I watched every episode of this series and marched in place with my toy helmet and stick-gun during the closing credits. To this day, I still love that music!
I said the music too! I knew and LOVED these dudes! both theaters, Pacific and ETO, with Battle of the Atlantic, all us armed forces, and coasties, seabees, and merchies, as a Kid! Teachers, bosses, neighbors, customers, ass holes, leaders, losers, friends, and family. RIP Graetest!
Not sure when the US Navy started p count of the people on the deck, and to count each one as they hurried back into the sub when submerging. (Trying to make sure that no one was left topside, they also helped to dog the hatch once it was closed. Sometimes the person was the one to help hold the hatch closed.) In case you're wondering all of those guys running down a passageway as the sub starts to submerge are to put an extra ton of weight (from their own bodies) in the bow to help the sub submerge faster. Later US Subs had an extra ballast tank on the centerline forward called the Negative Ballast Tank to do this function. Hence the number of times in the movies (and this TV show) you heard the Captain shout: Flood Negative! (Most subs they still had members of the crew run forward if aircraft were coming to attack!)
Great serie. My old is been a decorated submariner in ww2, in regia marina. (red sea and Indian Ocean, war cross, he was 17 when the war started and retired as chief machinist in '50) He served also throughout early cold war making also some spy mission after 1953 mainly in Jugoslavian waters, in Adriatic, after 1953 when it was again allowed to have submarines by the peace restrictions. (truly they had maintained a couple, officially as battery chargers bridges, but in reality for train new crews nighttime in Taranto. Giada and vortice. Later when they entered nato, these boats was converted in guppy and served until the 70 aside with former US fleet boats and the new toti class subs). The only thing I regret about the serie is that also in the early war stories they show footages of the late was subs. I guess they had few footages about the pre war fleet boats.
The 50 cals mentioned as deck armament were one 4-inch/100mm by 50 caliber deck gun and two .30 caliber machine guns. Shown in the clip was a 40mm AA gun that equipped submarines later in the war.
Wow! Another episode with WW2 vet Ed Kemmer as the skipper! Kemmer was in the army air corps during the war and was shot down by the krauts. He spent the rest of the war as a guest of the Luftwaffe! Also look for Henry (Bomber) Kulky as chief Fats. Kulky was a professional wrestler and character actor. Ironically, from a submarine POV, Kulky played chief "Curly" Jones on the first season of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. Sadly he died and was replaced as chief by actor Terry Becker. Becker is no stranger to the "Silent Service" series either.
They've shown a few groundings in this program series, but have never shown a common practice of shifting weight: moving the crew (aft, usually). I wonder why.
What about running a trim party? We always ran them on new Chief of the Watch, Diving Officer the Watch & Officer of the Deck usually parading they control with Steinke hoods on
Thats' not true, stupid woman ..... often the sub would just crush, killing everyone instantly...... [ that means; ... not much time to get ''scared'' ]
Don't pay any attention to the uncouth slobs on the internet! The dangers that the WW2 submarine crews faced were not much different from what submarine crews are facing today. The last time I heard, in the U.S. Navy, submarine duty was strictly voluntary, and the crews receive "hazardous duty" pay. The modern day submarines are vastly different- but there are still no guarantees...
The SOP's [ that means 'standard operating procedures'] ...are recruiting ostensibly the top 2% of candidates..... ...which surprises me , as you have to be insane to want to serve on one ....: ..... I doubt you are an engineer, ..but you are probably American ...and have no clue about physics of compression at crush depths..... .... What do think makes Diesel engines ignite ? ........and it isn't sparkplugs, dummy..................... Go to a man's school for a change , .. then apologize.
The Navy always blame the captain for any grounding no matter the reason those captains will never see another command post. Still happen all the time though
After lightning the nose, all crew members should have gone to the rear to help lift the nose off the rocks. Just like the Germans ran everyone forward to dive quicker.
Of course- on his schooner Riki III... great series that only us old timers remember- wonder why it’s never shown on reruns? Jimmy Buffett also made mention of him on his song ‘ We are the people our parents warned us about’...
I having watched Ads Boot tried for subs during the Carter administration.My fathers comment ( when I went in if they looked in one far and did not see out the other side?He was 3 up 3 down and was from the 101first, then a GS 12 an inspector ordinance.
why didnt they make the men go to the stern to lighten the bow area and tilt the bow up to help move the ship off the reef. if you saw das boot they made the ship dive faster by men acting as ballast fore and aft
We've got another weather and tide expert. Do you know what can be involved in getting the tide even close to right when you must know low or high tide? It's about like predicting the weather and a lot depends on local conditions. You don't go to your Farmer's Almanac and say , OK on June 23, the High Tide in the Pacific ocean will be at 1137 on the nose for all of the ocean. Jesus, you would think people are living in a tiny bubble, using smartphones and makes them feel like God. Well, like I said, it is a tiny, tiny bubble called that person's Head!?
Yea, run aground in enemy waters weighted down with ALL those explosive torpedoes and keep them for when the enemy planes do come back. If you're still aground, some of the aircrew may comment, look at how that Sub blew up, it must have had a full load on board. Stupid, if they would have lightened their load, maybe we would not be looking at body parts and shrapnel flying around down there in the water!