A moment by moment account of the sinking and rescue of the crew of the submarine USS Squalus which was the first rescue of living crew on a submarine.A moment by moment account of the sinking and rescue of the crew of the submarine USS Squalus which was the first rescue of living crew on a submarine.A moment by moment account of the sinking and rescue of the crew of the submarine USS Squalus which was the first rescue of living crew on a submarine.
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James Sikking
- Rear Admiral Cyrus Cole
- (as James B. Sikking)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWhile many movies of this type add complications to the rescue, this one simplifies it. In real life several more ships were involved, and when the diving bell jammed on the fourth trip, several dives were made before it could be freed. The bell was also sent on a fifth trip to confirm that no other compartments contained survivors.
- GoofsJeeps are used as Navy transport vehicles throughout the movie, yet they did not go into production until mid to late 1941, nearly 2 years after the events in this movie are depicted.
- ConnectionsReferenced in Voyages of Discovery: Hanging by a Thread (2006)
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Horribly inaccurate historical representation of facts
Momsen never went on the first dive of the McCann Rescue chamber. He hadn't on any of the four trips. He was actually cited as scrutinizing the higher number of the rescued in the chamber, yet, told them to keep it up. The names of the operators cited in the movie were inaccurate as well. The following is a quote from a true account taken from the 1939 Newspapers:
Sibitsky made contact with the Squalus, and the 33 survivors cheered when they heard his lead boots clang outside. He did his job in the pitch dark without a hitch and safely returned to the surface. Some of the survivors' previous Morse Code messages requested food, so at 11:30 AM, while Torpedoman's Mate John Mihalowski and Gunner's Mate Walter Harman entered the dive bell, they brought a surprise. Inside the 10-foot high by 7-foot wide, 21,600-pound chamber, the pair brought hot pea soup, sandwiches, milk, and extra blankets and flashlights.
As they leveled the dive bell's buoyancy, they slowly slid down the line to the escape hatch, bolted down the chamber, and sealed it to the Squalus. When Mihalowski opened the hatch, he was greeted with the faces of the crew and quickly exchanged supplies. One of the survivors slurped his hot soup and jokingly remarked, "Where in the hell are the napkins?"
I do not know if Momsen actually knew the Captain of the S-51 as claimed in the movie. I do know that Walter E Harman was a S-51 crew member (listed in the original casualty list) later assigned to the USS Falcon. Some may say that it's a movie and that poetic license is often taken. The problem I have here is that it down plays the historic significance and bravery of those who risked their lives during the operation - almost like erasing them from history.
Sibitsky made contact with the Squalus, and the 33 survivors cheered when they heard his lead boots clang outside. He did his job in the pitch dark without a hitch and safely returned to the surface. Some of the survivors' previous Morse Code messages requested food, so at 11:30 AM, while Torpedoman's Mate John Mihalowski and Gunner's Mate Walter Harman entered the dive bell, they brought a surprise. Inside the 10-foot high by 7-foot wide, 21,600-pound chamber, the pair brought hot pea soup, sandwiches, milk, and extra blankets and flashlights.
As they leveled the dive bell's buoyancy, they slowly slid down the line to the escape hatch, bolted down the chamber, and sealed it to the Squalus. When Mihalowski opened the hatch, he was greeted with the faces of the crew and quickly exchanged supplies. One of the survivors slurped his hot soup and jokingly remarked, "Where in the hell are the napkins?"
I do not know if Momsen actually knew the Captain of the S-51 as claimed in the movie. I do know that Walter E Harman was a S-51 crew member (listed in the original casualty list) later assigned to the USS Falcon. Some may say that it's a movie and that poetic license is often taken. The problem I have here is that it down plays the historic significance and bravery of those who risked their lives during the operation - almost like erasing them from history.
- aharman-19241
- Jan 9, 2022
- Permalink
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