"That don't look nothin'like the skipper looked." "Not for my money, it don't." "Sure, Canarsie." "You got him looking like one of them joes on a war bond poster." " The skipper was a man." " So he was a man." "What's this, a dame?" "That's not what Kinsella means, Canarsie." "He means the skipper's jaw was like a..." "like a hunk of granite." " And his eyes were blue." " Here, you make blue eyes with black ink." "Simmer down, Rembrandt." "All Pappy means is his jaw was tougher and his eyes were, well, kind and friendly." "Look, fellas." "Don't get me wrong." "I feel the same way about the skipper as you do." "But I done this over 20 times." "Just the same, all I say is, if that looks like Mr. Cassidy did, I look..." "You look like my uncle, and I hate my uncle." "Ha, ha, ha!" "Take another crack at it, Canarsie." "Come on, Pappy." "It's your deal." " Let's go, you guys." "On your feet." " On the double!" "My, my!" "How you talk." "These lads just got no manners." "Okay, fellas." "Let 'em do their job." "Operation Overboard!" " Hey, me and Joe were only kidding." " We were just ribbing." "We don't think it's funny." "We figure we didn't ask to be aboard this bucket, and if you guys..." " Sure, sure." "Forget it, forget it." " Yeah." "What's the verdict, fellas?" "Toss 'em overboard, or give 'em another chance to be little gentlemen?" "Overboard!" "You can't blame us." "Sure." "Sure." "You guys been having yourself a ball, while me and Joe and the whole ship's company... been waitin' on you hand and foot, like you was V.I.P. s or somethin'." " We are." " Tell him the facts of life, Jake." "Listen, swabbies." "There are roughly three million men in this man's navy." "There are only a thousand of us guys spread out over the Pacific." "You and your boyfriends have the honor and the distinction of having aboard 30 of these..." " Fearless." " Red-blooded." " Death-defying." " He-men." "So you gotta appreciate us, cater to us, make us feel relaxed and at home." "Otherwise, some of you won't be around for the next mess call." "Now shove off and swab the deck somewhere else." "Come on, Pappy." "Give us a chance to get some of our plasma back." "You been taking mine ever since we left Pearl." " How about you, Canarsie?" "You wanna play?" " Me, gamble?" "Nah." "Anyway, I wanna finish the picture." "There's more than one way to wet down a deck!" "Operation Manslaughter!" "Holy smokes!" "Of all the dirty tricks!" "Come on." "Give me a hand." " Yes, Bill?" " A little trouble aft, Skipper." "Some of Mr. Lawrence's boys tangled with some of ours." " Serious?" " Not very." "Usual black eyes and bloody noses." "And a lot of injured pride, no doubt." " Well, bound to have some friction sooner or later." " Why?" "Well, you know, two different groups aboard a ship about to go into action." "Nerves, tempers." "Get all the facts, Bill." "Line up all the men involved on the fantail, and I'll hold mast." " Whistle when you're ready." " Aye, aye, sir." "I wouldn't worry too much about it, Lawrence." "It happened once before when I ferried Jack Cassidy and his U.D.T. gang out to Iwo." "Matter of fact, most of these same boys were with him then." "I gave 'em a tongue-lashing, and everything was shipshape again." " Is that what you intend doing this time?" " Maybe." " Why?" " It's your ship." "Meaning I could do a better job running it?" "Okay, I'll tell you what I'll do." " I'll hold mast on my boys, and you do the same on yours." " I'd like that." "Thanks." "And you can be certain my men will give you no more trouble." "We didn't care about getting a free bath, sir... but look what they did to our skipper Mr. Cassidy." "Yeah, Canarsie's been working on it for weeks, sir." "We were all gonna sign our names on it and send it to Mrs. Cassidy." "Sure." "A man got a right to stand up for his rights, sir." "What rights?" "Well, sir, we're not just ordinary sailors." "We're U.D.T. guys." "That makes us somebody special, huh?" "Gives us the right to walk over everybody, throw our weight around?" " What Kinsella means is..." " I know exactly what he means." "We're U.D.T. men." "Fearless, red-blooded, death-defying he-men." "I know that song, and that's all it is...a song." "It doesn't entitle any of us to extra privileges or favors from this ship's company." "Mr. Klinger, I'm giving these men eight hours extra duty." " See to it that they deliver a full 60 minutes in every hour." " Aye, sir." "And I want it understood that no part of this ship is out of bounds... to members of the ship's company." "Remember that." "You can't say some of you fools didn't ask for this." "I'll work out the extra-duty details with the ship's exec and give them to you in the morning." "Take it easy." "Lawrence reminds me of a guy named Pulaskie I used to know in Brooklyn." "Everybody reminds him of a fella he used to know in Brooklyn." "Who ever came from Brooklyn that ever amounted to anything?" "Winston Churchill's mother, the beautifulJennieJerome." "Walter Hampden, Harry Houdini, Danny Kaye, Mae West, Gene Tierney..." "Susan Hayward, Mickey Rooney, Barbara Stanwyck, Lena Horne and, last but not least..." " Marvin W. Minkowsky." " Yeah?" "Who's he?" "Yours truly, matey, and keep your eye on him." "This kid is gonna go places and do things." "Like starting another picture of the skipper, but pronto." ""But pronto." What am I, a slave?" "Don't answer that question." "Bridge, this is Radio." "From the flag, Nancy Hanks." "Call the flag, see if they're on the Nancy Hanks, Smitty." "Aye, aye, sir." " The kleinsmith is on the Nancy Hanks now, sir." " Here's the message." ""Proceed... on duty... assigned."" "Message coming through now, sir." " Hey, what goes?" "Do you see the blinker?" " No, but he can." "Infrared." "Oh." "Well, don't let my men know about this... or they'll have even less respect for me, if that's possible." ""Proceed on duty assigned." "Good luck."" " Give 'em a "roger," Smitty." " Aye, aye, sir." "Left 15 degrees rudder." "Steady on course 285." "Steady course is 285." "Rudder is left 15." " All engines ahead full." " All engines ahead full." "Engine Room acknowledges all ahead full." "Well, Lawrence, looks like the curtain's about to go up on your bathing beauties." "Yeah." "What time do we arrive in the area?" " 0600 tomorrow." " I'd better get started." "I'll see you later." "Right." "Say, uh... this fella Cassidy you mentioned this afternoon." " Jack Cassidy?" " Yeah." " What about him?" " What, uh, sort of a man was he?" "He was quite a character." "The kind of a guy that could charm the ears off an elephant." "Yeah." "The men thought a lot of him, huh?" "Crazy about him." "He was crazier about them." "He, uh, got it at Iwo, didn't he?" "Yeah, after a mission, on the way back from the beach." "One of his men was hit and knocked into the water." "Jack went in after him." " Never been seen since." " When your number comes up, not a bad way to go." " I'll see you below." " Right." "What about some cribbage later?" "No, thanks." "Not tonight." "I'm gonna hit the sack after briefing the men." "Now as to the general plan of operation." "This is Red Beach here." "That's the natural harbor and entrance." "This area over here is Green Beach." "Now, based on aerial photographs and intelligence reports... the enemy expects us to hit Red Beach... but the admiral wants to fool 'em and hit over here on Green Beach... if it's at all accessible." "Our job is to find that out." "Mr. Klinger, you'll take Flannigan and these 10 men." "You'll go in on Red Beach strictly to create a diversionary feint." "Blow up enough obstacles, man-made or otherwise, to convince theJaps... that we're coming in here..." "Red Beach." "I'll go in the other boat with Hodges and the rest... to do a complete reconnaissance job on Green Beach." " Is that understood?" " Yes, sir." "We shove off at 0600." "Roger hour 7:30." "That's all." ""Create a diversionary feint." "Make a complete reconnaissance."" "How do you like that?" "Remember when we hit Iwo and Mr. Cassidy briefed us?" "All he said was, "I'll take half the gang and have a look-see on Green." "The rest of you go over on Red and kick up a rumpus."" "He makes everything sound like a presidential directive." "I'm happy to string along with him." "It isn't gonna be so rugged on Green Beach." "Naturally." "Why do you think the commander picked Green for himself?" "Knock it off, or you'll both sit out the mission in the brig." " Is that bad?" " See you manana." " Good night." " Good night." "Now hear this." "Hear this, you jokers." "The show goes on tomorrow morning." "Everybody's in the act." "The commander's going to do the recon job, and Mr. Klinger's gonna turn on the fireworks." "We're gonna leave this bucket at 0600, so be on deck... ready, willing and able." " Who are you going with, Jake?" " Horseshoe luck." "Klinger." " Then I'm your man." " Me too, Jake!" "What's the matter with him?" "That's it, all right." "Looks deserted." "Deserted as a beehive in June." " We're beginning to lob 'em over." " Yeah." "0500." "Time to put the boats in the water." "Franklin?" " All engines ahead one-third, turns for five knots." " Aye, aye, sir." "Put Boats 2 and 4 in the water, Bill." "Have them drop aft for loading immediately." "Put Boat 3 in after they shove off with orders to stand by in case it's needed." "Aye, aye, sir." "All right, fellas." "Let's get the other raft over." "Shall I go below and tell Mr. Lawrence everything's set?" "No." "You can bet me he'll be here promptly at 0600." "Not one minute before or one minute after." "I think you'll find everything aboard according to your orders." " Rosemary 4-1 is alongside." " Okay." "My group will go in Rosemary 4-1, your group Rosemary 4-2." " Right." " All right." "Over you go." " Shove off soon as you're loaded, Mr. Klinger!" " Aye, sir." "All right, fellas." "Over the side." "The skipper said we'll pick you up here at 0900." " Right." " Good luck." "Thanks." "Shove off." "Full speed ahead!" "Rosemary 4-2, this is Rosemary 4-1." "Testing." "Rosemary 4-2, this is Rosemary 4-1." "Testing." "Over." "Hello, Rosemary 4-1." "I heard you loud and clear." "Hello, Rosemary 4-1." " I heard you loud and clear." " Right." "All right!" "Put the boat in the water!" "Slow it down." " All secure?" " Right." "Full ahead.!" "All right." "Fins and masks on." "Rosemary 4, this is Rosemary 4-1." "Request smoke on Green Beach." "Over." "Ask the bombardment group commander to lay down smoke in sector two, grids nine to 12." "Aye, aye, sir." "All right." "Now, remember, the flag's waiting for this information." "I don't have to tell you how important it is that the flag gets it." "On it may depend the initial success or failure of the invasion." "So take a good look at everything, and don't trust to memory." "That's what those slates are for." "When you're through, come back to the pickup line, stand by for the boat." "Okay, let's go!" "Looks promising." "Yup." " You ready?" " Right now!" "Get set for the pickup run!" " Everybody here?" " Yes, sir." " Good job." "Thanks." " Thank you, sir." "As soon as Mr. Lawrence gives us the signal, you touch off the time fuses." " Remember, you've just got 10 minutes delay." " Roger." " ThoseJaps sure got this beach staked out." " It's as bad as Iwo." "Worse." "Nothing could get by that jungle of concrete and steel..." "All right, Hodges." "Green flare." "Pull the pins!" "Turn around and pick up Flannigan and Kinsella." " What happened, boy?" " They winged me." "Bone looks okay." "It's just a flesh wound." "We'd better get out of here though." "Those fuses aren't gonna burn forever." "Hang on to my belt." "I'll take you out to the pickup line." "Direct hit." "We'd better start paddling out of here... or they'll pick us up with a sieve too." "Hodges." "Rosemary 4, Rosemary 4." "This is Rosemary 4-1." "Rosemary 4-2 received direct hit opposite Red Beach." "Request standby boat to pick up possible survivors." "Exercise extreme caution." "Demolition charge due to explode in six minutes." "Over." "Rosemary 4-1, this is Rosemary 4." "Wilco." "Out." "Figure our boys were back in the boat when it happened, sir?" "They must have been." "Hey, Commander!" "I think I see a couple of fellas!" "Full speed ahead." "Maintain your course." "Aren't we gonna pick 'em up, sir?" " There's a rescue boat on the way." " But those men are ours." "Don't you think I know it?" " All right." "Swimmer 10." " That's me, sir." "Go ahead." "Nineteen, 19, 18, 16... 14, 10... three, two, four." "Check." "Okay." "There's a concrete hedgehog about 45 yards from the shoreline." " All right." " There's a coral crib about 15 yards from the shoreline." " Okay." " No other obstacles." "Will powder take care of the hedgehog and the crib?" " Yes, sir." "About 125 pounds." " Okay." "Swimmer 11." "Ditto with what Pappy said, only add one hedgehog at 30 yards." "Who's Pappy?" " Creighton there, sir." " He's got two sets of twins." "Glad you're back, Flannigan." "How's Kinsella?" "He lost a lot of blood." "The doctor gave him some plasma, said he'd be okay." "Good." "Good." "Were you both in the boat?" "No." "It was hit before we got there." " Could you see it?" " Yeah." "It was a direct hit." "Then there were no possible survivors?" "I couldn't say for sure, sir." "Under the circumstances, nobody could." "All right, prepare a missing-in-action list... inventory the personal belongings of each man." "Aye, aye, sir." "What did Red Beach look like to you?" "They've got it pretty well loaded, sir." "We blew out some of the stuff, but not enough to mean anything." "You'd say that Red Beach was highly fortified and impassable?" " Yes, sir." " Okay." "All right." "You all did a good job." "I'm sorry it cost a few lives." "It may save thousands." "I hope so." "Get some rest." "That's all." "Well, it looks like theJaps are in for a little surprise." " How much time before we come alongside the flag?" " Couple of hours." " Two?" " May be a differential of 10 minutes, one way or another." "That'll give me time enough to get on some clothes and prepare my report." "When are you gonna hold the service?" " What service?" " Service for the dead." "I hadn't thought about it." " Obviously." " Well, I hadn't!" "I know you hadn't, or you'd have said something to the boys." "Never entered my mind." "Never did it before." "You were lucky not to have had casualties before." "No, no, no." "That's not what I mean." "I've had casualties before." "It's just that... well, I simply never thought of it before." " We'll do it when I return from the flag." " Good." "Hot water." "Boy, it sure feels good." "When this war is over, I'm taking a bath every Saturday night... whether I need it or not." " How you doin', Kinsella?" " Still living and breathing." "Don't let Commander Lawrence hear you say that." "He might try to do something about it." " Tried hard enough this morning." " Why get worked up over that hardheaded jerk?" "Attention!" "I'd have mentioned this before if I'd thought of it." "When I return from the flag, we'll hold services for the dead on the fantail." "Services for the dead." "You just don't understand the man, Jake." "He's really a good-hearted fella down deep." "A warm, lovable fella." "Have Commander Lawrence stand by for transfer to the flagship." "All engines ahead standard, turns for 12 knots." "Stand by!" "Stand by!" "Heads up." "Here comes the line." "Fire!" "Tighten up on the high lines!" "Heave around on your end hull!" "Those lines have been known to bust." "My conclusion is that the seaward approach to Green Beach is relatively clear." "Whatever obstructions there are we can handle by blasting." "What do you think, Jack?" "Looks good to me." "Almost too good to be true." "It is true, sir." "You can bank on it." "No reflection intended on you and your boys, Lawrence." "You don't know these U.D.T. boys, Jack." "They're prima donnas." " Can you do this mission with the men you have left?" " Yes, sir." " At what time will you be finished?" " We're sure to be out at 0800." "Good. "H" hour stands as planned." "0900." "Have this chart duplicated at once... and send copies to all ships in the transport group." "Aye, aye, sir." " Well done, Lawrence." " Thank you, sir." "Don't let us down tomorrow." "We're counting on you." " You can, sir." " Good luck." "Thank you, sir." " Lawrence?" " Yes, sir?" " What's the matter with your leg?" " It's nothing serious, sir." " Tangled with some coral." " Well, look after it." "Thank you, sir." "Coral poisoning, all right." "It's got a good hold on that leg." "Should have told me about this this morning." " Shooting a little temperature too." " How high?" "Little over 101." "What can you do, Doc?" "We got a mission in the morning." " You won't be on it." " I've got to be." "This is gonna get lots worse before it gets any better." "Can't you fix it up so I can at least..." "Best I can do, best anyone can do is check it, keep it from spreading." "It'll have to run its course." "Two or three days probably, then you'll be all right." "Do what you can tonight because I'm going in the morning, fever or no fever." "No use my arguing or exercising my authority." "Mama Nature will keep you aboard." "I'll be back in a little while to cauterize the wound... start wet dressings and begin feeding you sulfa." "Okay, thanks." "Look, Doc." "This is just between us..." " Between us and Pete Vincent now." " Hiya, Vincent." "Hi, Lawrence." "What is it?" "My leg's acting up." "I cut it on some coral this morning." "I thought I noticed you favoring it." "What does the doc say?" "That I won't be able to go on the mission in the morning." " We'll see about that." " Doc Ullman's a pretty good man." "A rotten mess." "Klinger gone, not a soul in the outfit capable of taking over." "Some of those boys impress me as pretty sharp." "They're certainly old hands at it." "Cassidy had a lot of faith..." "Yeah." "Yeah." "Well, maybe one or two could handle it." "There's Flannigan, possibly Hodges." "Flannigan's probably the best choice." "This is no time to drop a monkey wrench into the works... but if you're thinking of Flannigan..." "This is Mr. Lawrence." "Have Flannigan, Kinsella, Creigh..." "No, no." "Wait a minute." "Never mind Kinsella." "He's hurt." "Flannigan, Creighton and Minkowsky report to me in the wardroom at once." " That's right." "Thanks." " Take it easy, Lawrence." "You're in no shape..." "I'm in plenty good shape." "I know what's eating them." "They need to be told a few simple facts." " Why not let me handle it?" " No!" "This is my baby." "Okay." "Come in." "The captain just handed me this." "You have the right to make this request for transfer." "I'll endorse it and forward it through channels when we get back." "I don't want men serving with me who don't want to serve with me." "But I didn't call you here to tell you that." "I called you here to tell you that I know why you've asked for a transfer." "It's because I didn't put about to pick up Flannigan here and Kinsella." "Is that right, Flannigan?" " Let's not stand on formality." "Speak up." "Is that right?" " Well, sir, yes." "The rest of you feel the same way, don't you?" "I thought so." "All right." "Now I'll tell you why I didn't put about to pick you up." "If I'd put about to pick you up... we might have been lucky." "Then I'd have been a regular guy in your eyes... maybe even regular enough to be compared with Cassidy." "But what ifluck went against us?" "That charge was due to go up at any minute." "What if it had?" "What about the big show tomorrow?" "You were on Red Beach, Flannigan." "You know what would happen if they tried to hit it." "Thousands of men would die unnecessarily." "So that's why I didn't stop to pick you up." "That's the decision I had to make." "That's the kind of decision the navy expects an officer to make." "And that's the difference in thinking between us." "Okay, that's what I wanted to make clear to you, why I called you here." "We've got a mission to do tomorrow morning." "It's got to come off." "That's all that counts." "Be prepared to shove off for Green Beach at 0500." "Everybody goes but Kinsella." "That's all." " What's cookin'?" " I don't know." "Hodges and Jake are still down there with hardhead." "He's probably warning them that this is a strategic maneuver through an accessible area... which separates the outlying fringe from the tactical objective." " And unless this situa..." " Chiggy!" "Chief Flannigan will be in charge of this mission." "Good luck." "Over the side, fellas." "The bombardment group is really laying 'em in there." "So are the air boys." "Looks like you fellas will have more than enough smoke this time." "They'll need it." " Who'd you put in charge?" " Flannigan." "When I saw you this morning..." "I thought for a minute you were crazy enough to go along." "Well, I suppose sick or not, Cassidy would have gone." "Cassidy?" "I don't know." "I was going to go, but I analyzed it... and I decided I'd be more of a liability to the mission than an asset." "Why don't you go below and lie down?" "It won't make much difference to the mission now." "It will to me." "Thanks." "I'm all right." "Get your fins and masks on." "I know you guys are busting to know what the score is." "Lawrence picked up some coral poisoning, and the doctor won't let him go in the water." " Coral poisoning?" " Where did he pick it up, on the flagship?" "All right." "That's what they told me, and that's what I'm telling you." "Coral poisoning, my eye." "He's got "beachitis."" "Save the wisecracks." "We got a job of blasting to do." "Keep your ears open." "Here's the score." "Pappy and I'll be partners and go in first." "Then Hodges and Canarsie." "Then Ferrino and Sleepy." "As soon as you get through tying off your charges... give yourself plenty of time to get back to the pickup line." "At least 20 minutes." "Twenty minutes." "Two-zero." "You understand?" "All right." "Here we go." "Hey." "Wait a minute." "We clean forgot about the sign." " I'd just as soon skip that, Pappy." " Skip it?" " Why?" "We got time." " Sure you wanna do it?" "I gotta do it." "I got a 50-buck bet with my kid brother." "Let's get in there and get it over with." " Let's get to it and get out of here." " Yeah." "Let's get out of here." " Did they get you, Pappy?" " Yeah." "In my back." "I'll get you out in deeper water, see if you can swim." "Now try it, Pappy." "I can't." " I can't." " Well, grab ahold." "I'll tow ya." "We got a lot of time." "That's everybody butJake and Pappy." "Rosemary 4-1, this is Rosemary 4." "Report your progress." "Over." "Rosemary 4-1, this is Rosemary 4." "Report your progress." " Over." " What do we do?" "Make out we didn't hear." "Put about!" "They still ain't here." "We have time enough for one more run." "Circle around and come back on the line." "Rosemary 4-1, this is Rosemary 4." " Imperative you report your progress." "Over." " What'll I say?" "Didn't hear it." "These things sometimes get banged up." "I can see 'em!" "Cut your engine." "There they come, Pappy." "We're all right." "There they are." "So their radio must have gone haywire." "I'm sure glad they're back." "Tell the Engine Room to make turns for three knots." "Turns for three knots." "Aye, aye, sir." " Have the crew stand by to pick them up, Bill." " Aye, aye, sir." "Ah, that sounds mighty good to me." "You really sweated this one out." "Better get below and see the doc right away." "Would you, uh, please radio the flag?" "Tell them Operation Number 18 is completed." "Wilco." "Tell Radio to send the following message to the flag:" " Operation Number 18 completed." " Aye, aye, sir." "Very nice." "Very nice." "Hey, Sleep, this time I know there'll be girls on the beach." "Pretty hula girls." "Lots of'em." "Oh, come off it, kid." "You don't have to go through them maneuvers to get a gal in Hawaii." "Even Canarsie does all right there." "Don't worry about me." "Just ask any gal you meet in Hawaii... about Minkowsky's magic method of making moo." " How's Pappy?" " Aw, about the same." "That harness or whatever you call it, with them sandbags, would drive me nuts." "What are they doing all that for, Jake?" "It's his spine." "He's still got a couple of slugs in it." "He can't be moved or get tossed around any." "Well, why don't the doc take out the slugs?" "Search me." "I don't know." "Pharmacist's mate says they're gonna do it at the hospital back at Pearl." "I think I'll go see him." "Boy, thatJake's sure busted up." "Yeah." "Tough Pappy had to get it." "And him the only married guy with kids in the team." "Hey, hey, look." "One of the swabbies said he saw him at chow this morning." "First time in three days." "Maybe he really was sick." "Aw, if you ask me, he was just pulling a diversionary camouflage." " Does it hurt you much, Pappy?" " No, no." "They keep me pretty well doped." "Pharmacist's mate says you'll be okay." "Oh, sure." "Takes more than a few slugs to kill me." "Boy, we sure were a couple of dopes." "I could kick myself." "Dopes?" "To pull a great gag like that on the marines?" "Oh, I'd like to have a picture of my kid brother's face when he saw it." "I'll bet he busted his britches laughing." "Hello, Flannigan." "Good morning, sir." " How are you, Creighton?" " Not bad, sir." "Thanks." "Good." "Sorry I couldn't get in sooner, but, uh... the doc tells me you're gonna be fine once those slugs are removed." "When did it happen?" "Just two seconds before we were picked up, sir." "Oh, that's too bad." "I'm sorry." "Write out the details, will you, Flannigan?" "I'll need them for my report." "Aye, aye, sir." "And tell the men the flag radioed congratulations for a job well done." "Add mine." " Thank you, sir." " See you later, Creighton." "Now, don't you go and make me out a liar, Jake." "You put it down that it happened just like I told him." "Why start anything?" "No, Pappy, it's no good." "Sooner or later, he's bound to find out about it." "They'll probably have a picture of that sign in every paper in the country." "Oh, the heck with it." "I'm gonna tell him." "He can like it or lump it." " He'll lump it." " Well, let him." "Well, I'll see ya." "Take it easy." "Roger." " Morning." " Oh, good morning." " Heard you were in for breakfast." "Good to see you up and around." " Thanks, Vincent." "Isn't it about time we drop this Vincent and Lawrence business?" "Most everybody calls me Pete." " Mine's John." " Okay, John." "Have some coffee." " Help yourself." " Thank you." "I've been getting some pretty good reports." "It seems the landing was made with comparatively few casualties." " Doc give you the message from flag?" " Yeah, yeah, thanks." "Sounds like a presidential citation." "Well, the team rates it." "And I'm glad for Flannigan." "He did a great job." " Yes, Bill?" " Coded message from CinCPac." "Bad news, huh?" "I can always tell by Bill's chin if the news is good or bad." "Oh, it isn't that bad, Skipper." " Concerns you and your team, John." " Yeah?" " Looks like we'll be parting company soon." " Why's that?" ""Rendezvous with SubmarineJack SS-259..." ""at 1900 Greenwich civil time on 9 June at 2430 North, 152 East..." ""on special mission for U.D.T. Team 4." "Commanding officer submarine will supply all detailed information."" "Hmm." "Where will that be?" "Right here, sir." "A real hot spot." "You suppose the Bonins are our next objective, Skipper?" "Who knows?" "What do you think, John?" "The last I heard we were gonna bypass the Bonins." "Well, no use speculating." "We'll know in a couple of days." " Well, Bill, we'd better look after this." " All right." " Pardon me, sir." " Come in, Flannigan." "Sir, I..." "Well, it's about how Creighton got hurt." " It didn't happen the way Pappy said." " How did it happen?" "Sir, you know how the marines are always saying they're the first to hit the beach." "That's never sat very well with us U.D.T. guys... so Pappy and I rigged up a gag to pull on the marines." "We planted a sign on the beach saying "Welcome Marines" with the team's number underneath it." "Now wait a minute." "Let me get this straight." "You mean, you and Creighton went ashore and planted that sign on the beach?" "Yes, sir." "Before or after you touched off the charges?" "No, we took care of that first, sir." "Well, it's a wonder you didn't overlook that minor detail." " Is that where Creighton got hurt?" " Yes, sir." "Flannigan, you were in charge of this mission." "I put you in charge because I thought you had intelligence enough... to realize its importance." "But everything went off all right, sir." " You said yourself the flag congratulated us." " You miss the point." "You've been missing the point ever since I took over command of this team." "You're a brave man, all of you are, or you wouldn't be in this outfit." "Nobody questions that." "But your kind of bravery comes 10 cents a dozen... and isn't worth a hoot more when the chips are down." "And the chips were down on that deal." "Klinger was gone." "I wasn't able to go." "I counted on you." "I pulled for you to come through a man." "A full man, brains and guts." "I was even dope enough to think I might talk you out of transferring... recommend you for Mr. Klinger's spot." "But you not only can't fill that job... you're not even responsible enough to remain a chief." "And when you transfer out of this team... you won't leave as a chief." "Is that all, sir?" "Yes, that's all." "Come in." " Ah, John, come on in." " Hello, Pete." "I was just listening to some trumpet playing." "I fool around with it at home." " Well, don't bother." " When my wife's out, that is." " Don't shut it off." "You don't need to." " Sit down." " Thanks." " I've had enough anyway." " How's the leg?" " Fine." "Fine." "It's, uh, not my leg that's bothering me." "Another request for transfer." "This time from the entire team." "Looks like you've got what amounts to a legal mutiny on your hand." "Yeah, it's a fine kettle of fish with that special mission facing us." "You must have known that telling Flannigan you were gonna bust him... wasn't going to endear you to him and his mates." "Now, look, I'm not here to win popularity contests." "Flannigan jeopardized an entire mission... to say nothing of the lives of his team." "On the basis of the book, there was nothing else to do, of course, but..." "But what?" "Everybody works differently." "I don't know what to tell you, John." "Well, I'm no Cassidy." " Who said anything about Cassidy?" " You practically said it." "Sure, sure, everybody works differently... but not everybody wants to understand that." "I know what these men want." "They want a glad-hander and a grandstander." "Well, I'm neither." "I never have been." " People take me for what I am or leave me alone." " Why get all worked up about it?" "Because I get so..." "Because it must be my fault." "All these men can't be wrong." "It's nobody's fault really, John." "It's just that, well, these men are hero-worshipping their dead idol." "They resent you for stepping into his boots." "They'd resent anybody who had to follow Jack Cassidy." "Yeah, I suppose so." "And of all the strange breeds that might have come along... it was their bad luck to get me." "For what it's worth, I don't think so." "How about a little cribbage later?" "General quarters." "All hands, man your battle stations." "General quarters." "All hands, man your battle stations." "Collision, port side aft." "General quarters." "All hands, man your battle stations." " What's up?" " We've been hit by a torpedo." " Port side aft, sir." " Sonar, do you still have a submarine?" "Yes, sir." "Range 20, double 0 and opening." "Looks like the sub's moving away from us." "I'll turn away from her and open the range." "Right full rudder." " Right full rudder, sir." " Port ahead full." " Starboard back two-thirds." " Port ahead full." "Starboard back two-thirds." "Hammer." "Doctor?" "Doctor!" "There it is." "The water's above the door level." "We'll have to enter in the manhole in the overhead." "On the double!" "Doctor!" "Get me the lantern." "Doctor!" "Take it easy, Creighton." "Stand clear." "Doctor!" "Relax, son, relax." "Take it easy." "Damage Control, this is Ryan." "Looks like the torpedo's a dud." "About half of it's lodged into the side and sticking into the Sick Bay." "And we're taking water." "If it doesn't get any worse, I think the bilge pump can take care of it." "This is the captain." "We've been hit by a torpedo port side aft, in the area of the Sick Bay." "Fortunately, the torpedo was a dud, and no one was injured." "Doc says the patient was a bit shaken up, but he's all right." "I'll go have a look." "There's about two feet of water in the compartment." "The doc's down there with the patient." "Well, see that the bilge pumps are running at full speed..." " and rig up a working light for us." " Aye, aye, sir." " I'd better lead the way, sir." " Go ahead." " You all right, Creighton?" " Yes, sir." "I was lucky I was sandbagged and tied down." "Okay, okay, good." "Can he be moved up through there, Doc?" "Impossible." "It'll put too much pressure on his spine." "I see." "Take it easy, kid." "We'll get you out of here." "Know anything about torpedoes, sir?" "A little." "I had a few days of this stuff during training." "What do you think, sir?" "The warhead's been damaged." "Had one like this back at the base." "They called it the "kingdom come" type." " Think we can take a chance on it till we get to port?" " Uh, it'd be a long shot." "Well, the Honolulu was hit by a dud torpedo, and they got back to Pearl." "The circumstances are different." "We got a damaged warhead, a patient that can't be moved and a mission to complete." "I think we'd better take this up with Vincent." " You can call him on the phone there, sir." " You want me to do it?" " You know more about it than I do." " Okay." "This is John, Pete." "I'm down here in the Sick Bay." "Looks to me like you've got a rough decision to make." "Yeah." "Yeah, that is a tough one." "You think it's a dud?" "It may be a natural dud where the exploder never was armed." "That's happened before, even to our own torpedoes." " Well, what's your hunch?" " Well, I'm no expert... but I'd say we oughta take a chance on removing the exploder mechanism." "The odds are too big against assuming that that fish isn't armed." " You know how to do it?" " I'm willing to try... unless you've got somebody aboard more qualified." "Okay, then I'll take a crack at it." "Have Doyle order all unnecessary personnel forward." "Good luck." "Thanks, Pete." "Vincent says to go ahead and try to remove the exploder mechanism." "What'll you need by way of tools?" "Believe it or not, nothing but one screwdriver." "Let's have a screwdriver." " Is this large enough, sir?" " Yeah, that's perfect." "You all right, Creighton, or do you want the doc..." " to give you a shot of something before he leaves?" " No, I'm okay." " Okay." " I'll have someone stand by above in case you want anything." " That's a good idea." " Here's the light." "Let's go, Doc." " How's Creighton, Doctor?" " He's all right." "Have all personnel move forward on the fo'c'sle, and I'd like a volunteer to stand by here." " Aye, sir." " I'll stay here, sir." "All right, Flannigan." "Make sure nobody's left in this part of the ship." "All right, on the double, everybody." "The sea's getting rougher." "Yeah, it looks like the bilge pumps can't handle the flooding." " Anybody on deck?" " Flannigan here, sir." "Lower the work light and the portable bilge pump." "Aye, aye, sir." "Work light coming down." "Aye, aye." " Bilge pump coming down, sir." " Lower away!" "Flannigan, you'd better come down here." "Aye, aye, sir." " How is it, Pappy?" " I can use a little company down here." "Flannigan, lend a hand here." "Aye, aye, sir." "Try and plug that up." " You getting it?" " Got it." "See if you can find a thin piece of wood." "There." "A few of those tongue depressors will do it." "Did you ever see the inside of one of these?" "Yes, sir, once or twice." "Grab that lamp." "Bring it over here." "I'm gonna try to raise this high enough... so you can insert those depressors between the firing pin... and the detonator." "Getting a little warm in here." "Of course, it could be 'cause I'm scared to death." "Stand by." "Okay, I'm scared too." "Nobody in his right mind could be anything else." "There's something holding it." "They usually slip out easily." " Got any ideas?" " No, sir." "Nothing to do but keep on trying to pry it, I guess." "Yeah, I made some progress that time." "We're still here." "Good sign." "Maybe we're on the right track." "How much higher does it have to come, sir?" "I don't remember." "Another inch or two should do it, I think." "You'd better call the bridge." "Ask the captain to slow down the ship a little." "Aye, aye, sir." "Yes, John?" "Commander Lawrence would like you to cut the speed down a little, sir." " Wilco." "How's it coming?" " We're still working on it, sir." " Let me know the minute you've disarmed it." " Aye, aye, sir." "All ahead one-third." "Make turns for five knots." "All engines ahead full." "Turns for five knots." "Aye, aye, sir." "This is the captain." "I'm sorry to say there's no progress to report as yet about the torpedo." "I'll keep you posted." "Well, this next move should decide it." "Sh-Should I get another bilge pump, sir?" "There's no time." "Stand by." "Now you see the pin?" "She's triggered, all right." "Now take it easy and ram it in there." "Okay, Creighton, the fangs are out." "Vincent." "We're okay, Pete." "She's completely disarmed." " That's great." "Good work, John." " Aye, aye." "This is the captain." "Mr. Lawrence and Chief Flannigan have succeeded in disarming the torpedo." "Baby, I love ya." "Wonderful!" "Damage Control Center, this is the captain." "Get the repair crew busy right away building a cofferdam around that hole." "You got an extra cigarette?" "Thanks." "Oh, brother, it sure feels good to be alive." "It sure does, sir." "Were you ordered to stand by up there, Flannigan?" "No, sir." "Mr. Doyle asked for a volunteer to stand by." "I appreciate that." "Thanks." "Pappy's my buddy, sir." "Yeah." "Sure." "Well, I guess that's that." "There's nothing more we can do here." "The repair party will be right down, Creighton." " I'll stay with Pappy until they show up, sir." " All right." "You did a good job, Flannigan." "Thank you, sir." "I know Pappy would have done the same thing for me." "Of course." "Oh, I'm beginning to smell the soft Hawaiian breezes." "I can almost taste some fresh pineapple, dunked in rum." "My mind's on a grass skirt with a pretty wahine in it." " Your mind?" "What mind?" " Eh." "You suppose we'll get the same liberty we had the last time, Jake?" "Who knows?" "Seven days' liberty with my pretty Leilani." "Just terrific." "Hey, we're circling." "Yeah, we're slowing down." "Look, a submarine." " Hey, she's one of ours." " That's a relief." "What do you make of it, Jake?" " I got a feeling that Honolulu is far, far away." " Oh, no!" "This is the captain." "Ask Mr. Lawrence to get on the bullhorn." "Break out the bullhorn." "This is Lawrence, sir." "I've got sealed orders for you and 10 of your men." "Bring nothing with you but your toothbrushes." "We've got everything you'll need." " Let us know when you're ready to come aboard." " Roger." "Oh, no, no, no!" "Well, how do you care for them apples?" "And all that time hardhead let us think we were heading for Pearl." " Put Boat 2 in the water, Bill." " Aye, aye, sir." "Well, I'll be looking for you same spot, same hour three days from now." " Good luck, John." " I'll try my darnedest to keep that appointment." "So long, Pete." " Welcome aboard, Lawrence." " Thank you." " I'm Harry Miles, the exec." " How are you?" "This is Lane, chief of the boat." "He'll take care of your men." "Good." "Chief Flannigan." "Get all these men below as quickly as possible." " The captain wants to submerge as soon as we can." " Aye, aye, sir." " The captain's on the bridge." "You can follow me." " Fine." " Captain Redford, this is Commander Lawrence." " Glad to see you, Lawrence." " Thank you, sir." " All ahead standard." "Steady on course 180." "All ahead standard." "Steady on course 180." "Harry, whenever you're ready, take her down to 200 feet where it's nice and quiet." " Right, sir." " Whatever they want you to do, it must be awfully important." "I got strict orders not to run on the surface during daylight." "Let's go below." "I'm hankering to open those sealed orders." "Right, sir." "I worked up a pretty good case of hives... wondering about your mission." "Well, I've been doing a little wondering myself, sir." "I bet you have." "Here we are." "Good." "Don't you have any idea where we're going?" "Oh, I know where we're going, all right... right smack intoJap country." "But I've been itching to know why." "Well, the mystery is solved." "We're ordered to blow up the only known Jap submarine pen south of the home islands." "Well, what do you know?" " Submarine pen, huh?" " Yes, sir." "We'd better break out these things." "Probably our charts." " Right." " We've got a job of studying ahead of us." "This is Commander Lawrence speaking." "All members of the U.D.T. stand by for briefing at once." "All members of the U.D.T. stand by for briefing at once." "Mr. Flannigan and five men will create a diversionary feint." "I and my group will make the hydrographic reconnaissance." "Et cetera, et cetera." "And we leave the submarine two hours before daylight, 0300." "Meet me here, fully dressed and equipped, ready to go at 0230 for a final briefing." "Any questions?" "Okay." "We've, uh, only one more mission to do together, this one." "After that, we'll part company." "I'm sorry we didn't hit it off better... but I want you to know that I think you're a great U.D.T. team." "And I'm proud to have served with you." "That's all." "There it is." "That's it." "Down scope." "When you're ready, I'll surface to let you off." "Then I'll submerge right here, lie on the bottom." "When you return, give me a "dit-dot-dit"... three times in the hull, hard, and I'll surface to take you aboard." " Dit-dot-dit three times on the hull, hard." " That's right." "We're ready now, sir." "I'll get the men." "Good." "And remember, no talking on deck." "Domo arigato." "We'll tow you in, sir." "No." "No, it'll take too long." "They'll be after the sub, then we'll all get knocked off." "Now listen, listen." "Remember what I told you." "Knock three times on the hull of the sub hard." "Three times hard... dit-dot-dit." "That's the signal." "Yes, sir." " Repeat." " Dit-dot-dit, three times hard." "Right." "Now shove off." "Let's tow him in." "No, you've got your orders." "Shove off." "Let's tow him in." "All right, I'll take over." "Are you all right, sir?" "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." "It's just the darn bandages." " Hi, Chief." " Hi, Pappy." "How you doing?" "Oh, not too bad." "Here." "Put yourJohn Hancock on this." "Down here." "Is Skipper asleep?" "No." " Hi, Flannigan." " Good afternoon, sir." "Canarsie finally finished this picture for Mrs. Cassidy." "We'd like it to come from the whole team." "Would you sign it, sir?" "You, uh... you want me to sign?" "Yes, sir." "Sure." "I'd be glad to." "Thanks." "Oh, up at the top, please." "Thank you, sir." "Thank you." "Would you like a cigarette, sir?" "Yeah." "Please." "Thanks, Pappy."