Rear Admiral Stanley Guy
Catola USN(Ret) passed away 20 May 2016 after a 7 year battle with alzheimers.
He was born 12 December 1934 in Pittsburgh, PA but grew up in Roswell, NM.
After graduation from the Naval Academy in 1956 he served aboard the destroyer
USS SUTHERLAND DDR743 before qualifying for submarines aboard USS BLUEGILL
SS242.After completion of Nuclear Power School in 1961 he served in both
weapons and engineering billets aboard USS TRITON SSN 586, the only U.S.
submarine ever powered by two reactors. Following his time as the engineering
officer of the gold crew of the USS ANDREW JACKSON SSBN 619, he advanced to
executive officer of USS TAUTOG SSN 639. He commanded the USS ANDREW JACKSON
SSBN 619 BLUE crew from 1970 to 1972 and the USS HENRY STIMSON SSBN 655 GOLD
crew from 1972 to 1974 while the STIMSON was converted to carry the Poseidon
missile. His excellence in command was recognized by his being awarded the
position of Senior Member Nuclear Propulsion Examining Board on the staff of
Commander in Chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet. His experience in ballistic missile
submarine repair, operations, engineering, and all things nuclear led to his
posting as Commander Submarine Squadron 14 in the Holy Loch, Scotland. Admiral
Catola was also personally responsible for the development, construction,
acceptance, testing, and delivery of the complete Trident weapons system and
for the performance of the first Trident missile submarine, the USS
OHIO which met or exceeded all performance requirements. He later served
as Commander Submarine Group Six which consisted of one squadron of attack
submarines and two squadrons of ballistic missile submarines including the
first Atlantic Fleet squadron to carry the Trident I missile. He established
the Trident missile facility at Kings Bay, GA. He was awarded five legions of
merit and finished his naval career as Deputy Director of Naval Warfare OP-095.
Following retirement from the Navy in 1986 his first retirement job was as
Executive Vice President for Detroit Edison and Director of Nuclear Operations,
specifically the Fermi II nuclear power plant which provided one fifth of the
electrical power to Detroit metropolitan area. His second retirement job from
1997 to 1998 was the conversion of the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion plant to U235
separation. After moving to Las Vegas, NV in 2001 his final retirement activity
was as a Nation Park Service volunteer rescuing boaters in distress on Lake
Meade and assisting in apprehending those in a state of inebriation. He was
married to the lovely Helen I Catola from 1958 until her passing in 2010. He is
survived by his son, Steven Catola. Services for Admiral Catola will be held 15
June 2016 at Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery.