RADM Buz Buzby (USN, Ret.): From the Jersey Shore to the Backbone of America’s Global Navy

Summary

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WETSU: A Battleship New Jersey Podcast

Episode: RADM Buz Buzby (USN, Ret.): From the Jersey Shore to the Backbone of America’s Global Navy

Date: February 11, 2026
Host: Marshall Spevak (CEO, Battleship New Jersey)
Guest: Rear Admiral Mark “Buz” Buzby, USN (Ret.)

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Episode Overview

This episode features an in-depth conversation with Rear Admiral (RADM) Mark “Buz” Buzby, a retired U.S. Navy officer whose roots in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and lifelong maritime service embody the profound link between local heritage and global naval leadership. Host Marshall Spevak and RADM Buzby discuss formative experiences, leadership lessons, life at sea, the vital but often overlooked world of maritime logistics, and the enduring legacy of Navy traditions and ships—especially the Battleship New Jersey.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Jersey Roots and Early Inspiration

• Atlantic City Upbringing (02:29):
  Buzby describes how growing up near the ocean shaped his identity and ambitions:
  • “My first breath of air in the hospital was salt air because it was a block away from the ocean. I get antsy to this day if I get too far away from saltwater.”
• Family Legacy:
  • The Hotel Dennis, owned by his family for over a century, became a gathering place for the region’s “family resort” traditions.
  • Great-uncle Joel Boone, a Medal of Honor Navy surgeon and Vice Admiral, was a profound influence—“At the time of his passing, and I think it still holds today, he was the most highly decorated medical officer in the Navy.” (03:12)

2. Path to Naval Service

• Early Drive for Uniform (05:08):
  Buzby attended Admiral Farragut Academy in Pine Beach, NJ, due to his strong desire to join the Navy:
  • “I wanted to be in the Navy so bad I could taste it.”
• Merchant Marine Academy Over Annapolis:
  • After being first alternate for the Naval Academy, he chose (and champions) the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Kings Point):
    • “It was the best thing that ever happened to me, quite frankly. I got so much more out of that, more hands on seamanship, ship handling, you name it, than I ever would have coming out of Annapolis.” (06:30)

3. Foundational Leadership Lessons

• Learning Humility & Servant Leadership (07:07):
  Early leadership roles were challenging—he was highly trained in machinery, less so in people.
  • Chief Kimes, a salty Vietnam vet, mentored him:
    • "If I wanted them to get something done... I owed something to my people... set the conditions so that they can accomplish the mission.” (08:23)
  • Mistakes led to lasting lessons:
    • “When I looked back in the mirror, I realized it was purely on me.” (09:14)

4. Commanding the USS Carney and Ship Heritage

• The Honor of Command (11:00):
  • “It was the thrill of my life... I could have stopped my career right there... Having commanded Carney and declared success and been a happy camper.”
• Personal Stories and Traditions:
  • Memorable connection to Admiral Carney’s daughter, Betty Carney Taussig, who showered the crew with gifts and affection.
  • Playful camaraderie with other ships, e.g., exchanging signals with USS Boone, namesake of his great uncle.
  • “Every time I would see the Boone... I’d always tell the signalman to flash over, ‘Hi, Uncle Joel.’ They would always flash back, ‘Hi, Buzz.’” (12:32)

5. Squadron and Battle Group Leadership

• Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 31 Experience (14:27):
  • Provided both admin and combat leadership to seven ships:
    • “We have to have the mindset of what are we going to do for our ships, not to our ships.”
  • Fostered a collaborative, supportive leadership style that enhanced battle group effectiveness.

6. Training the Next Navy Generation

• Surface Warfare Officer School (16:30):
  • “An opportunity to influence every officer that was going back to sea came through my schoolhouse from Ensign all the way up through Major Command.”
  • Championed simulators and tactics training, emphasizing mentorship and passing on both successes and failures.

7. The Unsung Backbone: Military Sealift Command (MSC) and Maritime Logistics

• Scope of MSC (19:26):
  • Oversaw 120+ ships and a massive civilian mariner workforce.
  • “I own every ship that doesn’t go bang or whoosh...everything else, I own it.”
• Importance for Deterrence and Warfighting (23:11):
  • The logistics chain ensures that forward-deployed forces stay combat-effective.
  • “You take away our logistics, a carrier battle group is going to be out of bullets and fuel in about five to seven days.”
• Challenges in Sealift Readiness (29:06):
  • Troubling readiness percentages for the national sealift fleet; congressional testimony to raise awareness.
  • “46% of the ships were fully ready to go and that’s not good. When our war plans... are counting on all that tonnage being available...”

8. Advocating for the Future of Maritime Service

• Recruiting and Advising Young Mariners (33:23):
  • Highlights both the adventure and sacrifices (family separation, hard work), but also pay and advancement:
    • “$56,000 a year plus up to $58,000 in bonuses. That’s real money.”
  • Rapid promotion for those committed: “Very young captains and chief engineers out there because they’ve decided that’s for them.” (35:49)

9. Challenges of Policy and Public Understanding

• Educating Policymakers (36:52):
  • Surprised by resistance and misunderstanding in Washington toward the merchant marine.
  • “Maritime industry operates on a very narrow margin with huge capital investments.”
• Visibility Problem:
  • Navy/maritime logistics remain “out of sight, out of mind”; the public sees trucks and planes but rarely ships:
    • “Ships are in terminals, way behind fences, and in places where people don’t typically go...”

10. Legacy, Mentorship, and Museum Ships

• Battleship New Jersey’s Role (41:52 & 42:29):
  • Deeply invested in the ship’s history and future educational mission.
  • “Even though it may not be the most modern thing, it’s representative of service and sacrifice and being a part of something bigger than just themselves.”
• Preserving Navy History:
  • Applauds comprehensive chronicling projects for their historical value, vital as wartime generations pass.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Leadership & Early Failure:
  “Your job as the leader is to remove barriers to make your people successful, set the conditions so that they can accomplish the mission that you’ve made clear to them.” — RADM Buzby (08:23)

• On Servant Leadership:
  “We have to have the mindset of what are we going to do for our ships, not what are we going to do to our ships.” — RADM Buzby (14:37)

• On Logistics & Warfighting Reality:
  “As mighty as our Navy is...it’s got a finite amount of holes from which things come out of and when they’re gone...without sustainment...about a week’s worth and...we’re going to be out of Schlitz.” (25:57, 31:15)

• On Ships That Don’t ‘Go Bang or Whoosh’:
  “I own every ship that doesn’t go bang or whoosh, you know, everything else, I own it.” (19:32)

• On Teaching and Mentoring:
  “I could share with them my successes and mostly my failures so they could avoid them and be even more successful.” (16:54)

• On Rapid Promotion in the Merchant Marine:
  “There are people that are class of 2018, 2017, that are getting ready to sit for their master’s licenses right now... There’s some very young captains and chief engineers out there...” (35:49)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:29] — Growing up in Atlantic City, family legacy, and early naval influences
• [05:08] — Decision to attend Admiral Farragut Academy and then Kings Point
• [07:07] — Early leadership lessons and first harsh realities
• [11:00] — Commanding USS Carney and heritage stories
• [14:27] — Destroyer Squadron 31 & battle group command leadership
• [16:30] — Leading Surface Warfare Officer School and influence on young officers
• [19:26] — Commanding Military Sealift Command: mission, diversity of ships, and civilian mariner focus
• [23:11] — Logistics as deterrence, vulnerabilities, and Congressional education
• [29:06] — Sealift readiness woes and importance of renewal
• [33:23] — Advice to young mariners and merchant marine career outlook
• [36:52] — Policy obstacles, public misconceptions, and need for advocacy
• [41:52] — Battleship New Jersey’s societal role and memory
• [45:58] — “Lightning round” on favorites and personal naval heroes
• [48:23] — WetSU moment: Turning a destroyer backward for crew Christmas morale

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Standout Anecdotes

“WetSU Moment” — Christmas at Sea (48:23–53:11):
RADM Buzby recounts Christmas Eve 1997, when his crew on USS Carney was going to miss calls home due to a blocked satellite signal. He ordered the ship to back down the Persian Gulf—literally steaming astern—to restore communications:

“We ended up turning the ship around and backing at 8 knots, escorting the ship down. On Christmas Eve. Cell phone was working like a champ. The helmsman and conning officers were having the time of their lives... I had a steady parade of sailors coming up to the bridge wing saying, my mama told me to come up here and say thank you to you... That was a lot of fun.”
— RADM Buzby (50:15–53:11)

On the Value of Museum Ships (42:29):

“It’s really important for young, impressionable people to kind of get a taste... It’s representative of service and sacrifice and being a part of something bigger than just themselves.”

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Tone and Style

• The episode maintains an engaging, enthusiastic, and occasionally self-deprecating Navy storytelling style, full of humility, admiration for tradition, and a deep respect for service and mentorship.
• Spevak, as host, provides a supportive, informed, and curious civilian perspective that encourages Buzby to delve into both professional insights and personal stories.

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Summary

Admiral “Buz” Buzby’s experiences—from riding his bike on the Atlantic City boardwalk and yearning for salt air, to overseeing the silent giants of America's maritime logistics—form a narrative about leadership, legacy, and steadfast commitment to service. His stories, wisdom on servant leadership, and passion for mentoring the next generation remind listeners that the Navy’s strength isn’t only in ships and strategy but in people, preparation, and preserving the memory and lessons of the past.

For anyone curious about naval service, maritime logistics, or simply the heart and humor of those who serve at sea, this episode is both an education and an inspiration.

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Transcript

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

Foreign. Man your battle stations.

[Marshall Spivak]

Welcome back to wetsu, a Battleship New Jersey podcast where we explore naval history. Leadership and the people have shaped both our Navy New Jersey and our nation. I'm Marshall Spivak, CEO of the Battleship New Jersey and I'm proud to host wetsuit. Today's guest is someone who embodies the deep connection between our great state, maritime service and national leadership. Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby, United States Navy, Retired, is a proud New Jersey and whose career spans commands at sea, senior leadership ashore, and service at the highest levels of maritime policy. A career Naval officer with over 34 years of experience and service, Admiral Busby's love for the water started at age 9 where he started to pilot vessels off the Jersey shore. He has an extensive background in maritime transportation and leadership, having served on the staffs of the 6th Flee, U.S. fleet Forces Command, OPNAV and the Joint Staff. From October 2009 to March 2013, General Busby served as Commander of Military Sealift Command. During his career, the Admiral Commanded Destroyer USS Carney, DDG 64, Destroyer Squadron 31, the Surface Warfare Officer School Command, and Joint Task Force Guantanamo Bay. As a junior officer, he served on numerous classes of ships, primarily in operations and combat systems billets. While in command of the Carney, the ship received two Battle Efficiency Awards, the Navy Union Commendation and the USS Arizona Memorial Award as the most combat ready ship in the US Navy. Over a two year period from 2017 to 2021, he served as the 19th United States Maritime Administrator overseeing our nation's Maritime Service, Marine and Ready Reserve. A native of the great city of Atlantic City, New Jersey, Admiral Busby is a 1979 graduate of the U.S. merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point. He also holds graduate degrees from the Joint Forces Staff College and holds Master's Degrees from the U.S. naval War College and Salvo Regina University. Admiral Busby, it's a pleasure to welcome you to wetsu. Thanks so much for being with us.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

It is great to be on board with you Marshall. Thank you.

[Marshall Spivak]

You're a proud New Jerseyan. Your family has deep roots in the city of Atlantic City. As I mentioned, I was fortunate enough to spend over five years working in Atlantic City and I know the history well. What was it like growing up in Atlantic City, the Atlantic county region? How did it shape you and can you share a little bit about your own family history in South Jersey?

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

Sure, yeah. I was born raised in Atlantic City. Literally my whole life revolved around the corner of Pacific Avenue and Michigan Avenue. There's Atlantic City hospitals on One corner where I was born, the church that I was baptized in, St. Andrews, was on the other corner. And right next door was the Hotel Dennis, which my family owned for about 110 years. So my whole life was right there. And I grew up, I'd like to tell people my first breath of air in the hospital was salt air because it was a block away from the ocean. And I get. I get antsy to this day if I get too far away from saltwater. But, yeah, growing up in Atlantic City back in the 60s, early 60s, you know, it was undergoing a lot of change, but it was still a very family resort. And we would have families that would come back to the hotel every summer, and we got to really know some wonderful people there. And one of those people actually was my great uncle, Joel Boone. He and Aunt Helen would come every summer and stay for a month or so. And he was a Navy surgeon, retired as a Vice admiral. And he had a very big influence on me early on. He, for whatever reason, took a liking to me and sort of began mentoring me at a very early age. And as I began learning more about him and his background, he was a pretty impressive guy. He had won the Medal of Honor while serving with the Marines in World War I. Fleet surgeon or as a regimental surgeon with the 6 Marines. He had a couple of Silver stars, four or five Purple Hearts, quad de gear. He, at the time of his passing, and I think it still holds today, he was the most highly decorated medical officer in the Navy. I mean, he had a row of ribbons that went almost up to the seam of his blouse, but he used to tell me lots of stories about the Navy and his time. He was Halsey's Third Fleet medical officer.

[Marshall Spivak]

Wow. Okay.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

So very likely he was aboard, you know, Big J.

[Marshall Spivak]

Absolutely.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

And of course, Halsey's chief of staff was Mick Carney.

[Marshall Spivak]

We're going to get to that.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

The namesake of my ship. And, you know, there's a wonderful story that runs all back and through all that, but, yeah, growing up in Atlantic City, riding bicycles on the boardwalk, going on the beach, you know, all that was just a wonderful way, but always focused out at sea, you know, always looking out there, knowing that there was something out there for me.

[Marshall Spivak]

Yeah. And you chose the path of going to the Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point. How did you end up with that decision? And how did that prepare you for your naval career?

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

Yeah, well, I went to Admiral Farragut Academy there in Pine Beach, New Jersey, for high school, because I could not wait to get in A uniform. I wanted to be in the Navy so bad I could taste it. So my mother and father were able to send me there. And so I got into uniform. My first set of dress blues when I was about 14 years old. Absolutely loved it. I ate that stuff up and just, you know, it went from there. My sights were set on the Naval Academy. I knew I wanted to be a Naval officer. I'd visited the Naval Academy a bunch of times. I had already started memorizing all of the table salt and all of the stuff that plebes needed to memorize and then ended up not getting in. I was a first alternate, but I'd also applied to the Merchant Marine Academy, to SUNY Maritime, and also the Coast Guard Academy because I knew I was going to serve at sea in some capacity. So when I didn't get into the Naval Academy, that was a major disappointment early in my life and I had to stop and take stock. Okay, what is it that's really important here? What do you really want? Was it to go to the Naval Academy or was it to be a Naval officer? And I soon realized that I could go to Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point and I would graduate as a Naval officer and also have a Coast Guard third mate license and also have a degree. So I went up to Kings Point. It was the best thing that ever happened to me, quite frankly. Me, I got so much more out of that, more hands on seamanship, ship handling, you name it, than I ever would have coming out of Annapolis. So, you know, the good Lord steered me in that direction and I was smart enough to go along for the ride.

[Marshall Spivak]

Yeah, awesome. I didn't go and mention every. Your entire assignment career, all the ships you served on. Although I will tell you, you did send me down the rabbit hole the other night learning about hydrofoil ships from, from somebody from some of the ships you served on. But what lessons from early sea tours, on your junior officer tours kind of stayed with you throughout your career?

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

That's a really good question, Marshall. I, I have been asked to lecture on leadership a lot, you know, as I've gotten along in my career. And one story I always tell about young leaders and young leadership is to make sure you're investing in your people and understand your people coming out of Kings Point. You know, I was, I was pretty competent in my skills and pretty competent in running things, you know, machinery and systems, that sort of thing. Not as skilled in leading. I mean, I was the regimental commander at Kings Point, so, you know, theoretically, I was leading. But it was different. When I was standing in front of my first division, our division, as the damage control assistant on that first ship, and I figured, well, you know, I'm standing in front of a bunch of guys that are about my age. You know, they're adults. They should be able to take care of themselves and know what they're doing. And not necessarily good assumptions.

[Marshall Spivak]

Assuming you. You leaned on your Chiefs and your LPOs.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

I was very much blessed with a. With a chief hull technician, a Vietnam vet, salty old guy from Missouri, and Chief Kimes. It was just a wonderful mentor and teacher to me, and he very quickly helped me understand that I needed to. I owed something to my people. You know, if I wanted them to get something done, I needed as the leader, to remove the barriers, to ensure that they would be successful, to provide them with the training, provide them with the guidance, with the understanding of what our little piece of the mission was so that my expectations for their performance would be realized. I didn't get that right away. And there's a couple of spectacular failures that caused me to. No loss of life or anything, but things didn't get done that should have gotten done. And when I looked back in the mirror, I realized it was purely on me. I didn't do any of those leadership things that I should have. And consequently, I didn't set my people up for success. And we failed. Not spectacularly, you know, not, as I say, loss of life spectacular, but, you know, things that could have, should have gotten done, didn't. So I really emphasize to young leaders, you know, servant leadership. You know, your job as the leader is to remove barriers to make your people successful, set the conditions so that they can accomplish the mission that you've made clear to them. They understand what it is where. Where we're going, and then you help pave the way and remove roadblocks so they can be successful. And that. That's a lesson I carried forward all the way, you know, through my career that was my major job, was to look for the barriers, you know, enable success of the people that are working so hard to try and do it.

[Marshall Spivak]

That's a great lesson. It's certainly one that's better off learned in your junior officer tour later on.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

That stupid Ensign Busby. There he goes again, tripping it over his feet again.

[Marshall Spivak]

As we mentioned just briefly ago, you served numerous vessels, of course, throughout your career, the pinnacle of which came as your commanding officer tour aboard USS Carney, DDG 64. Of course, as we mentioned, Admiral Carney is talked about on the daily here at the battleship and as Admiral Halsey's 3rd Fleet Chief of Staff in the South Pacific in World War II. And actually, Admiral Carney's stateroom is still preserved today on the O2 level with some nice mannequins of him and Admiral Halsey and some really great information about Admiral Carney. You know, what was it like? I mean, not only, you know, not only having a command of your own, but having a command of a ship, the namesake and a lineage such as Admiral Carney, of course, later went on to be CNO in his own right and went on to have a really, you know, career shaping career of our naval force.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

Well, one of the. It was the thrill of my life. You know, you accurately portrayed it. I could have stopped my career right there. Having commanded Kearney and declared success and been a happy camper. I have stayed in touch with COs since then, spoke with the CNO or with the commanding officer of the ship when they were in the Red Sea shooting down all of the Houthi missiles a few years ago. I said, I volunteer to come back. I'll be a mess, no problem. I'll be a scullery queen. I'll wash dishes all day. Just to be part of your crew again, you know, proud Carney, destroyerman. But, um, you know, one of the. And getting Carney was just extra special because of the connection with Uncle Joel. But a real thrill on my way to command as I got to meet Betty Carney Taussig, the admiral's daughter, who was the ship's sponsor.

[Marshall Spivak]

Okay.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

Who was just a wonderful lady. I mean, she, she knew Uncle Joel. She had met him.

[Marshall Spivak]

Oh, wow. Okay.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

As a young girl.

[Marshall Spivak]

That's great.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

Her husband, Joe Taussig, of course, famous, you know, naval hero, son of Admiral Taussig, who was as Ensign Taussig aboard Nevada on December 7, lost a leg during the attack, you know, transitioned over to becoming a Navy lawyer and stumped his way across the Pacific, you know, with a peg leg, and went on to continue to serve the Navy. But full of sea stories. Wonderful, wonderful couple. Couldn't be more generous to the ship and to the crew. Betty would send hundreds of pounds of candy out to the ship every Christmas and then also to the families back home port in Mayport. She was awesome. She was just so amazing. And every, every year on her birthday, we would send her about 20 dozen roses. I mean, it was ridiculous, but we loved her. She loved the ship. It was just a wonderful relationship that we had together and a real privilege that really put the ICING on the cake for, you know, commanding Carney. The other kind of neat part of that was that was in Desron 14 at the time down in Mayport. Another ship that was Also in Desron 14 was the USS Boone, FFG 28. And the commanding officer of that ship was a good friend of mine. And we, you know, knew the. The relationship of our two namesakes. And we ended up deploying together to the. To the Med. As part of George Washington Battle Group under then Rear Admiral Mullen. So. And every time I would see the Boone, you know, coming nearby, I'd always tell the signalman to flash over, hi, Uncle Joel. They would always flash back, you know, hi, Buzz. So it got to be kind of a thing during that time, but it was. The crews got involved with it and thought it was really funny.

[Marshall Spivak]

That's awesome. I love that story. Later or not.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

And to put the final piece on that.

[Marshall Spivak]

Yeah, please.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

Both of us had our changes of command, both Boone and Carney on the same day. And we parked the ships bow to bow.

[Marshall Spivak]

Oh, that's awesome.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

I did my change of command at 0800 and I went over and was the guest speaker at their change of command at 11. So it was pretty fun.

[Marshall Spivak]

That's a great story. Great coincidence. You later went on to assume commander of Destroyer Squadron 31 as the C combat Commander for the Abraham Lincoln Battle Group during two deployments in support of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Can you talk to us a little bit about your experience in that role and sort of the day to day of commanding, you know, multiple ships, supporting troops in combat in theater?

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

Yeah, well, the, the DESRON job really has two parts to it. There's the. In those days, at least anyway, you had the kind of administrative part where you were there to kind of provide leadership and guidance and remove barriers for the COs of all of your ships. I had seven ships in my squadron. So, you know, they. They were running their ships, but when they ran into a problem with the shipyard or getting a part or something like that, I told my staff, you know, we have to have the mindset is of what are we going to do for our ships, not what are we going to do to our ships. A lot of destroyer squadrons had, over the years, developed reputation that they were the bad guys coming on board to find something wrong or whatever. And I said, you know, we're there to help our ships be successful, to be as battle ready as they possibly could. So there was that piece of it while we were at Homeport, when we were deployed The Desron roads, the carrier. And I was the C combat commander, which means I owned all the ASW warfare, all the anti surface warfare, all of the boardings that we were doing at that time of sanction violators, any of that Operation Kane kind of came under my purview. And then in essence I was the deputy battle group commander for most things that I worked with the carrier co, I worked with the cag, I worked with the cruiser co, who was the air warfare commander. So there was this triumvirate of about five of us Sixes were the war fighters for the Admiral. And luckily we all got along really, really well. And I think we had a pretty tight leadership organization and consequently we got our mission done pretty well and didn't hurt anybody and got a lot of things accomplished.

[Marshall Spivak]

That's great. You went on to serve as the CEO of the Surface ware for Officer school SLO School. Our last guest we had Admiral Michael York, who was previously commanding of the Navy Supply School. So I asked you a similar question that I asked him and that, you know, what was your experience like sort of training the next generation of naval line officers.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

That was a very fulfilling billet. I asked to go there. You know, I finished up my deseron time and I was out at Pearl harbor kind of figuring out where I was going to go next. And I made a real strong bid to go up to Newport to be CEO of swas. I had been through every course SWAS offered on my way through the various steps. And I really enjoyed the teaching role and I still do, but the ability to, you know, kind of have an influence and to raise our young essentially, you know, to give them the boost and the knowledge and, you know, break down barriers for them, help them ensure success, just, you know, more of that same sort of servant leadership kind of thing. Here was an opportunity to influence. Every officer that was going back to sea came through my schoolhouse from Ensign all the way up through Major Command. And I had some wonderful people working there with me. But I got to be the mentor for, to a large degree to the commanding officers and the major commanders. And I could share with them my successes and mostly my failures so that they could avoid them and be even more successful. Because that was, you know, that's what it was all about was, you know, making our Navy even stronger by having the good leadership out there. And during my time there, we brought on a whole new big simulator suite of ship bridge simulators which we hadn't had before, which were we had gone out into town and used commercial facilities, but now we brought them in house and you know, at the, at the latest generation and got some really good. I wanted to have not just a ship handling simulator, but a tactics simulator that do, you know, weapons firings and that kind of stuff to practice some of the tactics that we were going to need to know how to do. So it was all very satisfying. I really enjoyed that time up in Newport. I love Newport anyway, so any excuse to get back up there was my seventh tour up there. Really, I loved it. It was great. Now the wife, the wife wasn't too excited about leaving Honolulu and going up to Newport in April in the middle of a sleet storm. I heard about that a little bit, but I could imagine she got used to it.

[Marshall Spivak]

Your uniform career culminated in being named the 23rd Commanding Officer of Military Seal of Command. Military Seal of Command, of course, operates the US Navy's non combatant ships that provides logistics, sustainment and specialized support to the fleet worldwide. MSC delivers fuel, ammunition, food and equipment and supplies at sea and ashore, enabling naval and joint forces to stay deployed and in the fight without returning to port. It also conducts strategic sea lift and supports humanitarian assistance, disaster relief and special missions. Msc civilian mariners and Navy personnel ensure global mobility and maritime logistics for the Department of Defense. Now of course that's the textbook definition of what MSC does, but I sort of love to hear it in your own words and you know, MSC's importance to, you know, continuing our naval power around the world.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

Yeah, well, it was, you know, it was kind of ironic that I graduated from the U.S. merchant Marine Academies all that time. Thirty years on the pointy end of the Navy, you know, shooting and gunning and that kind of stuff and ended up back into the logistics part, the merchant marine part of the Navy. I used to tell people I own every ship that doesn't go bang or whoosh, you know, everything else, I own it. And it was about 120 some ships spanning a wide range of missions and typically all with civilian merchant marine personnel, both government employees and contracted mariners. So it was a wide range, a wide variety of ships, different manning models in the Navy and doing missions largely unknown to the uniform Navy. And we pretty much all knew the ships that were on the other end of the span wire, you know, the oilers and the ammo ships and the dry cargo ships, got it, you know about them. But all of the sealift ships, oceanographic research ships, towing and salvage ships, I mean it just goes on and on and on. The different, you know, eaches and oars that goes on. And again, the way it's structured, it's structured more like a shipping company, a business, and that we have, our contracting authorities are a lot broader and easier than the regular Navy. So we could get things done very quickly. We weren't as hogtied by red tape as regular Navy procurement is. We could get stuff turned on a dime and moving in the right direction. And typically we had an expert in the organization that knew how to do whatever it is we needed to go do. So consequently, we had a really broad range of missions and things to do. And for me, it was great because as a two star, typically two stars don't go to sea and you're kind of riding a desk. With 120 ships, I made it my goal to get on every single one of them. There was only three. They were very wily. They were able to avoid me. But I set foot on steel deck of every single one of them, including a fair amount of them underway. And whenever I came aboard, they always offered me the con. And of course, I never turned it down because driving a ship's driving a ship and that was fun. So I got, I got a nice kick at the very end of my career doing stuff that I loved with sailors that don't get their recognition, but gosh, they do such tremendous work.

[Marshall Spivak]

Yeah. I mentioned earlier our conversation with Admiral York, who's currently the CEO of NAVSUP wss, and we talked about keeping the fleet supplied and even tracking down individual parts for forward deployed ships. We had a awesome conversation with Admiral Tucker, our last skipper, about the art of underway replenishment. We had a really great conversation with Joe Benton, a fellow Kings pointer who you met down at the dry dock, who about ship handling and the SSO force. And actually Joe was promoted to captain just a couple weeks ago right here on the Bachelor.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

Very proud of Joe.

[Marshall Spivak]

And two episodes ago we spoke to Philip Brashear, who's got a rack picked out on his dad's namesake ship, the US NS. Carl Brashear, the AK7. And I mentioned these because we've had some really great conversations about, you know, the, the non pointy end of the Navy, as you so eloquently said. And we, I think the folks, if you've listened to all these conversations, sort of have a better understanding today than they would have of, you know, the, the greater Navy in, you know, maritime industry. And so to sort of bring all those conversations together, you know, how do you think that MSC sort of enables deterrence before a conflict ever begins?

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

Yeah. So we're we're a presence, a global presence with 120 ships around. We get seen probably in. Our 120 ships are almost on par with the entire rest of the US Commercial Merchant Marine, which is only about 200 ships or so that sail deep sea. So, so there is that, you know, the fact that we're exercising logistics trains on a regular basis, both sailing from conus out to the fleet and foreign based logistics like running out of Djibouti, running out of Bahrain, running out of Jubilee, you know, running out of Singapore, having all those established logistics heads and logistics nodes are going to be really critical when it comes time to, you know, when the dust up ultimately occurs and we have to, you know, support a fleet that's very far forward, that's very far, that's on the end of a very long logistics chain. We're well practiced. We would like to have more assets because they are going to be quite frankly high priority targets for the bad guys. You take away our logistics, you know, a carrier battle group is going to be Winchester, meaning out of bullets and out of fuel in about five to seven days. So without sustainment moving things forward and sustaining that battle group, they're going to become combat ineffective pretty damn quick. I testified before Congress a bunch of times and tried to make that point very clearly that as mighty as our Navy is, and God bless it, it is, it's wonderful. But it's got a finite amount of holes from which things come out of and when they're gone and when your fuel, when you've classified datums with torpedoes and you know, you're blowing stuff up and steaming around at 30 knots, you're going to go through a lot of everything quick. And that's, you know, MSC has got to be the one that resupplies and sustains not just the combat logistics force, the people that are on the other end of the span wire, but the sealift ships that are going to be hauling the bulk stuff forward that the CLF can then load and take alongside. So it all has to work together. Including the commercial merchant marine. They are a major part of this thing which is, you know, the piece of it that I worked on when I was at Marad was making sure that was in place and strong enough to support. So I was really lucky in that I got to be on kind of both pieces of the at sea logistics chain and have, you know, at least some influence on it.

[Marshall Spivak]

Yeah, of course the battleship was on station off the coast of Lebanon for over 170 straight days. Without hitting a port. And I can tell you the sailors here from that time certainly appreciated a good underway of replenishment, I'm sure.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

And it was. I was the strength of the combat logistics force able to keep that ship at sea for that amount of time.

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[Marshall Spivak]

We talked about it earlier a little bit, but MSC operates, I would say some of the least glamorous ships in the Navy, but probably the most vital. There are certain platforms or classes of MSC ships do you think probably deserve a little bit more recognition out there in the world than maybe they get today? Of course I have my, my USNS Beshear hat and any, anything in particular like that that you think is should be a priority going forward.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

The, the oilers and the taks, you know, they're really the backbone of, of combat logistics for most well known. Those are the ones that the fleet sees the most often. And you know, that's where most of the stuff, you know, either fuel, ammo or dry cargo is going to come from. Those two ships primarily. So we see them a lot and you know, we got. The taks are relatively new. We launched a bunch of them while I was at msc and we got the new oilers, John Lewis class oilers coming online here now that are fabulous ships. I helped in the design of those while I was there also. But great, great ships to relieve the Kaisers who have given us yeoman service over the years. Just getting worn out. But I would say, you know, kind of my favorite ship while I was there at MSC or the, the fleet tugs, the Swiss army knives. They have so much capability. They have towing capability, they have, they can support, you know, diving, salvage, you know, beach gear. I mean they have. And it's a small crew, It's a tough little ship. Yeah, it was just deep to be on board them. And they were building a whole new class of them as well because they were getting pretty old. Yeah, they were, they were cool ships. I loved because you get, you could really. It's real seamanship there. I mean, yeah, certainly big, big pieces of what they call jewelry, which were big snatch blocks and the beaching gear and all that kind of stuff and A lot, a lot of things that could hurt you if you let them, but they could also perform some magnificent missions. So yeah, those were, those were kind of fun ships.

[Marshall Spivak]

You mentioned testifying to Congress earlier. Of course as MSC commander you oversaw over 10,000 uniformed and civilian personnel. Three and a half billion dollar budget, you know, a few more billions. As, as Marriott administrator, what do you think policymakers should better understand? And really the greater public was interested in the military and certainly the Navy. What should policymakers and the public better understand about sealift and logistics and, and you know, the way that we're operating and refueling and resisting the fleet.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

Yeah. So I got to testify seven different times up on the Hill. Always a fun day. But as I got more comfortable going up there, I saw it as a great opportunity to educate Congress. And by and large they were interested to understand what was going on. And our sealift capacity and fleet is, is in kind of poor shape. You know, I was there at marad we exercised the ready reserve force. At that time were 46 ships that were maintained and five data readiness that were our, comprised a good portion of our sealift capacity. Military Sealift command had I think 10 or 12 large medium speed, roll on, roll off ships that were part of the sea lift capacity as well. Every year we do a test, we break out, it's called turbocharger and we'll break out two or three of them just to make sure they can meet the five day timeline from bell ringing to being ready for sea. One year we did decided to do a big breakout and the final numbers were pretty scary. 46% of the ships were fully ready to go and that's not good. Yeah, when we're counting, when our war plans and everything else are counting on all of that tonnage being available to make multiple runs to sustain when right out the gate, 46% was not combat ready, not able to even get underway, let alone handle cargo. That's that part of it. This is turn the key, get the engines running and steam out of port within a five day period. We weren't even making that. So beating the drum to try and get people to recognize we, we need to make investment in renewing these ships, revitalizing and repairing the ones that are repairable and getting rid of the old tonnage and getting new ships in was just going to be vital. It's not sexy, it's not front page, it's not a Trump class battleship, it's not flashy. But you know what, it's going to make or break. Whether.

[Marshall Spivak]

Yeah.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

You know, when we go do something, whether we're going to be able to do it for very long or not. Because without, without the sea lift, without sustainment, you know, as I said, about a week's worth. And. And we're going to be out of Schlitz.

[Marshall Spivak]

Well, of course, just looking to the future. You've met, you've just been mentioning it. The focus on shipbuilding. Shipbuilding. Shipbuilding. Which has been the focus today and of course, rightfully so. We don't have enough shipyards. We don't have enough ship work, shipyard workers. We don't have enough dry docks for commission vessels, and we can't build them fast enough. But as we continue to keep that focus where it should be on, you know, building and overhauling ships for the Navy, the Coast Guard, Merchant Marine, you mentioned noaa. We also need more qualified officers manning the bridge of these ships. We went to Kings Point. In addition to Kings Point, there are six state maritime academies. Unfortunately, New Jersey is not one of them. Perhaps we need to have a conversation with Lt. Mikey Sherrill. U.S. senate hired our new governor about.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

That, who was on my Board of Visitors at Kings Point while I was.

[Marshall Spivak]

Is that right?

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

She was okay. She was awesome. Big supporter.

[Marshall Spivak]

Awesome. That's good to know. She just visited us a couple weeks ago during Navy's 250th birthday. So I'm looking forward to welcoming her back on board soon. But in July of last year, you. You co. Wrote what I thought was a great way forward in an essay in the Naval Institute's Proceedings entitled A Modern Maritime Service Can Deliver what the Nation Needs. And we'll, we'll put a link in the description of the episode to that. So I'm curious, you know, what message you have to young mariners, one of those seven Maritime Academy students who are considering service as an sso, a street sealift officer, or you're just heading out to sea with an MSC ship arid ship. What. What do young people today who are considering a career in one of our sea services, but more specifically for MSC or mared, what do what. What could be helpful information for them to know or might helpful information as someone who's considering a career such as you've had.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

Yeah, I would say, you know, going to sea. And obviously I'm biased because I decided early on that's what I was going to do and ended up loving every minute of it. It's definitely not for everybody. It's. It's not a job, it's a lifestyle. You have to Kind of win.

[Marshall Spivak]

Absolutely.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

Understanding that it's, you know, it's different than any old land job. You're not going to be probably coming home to your family every night. You know, there's probably going to be about six months of the year typically where you're going to be away. Connectivity has gotten so much better. Nowadays you still stay in touch. It used to be the occasional letter, you know, snail mail. Now just about all ships have Starlink or some way to connect on a pretty regular basis. So that's not as bad as it used to be. But you're away, you know, there's. Family separation has long been the big dissatisfier both in the Navy and the merchant marine is the impact on family life. But you know, the rewards are many. It's quite an adventurous life going out and being in nature. You're doing different missions all the time. And here I'm talking specifically MSC coming out of the, coming out of the academy or one of the state maritime academies as a third mate and 56,000 a year plus up to $58,000 in bonuses. That's real money.

[Marshall Spivak]

That's real money.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

That's real money.

[Marshall Spivak]

Especially for an 8, you know, 18, 21 year old who's for a first.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

Job, six months of work. Yeah, that's not bad. You know, that's not bad. That's something to think about. Are you going to work? Yeah, you're going to work hard, but you're going to be supporting the security of our nation. And here I'm talking about the commercial merchant marine too because virtually the entirety of our commercial merchant marine, the deep sea portion of it figures into our national security and the sealif posture. You may day to day be doing a route from here to Dubai. Also typically part of the maritime security program. Those ships which when called upon are going to be doing military missions. So pretty much you come out of an academy, Kings Point or one of the six SMAs, you're, you're ultimately working for the government in one way, shape or form. Ultimately, you know, it's there, there is the satisfaction of doing that, of giving back something to your country, whether you're commercial or not. But as I said, it's a lifestyle. It's not for everybody. Some people make a career out of it and love it. You can, you can advance pretty quickly up to a very senior rating pretty damn fast. There are people that are class of 2018, 2017, that are getting ready to sit for their master's licenses right now. Wow. Because they've sailed Steadily. And you need 360 days a year, 360 days on your license to sit for your next license. And there are people that are doing that, and there's some very young captains and chief engineers out there because they've decided that's for them. They. They've adjusted their lifestyle so they have that work life balance, and they are stashing away a lot of cash in the process.

[Marshall Spivak]

Yeah, absolutely. Wanted to ask a question about your time at marad. Of course, as the administrator, you. You operate sort of the intersection of policy, you know, the maritime industry, of course, our national security. Just curious if. Is there anything that really, you know, you. You obviously had tremendous experience at MSC and throughout your time in the Navy, but is there anything that really sort of surprised you about, you know, taking on that role?

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

I worked closely with MARAD while I was at msc, and obviously MARAD Runs is in charge of the US Merchant Marine Academy. So I knew of them from, you know, my time there. But once I got in the job and began trying to figure out how to grow the merchant marine and make sure it's the vibrancy of our mission and the ready Reserve Force and Kings Point, quite frankly, make sure it was doing what it needed to do. The pushback and the headwinds that I encountered from other parts of the government surprised me a lot. You know, at that time, you know, we're talking 2017, 2021, first Trump administration, there were not a lot of fans of the merchant marine. There was nothing, a lot of desire to make any kind of investments that would enlarge the merchant marine. And this is across government, and I make a very big generalization here. But shipping industry and ship owners are often looked at as kind of big fat cats. Why should the government be contributing anything to them? They're out there running these big ships, making this big money.

[Marshall Spivak]

Right.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

Maritime industry operates on a very narrow margin with huge capital investments.

[Marshall Spivak]

Right.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

So it's not. It's not all quite as it would seem. And quite frankly, when our government has not made investments in the merchant reign, right. We have ended up kind of where we are now.

[Marshall Spivak]

Right.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

It's gone peaks and valleys throughout our history.

[Marshall Spivak]

And do you attribute that in any way to sort of just more generalized lack of understanding about what it is?

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

I do. I do got to say it out of mine, you know, and trucks and.

[Marshall Spivak]

You know, it's not the sexy ships.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

They're very visible. We interface with all those other forms of transportation. You know, ships are in terminals, way behind fences, and in places where people don't typically go with the exception of like a cruise ship. And that's just, you know, these days, you know, an amusement park at sea, you know, doesn't even look like a ship anymore. Yeah, but so, so the, the industry suffers from that, I think a lot. So just difficult. I spent most of my time as the administrator trying to help educate people. And I talked to anybody that would be willing to listen about the importance of the merchant marine and what it really is and what it isn't. It's not a bunch of thugs with dirty T shirts, you know, that are walking around with cargo hooks, you know, beating the hell out of each other. Right. You know, still a popular misconception.

[Marshall Spivak]

That's part of the reason I wanted to have this conversation, because I think it is, you know, I'm a civilian, I wasn't in the Navy. But just being around the Navy and being around personnel so much in this, in this job here at the battleship, I was surprised about my own lack of knowledge on the subject. And I've been trying to learn and, and, and educate in the same way. So I'm glad we could have this.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

Conversation and I appreciate the venue to try and get some more word out.

[Marshall Spivak]

Absolutely. We first met when you came to see us at dry dock number three. And in 2024, somehow we're coming up on the two year anniversary of taking the ship to dry dock, which I just cannot believe.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

Hard to believe.

[Marshall Spivak]

Fourth time that the battleship returns that same dry dock. Of course, we were the last ship of the former Philadelphia Ship Repair, the parent company North Atlantic Ship Repair, which you served on the board of directors of. Did you have a favorite moment from visiting the battleship in the dry dock?

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

I think just standing all the way at the stem, right at the forefoot of the ship and looking up at that razor sharp bow blossoming out into that beautiful bulbous nose there up where the twin 40s used to sit. A real thrill as a young kid growing up. I followed the reactivation back in 1968. I still have an album with all the newspaper clippings and pictures and stuff and just, you know, wanted to serve on a battleship in the worst way. You know, I thought that would be the coolest thing in the world to do. We got to serve on one. Just didn't work out in my career, but got to sail with Iowa, did a couple cruises down in Central America with her. I have a holy stone that I. A genuine holy stone.

[Marshall Spivak]

There you go.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

But yeah, I think that was probably the biggest thrill was Just to stand in that dry dock and look at that. I have a couple of photographs that I, that I took of it. But, you know, it was a real privilege to be able to, to do that. And thank you to you and Ryan for, you know, for hosting us that day. Of course, I was there under the guise of, you know, being one of the former directors of the year. It was, it was a great thrill and not something I ever wanted to pass up. So glad we got a chance to do it.

[Marshall Spivak]

Yeah. Well, my next question, and I think I know the answer to that, was going to be, did you. Were you keeping track of New Jersey, being from the state throughout your time in the Navy? And it sounds like the answer to that is certainly, yes, absolutely.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

As I said, I have, I collected everything I could about the New Jersey, you know, newspaper clippings, I have copies of Dreadnought Returns and Dread Runt Farewell books that, you know, were Neil Leifer had done back during the time and, and of course, when the, the, you know, the Reagan Navy buildup occurred and so the battleships are coming back, it was exciting. It was exciting to see.

[Marshall Spivak]

Curious from your perspective, how can, you know, just sticking on the battleship for a moment. How do you think institutions like the battleship New Jersey can sort of help connect past service with future generations?

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

Yeah, I think it's really important, I mean, you know, for young, impressionable people to kind of get a taste. Even though it may not be the most modern thing, it's representative of service and sacrifice and being a part of something bigger than just themselves. I mean, literally my first naval vessel that I was ever exposed to was in Atlantic City, the Naval Reserve center there. They had a. One of my neighbors was Lieutenant Commander in the reserves, was CEO of the USS Lennet. USS Lennet was a Korean War vintage wooden coastal minesweeper. Wow.

[Marshall Spivak]

Wooden ship. Okay. Wow.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

Old wooden ship, painted gray. It was on its last legs. They said, here, give it to the reservists, they'll do something with it. But I walked aboard that thing as a, you know, eight, nine year old. I thought I was walking onto a battleship. I mean. Oh, yeah, it was, you know, I'm sure it had the ship smell to it. Gray, it was big. There was sailors walking around. It was, you know, just made an impression. And I look back on that ship and kind of chuckle now. You know, it was all probably about 140ft.

[Marshall Spivak]

Right. But it was nice to a nine year old. Yeah.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

You know, seeing the museum ships, especially the battleships that are, you know, have the, have the Beautiful sheer and the beautiful lines. And they're just appealing to look at. They project strength, project, you know, our nation. I think it's. I think they serve a very big purpose. And a shout out to Ryan, the series that he does, chronicling individual details about that ship, I think are so important for the future. This is a wonderful historical record that will be there for posterity that, to my knowledge, none of the other museum ships have done to this extent in this platform. And it's going to be a real service, I think, even more so in the future. So, yeah, I'm sure it's, you know, it's time consuming, but it's, it's really. I've learned lots of stuff that I thought I knew a lot about battleships, but I've learned quite a bit watching.

[Marshall Spivak]

Yeah, well, I appreciate that greatly. You know, I think as the conversation sort of continues to unfold publicly, you know, you mentioned earlier the president has, you know, talked about a new class of ship, the Trump class battleship.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

And.

[Marshall Spivak]

The topic is always, well, why don't we just bring the Iowa classes back? Why don't we put the New Jersey back in service? But, you know, as, as you just talked about and as Ryan sort of hints on a nightly basis, is the people who understand these systems, the people who learned it and have taught it, they're not around anymore. People who make the armament are not around anymore.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

All these different things, training is gone, you know.

[Marshall Spivak]

Exactly. So we are doing that. We are trying to preserve that history for the future. Not to reactivate the battleship necessarily, but. Yeah, although I know people would love to see that. But for posterity, I think, and for future generations, especially when it comes to getting farther and farther out from World War II. And, and, you know, of course, we only have a few.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

And it shows what this nation is capable of doing. Absolutely, you know, Absolutely. Build a magnificent vessel like that that could go off and do the missions that our country asked of it and do so so successfully.

[Marshall Spivak]

I wanted to ask two, two more things before we wrap up. And that's first to start with a quick lightning round. And I'm going to list off a couple questions and just give me the first thing that comes to the top of your head. Most memorable deployment.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

Probably my Carney deployment in command.

[Marshall Spivak]

Favorite Navy ship of all time.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

Well, obviously Kearney would probably be right up to the top there, but outside of the Kearney, I would probably have to say probably New Jersey. Yeah, you're right up there.

[Marshall Spivak]

You have a favorite class of ship to serve on.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

I really Enjoyed the Ticonderoga class cruiser. I was the second weapons officer on the Yorktown, the second ship back when Aegis was brand new. And then I put the Shiloh in commission as a Rexo. So I knew those ships pretty well. Lots of capability, lots of firepower, and really fun to handle.

[Marshall Spivak]

If there was one person in Navy history you could have dinner with here in the captain's cabin, where I'm sitting here on the battleship, who would it be?

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

This one may surprise you, but I think Miles Browning, you know, who was the CEO, I think, of the Yorktown, if I'm not mistaken, who was known as a real tyrant, a real martinet. I'd like to get in his head a little bit. See?

[Marshall Spivak]

All right, I like that.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

What was making him tick?

[Marshall Spivak]

Do you have a favorite naval battle in history?

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

Well, as a destroyer, I'm going to have to say the battle off Samarth. I mean, that just stirs my heart just thinking about it and.

[Marshall Spivak]

Absolutely.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

I routinely think, and I thought a lot in command, you know, would I have had the guts of, you know, the COs of all of those ships to turn and race into the fire that they had to take and do that? Yeah. Ernest Evans, what a magnificent commanding officer.

[Marshall Spivak]

If you didn't spend your career in the Navy, what do you think you'd be doing?

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

Probably in the Coast Guard or the Merchant Marine, I'd be going to see it still.

[Marshall Spivak]

You'd be on the water somewhere.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

It doesn't matter. I might be a clam digger in South Jersey, who knows? But I'd be on the water for sure.

[Marshall Spivak]

And finally, of course, this is the Wetsuit Podcast, as you. As you already know, it stands for We Eat this Stuff Up. And it's a reminder that when things get tough, when you're cold, when you're tired, when you're under pressure, there's sort of pride in leading into the challenge and doing it with a smile on your face. Of course, that was the last motto of our Captain Ron Tucker, Admiral Ron Tucker and the crew. It's mentioned behind me on a replica of our battle flag, our last battle flag, and inspired this podcast. Is there a particular wetsuit moment that comes to mind from your. From your career, from your time in the Navy?

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

Yeah, I think it was probably one of the most satisfying moments is, I guess, the way I would do it that probably qualifies as a wet suit moment. It's back aboard Carney. We're deployed 1997. It's Christmas Eve. We were underway in the northern Persian Gulf. We had been tasked with escorting a vessel that had violated sanctions that were in place at that time against Iraq. This was a dhow, a big hundred foot dow that was carrying dates of all things, wasn't even carrying anything like guns or anything else, was carrying dates. It had been seized and boarded and determined to, you know, have this illicit cargo. So we were told to escort this ship from the northern Arabian Gulf down to the southern Gulf and hand it off to another ship. So this is Christmas Eve, steaming along at 8 knots, you know, or maybe 200 yards off of the starboard quarter of this vessel, escorting it. In those days, 1997, it was kind of the infancy of connectivity. And the battle group had this thing called sailor phone. And it was basically a regular handheld telephone like a telephone booth used to have. And we had an antenna, big radome that was mounted on the forward end of our forward funnel, which on an Arleigh Burke class destroyer, the main mast slants aft and the funnel is right behind it kind of in the shadow. And the way that the, where the satellite was placed was to the south of us. So our mast was shadowing that antenna. And in those days there was not enough bandwidth for all the ships in the battle group to be on cellophone at the same time. So we were all given four hour blocks.

[Marshall Spivak]

Wow.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

My four hour block was from 1600 to 2000 that afternoon. Well, we're heading south at 8 knots with our antenna blanked. So we were not going to be able to do calls to home on Christmas Eve. So this is going to suck. This is going to trash morale. So I'm standing on the bridge wing. My electronics people come up and said, sarah, we can't get a signal. We tried the earn off course. 20, 30 degrees wasn't enough. One of my officers standing out there on a bridge with me said, oh, it's too bad we can't turn the ship around and go backwards. I looked that up and said, of course we can. This is a ddg, we can do anything. I'm the captain, I can do anything. So we quick spun the ship around 180 degrees and I could go 15 knots astern on a DDG, I could go faster astern and he could go ahead ship. So we ended up turning the ship around and backing at 8 knots, escorting the ship down. On Christmas Eve. Cell phone was working like a chapter. The helmsman and conning officers were having the time of their lives maintaining course, going backwards. The engineers were coming up on deck and going back to the fantail because we were throwing Spray and water up. They thought this was the greatest thing they had ever seen.

[Marshall Spivak]

I hope there's some pictures of this somewhere.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

Well, it gets better. And I had a steady parade of sailors coming up to the bridge wing saying, my mama told me to come up here and say thank you to you. We're making this happen because it was a big thing. So I figured, you know, this is cool, but, you know, the leaderships probably wouldn't think a whole lot this was such a good idea because it's a little, you know, out of the box. Well, I'm feeling better.

[Marshall Spivak]

Ask for forgiveness and permission.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

I'm feeling pretty good till I see an F3 Viking come flying down my side from the carrier George Washington's operating at the south of us. Me goes by, then he comes down my other side, and then he comes around again. And I turned to my XO who's up there, and I said, oh, we're in trouble now. Sure enough, about an hour later, I get a call on a Navy red phone from the Chief of Staff. Admiral wants to talk to you. This is Admiral Mike Mullen. Later, cno, later, Joint Chiefs.

[Marshall Spivak]

Yes, of course.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

He goes, buzz, I'm. How's things going at Carney today? I said, sir, we're having a great time. We're escorting the sanctions violator. It's Christmas Eve, sailor. Phone's working great. You know, everything's good. Yeah, I'm looking at a picture here. I said, yes, sir, looks like you're going the wrong direction. What the hell's going on down there? Explained to him why we were doing it and that we had. We were accomplishing our mission. We had good cover. We were escorting them at 8 knots, and all was well on a good ship. Carney. And he said, he laughed and said, merry Christmas. That was something that has stuck with me all these years. And I still get emails from some of my sailors around Christmas time reminding me of that, that day. But that was. That was a lot of fun.

[Marshall Spivak]

That's awesome. That's. That's. That's a great story, and I think absolutely qualifies as a Wetsuit moment. Yeah, for sure. And I think that's a great place to. To wrap this up. Admiral Buzz Busby, thank you so much for joining us on Wetsuit, for sharing your story, your leadership, your lifelong commitment to our maritime service and, of course, our national security. And to our listeners, thank you very much for tuning in to another episode of Wetsuit. This is a Battleship New Jersey podcast. Emma Hermo is our producer. If you enjoyed today's conversation. Be sure to subscribe, share, and most importantly, come visit us aboard the most decorated battleship in U.S. navy history right here in the great state of New Jersey. Until next time, thank you very much for joining us on wetsu.

[Rear Admiral Mark Buzz Busby]

You bet. Good seeing you. Take care.

[Marshall Spivak]

Thank you, sir.

[ELEC Representative]

Operating engineers are the men and women that move mountains. And the engineers Labor Employer Cooperative of ELEC puts them to work. They create opportunities for the men, women and union signatory contractors of Local 825 repaving our roads, keeping our homes bright and warm, and even building our favorite team stadium. We understand infrastructure. That's why ELAC and Local 825 are ready to get to work.