Robert Clery
U.S. Navy, 1980 – 2012
Robert Clery is a retired U.S. Navy officer whose 32-year career spanned submarine, surface, and aviation communities. Raised in a musical family and grounded in Las Vegas for high school, he enlisted in 1980, trained at San Diego boot camp, and specialized as a storekeeper, serving aboard ballistic missile and fast‑attack submarines including the USS Sam Rayburn, USS Blueback, and USS Topeka. Clery advanced quickly to chief petty officer and later commissioned as a Supply Corps limited duty officer, combining hands‑on logistics expertise with leadership roles as a helmsman, diving officer of the watch, carrier supply officer, and personnel detailer. He completed long patrols—one lasting 127 days—and deployed across the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, and Arctic oceans. After retirement he turned his logistics skills to preservation work at the USS Orleck Museum, where he manages acquisitions and renovation support to keep the ship accessible to the public.
Full Interview
Interview Summary
Access the complete transcript here
Introduction (0:46 – 2:31)
Decision to Join the Navy (2:31 – 5:59)
Life Aboard the Submarine (5:59 – 11:49)
High Pressure Moments Out at Sea (11:49 – 14:56)
Life Aboard Ballistic Missile and Fast Attack Submarines (14:56 – 19:43)
Special Operations, Global Deployments, and Port Calls (19:43 – 24:32)
List of Submarine Service (24:32 – 27:24)
Advancing in Rank: Leadership in Action (27:24 – 38:14)
Adapting to Change, From One Decade to the Next (38:14 – 46:04)
Preserving Naval History and Reflections on Service (46:04 – 50:00)
