Congratulations for 20 years SubSim ! :Kaleun_Salute:

In 1997 I was just in the trouble to replace big watercooled mainframes in our data center. One of the main problem were the belt driven external discs that were as big as a washing machine (30 GB capacity :haha:) and need so many power that we only can start it disc by disc not to crash the power supplies.

Real "heavy metal" ...

17 years old.
Back then lived in Varna, on the Black Sea.
I do not have specific memories from that particular year.
Let's see, the year before that, I left school, because my parents was incapable of withstand the family, so I started to work.
What else, I spend all my free time during the summer on the beaches.

I had an old computer, without internet.
The games, I was playing Master of Orion and Fallout.
At that time I had no interest on simulation games.
It came two years later, after my military service in naval forces.

First of all:

Congratulations subsim! Here's to 20 years more! :Kaleun_Salute:


Back in 97, I was 10 years old at the time. Because of a divorce, I went on holiday twice that year. To Ameland and to Texel. They're both small islands on the north and northwest coast of the Netherlands. Both holidays were extremely boring, because beaches and sunshine are overrated in my honest opinion. The holiday at Texel had a nice touch though. My mom took me and my sister to the Vlootdagen (Fleet Days), the Navy parade at the Navy port of Den Helder. We went aboard on a couple of frigates and stuff, and in a helicopter, all good fun.
Suddenly there she was, Zr Ms Dolfijn. One of the 4 Walrus Class submarines. I was immediately intrigued by it's shape and size (looks a lot like a Barbel class), and wanted to join the tour. Here's the bad part. There were 30 minute tours for 15 people, and over 200 people were standing in line. My mom didn't share my patience, and I never made it aboard :(

After submarines got my real attention a couple years I started to regret the fact I never did the tour. Walrus class submarines are one of the few blue water diesel-electrics still in service, and performed well in Bosnia and Somalia. I had some sort of personal redemption when I visited the navy museum and took a tour of the Potvis class Hr MS Tonijn 2 years ago, the diesel smell was still around after it's decommissioning 25 +- years ago.

Recap: 1997 started my interest in submarines.

http://www.military-today.com/navy/walrus.jpg

20 years...:Kaleun_Salute:
In 1997 was 15 years old, 9th grade and seeing Dragon Ball Z on TV for the first time. Playing rst and of course, 688 (I) hunter killer!
Young, felling in love for the first time, a few stupid things and began to go out at night with friends.
Ah, went to London in a high-school trip, and mad great friendships for life.

I started going to High School and got my first own PC (IBM 486 DX 66Mhz) and had the pleasure to experience all the classic DOS games. Windows 95 arrived much later for me and on my 130 MB drive it was taking too much space (version without Internet Explorer which had 54 MB :D).
I remember listening to "Scooter - Wicked" album.
Oh, the memories.

Happy Birthday Uncle Onkel :Kaleun_Cheers: :subsim:

Your location: Bungo STRAITS - oh dear, you cant get the staff!! :Kaleun_Periskop:

1997
 

In 1997 my one and only daughter was born! So that's a year I'll never forget ;)
It was also the end of my silent hunter sessions of hours on end :Kaleun_Salute:
Now that she's 19 (almost 20) I'm thinking of starting that uup again and so I'll need the advice of the experienced skippers :D

Keep up the good work :up:

I bought my first computer, a HP Pavilion and used Prodigy dial-up. Discovered Subsim years later after buying Silent Hunter 3. Thank you for your hard work guys.

Happy Anniversary
 

In 1997 my wife and I got married. We celebrated our 20th anniversary this year (of course).
I was playing Sub Battle Simulator and Silent Service on my Apple IIGS.

Happy Anniversary Subsim!!!

In early 1997 I was a junior in college. I was living off campus for the first time with 4 of the 5 guys I'd lived with sophmore year. The house had super leaky windows that we used cardboard and plywood to cover the windows during the winter so we didn't lose our shirts paying for heat. I was also playing lots of Battletech (both Mechwarrior 2 and Battletech MUSE games), Duke Nuke'em, and Doom 2.

Fast-forward to the start of senior year at the end of 1997 and living behind a local Chinese restaurant and a grocery store. If I wasn't having Chinese food for dinner, I was walking back with a frozen pizza or a TV dinner from the store. Had another group of friends who lived together and I'd go over there to party and play Mario Kart (Rainbow Road is so much better when you've had some alcohol). PC game wise, I was playing lots of Dark Reign and Total Annihilation. Those two spoiled me for other RTS games, that it wasn't until Company of Heroes that I'd enjoy another RTS.

Happy Happy 20th
 

Let's see... back in '97 I made the crazy choice to leave the military on July 10th. Had hopes of living the life of greener pastures and white picket fences with my girl. But turns out she was wanted by the cops. :damn:

So I signed up to do security work and the rest is history. :Kaleun_Salute:

1997 we still had the same 486 that my parents bought in 1992 or 1993. However this seven-year old was happy with spending time playing 688 Attack Sub and PT-109 until he found a copy of Seawolf at a thrift store. Wouldn't be until that 486 got switched for a Pentium MMX in 2002 that he'd discover Jane's 688i or the like :P

Hmmm, "blows dust off ship's journals"...

Back in '97 I was still a limey living & working in Detroit. My liver was a lot younger, and was taking some good abuse from the local grog. Life seemed a lot simpler, even if more chaotic. There was certainly more to do over there anyway compared to my current station back in old Blighty :)

Subsim, happy birthday. One of the best forums on the internet, filled with the best community on the internet. Long may it continue! :Kaleun_Cheers:

Happy 20th Birthday SUBSIM this is also my Birthday month and I am now 66 Years old...in 1997 I was teaching for the National Camp School; Southern Region of the Boy Scout s of America; in beautiful Camp Durant located outside of Carthage, NC ( not to be confused with Carthage, TT where there is also a Boy Scout Camp). It was at that meeting I met a gentleman by the name of Carl McLawhorn who was the Camping Chairman for the Occoneechee Council in Raleigh, NC. this developed into a life long friendship....he gave me my first "supped-up" computer and installed Silent Service on it. Needless to say I was hooked....I love these Submarine simulation games and wish there were more..... Again God Bless...and Happy 20th Birthday...SUBSIM!!!

Jerry Butts "the Black Eagle":Kaleun_Applaud:

1997. 3 years out of the Army, after 17 years, and doing a job I swore I would never do - Security. But I enjoyed it so much, I eventually retired after 20+ years in Security !!!! Not just a job, I had to qualify with loads of courses. And a Government licence. Joined this forum originally not long after buying SH3 and still commanding in SH4. I must have about 60 million tons sunk, in total !! The japs dont know what hit them! :subsim:

Neil has been a fabulous forum boss, as I run my own Regiment one for ex soldiers, I know how damned awkward it can be sometimes, and HARD WORK.

Way back in 1997...
 

The first half of the year was preparing for my second wedding. The second half of the year was spent celebrating my second wedding <wink-wink><gnudge-gnudge>

Welcome aboard!
 

Just retired from US Air force after 25 years of moving here, there, and everywhere, wife and I bought our first house (instead of quarters or renting!). Finally enough room for computer room and free time to use it!

Happy birthday Subsim! :Kaleun_Salute:

Sometime in '97
 

I remember watching the news to see if Hong Kong changed quickly after the British lease ran out. It was becoming easier to find news from the internet, but not finding a rational explanation as to why people believed they could hitchhike on a comet didn't surprise me.

:subsim: