbage player knows, a Perfect Hand is often seen as divine intervention.  Word spread like wildfire among the crew and every one took The Perfect Hand as an omen of Good Luck.

Left: CO Morton & XO O'Kane in conning tower of USS Wahoo during an attack on a Japanese convoy off New Guinea, 26 January 1943. Right: The Japanese freighter Nittsu Maru sinks by the bow in the Yellow Sea on 23 March 1943 after being torpedoed by Wahoo.  (USN photos via Wiki.)

Sure enough, that very night The Wahoo sunk three Japanese ships.  And then the cribbage games continued.  The CO dealt his XO a 28-point hand!  Once again, the crew rejoiced at being part of such intergalactic good luck.  And sure, within hours The Wahoo sunk two more Japanese ships.  Right then and there that cribbage board became an instant legend.  The Wahoo went on to become one of the most successful submarines in the Pacific Fleet.

Eventually, the XO became a CO on the USS Tang and took his lucky cribbage board along.  The Tang's fame eventually outshone The Wahoo's.  Sadly, The Tang was sunk by one of its own torpedoes that doubled back on the ship.  Only ten men survived and the cribbage board went down with the ill-fated submarine.

CO O'Kane received the Medal of Honor for his valor and courage during the sinking and subsequent perils of the few survivors.  He spent the rest of the war in a Japanese prison camp.

Not long after World War Two's end, the US Navy ordered a new submarine to bear the name "Tang."  Of course, by then everybody knew all about O'Kane's famous cribbage board.  So the commissioning crew of the Tang presented O'Kane with a replica cribbage board upon his retirement in 1957.  When O'Kane passed on in 1994, the board was donated to the oldest fast attack submarine still active in the Navy's fleet.  The tradition began on the USS Kamehameha (SSBN 642) because it was the oldest submarine in the fleet. From there it would be passed on to USS Parche (SSN 683), USS Los Angeles (SSN 688), USS Bremerton (SSN 698), USS Olympia (SSN 717) and now USS Chicago (SSN 721).

Official Party at Launching of USS Tank (SS563) June 19, 1951. Miss Marsha G. O'Kane, Maid of Honor, Mrs. Richard O'Kane, Sponsor and CMDR. Richard H. O'Kane U.S.N. Source:
http://navsource.org/archives/08/564/0856307.jpg

And that's where the tradition began.  When the oldest fast attack submarine is decommissioned, the O'Kane Board must be passed on with due pomp and ceremony to the next oldest fast attack submarine in the fleet.  With each successive transfer of The O'Kane Board to the next oldest fast attack submarine, the pomp and ceremony grows a little more elaborate and perhaps the legend is polished just a wee bit more as well.

Click here to read about transfer of The O'Kane Board to USS Chicago from USS Olympia.

Currently, The O'Kane Board sits in the Wardroom of the USS Chicago where it will presumably remain until 2024 when the Chicago is tentatively scheduled for decommissioning.  The O'Kane Board isn't treated like an untouchable trophy in a case. Nope, the crew and Officers of The USS Chicago actually play cribbage on The O'Kane Board because of a consensus "that O'Kane would want us to."

Typically, the Chief of Boat (COB) will assist the Captain in organizing cribbage play for the crew and Officers.  It's The U.S. Navy Way!  Cribbage has always been popular in the U.S. armed services and it is especially so in the U.S. Navy.  In fact, cribbage is often said to be the unofficial game of the submariners.

One of these days, we hope we can obtain a photo of The O'Kane Board on the USS Chicago.  There are many online resources that discuss The O'Kane Board and its storied history.  Cribbage Story enthusiasts can enjoy many an educational hour studying those resources.