"In 1944, when Japan's island empire was still an impregnable fortress I approved plans, as commander in chief of the Pacific Fleet for one of the most daring and formidable operations in the history of naval warfare." "The problem was how to get past the heavily-mined entrances into the Sea of Japan." "How to sever the link of supply between Japan and the Asiatic mainland thereby breaking his will to fight and ensuring his destruction." "My faith in this daring operation was placed in men like Vice Adm. Charles A. Lockwood..." "And his faith was placed in men like Cmdr. Casey Abbott captain of the submarine Starfish." "This is the story of the life-and-death struggle fought not only beneath the surface of the sea but within the minds and hearts of a valiant group of men the Hellcats of the Navy." "My favorite kind." "Hey, Freddy, I made these special for you." "Thanks." "Cookie, sir?" "We should be sitting right off the Honshu coast." " See if those frogmen are ready." " Aye, aye, sir." "We close enough to pick up a couple of geisha girls, Mr. Landon?" "Yeah." "Nice, fat ones with horns on them." "Horns?" "He means mines, dope!" "They're right on the edge of the minefield, according to the DRT." " No sonar contact, Mr. Landon." " Huh?" "Where's the minefield?" "It's there, all right." "What do you see, captain?" "Nothing but fog." " All ahead, one-third." " All ahead, one-third." "We're right on the edge of the Japanese shipping lanes." "Better take those frogmen out through the escape trunk." "Where's Mr. Barton?" "He moved into your bunk this morning to get some sleep." "Too much acey-deucy, I guess." " All right." "See you at forward." " Aye, aye." "Let's go, fellas." "Come on, Wes." "Come on, lover-boy." "The dream sequence is over." "You're on." "You're the head man in this act, so get into your gear." "What time is it?" "Time for you to go out and get a couple of those Japanese mines." " Ain't I the lucky one?" " Yeah." "You're lucky it's me waking you up and not Capt. Abbott." " You think he's sore?" " No, no." "He likes it." "His girl's going out with another guy, especially a jg." "Was it my fault?" "She practically sat down in my lap and demanded attention." "Yeah." "I hear she's just that type." "Don't let the quiet ones fool you." "I've been telling you you gotta open the oyster to find the pearl." "Forget the oysters this trip, will you?" "Just bring back two Japanese mines." "We gotta have them to make this new sonar work." "The next thing you'll want is a TV so you can see where you're going." "I wish I could see where you were going." "The girl again?" "Look, what's the big deal, Don?" "Wes, I've seen you playing the field ever since the academy." "This girl is different." "She wouldn't fit into a notch on your belt." "Don, may I never live to borrow your Skivvies again if I'm telling a lie, but I didn't break up this romance." "No, I got her on the rebound from Abbott." "Are you satisfied?" "Where does it say in Navy regulations...?" "Come on, they're waiting for you out there." "A few days from now, we'll be sitting around Wing Joe's listening to Wes Barton telling us all about how he won the war." "Single-handed." "Hey, tell us about it, will you, Wes?" " Come on!" " Come on, Wes, tell us about it." "All right, listen." "There I was, right in the middle of the Sea of Japan surrounded by the entire Japanese navy." "And all I had was a pair of flippers." " Pair of flippers, huh?" " Will you tell us how you did it?" "Hey, Cinderella, here's your magic slippers." "You men all ready?" "We're all set, sir." " How about time?" " Twenty minutes out, 20 minutes back." "No longer." "We'll surface in 40 minutes." "What's so special about these particular mines?" "The Japanese have done something to them so our sonar won't pick them up." "We have to find out what it is." "We lost the Need/e Fin trying to get through these straits." "All right, let's make it." "Wes, you'd better hurry back." "You got a pair of my shoes." "I'm getting a new pair of heels put on them." "You know how it is, being dragged out of bars." " Just the thing for water polo, huh?" " You're not kidding." " What happened to him?" " Too much, too long." "Get him below." "Where's Barton?" "He was with Cordice and Smith." "Cordice, isn't Barton with you guys?" "I thought he was with you." "Hey, Barton!" "Wes!" "That guy couldn't drown." "We'll go back after him." "Barton!" " Lines secured, sir." " Very well." "Radar contact on the starboard bow." "Bearing 0-2-5." " How far?" " About 3000 yards." "Range closing fast." "Could be a destroyer." " Hey, Barton?" " Landon!" "We'll have to dive." "If you cut your engines, they'll never find us in this fog." "They may have us on their radar already." "We've got to bring him in!" "What's the position on that radar report now?" "Twenty-five hundred yards." "Range closing fast!" "Wes!" " Clear the deck." " Captain, I see Wes!" " Where?" " About 100 yards out!" "I see him, sir!" " I think." " You, get below." "Barton!" "Wes!" "Clear the bridge." "Lookouts below." " What about Wes Barton?" " Two thousand yards!" "We can't do anything for him now." "Hatch shut!" "Take her down fast, 5-7 feet." "Ready all tubes." "Stand by, forward and aft." " Left, full rudder." " Left, full rudder." "Green board, pressure in the boat, main induction shut and locked." "She's heard our sounds." "Close the board." " Battle stations, torpedo." " Battle stations, torpedo." "Man battle stations, torpedo." "Man battle stations, torpedo." "Range opening." "Bearing." "Mark." "Bearing 2-5-0." "Final bearing and shoot." "Stand by, aft." "Tubes aft ready and standing by, sir." "Bearing." "Mark." "Bearing 2-5-0." "Fire seven." " Seven fired electrically, sir." " Fire eight." "Eight fired electrically, sir." "Got them!" "High, fast cruise coming in on us, captain." " Stand by, forward." " Stand by, forward." "Final bearing and shoot." "All tubes ready, sir." "Bearing." " Mark." " Bearing 3-5-8." "Fire one." " One fired electrically, sir." " Fire two." "Two fired electrically, sir." " Missed them." " Scope down." "Flood negative." "Take her down." "They're over us now, sir." "Rig for depth charge." "All compartments, rig ship for depth charge." " Fire in the forward engine room." " Lay aft, Don." "Check on the fire." "We've lost main control, sir." "Screws have stopped turning." "Take over, Paul, I'm going to Control." " What's our depth?" " Two hundred feet." "What's it look like?" "Have we lost them?" "Can't even hear them now, sir." "Sonar power's off." "Ask Maneuvering about those shafts." "Maneuvering, Control." "What's the condition of those shafts?" "Fire's out in the engine room." "Full power restored in the maneuvering room." "About Barton there was nothing else to do." "Thanks, honey." "You pulled me through again." "How's that?" "That's Mabel." "It's my girl." "She brings me luck." "If she pulled you through, she pulled me through." "She pulled us all through." "We all ought to kiss her." "Mon chérie, you are so beautiful." "I must kiss you." "At least if you kissed her on the cheek..." "Come on, Freddy, give her a kiss." "She won't bite you." " Sure, Freddy." " Come on." " Never mind." "You're my boyfriend." " Hey!" "Look out!" "Come on, now." "Cookie, give me the picture." " Oh, baby!" " Oh, come..." "Give me the picture, Cook!" "Okay, Landon." "Let's talk." "What I've got to say to you can't be said to a commanding officer." "Spit it out." "You have my permission." "You haven't served with me before." "Do you think I enjoy letting men drown?" "No, captain." "But by now, I suppose you've got yourself convinced that this hurts you more than it did him." "I don't happen to think you had to let him die." "Someday, you may have a command of your own." "If you wanna take a chance and risk an entire crew a ship and a mission for one man that'll be your decision to make." "This one was mine." "If you'd cut your engines, then they might not have found us." "Maybe not." "We'll never know, will we?" "There was no time to figure the odds." "I had to rely on experience and instinct." "Right or wrong I decided to play it safe for the 85 men on this sub." "Tell me what did your instinct tell you about this?" "In that split second, did instinct remind you that Barton might be waltzing your girl around the base?" "I've had time to consider my decision." "I still think it was right." "If you were wrong, could you admit it?" "Even to yourself?" "If you think I made a personal decision that cost Barton's life you have my permission to report it to the squadron commander." "I can't do anything about it, and you know it." "I can't prove a thing." " About this girl..." " Leave her out of this." "I gave you permission to speak, Mr. Landon so I intend to forget this conversation." "Come on, Freddy." "Let's go." "Cut the cake." " I said, leave me alone." " Blow out the candles." " I said, leave me alone." " Blow out the candles." " Go on, blow them out." " I told you, leave me alone!" "It was an accident, sir." "We planned a little party for Freddy." "He's 19 today, and it's his first time out." "I had the cake already, sir." "We figured to go ahead and try to cheer him up." "Only I didn't wanna be cheered up, sir!" "I figure that after what happened today we shouldn't have a birthday party." "We should have a wake." "Back where I come from, that's..." "He's kind of broken up, sir!" "He was on deck, and he claims he saw Lt. Barton just before we..." "I did see him!" "You probably did." "Port back, full." "Left, full rudder." "All stop." "I can only say that I feel the loss of Lt. Barton as keenly as you both do." "But according to your report, Casey you did the only thing possible." "Well, let's hope the mine you brought back will give us a real clue to getting through the Tsushima Straits." "We're covering a few dozen dummy mines with the same rubber and acetate coating on the Japanese mine." "When we get the report from the lab we'll try to fix our sonar to pick them up." "There's another way to do it, sir." "Japanese freighters are going through those straits every day." "We could follow one and chart a mine-free channel for ourselves." "We lost the Need/e Fin trying that." "We're not sure how we lost the Need/e Fin, are we, sir?" "Let's try it my way for now, Casey." "We'll see how the sonar tests go." "Aye, aye, sir." "Anything else?" "I'd like to talk about my officer-personnel situation, if I may, admiral?" "Yes, sir." "Cmdr. Abbott." "Case!" "I was afraid you wouldn't come." " You've heard about Wes?" " Yes." "I talked to Landon." "Somehow, I feel it's all my fault." "Everything's such a mess, and I..." "Let's get out of here." "I'll sign out." "I've got a jeep." "Take over for me, will you, Frankie?" "You knew I was fresh out of a bad marriage when we met." "I wanted to be sure this time, so I played it safe until I knew that you were Mr. Right." "But then you gave me that line about wartime marriages." "I wanted a wife and kids, not a widow and orphans." "Sure." "Then I began to think maybe you were playing the South Sea circuit." " You knew better." " How could I know?" "Did you give me a postdated check?" "So I got sore." "What really happened is that I got scared, unsure." "I had to prove to myself I could still circulate." "You proved it with Wes Barton." "Well, he was the guy all the girls whistled at and just about the nicest guy I ever knew." "But it wasn't love." "Not for him, or for me." "We both knew that." "I should have known it." "I should have come and found out while I could do something about it." "That's what I'm trying to say." "What happened out there had nothing to do with you and me." "It's Landon, isn't it?" "He didn't come right out and say so, but I knew what he thought." "It's crazy, Case." "Don't you see?" "He doesn't know you." "Don't you see how crazy it is?" "He's right about one thing." "I can't take up where Wes Barton left off." "I'd never feel right." "And if I forgot, there'd be people and faces to remind me." "You?" "What about me?" "What about us?" "I don't care about people." "You have to live with people." "You have to work with them, fight beside them." "It does matter." "I guess you'd better take me back, Casey." "Take in two and three." "Take in four." "Leave her around." "Easy on one." "All back, two-thirds." "How much longer are we gonna play tag with these dummy mines, sir?" "Until we get the bugs out of that sonar gear." " The Army may be in Tokyo by then." " Try telling the admiral that." "Clear the bridge!" "Can you interpret that hash?" "No, sir." "Would you say there were mines out there?" "No, sir." "Well, there are." "It looks more like fish or seaweed to me, sir." "Does that sound like seaweed?" " No, sir." " All stop." "All stop." "Let's hope we're not hung up again." " All back, full." " All back, full." " All stop." " All stop." " All ahead, one-third." " All ahead, one-third." " Right, full rudder." " Right, full rudder." " It's working, sir." "It's working." " What did you do to it?" "I just remembered." "I cut in the new circuit the lab gave us." "If it keeps on working like this, we've really got something." "Looks like a mine coming up, starboard side." " Rudder amidships." " Rudder amidships." " Steady as she goes." " Steady as she goes." "Take over, Landon, and run the field." "Aye, aye, sir." " Matches." " He made it again." " I'm telling you, he shaved the dice!" " Stop him, somebody!" " I bet you five more it comes out." " Come on, dice!" " Use the cup, Carroll." " Come on." "Blow." "What do you mean, "blow"?" "Come on." "I got a six." "How are we doing on sixes, Freddy boy?" " Just a minute." "I have to figure it." " What's with this pencil-and-paper bit?" "What do you mean, "how are we doing on sixes"?" "It's simple mathematics." "It's..." " What do you call it, kid?" " Combinations and permutations." "What's with this "combinations and permutations"?" "Look, Freddy keeps tabs on the numbers." "We know the odds." "If it ain't come up much, it's due to show." "Otherwise, it's a sucker bet." "See?" "Combinations and permutations." "I don't understand combinations and permutations." "You're okay on sixes." " How come he knows so much?" " Never mind." "Carroll, shoot the dice." "He knows all about science too:" "radar, electronics, sonar." "He knows more about these sonar tests than all you put together." "He was explaining about these mines..." "Look, either you shoot the dice or get off..." "All right." "Come on." "Fade me." "Fade me." "All right, shoot already." " Bets." " Bets." "Six it is." "After we clean out the Japs, Freddy and I are gonna take our system to Las Vegas." " Ain't we, Freddy boy?" " Sure." " Shoot the dice." " Fade me." " You got it." " Here we go." "Five more, it comes." "Is that floating crap game still going on?" "Afraid it's chronic, sir." " Who's winning?" " Carroll." "He claims he's using science." "Well, I have to break it up, but I don't have to catch them at it." "I'm going forward, Charlie." " Forward room." " Yes, sir, captain." "Suppose we're going through an enemy minefield like into Tokyo Bay." "What's this?" "A kind of crap game?" "No, sir." "Freddy was just explaining to us about the sonar tests." "Well, go on, Freddy." "I want to hear this too." "These nickels, dimes and quarters, they're the mines in the bay." "But a clear channel has been left so a Japanese harbor pilot, having a chart can guide friendly shipping through without running into the mines." "Only we don't have a chart, so if we try to get through we run into the mines." "Then we all get killed." "Go on." "That's all, sir." "One thing if this is supposed to be one of our ships you turned up snake eyes." "Snake eyes are supposed to be bad luck." "Isn't that right, Carroll?" "If you say so, sir." "I'm glad to see you're all up on your sonar lessons, but don't overdo it." "Commence reload drill." "That'll relax your minds." "Feels like we're riding up on another cable." "Secure that fish!" " All stop." " All stop." "Push it back, fellas!" "Doc!" "Doc!" "Somebody!" "Doc!" "Come on." "The skull is badly fractured." "There's no chance unless we get him right back to base." "Ring the conning tower." "Paul?" "Sonar and radar still out?" "They will be for two or three hours." "What's our visibility?" "What's visibility?" "Tropical storm coming up." "Visibility less than 100 yards." "I'm coming up." "The boy can't live unless we get him to base hospital." "Prepare to surface two main engines." "If we surface, we risk a collision in this squall." "If we lay until that gear is fixed, he'll be dead." "But there are four other destroyers, three subs a minesweeper and five PT boats up there." "It's a big ocean." " What would you do, let the boy die?" " No, sir." "I wouldn't." "I'd take a chance to save a life." "I think you made the right decision." "This time." "Ready to surface below." "Surface." " How's that boy doing?" " Still in a coma, sir." "Casey, your dummy-mine tests have helped us a lot but I'm taking you off them for a special mission." "You'll have sealed orders aboard the Starfish in an hour." "Yes, admiral." "About my exec, Lt. Cmdr. Landon?" " You say he is a good officer?" " Yes, sir." "Any reason why he shouldn't go out with you?" "No, sir." "Good." "Then hop to it, and lots of good luck, Casey." "Thank you, sir." "The captain would like to see you in the wardroom, sir." "Right away." "Steering course 2-5-0." "Going ahead on standard, on four engines." " You have the Con." " Aye, aye, sir." "We're on a special nine-day assignment, proceeding to the island of Saishu-to." "Let's see, that's almost 60 miles southeast of Tsushima Strait." "That's right." "We're to knock out the island so it can't be used as a base when we make our breakthrough into the Sea of Japan." "Arrange a small landing party, one officer." "I'll take the party, captain." "I don't think that's a good idea." "As second-in-command, it's right that I should lead the party." "In the event of trouble, I might have to abandon the raiding party in order to save this boat." "Yes, sir." "It's a question of your confidence in my judgment." "I understand exactly what you mean, sir." "But it's my job." "I don't think I should ask anyone else to take over." "Very well." "Pick your men." " No other orders." " Yes, sir." " Prepare to surface on battery." " Prepare to surface on the battery." " How does things look up there?" " No Japs, plenty of installation." " Ready to surface below." " Surface." "We'll surface for you at 2230." "Good luck." "Those explosions are going off ahead of schedule." "Prepare to surface on the battery." " One man's missing." " They got Carroll." "There they are, captain." "Close aboard, starboard." "Clear the bridge!" " Air shut!" "Take her down, 6-0 feet!" " Aye, aye, sir." "They've got us zeroed in." "We can't stay down here any longer." "Landon says the pumps can't keep up with the water." "No sonar, no radar." "And only five miles from the Sea of Japan and those minefields." "We'll just have to take her up on guts." "Let's have a quick look around first." "Paul, have a look at this." "Landon, there's a Japanese merchantman heading into the straits." " Quite a temptation." " We were supposed to avoid contact." "I'm not sinking her, just following her through." "But our orders, captain." "My orders don't say anything about a situation like this." "And we can't radio for new ones." "Here's our chance to log every inch of that channel, right into the Sea of Japan." "Didn't Prentice tell you that there was no suction in the bilges and the pump's burnt-out?" "We can't get any speed because the battery's too low." "This tub I'm watching can only do about 7 knots." "We'll limp along behind." "C/ear the torpedo room." "Leave a vo/unteer there to keep the /eak stoppers in p/ace." "Put on any air pressure you need to keep the plugs in." "Aye, aye, sir." "We'll follow this baby all the way in." " All ahead, two-thirds." " All ahead, two-thirds." "Clear the torpedo room!" "It gets rough in the straits." "You're needed up in the conning tower." "You mean it gets rough in here if those plugs pop." " I can handle that job." " But I want you outside." "I'm gonna close this hatch." "Keep up the air pressure." "I'm going to need plenty of it." "Mark the time, Paul." "One hour, 14 minutes since we started our transit." " Another 15 minutes, we should be at..." " Captain." "Forward reducer just let go, captain." "Shut that valve!" "All stations, put Mr. Landon on." "All stations, put Mr. Landon on." "This is Landon in the forward room." "The room's under pressure." "Landon, when I want you to volunteer, I'll tell you." "How are the plugs holding?" "I can keep them in if Control gives me back the air pressure." "One plug just let go!" "Charlie, how are you coming with the air?" "We're working on it, but I can't hold it at periscope depth much longer with that torpedo room flooding." " How much further, Paul?" "According to DRT, two minutes and we're through, with no gravy." "Landon, you've got to hold on for two more minutes." "Con, Forward Battery." "Forward torpedo room flooding fast." "We're losing the bubble, captain." "We'd better quit with what we've got." "Prepare to surface, four main engines." " Ready to surface, four main engines." " Surface." "We're out of the straits." "Here's the chart." "Talk about bringing home the bacon." "A clear channel into the Sea of Japan." "Could change the whole course of the war." "Right, full rudder." "All ahead, flank!" "Battle stations, gun action!" "Abandon ship!" "Open all deck hatches!" "Over here!" "Come on!" "Somebody give us a hand." "Bring that boat!" "Hunter Seven, calling Red Dog Two spotted life raft, picking up survivors." "Have ambulance ready." "Over." " I'll take over, Frankie." " All right." "You have to get some rest." "I don't want to sleep, dream or wake up." "Sixty men trapped below with the sea rushing in." "And the lucky ones that escaped, burning in the oil, riddled by bullets." "Oh, Case." "Those weren't just casualties." "I knew them." "I knew about their families, their plans." " Do you know what I feel?" " Yes, I do know, Case." "When you were overdue, and I thought you weren't coming back I imagined every awful minute of it." "Don't you think I know?" "How are the others?" "Charlie, Landon, Chick?" "They'll be all right." "You have a slight concussion." "You have to stay a little bit longer." "I have a slight concussion, and 60 men are killed." "That ought to earn me a Purple Heart with 60 clusters." " An investigation, sir?" " An inquiry into the loss of the Starfish." "Naturally, I had to report that the captain carried out the action against my advice." " I understand, sir." " But the charts you brought back is a mighty welcome form of insurance." "The hearing is set for 10:00 tomorrow." "The doctor says Abbott should be on his feet by then." "Adm. Lockwood, I understood when I first shipped out as Cmdr. Abbott's exec, that it was a temporary assignment that I was in line for a command of my own." "In fact, I thought when the Sea Ray returned from the China Sea..." "Your last commanding officer turned in a report which makes it impossible for me to recommend your assignment." "My last...?" "Do you mean Capt. Abbott, sir?" "But what was the nature of the report?" "Is the report subject to review, sir?" "I'd prefer it, Landon, if you discuss the matter with Capt. Abbott first." "Yes, sir." "Well, sir, the admiral made it quite clear your report stands in the way of my command." "Yes, I'm sorry, Landon." "Yes, sir." "I was hoping you'd tell me about it." " Don't you know?" " No, sir, I don't." "If it's because of the way I talked to you after Lt. Barton's death I'll admit it was improper." "But you asked me to "spit it out." I recall your words." "My criticism had nothing to do with that." "I reported that you were an excellent executive officer." " Courageous, alert, skillful and efficient." " Yes, sir?" "I also remarked you were not equipped for command because you seemed incapable of making the sometimes painful decisions required in an emergency." "Now I understand, captain." "I doubt that, Mr. Landon." "I think you're a man who is ruled by personal emotion and you attribute that behavior to everyone around you." "Until you overcome that, you'll be unfit for the responsibility of command." "Yes, sir." "Since you seem determined to be proper today I might as well say the rest of it." "I know what you think of the Wes Barton episode." "You think that out of remorse and sentimentality I risked the Starfish and crew in order to save Freddy Warren." "And now you think that for reasons of personal ambition I risked the passage of the straits and lost my boat and men." "You said it, captain." "I didn't." "But it's what you think, Landon." "And that's what I mean by your inability to interpret the decision of command in anything but personal terms." "And until you grow up..." "There's an inquiry into the sinking of the Starfish tomorrow morning." "If you still think you have a case against me..." " I'm sorry." " What is it?" "Freddy Warren." "He's conscious and asking for you." "He's very weak." "I'll see you tomorrow, captain, at the inquiry." "Hi, Freddy." "I wondered where the fellas were." "Carroll and Jug Benny." "Well, we've been out on a mission, Freddy." "But you're back now." "They'll come now?" "Yeah." "They'll be coming to see you." "I wanted to tell you something, sir." "It's..." "It's about Lt. Barton." "That day, my birthday what I thought about you..." "I wanted to tell you, sir, I was wrong." "It's been on my mind a long time." " I understand, Freddy." " No, sir." "I have to tell you." "I know what you did for me." "Risking the ship just for me." "That's how I know I was wrong about you." "It's been on my mind." "It's very important..." "Important..." "Come on, Case." " It's funny, in a way." " How do you mean?" "He said it." "I took a chance to save him." "I wouldn't take a chance to save Wes." "He didn't say that." "You're twisting it." "It's what Landon's been believing all this time." "It's not the same." "When the boy was hurt you didn't have the whole Japanese navy bearing down on you." "Of course you took a chance to save him." "Anybody would have." "I don't know anymore." "I don't know how I'll ever know." "Previous testimony has established that you were without radar or sonar." "And at this time, you sighted a Japanese merchantman." "Are these facts correct, captain?" "Capt. Abbott?" "They are, sir." "Captain, your operation orders said nothing about a mission through the straits." " No, sir." "Nor did they preclude it." "You are aware Adm. Lockwood advised against any such attempt?" "Yes, sir, but that advice was based on other circumstances." "Tell us, then, what were the circumstances that prompted your transit of the strait, in the wake of this merchantman?" "Yes, sir." "Knowing that we planned to invade the Sea of Japan and appreciating the value of a chart through the minefield I decided that the weather, the time of day and the evident lack of Japanese surveillance all justified the attempt." "I considered it a target of opportunity and within my discretion as a commanding officer." "Did you take into consideration that your vessel was already damaged?" "I concluded the damage was not so extensive as to interfere with the mission." "As to the air-pressure failure that didn't enter the picture until I was fully committed." " Is there anything else, captain?" " I should point out that I lost my boat after maneuvering successfully out of the strait, into the open sea." "I had no radar as a result of damage on my original mission to Saishu-to." "It was just bad luck." " Is that all, captain?" " No, sir." "I request it be entered into the record that I was successful in bringing back a chart of the minefield." " Any other questions?" " No." "Thank you, captain." "Mr. Landon, this is an informal inquiry but anything you say will be entered into the record and may become, subsequently, a foundation for a charge against Capt. Abbott." " Yes, sir." "Did Capt. Abbott consult you, as his executive officer before undertaking this foray?" "I was in charge of damage control at the time, sir." "The captain merely announced his decision to me." "Did you express an opinion?" " Yes, sir." "I tried to protest." " On what grounds, Mr. Landon?" "On the grounds that a transit of the strait seemed to exceed the permissible scope of our assignment." "But you are aware now that Adm. Lockwood never expressly prohibited such a mission and that Capt. Abbot was unable to radio for instructions?" "Yes, sir." "I'm aware of that." "Mr. Landon, I know this may be distasteful to you but as next ranking officer, I must ask you do you have any reason to believe that Capt. Abbott was guilty of any negligence or dereliction of duty?" "Sir, that's a conclusion that you're asking of me, not facts." "You may express a conclusion, but I must ask you to be candid." "I'm sorry, sir." "I cannot answer that." "Do you wish to bring forward any facts which will assist this board in reaching a conclusion about Capt. Abbott's action?" "Facts?" "No, sir." "No other facts." "You know, Casey, in conditions of war the line between initiative and heroism on the one hand and recklessness and dereliction on the other is sometimes hard to draw." "There's the report of the Board of Investigation in the loss of the Starfish." "They concluded that your actions were justified and they've recommended no further proceedings." "I'm glad, Casey." "I want you to know that I agree with their conclusion." "Thank you, sir." "You don't seem very pleased." "I understand the final briefing for the Sea of Japan takeoff is scheduled for sometime this afternoon." "Yes, and I want you to be there." "I have no command, sir." "Well, the Sea Ray is back from the China Sea." "Yes, sir?" "It was Adm. Nimitz's suggestion that you take over its command." "The Sea Ray." "That's the boat Landon expected to get." "I'll have a talk with him." "You be at the briefing this afternoon." "If Landon is there, he's your exec." "Aye, aye, sir." "Gentlemen, the admirals are here." "Attention on deck." "Good evening, gentlemen." "Carry on." "All right, Bill, go ahead." "You Hellcats are shoving off at dawn in three groups, gentlemen:" "Hepcats, Polecats and Bobcats." "Now, we have calculated your time of departure to permit an ETA at Tsushima Strait at zero hour, based on a speed of 13 knots." "Rely on your new sonar." "In case of mechanical failure, you have Capt. Abbott's chart on a clear channel through the minefield." "Once in the Sea of Japan all Hellcats are to reconnoiter their areas." "How have these areas been assigned, Lockwood?" "Bobcats will lay off Honshu the Polecats off Korea, and the Hepcats off Hokkaido." "You are to remain unseen until sunset of June 9." "Is that clear, gentlemen?" "That will be the hour for commence firing." "You mean from here on, admiral, it's every cat for himself?" "You're to torpedo or gun everything in sight:" "Freighters, trawlers, even sampans." "Why the wait until we start popping them, admiral?" "Intelligence figures the Japanese know something is brewing." "We don't want any single unit to be spotted until you're all in position to go into action simultaneously." "You are to rendezvous on June 23 west of La Pérouse Strait and make your exit." "Any questions, gentlemen?" "Now Adm. Nimitz would like to say a few words." "With the help of the men in this room, we have beaten the Japanese back from the very shores of Hawaii and Australia." "From Guadalcanal, from the Philippines, New Guinea the Gilberts, Solomons, Carolines and the Marianas." "We have retrieved the vast empire they sought to plunder." "But we cannot achieve victory until we isolate the home island from their main source of coal, iron and food on the continent of Asia." "It is your mission, gentlemen, to demonstrate to the Japanese people that even their warlord's private lake is fair fishing for the American Navy." "So make it a big show." "And remember this time, we're reaching for victory." "Good hunting and Godspeed." "Well, sir, this is it." " Hi, Helen." " Hi." " How's young Freddy doing?" " Well, he's doing much better, I think." "Case, how about buying me a cigarette?" " Sure." "I'll see you onboard." " Aye, aye, sir." " Hey, what about me?" " Well, take your pick." " It must be a big push this time." " The admiral told me not to tell." "The admiral should have told me not to worry." "I thought we settled all that, about you and me." "It won't stay settled, Case, not until you tell me you've stopped caring." "Still beating your chest about Wes?" "Well, I guess I didn't have much to say after all." "What are you going to do after the war, Case?" "I've told you a hundred times." "I want to hear it once more." "I'm going into the surplus business." "I'm gonna buy up all the old mines and sell them to the man in the moon." "There's no water on the moon." "How do you know so much about the moon?" "I know a lot about it." "I spend all my time looking at it when you're away." "That's how it still is with me, Case." "It's time for me to go now." "It looked like the fountains at a French palace." "We couldn't have picked a better place to surface." "It looked like we were in..." "Did I interrupt something?" "I was just telling them how we lost the Starfish on your last patrol." "If you're done with your coffee and done telling war stories would you mind making up a position report?" "Aye, aye, sir." "Mr. Landon probably didn't tell you about his own part in that last patrol." "He preformed a great bravery." "He's a fine officer." "We're ready for the transit of Tsushima, captain." "Can you give me a fix?" "What do we hear from the other boats, Foley?" "All communications are shut off till H-Hour, June 9, sir." "Keiki-do bearing, mark!" "Peak bearing, mark!" "Charlie." "We'll make our transit by the chart." "Depth 1-2-0." "1-2-0 feet, captain." "We're at the halfway mark, captain." "Mines ahead, sir." "I thought this was too easy." "No mines or surface vessels." "How far?" "I can't tell, captain." "Blips are coming in all over the place." " They must be packed solid." " Rig for depth charge." "All compartments, rig ship for depth charge." " All stop." " All stop." " All back, two-thirds." " All back, two-thirds." " Rudder amidship." " Rudder amidship, sir." "Mine cable scraping down the portside of the after battery, captain." " Left, full rudder." "Port stop." " Left, full rudder." "Port stop, sir." "We're clear, sir." "The Japanese must have shifted their minefield pattern." " I hope the rest of our subs caught it." " Destroyer screws coming in fast." "How deep can I go under those mines?" "Two hundred and fifty feet." "Rig for silent running." "Rig for depth charge." "Rig for silent running and depth charge." " 200 feet, Charlie." " 200 feet." "Put her on the bottom." "When are they gonna give up?" "I think they're gone, sir." "Can't be sure, sonar's out." "How long to fix it?" "I don't know." "I don't know what's the matter yet." "No sonar, an unreliable chart, and they know we're down here." "How long can we run at 200 feet?" "All the way." "Take her up to 200 feet." "Maybe we can sneak in under that minefield." "Charlie, take her up, 200 feet." "Captain." "According to the DRT chart, we're through." "Well, I'd better check it with AVICs." " Bring her up smartly." "All ahead, full." " All ahead, full." "We're through, all right." "The pond's lousy with them!" "I'd sure like to get one of them now." "When the time comes, we'll get them all." "Down scope." "Japanese freighter off the port bow heading north." "And it's sunset, June 9." "Now man battle stations, torpedo." "Man battle station, torpedo." "Range, mark." "1-2-0-0 yards." " Gyro matched and ready." " Heave!" "Final bearing and shoot." "Fire one." " One fired electrically." " Fire two." "Two fired electrically." " Bonsai!" " Up their kilt!" "Final bearing and shoot." " Bearing, mark." " Bearing 1-0-4." "Fire four." " Range, mark." " 900 yards." " Angle on the bow, zero." " Down-the-throat shot." "Final bearing and shoot." "Bearing, mark!" "1-3-5." "Fire seven." " Seven fired electrically." " Fire eight." "Eight fired electrically." "Got them." "Sounds like another can astern of us, captain." "Coming in fast." " Range, mark." " 700 yards." "Final bearing and shoot." " Bearing, mark." " Bearing 1-8-2." "Fire nine." " Nine fired electrically." " Fire 10." "Ten fired electrically." "Missed." "Take her down deep." "All ahead, full." "All ahead, full, sir." "She's above us now, captain." " Fire in the IC board." " What's our depth?" "Approaching 250 feet, captain." "All ahead, one-third." " Go below and secure everything." " Aye, aye, sir." " Course 0-1-0." " Course 0-1-0, sir." "Charlie." "We're gonna hug the coast at 8000 yards and cut sonar detection." "Aye, aye, sir." " Foley, go see how they're doing." " Aye, aye, sir." "They'll do all right, captain." "Oh, brother." "I'm so tired I'm breathing from memory." " What did we catch, Bob?" " About 15,000 tons." " Five AKs." "Two destroyers." " Not bad for a few days' work." "Mr. A/tman to the conning tower." "Mr. A/tman to the conning tower." "Pardon me, captain." "I broke these dispatches from the other boats, sir." "Sea Tiger got three AKs, one 1500-ton destroyer and three luggers." "The rest bagged 22 vessels and one submarine. 70,000 tons." "Captain." "Very well." "Landon's got something on the sonar." "He wants me to come up." " No word from the Sandfish yet?" " No, sir." "I'm afraid they got her otherwise, she would've come up on the circuit." "What do you make of this?" "Our charts don't show any nets at La Pérouse." "Could be." "If it is, it looks like there's a beautiful hole 0-1-5 relative." " Right, full rudder." "All ahead, two-thirds." " Right, full rudder." "All ahead, two-thirds." "Looks like a bull's-eye, captain." "Con, Maneuvering." "Something just hit the starboard prop." " All stop." " All stop." "Stern planes is jammed." "Stern plane's jammed and out of commission, captain." " All back, two-thirds." " All back, two-thirds." "Diving officer says we can't hover here any longer, captain." "We'll have to surface to fix it." "That destroyer is still up there looking for us." " Prepare to surface, on battery." " Prepare to surface, on the battery." "Well, there are only three of us onboard to do the job." "You two are out." "Send the diving gear with the phone to my stateroom." " Landon, take over." " Aye, aye, sir." "Ready to surface below." "Surface." "Any luck, sir?" "How /ong have I been down?" "Twenty minutes." "Can't get it." "What was that, sir?" "I'm caught in the wire." "Captain." "May I send a man down to help you?" "No, I think I'm getting it." "Japanese destroyer coming in from bearing 0-7-0." "Distance, 4000 yards." "Captain, destroyer. 4000 yards." "Take her down." "I'm stuck." "I can't get loose." "No!" "Fulton, get into your gear." "Aye, aye, sir." " I'm ordering you." "Take her down!" " No, sir!" "Destroyer now at 2000 yards." "There are 81 men onboard this sub." "They're your responsibility." "Clear the deck!" "Run!" " Hatch secured." " 6-0 feet." " Man battle stations, torpedo." " Man battle stations, torpedo." "Stand by, forward." "Stand by, one and two." "Tubes full at Con. Stand by, forward." "Stand by, one and two." "One and two ready and standing by, sir." "Final bearing and shoot." "Bearing, mark." " Down scope." " 3-0-0." " All tubes ready, sir." " Fire one." "One fired electrically." " Fire two." " Two fired electrically." "If he got free of the cable, there should be a chance." "Aft to torpedo room, Con." "Aft to torpedo room, aye." "Any sound from the clearing cables?" "No, sir, the cab/es are c/ear." "Up scope." "Wait a minute!" "There he is." " Prepare to surface on the battery." " Prepare to surface on the battery." " It's Abbott." "He's out there." " Ready to surface below, sir." "Surface." "Landon." "Are we through La Pérouse yet?" "Yes, captain, we're through." "All boats accounted for except the Sandfish." "Course 0-9-0." "We're headed home." " About this morning..." " I'm just glad you surfaced." " It was a long swim back to Guam." " I think there's more to say than that about myself." "I've been wrong about a lot of things." " We've both been wrong." " No, sir, I want to say it." "Suddenly, I saw things a lot differently when I had to take over." "You'll make a good commander, Don." "Thank you, sir." "If you take command of the Sea Ray, I'll need a new boat and a new exec." "Of course, I'm gonna need a best man too." "That's a pretty personal thing, Don." "That's the way I'd like it, Case."