- 4 months ago
All hands except the captain abandon ship after a damaged submarine is forced to surface.
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Short filmTranscript
00:00I'm Rear Admiral Thomas M. Dyker, retired.
00:30We now bring you the story of one of the greatest acts of heroism in the annals of our Navy.
00:37Certainly we would search a long way before we found its equal in sheer selfless patriotism.
00:43At the end of the show, I'm sure you will agree with me.
00:47What you see on the screen actually happened.
00:50This applies not only to the central and outstanding act performed,
00:54but to the minor and supporting incidents as well.
00:58The actors bear the names of the officers and men who made the patrol.
01:02We will try to do justice to their heroism and sacrifice.
01:10In the fall of 1943, the USS Sculpin had completed her refit and training period at Pearl Harbor.
01:16They were making the final preparations for a ninth war patrol.
01:25Torpedos were being brought alongside and lowered into the torpedo ropes.
01:32Some were placed directly into the torpedo tubes for delivery where they would do the most good, against a Japanese hull.
01:48The Sculpin was ready.
01:54She would make this patrol under a new skipper, Lieutenant Commander Fred Conaway from Forest City, Arkansas.
02:02He was an Annapolis graduate and an experienced submarine.
02:06The captain was at headquarters getting his patrol instructions while his officers were killing time playing backgammon,
02:12and waiting for word on where and how they'd spend the next 60 days.
02:16The executive officer was Lieutenant N.J. Allen from Duluth, Minnesota.
02:21The engineer and diving officer was George E. Brown, Jr. from New York, a Yale man.
02:27Lieutenant Joe DeFreeze, an Annapolis graduate and the son of an admiral, was the gunnery and torpedo officer.
02:32Ensign Max Fiedler from San Mateo, California, had just reported aboard from the submarine school.
02:38This was his first patrol.
02:40I wish the old man would get back.
02:43I'd like to know whether to load that case of long-handled drawers.
02:46I'm giving two to one that where we're going, you won't want to wear any at all.
02:50Maybe, but you can always take them off.
02:53They send us into cold weather. It's awfully nice to have a pair of Woolies.
02:57What about the heaters?
02:58They're all aboard.
03:00I'm sure glad they double for fans.
03:02Wherever it is, I don't want it to start too soon.
03:04I got Joe over a barrel.
03:06What'd you do with that extra machine gun ammunition, Joe?
03:09It's on my bunk right now. No place else to put it.
03:11I'm betting you'll find a place before tomorrow morning.
03:15Thanks.
03:20Well, boys, I've got the dope.
03:22And it's going to be interesting.
03:25There's nobody on board with the ship's companies and an officer could.
03:28The Marines are going to hit some island in the Gilberts or the Carolines.
03:32The big fleet will be there, bombarding and pounding from the air.
03:35They've tossed us the job of intercepting any Japanese reinforcements
03:39that might leave their base at a truck,
03:41or to knock off any cripples that might try to get in there.
03:43Sounds like a big order for one sub, but I guess that's our speed.
03:46We won't be alone.
03:48The force commander is going to radio Apagon and Spearface to join us in the Wolfpack when the time is right.
03:53Which island is it?
03:54They're restricting that info to the higher echelons.
03:56They said the Wolfpack commander would know.
03:59Do we carry him?
04:00Yes, it'll be Captain John Cromwell.
04:03Oh, no.
04:05Oh.
04:06He bawled me out the other day for looking like a bilge rat when we were setting those main bearing clearances.
04:10Maybe I made a mistake not bringing you to Ty.
04:12It's going to be hard living in tight quarters like this for two months with a regulation Commodore,
04:16but I guess we can survive it.
04:18I thought he was a captain.
04:20Well, he is, but he's division commander, so he's called Commodore when you're talking to him.
04:24Well, never learned this Navy.
04:26Why do they do that?
04:27It makes them feel big.
04:29Anybody ever tell you how to get along with the Commodore, Maxie?
04:32No.
04:33Find out what the son of a gun wants and do it.
04:36Captain, Commodore Cromwell is coming aboard.
04:41Call it, Maxie, to see who moves in with the chief petty officers.
04:44Tails.
04:47Want to help me move some .50 caliber ammo?
04:51Oh, Fred, just put me anywhere.
04:53The ship's officers will need their rest a lot more than I will.
04:59On November the 5th, 1943, the Sculpin left Pearl Harbor.
05:11She refueled at Johnston Island and then headed for a patrol area in the Gilbert Islands.
05:20Well, this is all you're going to take to see with the attorney?
05:23Cigarettes?
05:24Old pair of shoes?
05:26Well, no, sir. I got my clothes on.
05:28How do you expect to get along for two or three months without sponging off your shipmates?
05:31Well, I didn't figure it here. Oh, Hedo would invite us to tea, Mr. Brown.
05:36Look at these old shoes.
05:37Well, they're kind of special, sir.
05:40Nobody in this torpedo room would go to see if I didn't have these shoes.
05:44Oh? How's that?
05:45These are my depth-charged shoes.
05:47As long as I got them on, nobody's going to hit us.
05:51Well, in case like that, I guess you are well-equipped.
05:55Mr. Brown, can you do us a favor?
05:58Sure. What do you have?
05:59You know Warren, the electrician's mate?
06:00Yeah.
06:01Well, he's a minister, son, and he's real good with the Bible.
06:04Well, could you give him a battle station up here?
06:07Well, I don't have to look at the charts to tell when we're getting close to the enemy.
06:10I just wait for you boys to get religion.
06:12We got religion all the time, Mr. Brown.
06:14Oh, sure.
06:15The minute we get back to port, the religion's tossed over one side and you boys go ashore over the other.
06:20Everybody gets in a few scrapes every now and then.
06:22A few scrapes?
06:24Well, I've bailed you guys out so many times I know your operation by heart.
06:27You stand at one end of the bar and pick a fight and Tiny here steps in and finishes it.
06:31People pick on me because I'm small.
06:33Sure.
06:34Ten times in one night in Panama.
06:36And in ten different bars.
06:38Warren, I'm changing your battle station to the forward torpedo room.
06:49That business about not knowing the game is meant to look like a come on, Commodore.
06:53No, but before we get back, I'm going to show that hi-hat backgammon crowd of yours.
06:57A couple of old A.C. Doocy wrinkles.
06:59Well, I think I'll go topside and get me a breath of fresh air.
07:02If you're a skipper, let me up on the bridge.
07:04Oh, and Joe, you better practice that.
07:06You better need it from now on.
07:10What a guy.
07:11He's what they call a martinet.
07:13I'll take one for a shipmate every time.
07:15I'll say.
07:16The last couple of nights when I come off at watch at four in the morning,
07:19he's been down here to talk to me.
07:21Ask me all kinds of questions about my family and what I'm going to do after the war.
07:26And while we're talking, he gets coffee and makes me a sandwich just like a steward.
07:31And me just a fresh-caught ensign.
07:33Maybe he can't sleep.
07:35I wish I had as little to worry about as he has.
07:38It's not that.
07:39He insisted on splitting the ammo with me.
07:41Now, here's the navigator's position from his morning star sights.
07:45Mm-hmm.
07:46Let's see now.
07:47We are about a hundred miles northeast of Truck Atoll.
07:52Well, we could get some customers almost any time in this spot.
07:55That's right. Especially within the next few days.
07:58Oh, how's that, Commodore?
08:00Well, I guess I can tell you about it.
08:02You see...
08:04Oh, excuse us a moment, please.
08:06The Marines are going ashore here at Tarawa.
08:10Oh?
08:11When does that come off?
08:12The 21st.
08:13The softening of bombardment is starting this morning.
08:16It's going to be some show.
08:18Real big one.
08:19I wish I was free to tell you more about it, but I...
08:21The less I know, the better I like it.
08:24What the Japanese interrogators are doing to some of our boys, it's not pretty.
08:28Only safe ways to know nothing.
08:30You know, Fred, that's exactly what I was thinking when they gave me a top secret briefing.
08:34The fearsome battle of Tarawa was starting.
09:04T союз plataforma was SPD.
09:09With laughs!
09:10Dude!
09:11T Launcham!
09:13T'koi!
09:16Troll!
09:19Tsunade!
09:22T occured, please!
09:24Troll!
09:25T él!
09:27T Real!
09:28Troll!
09:30Troll!
09:31The End
10:01The End
10:31The Japanese forces were on the move
10:36The Japanese forces were on the move
11:06The Japanese forces were on the move
11:08Battle stations torpedoes
11:10Battle stations torpedoes
11:13Where are they, Joe?
11:15Headed directly for them, Captain. They're dead ahead.
11:17The radar says there are seven ships.
11:19Two big ones and five small ones.
11:20I got him.
11:25Nice going, Joe. Go below.
11:28Bearing is drawing to the right, Captain.
11:31Bring a right to course three zero zero.
11:33All ahead full.
11:34Right to course three zero zero.
11:37All ahead full.
11:44Mark. Bearing two eight one.
11:47Range one one seven five oh.
11:50All right.
11:53TDC and plot both check on enemy course zero zero nine.
11:57Speed one four.
11:59Very well. Stand by to dive.
12:13Down scope.
12:16What do you got out there, Fred?
12:17One merchant ship escorted by a light cruiser and five destroyers.
12:22An escort like that, they really must want her to get where she's going.
12:25Could be reinforcements for Tarawa.
12:27Go get him, Fred. Go get him.
12:29Yeah, yeah. He's got him on.
12:33Calm down.
12:35You've got nothing to worry about.
12:37Sure.
12:38Sure.
12:39Well, that's the last one.
12:43Every compartment in the ship is checking on you.
12:45They could only see him like we can.
12:48They wouldn't be scared at all.
12:49This is evidently a very important convoy.
12:53It's only one merchant type ship, but she has an escort of a light cruiser and five destroyers.
12:58Where's Warren?
13:00Where's Warren?
13:01He's not here.
13:03Maneuvering room?
13:04Tell Warren to get to his battle station on the double.
13:06After torpedo room.
13:25Manned and ready.
13:26One more look and we'll shoot.
13:27Down to go.
13:37Emergency. 200 feet.
13:39They zigged right at us. Too close to shoot.
13:41High-speed propellers passing down the starboard side.
13:54Heavy propeller noises close aboard the board.
13:57Ball negative.
14:08Someday we're going to figure out a way to muffle the sound of that air.
14:11You can hear it for miles.
14:13They've passed right over us.
14:14Mm-hmm.
14:15Didn't even know we were here.
14:16Let's go after them, Captain.
14:18It's getting light now.
14:20We'll have to give them enough head starts so they won't see us when we surface.
14:22Then we'll pop up and run around them.
14:24Won't need to darken here anymore, will we?
14:25No. Turn on the lights.
14:27Over the hatch.
14:38Clear the bridge.
14:50Dive. Dive.
14:57Everybody below. Shift. Listen to the torpedo room.
15:02Take her down. Fast.
15:03All right. Take her down.
15:07What happened?
15:08They left a sleeper up there and the waves were so high we couldn't see him in the peristope.
15:11He's right on top of us.
15:12Okay.
15:12Go, come on.
15:13There he is.
15:14inated by the tempestope.
15:14Come, come on, man.
15:15Try and marry me, Callbilir, T film player in the super Braille.
15:16We'll simply go down.
15:25Allatro.
15:25We'll see you next time.
15:31Hier he is.
15:33There he is.
15:34There he is.
15:35There he is.
15:35Prisoner of a inim elegant truck.
15:36Pardon me?
15:36There .
15:37Captain Conaway tried all the tricks he knew to evade, but this Japanese skipper was good.
16:02He made one damaging attack after another. To reduce the noise, the air conditioning had been shut down and the temperature in the ship was soaring.
16:11The listening watch says the destroyer started coming in again.
16:18What's that? What's that?
16:20It sure ain't mice. Here we go, boys. Hold on.
16:32I think the gauges are gone. The small one's still okay.
16:41The leak is getting worse. We've got to pump bilges or we'll flood the crank cases.
16:48Tell them we can't pump now, they'll hear us. We can't pump now, they'll hear us.
16:52I've got to pump soon, Captain. Taking a lot of speed to keep her from sinking. We didn't have the battery too fast.
16:58Now, let's just take it easy, boys. We'll give this guy the slip pretty soon.
17:02Bearing 045. The listening watch says he hears a rain squall bearing 045.
17:07Good, we could use one. Right pole rudder.
17:09We found a rain squall. We found a rain squall. I knew we had the right combination.
17:15Oh, what good's that gonna do? They don't mind getting wet.
17:18The rain on the water, stupid. It makes so much noise they can't hear us.
17:27Okay, George, let's get those bilges pumps. Starts pumps.
17:39We can't get a suction. Go back to the engine room. See what you can do.
17:53There's nothing blocking the suction line. I just checked it.
17:55Well, we've got to get some of this water out of here. Get some buckets and form a line.
17:59We'll dump it in the forward engine room. The leaks up forward are all under control, Captain.
18:03Thanks, Maxie. Nice going. We'll get along. Okay. You take over to the diving station.
18:09You're doing a great job yourself, Fred. Thanks.
18:14We've got to take some of the pressure off that leak in the engine room.
18:18Take her up to 100 feet. Take her up to 100 feet.
18:32She won't go above 170 feet without more speed, Captain.
18:39Feels like we're on the surface.
18:58Hung up. All ahead, fall. All ahead, fall.
19:00Get them as fast as you can.
19:01Two times.
19:02Don't die.
19:03But easy does it, though. Maybe they didn't see us.
19:14What happened?
19:15The depth gauge hung up and we surfaced.
19:16I'll take the dive.
19:17The listening watch reports the destroyer is coming in on another run.
19:33The Sculpin was designed to operate at a maximum depth of 250 feet.
19:38At 350 feet, the gauge reached its maximum reading as she continued to go down out of control.
19:45How deep they went, they never knew.
19:47The hull should have collapsed long ago from the great pressure.
19:50But the Sculpin and her crew were tough.
19:52They weren't beaten yet.
19:59But neither was the enemy.
20:01As the submarine reached 250 feet, there was another close explosion.
20:11Steering's knocked out!
20:12Both forward and after torpedo rooms report cracks in the hull.
20:15Water's coming in around the tubes.
20:17She won't take another depth charge.
20:23Our only chance is to surface and try to get a hit on him with a deck gun.
20:25If we can't make him break off the action, school's out.
20:28That's right.
20:29This way will give our crew a chance to be saved if we don't make it.
20:33Have the life jackets passed out.
20:42George, if anything happens to us up there, be sure the ship is not captured.
20:57You can depend on the captain.
20:58Thanks, George.
20:59Okay, boys, let's go.
21:01Let's get in the works, Joe.
21:02Surface!
21:10Full rise!
21:12Full rise!
21:17Hit those bottles of tanks again.
21:18Blow them dry!
21:28Keep that 20-millimeter ammunition coming!
21:42Two bottles in the Kling Tower.
21:45They're wiped out.
21:46All hands full!
21:47All hands full!
21:48All hands full!
21:50All hands abandoned ship!
21:51All hands abandoned ship!
21:53What can we do, Mr. Brown?
21:54The ruler should take the hydraulic manifold.
21:56You go forward and you ask.
21:57Come back and let me know where all hands are out of the ship.
21:59And bare hands!
22:12Everyone's out forward.
22:13All right, you may go off this hatch.
22:14Good luck.
22:15It's time to go now, Commodore.
22:16I'd go with you, George.
22:17Oh, I've got this little ship now.
22:18You go right ahead.
22:19Sir, the enemy will pick us up.
22:20Exactly, and that's what I'm trying to avoid.
22:21There's too much valuable information in here.
22:22Well, that's your decision, Commodore.
22:23George, I made up my mind a long time ago.
22:26George, I made up my mind a long time ago.
22:27God bless you.
22:28The brothers, open up the vents.
22:29Sir, the enemy will pick us up.
22:30Sir, the enemy will pick us up.
22:31Sir, the enemy will pick us up.
22:32Sir, the enemy will pick us up.
22:33Exactly, and that's what I'm trying to avoid.
22:34There's too much valuable information in here.
22:36Well, that's your decision, Commodore.
22:38George, I made up my mind a long time ago.
22:43God bless you.
22:45Cabronis, open up the vents.
22:56Cameras!
23:26We are fortunate to have with us the only surviving officer of the Sculpin,
23:52Mr. George E. Brown, who now makes his home in Cincinnati.
23:56Mr. Brown, I'm sure our television audience would like to hear anything you might like to say.
24:02I can't say how proud I am for the privilege of having served with the men of the Sculpin.
24:07Individually and collectively, they were the finest group I've ever known.
24:12If this country of ours can produce men like these, we'll have nothing to worry about.
24:18No matter what I may do in the future, my days with the crew of the Sculpin
24:23will always remain the high point in my life.
24:26I know that the country is mighty proud of you and the fighting crew of the USS Sculpin.
24:34For his great sacrifice above and beyond the call of duty, Captain John Cromwell was awarded posthumously
24:42the nation's highest recognition, Congressional Medal of Honor.
24:46His act will stand as a shining example of patriotism for generations of military men to come.
24:53Please be with us when the silent service reenacts for you another outstanding submarine story.
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25:29The End
25:59The End
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