- 11 years ago
Documentary (1945) 53 minutes ~ Color
In the late 1800’s the father of submarines, Mr John Holland, hit upon the idea of powering a submarine with an internal combustion engine and an electric motor. For over a hundred years, since the first semi-successful attempts during the American Civil War, submarine warfare had been fraught with difficulties and failure. In 1901, the Holland I was launched as the first Royal Navy submarine and submarines have been an integral part of the Navy ever since. The Second World War showed the first widespread use of these underwater vessels and their major advantages. Today, nuclear submarines roam the waters all over the world for exploration and to keep the peace. Featuring rare archive footage and rare film of the last surviving submarines, this is a privileged glimpse into the world of submarine warfare.
Narrator: Gene Kelly
In the late 1800’s the father of submarines, Mr John Holland, hit upon the idea of powering a submarine with an internal combustion engine and an electric motor. For over a hundred years, since the first semi-successful attempts during the American Civil War, submarine warfare had been fraught with difficulties and failure. In 1901, the Holland I was launched as the first Royal Navy submarine and submarines have been an integral part of the Navy ever since. The Second World War showed the first widespread use of these underwater vessels and their major advantages. Today, nuclear submarines roam the waters all over the world for exploration and to keep the peace. Featuring rare archive footage and rare film of the last surviving submarines, this is a privileged glimpse into the world of submarine warfare.
Narrator: Gene Kelly
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00© BF-WATCH TV 2021
00:30© BF-WATCH TV 2021
00:42Here is your ship, the USS Guadalcanal,
00:45fresh out of the Kaiser Yards,
00:48equipped from stem to stern with the products of American ingenuity,
00:52turned out by your hands.
00:54Electronic devices, radar, submarine detectors,
00:59Wildcats and Avengers, guns and shells,
01:03the thousand and one items that, in the hands of American boys,
01:07make a fighting American ship.
01:10All under the command of Captain Dan Gallery, USN,
01:14a pioneer of naval aviation.
01:17On May 15, 1944, a task group of the Atlantic Fleet heads out to sea
01:23with orders to operate against submarines to the west of the Cape Verde Islands.
01:27The group comprises the USS Guadalcanal
01:30and her five destroyer escorts,
01:32the Pillsbury,
01:34the Chatelaine,
01:37the Pope,
01:40the Flaherty,
01:43and the Jenks.
01:47At the departure conference,
01:49Captain Gallery and the destroyer skippers
01:52decide upon a daring plan of action.
01:55If, during this cruise, they can bring a sub to bay,
01:59they will not attempt to sink her as soon as she surfaces.
02:02Instead, they will spray her with small stuff,
02:05put crews over the side in small boats,
02:08and attempt to board and capture her.
02:11Daring, did we say?
02:13Fantastic is the word for boarding a wounded U-boat on the high seas.
02:17But the prize would be priceless.
02:20Naval intelligence could use a completely equipped enemy vessel.
02:24During the voyage, prize crews were trained and rehearsed for this bold hope.
02:30Here's the hand-picked boarding party of the Guadalcanal.
02:34Let's meet some of them.
02:37Chief Photographer's Mate Clifford Wurla.
02:40His job will be to get inside the sub,
02:43take pictures of all installations in case she cannot be kept afloat.
02:47Chief Pharmacist Raymond Jackson,
02:50Fredericksburg, Virginia.
02:52He served 10 years in the Navy.
02:55Lieutenant J.G. Mytle Keck,
02:57a veteran sea dog with 25 years naval experience.
03:01Ensign Fred Middall,
03:03an electrician's mate 1st Class William Stein.
03:06Stein, a crack electrician,
03:08will assist Ensign Middall in the job of checking the batteries
03:11and all operating motors of the enemy vessel.
03:14Ensign James Griffin,
03:16and machinist's mate 2nd Class Walter Waller.
03:19James Griffin will check the sub's diesel engines.
03:22Waller is to be engineer of the party's whale boat.
03:26In command of the boarding and salvage party
03:29is Commander Earl Trosino,
03:31engineering officer of the Guadalcanal.
03:34Over on the USS Pillsbury,
03:36a similar party is being trained by Lieutenant Albert David.
03:43On June 4th, 1944,
03:45the task group is searching for a sub
03:47reported 150 miles off the coast of French West Africa,
03:51when suddenly at 1110...
03:53Frenchy to Blue Jay,
03:55I have a possible sound contact.
03:58Nothing startling for the moment.
04:00Possible sound contacts are made every day,
04:03but a flat top has no business near them.
04:06With her high freeboard and her thin skin,
04:09she is a sitting duck for any sub
04:11which surfaces within torpedo range.
04:13So the Guadalcanal swings away,
04:16while the two nearest destroyers
04:18break off to assist the Chatelaine,
04:20which has made the sound contact.
04:22And the Guadalcanal's patrol of two wildcat fighters
04:25is ordered to the scene.
04:29Then Commander Knox of the Chatelaine announces...
04:32Contact evaluated as sub.
04:34I'm making attack.
04:38Almost simultaneously,
04:40both fighter planes sight the long, dark shape of the submarine
04:44running 60 feet below the surface
04:46and sing out...
04:47Sighted sub.
04:52At this point, the sub reverses course,
04:54temporarily shaking off the destroyer.
04:57But the wildcats can see the sub
04:59and reveal its position
05:01by firing their guns in the water
05:03at the spot where the sub is disappearing.
05:05This is a remarkable example of aircraft
05:08actually directing the attack of a surface vessel on a U-boat.
05:13At 1121, the destroyer makes a depth charge attack.
05:22All ships are at battle stations
05:24and all eyes are glued on the Chatelaine.
05:27The guns of a task group are loaded with anti-personnel
05:30rather than armor-piercing ammunition.
05:33At 1122 and a half,
05:35the wounded U-boat surfaces right in the middle of the task group.
05:39Commence firing.
05:41The planes open up first.
05:49Now the blow really begins.
05:51Throw it on land.
06:05Fire.
06:07Fire.
06:09Fire.
06:11Fire.
06:13Fire.
06:15Fire.
06:17Fire.
06:19Fire.
06:21Fire.
06:23Fire.
06:25Fire.
06:27They're firing away all boarding parties.
06:29The Nazis are scrambling overboard.
06:31There are the Nazis in the water in their rubber rafts.
06:46But there may be more on board ready for business.
06:49Away all boarding parties.
07:02The sub's rudder is jammed
07:04and she is running in a tight circle to the right.
07:07But the planes are all set to open up if she makes a false move.
07:11This is it.
07:13For the first time since 1815,
07:16the United States Navy boards a foreign enemy man of war on the high seas.
07:22The first boarding party has swarmed aboard.
07:25Only one dead Nazi on deck.
07:28There may be live ones below.
07:30But our lads tumble down the hatch
07:32and find to their amazement
07:34that the U-505 is all theirs.
07:38All theirs, that is,
07:40if she doesn't sink or blow up.
07:42All theirs, that is,
07:44if she doesn't sink or blow up.
07:47All theirs, that is,
07:49if she doesn't sink or blow up.
07:51Here comes the Pillsbury making knots.
07:54And there's a second whale boat with a boarding party from the Guadalcanal.
07:58The Nazis have done a hurried, frantic job of scuttling.
08:02A solid eight-inch stream of water is pouring through an open stream.
08:06But Lieutenant David and his boys find the cover,
08:09slap it back in place, and secure it just in time.
08:13A few minutes more and it would have been too late.
08:15The inrush of water is checked.
08:17Each man has a different job to do.
08:19Has rehearsed it for months.
08:21And now that the chips are down, they come through.
08:24The ship is thoroughly searched.
08:27But she's still running wild,
08:29and the Pillsbury and more boarders are chasing her.
08:33Finally, the Pillsbury orders,
08:35stop subs' engines.
08:38But when the prize crew complies,
08:40the subs sink so alarmingly
08:42that they throw the switches to full speed ahead.
08:44And the chase begins all over again.
08:51Meanwhile, the Chatelaine is busy rescuing
08:54some very wet members of the master race.
08:57Amazingly, all but one are saved
08:59and brought on board the Chatelaine.
09:15Dry clothing and cigarettes are passed around.
09:19The tradition of the sea is honorably
09:21and frontiliously respected.
09:25These men are the cream of the German Navy.
09:28They just can't believe that their ship has been captured
09:32and by members of a decadent democracy.
09:37At last, the Pillsbury comes alongside
09:40and passes a line to the boarding class.
09:42A neat bit of seamanship.
09:44But watch out.
09:45That sub is still as dangerous as a wounded shark.
09:51She swings into the Pillsbury,
09:53and her bow flippers rip a long,
09:55underwater gash in the DE's thin plates,
09:58flooding two main compartments clear up to the waterline.
10:02The destroyer has to cut loose and back clear.
10:06The Pillsbury radios.
10:08Sub says she has to be towed to stay afloat.
10:11But we don't think a destroyer can do it.
10:13So the Guadalcanal heads over
10:15and says on the TVS,
10:17destroyers stand clear.
10:20The Pillsbury radio.
10:22Sub says she has to be towed to stay afloat.
10:25But we don't think a destroyer can do it.
10:27So the Guadalcanal heads over
10:29Destroyers stand clear.
10:31I am going to take her in tow myself.
10:34Now we'll see whether this aviator skipper
10:37can handle the ship.
10:39It's a ticklish job hooking a flat top
10:41to a sinking sub on the high seas
10:43and in the middle of the Atlantic U-boat lanes.
10:47Look how far down she is.
10:50They've closed the hash to keep the swells
10:52from pouring down on the boys working inside.
10:56If she goes down now, they all go down with her.
11:00Let's get that line out.
11:02There he goes, the messenger line
11:04with the big tow line at the end of it.
11:06This is a job to test the mettle of veteran seamen.
11:09And four out of five of those boys on the subs
11:12folks who are green.
11:14But there is no fumbling.
11:25♪♪
11:35♪♪
11:45♪♪
11:55♪♪
12:04The tow line is made fast
12:06and the anxious skipper heaves a sigh of relief
12:09as the sub makes way and rises in the water.
12:12She is safe again for the time being
12:16and under a new flag.
12:19♪♪
12:24The task group forms up
12:26and on orders from the Navy Department heads for Bermuda,
12:29a grueling 2,500-mile haul
12:31with a riddled waterlogged U-boat in tow.
12:36Normal flight operations are resumed
12:38and carried on day and night
12:40despite the greatly reduced speed of the Guadalcanal.
12:44At times, there are only 15 knots of wind
12:46across the flight deck
12:48and it's axiomatic that a flyer has to have 25 knots
12:51to land on a baby flattop.
12:53But these pilots land anyway and without an accident.
12:58♪♪
13:06The prisoners are transferred
13:08from the overcrowded destroyer to the carrier.
13:14The one in the stretcher is Oberleutnant Dursy-Herrelong,
13:18captain of the U-505.
13:21The first man out of the conning tower,
13:23he was instantly blown overboard by a shell.
13:26♪♪
13:32During the voyage, they're brought on deck for exercises.
13:36♪♪
13:42And a thorough salt shower.
13:45♪♪
13:52♪♪
14:00On the 7th of June, the fleet tug Abnaki joins up
14:04and the tow is transferred from the Guadalcanal.
14:08Now comes the most anxious moment of the cruise.
14:11As she loses way, Junior, as the crew have christened the sub,
14:15sinks lower and lower in the water.
14:18The salvage party works desperately
14:20to take all movable weights out of the U-boat.
14:23Then as the transfer is completed and the Abnaki gets underway,
14:29the clutches on the sub's engines are released
14:32and her propellers recharge her batteries.
14:36With power aboard, her pumps work once more
14:40and her tanks are blown out.
14:43Now she rides again at full surface trim.
14:48On June 19th, the U-505 was towed into Bermuda
14:53and there remained, as a prize of war,
14:56one less wolf to hunt with the pack.
15:00♪♪
15:23♪♪
15:33♪♪
15:43♪♪
15:53♪♪
16:03♪♪
16:30With a wartime requirement of more than 5 million tons per year,
16:36it is apparent that the steel industry
16:39is directly dependent on the availability of merchant shipping.
16:46Plus, the state of health of steel production
16:50could be said to be directly dependent
16:53on the operation of United States submarines.
16:57♪♪
17:05Japan's chief supply of oil came from America
17:10in the years prior to the war.
17:13Therefore, since the war started,
17:16our water requirements,
17:18which amounted to about 5 million tons a year,
17:22has to be supplied mostly from the Dutch East Indies.
17:27One of the decisive factors in our defeat
17:31was the activities of American submarines,
17:35which cut off the supply from that source entirely.
17:40♪♪
17:51Our records show
17:54that about 36% of the major vessels,
18:00that is, vessels rather than destroyers,
18:05were lost to the United States submarines.
18:10♪♪
18:15Actually, Admiral Nagano is pretty accurate in his estimates.
18:19The latest reports, and we've checked and double-checked them,
18:22show that one battleship, nine carriers,
18:24and 15 cruisers of the Imperial Japanese Navy
18:27were sunk by Allied submarines.
18:29He might have added, though,
18:31that 42 destroyers and 28 submarines
18:34were sunk in the same way.
18:36Not a bad few years of work.
18:38By the way, I noticed the Admiral
18:40didn't give any figures on their merchant marine.
18:43Well, that's understandable.
18:45It must be quite a painful subject to him.
18:47There just isn't any more Japanese merchant marine.
18:51Our submarines accounted for 63% of that important branch.
18:55Mr. Nomura probably could have told you
18:59that 104 of his vitally needed tankers
19:02were victims of submarines.
19:04Their merchant marine was destroyed on the high seas,
19:08in the ports of the Japanese Empire,
19:10and even in the shallow waters off the China coast
19:13where the submarines had to operate as PT boats
19:16since there was insufficient water for diving.
19:18Admiral, you think in these articles we're writing
19:21we could explain why, during the war,
19:23there was so little publicity given ourselves
19:25and the shellacking they were handing the Japs?
19:28I wish you would.
19:30It was just something that couldn't be helped.
19:32At the beginning of the war,
19:34some civilians visited the front
19:36and then broke into print and they got back
19:38about how American submarines
19:40didn't fear Japanese destroyers.
19:42They boasted that the nip-dip charges
19:44weren't big enough to hurt us
19:46and weren't set deep enough to reach us.
19:48You can imagine how joyful the Japs
19:50would see that news.
19:52They radically changed their tactics
19:54and they lost, I should say,
19:56about 10 submarines with all on board
19:58before we could improve our construction sufficiently
20:01to slow the Japs down.
20:03Is that when you became a silent servant?
20:06Right then and there.
20:08We buttoned up our lips and said it was torpedoes.
20:10Besides, there was too much work to do
20:13to permit talking about it.
20:15Just visualize the spot we were in,
20:17December 7, 1941.
20:20There wasn't time to be bitter.
20:22It was up to us, the small ship.
20:25The big ones were out of the picture.
20:27Explosion
20:30Yesterday, December 7, 1941,
20:39a date which will live in infamy.
20:45The United States of America
20:48was suddenly and deliberately attacked
20:52by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.
20:58Yes, it was up to the submarines.
21:01At that time, we had exactly 51 submarines in the Pacific
21:04and that included 12 of the old S-class.
21:07Small and slow, but they gave a good account of themselves.
21:10On December 15, eight days after Pearl Harbor,
21:14American subs drew their first blood.
21:17A swordfish was cruising off Hainan Island
21:19in the South China Sea.
21:21On the radio, they could hear the voice of a Japanese woman
21:23speaking faultless English.
21:25Later, she would become famous as Tokyo Rose.
21:30We know very well that American submarines
21:33have headed west from Pearl Harbor.
21:35If American submariners are wise, you will turn back.
21:40Certain death awaits you over here.
21:43And now I'll play for you unfortunate Americans
21:46a popular recording.
21:49Music
21:53One week after Pearl Harbor, the Atsutsu-san Maru,
21:568,663 tons, became the first victim of an American sub.
22:02A dubious object.
22:13It wasn't long before she had plenty of company
22:15at the bottom of the ocean.
22:17On the 1st of January, the 5,384-ton Kainan Maru
22:21was sunk right off the very coast of Japan.
22:33But those early days were tough.
22:36Just look at the vast amount of territory
22:38the Japs overran in no time at all.
22:41Naturally, they wanted to consolidate.
22:43Keep all that loot from the conquered territories
22:45pouring into Japan.
22:47Fuel, oil, rubber, coal, iron, rice.
22:50It was our job to see that most of that loot
22:52didn't get there.
22:54And for 18 months, our subs were the only ships
22:58that penetrated enemy-controlled sea lanes.
23:01It was rugged, but it paid off.
23:04Let the Japs tell you about it.
23:07American submarines in 1942 sank 134 Japanese merchant ships,
23:13totaling 580,000, or 390 tons,
23:17and 140,000 tons of mineral water.
23:21And that was only the beginning.
23:25Yes, only the beginning.
23:28Even newly-commissioned subs got big scores.
23:31For instance, the Trigger.
23:33Her story starts in Mare Island.
23:36That's the way she looked at me the first time I ever saw her.
23:40I was reported as misattended.
23:42Got to be off to cook first class time I was transferred.
23:46She didn't look like nothing much to me right then,
23:49but she was a good woman.
23:52She didn't look like nothing much to me right then.
23:55Just a lot of pipe and steel.
23:57No life, no spirit.
24:00But I felt a little better when I saw the galley.
24:03Small but clean, the latest in devices.
24:07A man sure could get a mess of cooking done in there.
24:10But all in all, I sure felt let down.
24:13I said to myself, man, what possessed you
24:15to volunteer for the subservice anyhow?
24:18Next time, you'll keep your big mouth shut.
24:21I sure did feel a little better though about the Trigger
24:23when we got underway.
24:25There was just something about it.
24:28Well, by the time we reached Pearl,
24:29the Trigger and me was friends.
24:31She sure won me over.
24:34How'd you do it?
24:36Well, I'll tell you, ship it.
24:39Well, it's like our exec says.
24:41He says,
24:43I don't find it any easier than the steward
24:45to put into words what I feel about the Trigger.
24:48He gets that all ships have souls,
24:50and all sailors know it.
24:53But it takes a while to learn to commune with it.
24:56It took me quite some time.
24:59But when it happened,
25:02it was our first patrol,
25:04and our first kill.
25:06Off the eastern coast of Kyushu,
25:08a good-sized freighter.
25:10Clear the bridge.
25:12Take her down before we're spotted.
25:15That baby might mount enough guns to blast us.
25:17The kingdom comes.
25:19Take her down.
25:25Back to Kyushu.
25:40Now let's take a look to see if she's spotted us.
25:46She looks normal from here,
25:48as if it isn't a trap.
25:50She might be a Q ship,
25:52carrying depth charges and sound gear.
25:55We can't hit her until we close the range.
25:58To close the range,
26:00we've got to watch out that she doesn't see or hear us,
26:03or the killer will become the corpse.
26:06The minutes seem like hours until we get into position.
26:09Easy.
26:11Easy.
26:12Then,
26:13estimated range 1,500 yards.
26:15Track 90 port.
26:16Diagonal five left. Stand by.
26:19It's coming on, coming on.
26:20Fire one.
26:26Then,
26:27eight seconds.
26:28Fire two.
26:48Trigger had come of age,
26:50but she was soon to face her first ordeal.
26:54Depth charging.
27:17The destroyer left the scene confident he had suckered.
27:21But several nights later,
27:23we heard Tokyo Rose on our radio.
27:26I regret to inform all American submarines
27:30that one of their number has recently fallen victim
27:34to a destroyer of the Imperial Japanese Navy.
27:39You will hear an appropriate recording.
28:39Down periscope.
28:51Up periscope.
29:03Down periscope.
29:04Look, man, this is a jackpot.
29:06We've got the biggest aircraft carrier
29:07we've ever seen up here, plus two destroyers.
29:09We're going to shoot our whole one as a carrier.
29:21Up periscope.
29:27Bearing mark 829.
29:31Range mark 6100.
29:33Down periscope.
29:34Angle on the bow starboard 15.
29:36Right full rudder.
29:37Right full rudder.
29:38All ahead two-thirds.
29:39All ahead two-thirds.
29:40New course 240.
29:42New course 240.
29:43What's the distance to the track?
29:441700.
29:46Control, 63 feet.
29:47Control, 63 feet.
29:48Forward torpedo room, make ready all tubes.
29:50Forward torpedo room, make ready all tubes.
29:52Set depth 12 feet.
29:53Set depth 12 feet.
29:54Rig for silent running.
29:56Rig for silent running.
29:57Rig for depth charge.
29:58Rig for depth charge.
29:59Steady on 250.
30:05All ahead one-third.
30:06All ahead one-third.
30:07How much time I got?
30:08None, sir.
30:09Torpedo run 1100.
30:10Range about 1600.
30:12Gyro 005 increasing.
30:14Shoot any time.
30:15Standby forward.
30:16Standby forward.
30:17Up periscope.
30:18Check bearing and shoot.
30:23Bearing mark 845.
30:26Down periscope.
30:27Set fire.
30:28Fire one.
30:31One fire, sir.
30:33Fire.
30:34Fire two.
30:36Two fire.
30:37Fire.
30:38Fire three.
30:40Three fire.
30:42Set fire.
30:43Fire four.
31:05The trigger, of course, was subjected to another terrific depth charge.
31:10There were moments when no one on board thought she'd come through, but she stood up and eventually
31:14got away.
31:15The carrier just managed to crawl back to Tokyo Bay, badly crippled.
31:20The trigger was lost in March 45 off the Ryukyus.
31:24At that time, she was one of the highest ranking subs in tonnage and total number of ships
31:29sunk.
31:30The trigger will never be forgotten.
31:33Nor will the work of all our other submarines.
31:38In 1943, 284 Japanese ships totaling 1,341,968 tons, plus about 100,000 tons of warships
31:51were sunk by American submarines.
31:53Naturally, they got some of our subs too, but our losses weren't excessive when you
31:58consider what was accomplished.
32:00In fact, they were quite small compared to the losses of the Jap and German submarine
32:05services.
32:06But we felt deeply each individual loss.
32:10For instance, take the case of the Sculpin.
32:17On 19 November 1943, we sighted a fast convoy and made an attack.
32:30Their screen detected us and immediately subjected us to depth charges.
32:54Things were getting tough when we heard a rain fall.
33:00We headed forward and shook the Jap.
33:03At least we thought we did.
33:05But the moment we regained periscope depth, we found that Jap destroyer sitting right
33:09in our lap.
33:14We tried to duck, but he had heard us as well as seen us.
33:31After five hours, the batteries were almost flat and the men completely exhausted.
33:59We had a tough decision to make.
34:02The first concern of our skipper, Commander Conaway, was for the life of his men.
34:07We had on board the wolf pack commander, Captain Cromwell, who had heard that the Jap used
34:12a special brand of torture to extract information from their captives.
34:17Suddenly, a decision was reached.
34:20We'd battle service and use our deck gun to fight it out with the destroyer.
34:29...
34:48Commander Conaway and the next crew in command, Lieutenant Allen and Lieutenant DeVries,
34:52were killed almost instantly.
34:54I succeeded to command.
35:01The situation was hopeless.
35:03I gave the order to scuttle ship.
35:10Captain Cromwell chose to go down with the boat because he knew too much.
35:16Ensign Max Fiedler also went down with the sculpin.
35:24...
35:53...
36:21But now for a change.
36:23It was a very pleasant phase to our activity.
36:26Patrols were tough on bodies and nerves, so we arranged a program of relaxation and rehabilitation
36:31between runs that were the envy of every branch of service.
36:35With the approval and backing of Fleet Admiral Nimitz, our commander-in-chief,
36:39we took over the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Honolulu lock, stock, and barrel,
36:43and we said to the submarine men, it's all yours.
36:46Other operating forces also had quarters at the Royal, where it held about 150 officers and 1,000 men,
36:52but the majority were always submarine men and aviators from the carrier groups.
37:16...
37:40...
37:51I guess the Royal Hawaiian was one of the reasons there was a waiting list for sub-duty.
37:56It almost seems like the more rest and fun our men had, the more damage they did to the Jap fleet.
38:01And that's understandable too, for they went to sea mentally and physically fit and trained to meet any type of combat.
38:07Just take the figures for 44.
38:10...
38:38...
38:52Yes, the Jap fleet was just about shot.
38:56In fact, by 1945, targets were getting awfully scarce and awfully small.
39:01What was left of Jap shipping tried desperately to crawl home, hugging the coast.
39:05But our subs went right after them, right into the dangerous shallow water,
39:09right along the China coast and into the mine-filled Yellow Sea.
39:13We gave them no rest.
39:16This was about the time of the big carrier strikes and the B-29 raids in the homeland,
39:20which brings up another interesting phase of submarine work.
39:23Lifeguard duty.
39:25That is, the picking up of our downed aviators.
39:28We had quite an air-sea rescue system worked out.
39:31It didn't get much publicity because we didn't want the Japs to know about it.
39:38I'm an electrician's mate second class.
39:41Of course, that means I don't get to see much topside action, so...
39:45The other day I says to the chief, I says, um...
39:48Hey, chief, how about me getting on the gun for a minute?
39:52He thought I was kind of crazy wanting to be topside with the others, but...
39:56He finally gave in, and here I am.
39:59Bang!
40:09Hey, this is beginning to be more like it.
40:14Bang!
40:18Bang!
40:25Bang!
40:30That's one load of fish that won't end up in Jap belly.
40:36How about this? Prisoners.
40:42Welcome aboard, boys.
40:44You'll find conditions a little cramped, but we'll treat you right.
40:48Treat you well, even though you don't deserve it.
40:51I'd always heard that Japs would rather die than be taken prisoner, but...
40:56These guys don't seem to object to our rescue efforts.
40:59Wait a minute.
41:02We've got something.
41:04Our B-29 is in trouble.
41:06We've got him on radar, but the lookouts haven't spotted him yet.
41:10Say, this lifeguard stuff is new to me, but it has its exciting moments.
41:17Bang!
41:20Brother, am I glad I'm not on that plane.
41:25Well, here's a couple that were lucky enough to jump.
41:29We're going over to pick them up and then survey the wreckage to see if there are others we can rescue.
41:35Maybe we'll find some still alive.
41:38This job of dragging tired and half-drowned pilots aboard a sub looks easy, but...
41:43...it takes careful handling and a certain amount of risk on the part of our own boys.
41:48Climbing up the side of a slippery outer hull and superstructure in a choppy sea...
41:53...isn't easy, even for one of our own men.
41:56So, it gets a bit complicated when these zoomies drop in on us.
42:02Say, these guys look like they're badly shot up.
42:07Doc is up here now, and first aid is being given to those who need it right away.
42:12There isn't time for treating for shock and exposure on deck because...
42:16...we're in enemy waters and subject to attack at any moment, so...
42:20...Skipper says to get them below as soon as possible.
42:23Here we are now, down in the chief's quarters.
42:26Doc has made this compartment into a first-class operating room.
42:33Looks like we're going to have more company in a few minutes.
42:43You know, this picking up of flyers is getting to be quite a habit with us.
42:48Of course, most of the guys here on the sub would rather be firing fish or the deck guns, but...
42:53...it's a great feeling to be able to rescue a small bunch of fellows like these...
42:57...and it's a relief to have somebody new to swap yarns with after being out here for so long.
43:02Sometimes the kid you and I used to know back home isn't so lucky.
43:08We're doing all we can.
43:10No sign yet, but we're not giving up.
43:16Well, we tried, but he didn't make it.
43:21But we'll make it up to him.
43:23We'll save as many of his boys as we can.
43:26Yes, many of that boy's buddies were saved.
43:30At one time, we had 22 submarines on station whose primary duty was lifeguarding.
43:35All in all, we rescued more than 500 Army, Navy, and Marine aviators.
43:40The submarines were proud of that work and eager for the assignment.
43:44But in the last months of the war, we've had to do a lot more than that.
43:48We've had to do a lot more than that.
43:51The submarines were proud of that work and eager for the assignment.
43:54But in the last months of the war, it didn't supply enough action to satisfy them.
43:58So, as you'll see, they figured out some special assignments for themselves.
44:03And very interesting, too.
44:07During the summer of 45, the Serenity was in the same fix as all the other subs.
44:12No targets really worth wasting the taxpayers' torpedoes on.
44:15Oh, we managed to amuse ourselves.
44:18Shot up a few picket boats and other small craft.
44:22Knocked off a sea truck.
44:25Raised some mild hell in a general way.
44:28We played pirate and boarded some junks.
44:31Scared the crews half out of their yellow skins and gave the deep six to a lot of dried peas bound for Japan.
44:39We took a few prisoners.
44:54Exploded some mines.
44:56Thought there was nothing to write home about, even if we could have written home.
45:00Then one morning, we sighted a ship in the distance.
45:04It looked like it was tied to a dock alongside a colliery.
45:07We kept it under observation for about an hour.
45:18Looked like a two or three thousand ton freighter taking on coal by conveyor.
45:35We held a war council.
45:41It'd be risky, entering a harbor full of rocks and shoals.
45:45Should we try it?
45:47Well, we didn't come out here to sit on our duffs.
45:52We changed course.
45:55Then the skipper, as he always did, spoke to the crew.
45:58Fellas, I think you might like to know what we're up to.
46:01There's a two or three thousand ton freighter in the harbor tied to a colliery dock, taking on coal.
46:06That's the biggest ship we've seen so far, and targets are too scarce these days to let any pass.
46:11On the good side of the ledger, I can mention these two items.
46:14One, there seems to be a lot of patrol craft in this spot.
46:17And two, I don't think there are any mines because there's an awful lot of small craft around.
46:22Now, on the bad side of the ledger, the harbor's full of rocks and shoals, and navigation's going to be tough.
46:27We'll make a submerge attack, but then we'll have to surface and half boat it out.
46:31If we're caught in here submerged, it'll be just too bad.
46:34However, we have the best navigator in the business.
46:37So what are we waiting for? Let's go. Battle stage is submerged.
46:41We got into position. Went through the preliminaries.
46:48Let me tell you, right here and now, when the real thing comes up, it's like nothing you ever went through in your life.
46:57When that scope goes up in this harbor, you're playing for keeps.
47:01Your blood pressure tells you that.
47:08The sweat on your hands and the butterfly in your chest
47:11keep reminding you that when you get within a thousand yards of your target,
47:15you're going to let go with everything you've got.
47:17Then git, if you can.
47:28The exact slope confirms it. We're dead on.
47:32And coming closer. Closer.
47:41Dozens of small craft crisscrossing overhead.
47:44If one of them sights our scope while the skipper's taking cuts to keep us off the rocks,
47:48you can make like the song and kiss the boys goodbye.
47:53Now, coming on a thousand yards.
47:57Twenty to go.
47:59Ten.
48:02Five.
48:06Fire one.
48:23Look at them scramble.
48:27Nuts.
48:28She's listing to port and down by the bow, but still afloat.
48:31Hey, wait a minute.
48:33They manned their deck gun there on the right.
48:35Looks like they think a plane got them.
48:38But we can't surface while that gun's still in business.
48:41All right then, let her have another fish.
48:43Just ahead of the stack.
48:44Polish off ship and gun crew both with one blow.
48:51Fire two.
48:55Swing left again.
48:58Sonar reports fish ran true but suddenly stopped.
49:01No explosion.
49:02Must have buried itself in a mud bank or a torpedo net.
49:05But there's not time to speculate.
49:07The nip gun crew spotted our periscope.
49:09They're taking pot shots at us.
49:11Better slip them another fish, and quick.
49:14Steady on two eight zero.
49:16Torpedo run, seven five oh.
49:18Depth set, two feet.
49:20Gyro angle, zero three eight.
49:27Fire three.
49:39Bullseye.
49:48And now as Shaker said, let's not stand upon the order of our going, but let's go.
49:57Let's go.
50:13They've got a nerve shooting at us.
50:15What kind of hospitality do they call that?
50:18All right, now let's show some speed.
50:21Wait a minute.
50:23We must have surfaced too fast.
50:25The bow plane should have pulled it up like a fighter plane's wings.
50:28Stuck out like that, they'll drag our speed down until the Japs can catch us with a rowboat.
50:33That's not all it can catch us.
50:35Come up, come up.
50:39There.
50:41Steady as you go, sweetheart.
50:44Now we can hive off their deep water.
50:48But the Jap fire is getting closer.
50:50I'm beginning to sweat again.
50:56Well, here we are getting the decoration.
50:59So I guess we made it all right.
51:01But believe me, it was close.
51:03That was months ago, but I'm just about now start sweating.
51:07The power and light company is going to seem awfully beautiful in a few weeks when they hand me that ruptured duct.
51:13But brother, how I'm going to miss this boat and the boys.
51:19Yes, we rewarded our men in the submarine.
51:22Yes, we rewarded our men in the submarine.
51:26Tried to honor them for the heroic things they had done.
51:29But nothing we can do, nothing we can say can properly express our gratitude to these men of the silent service.
51:38And of the men who did not come back.
51:41The men who went down with their ships.
51:43What can we say?
51:45How can we repay them?
51:48Shall we not echo their prayer?
51:50May God grant that there be no next war.
51:54But they know and we know that if there is,
51:56and whether it be fought with weapons we now know or with weapons of whose nature we can only guess,
52:01you will find submarines in the thick of the combat fighting with skill, determination, and matchless daring.
52:08Doing their utmost for all of us.
52:11For our United States of America.
52:20© BF-WATCH TV 2021
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