Hell Below (2016–2018): Season 1, Episode 3 - America Fights Back - full transcript
January 1943. America's submarine force struggles to gain an edge in the South Pacific. Dudley "Mush" Morton, Commander of USS Wahoo, sets out to turn the tide. The new skipper decides to ...
Narrator: APRIL 1944.
IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC,
AN AMERICAN SUBMARINE
CONSIDERS A DEADLY SHOWDOWN
WITH AN ENEMY WARSHIP.
[SONAR PING]
[PING]
A JAPANESE DESTROYER
CLOSES IN ON USS HARDER.
SKIPPER SAM DEALEY
MUST CHOOSE TO DIVE...
OR FIGHT.
Man: NORMALLY SUBMARINES AVOID
DESTROYERS AND OTHER ESCORTS
'CAUSE THEY'RE DESIGNED
TO KILL SUBMARINES.
BY TAKING ON A DESTROYER
ONE ON ONE,
YOU ARE IN FACT
TAKING ON THE TOUGHEST GAME.
Narrator: WITH THE JAPANESE
STILL OCCUPYING
GREAT SWATHS OF THE PACIFIC,
THE ALLIES USE SUBMARINES
TO SUBVERT THEIR CONTROL.
DEALEY PROVES RELENTLESS
IN BOLD ATTACKS
DURING DARING PATROLS,
LEADING USS HARDER AND ITS CREW
INTO GLORY...
AND PERIL.
IN WORLD WAR II,
A SUBSEA WEAPON ALLOWS WARRIORS
TO FIGHT FROM BENEATH THE WAVES.
WITH CUNNING, FORCE,
AND TENACITY,
THEIR ENEMIES STRIKE BACK.
REVOLUTIONARY,
BUT STILL SOMETIMES PRIMITIVE,
IT'S A DESPERATE BID
TO CHANGE THE COURSE OF WAR.
THEIR STORIES ARE LEGEND.
ON APRIL 13, 1944,
COMMANDER SAM DEALEY
AND HIS CREW
FACE A JAPANESE DESTROYER
IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC.
IN THREE WAR PATROLS
THEY HAVE ALREADY SUNK
10 JAPANESE MERCHANT SHIPS.
BUT THEY HAVE NEVER
BEATEN A DESTROYER,
A TYPE OF WARSHIP
THAT CARRIES DEPTH CHARGES.
James Scott: DEPTH CHARGES
ARE CYLINDRICAL CANISTERS
ABOUT TWO AND A HALF FEET.
THEY'RE TRIGGERED BY AN ORIFICE
THAT ALLOWS SEAWATER TO COME IN
SO THAT WHEN A CERTAIN AMOUNT
OF SEAWATER ACTUALLY GETS IN,
IT TRIGGERS
THE DEPTH CHARGE TO EXPLODE.
Narrator: PACKED WITH UP TO
325 POUNDS OF EXPLOSIVES,
THEY'RE RIGGED
TO SINK SUBMARINES.
JUST BEFORE 7 P. M.,
DEALEY DECIDES TO ATTACK
INSTEAD OF EVADE THE DESTROYER.
Sam Dealey: READY TUBE TWO.
Operator: TWO READY.
Dealey: FIRE TWO.
Operator: TWO ON THE WAY.
Norman Friedman:
AT SOME POINT HE REALIZED
THAT WHEN HE WAS BEING
PURSUED BY DESTROYERS,
INSTEAD OF WAITING FOR THEM
TO DEPTH CHARGE HIM,
HE COULD SHOOT BACK.
Dealey: STAND BY THREE.
FIRE THREE.
Operator: THREE ON THE WAY.
Narrator: A BUBBLE TRAIL FROM
DEALEY'S STEAM-POWERED TORPEDOES
WILL GIVE AWAY
HARDER'S LOCATION.
IF THE OFFENSIVE FAILS,
THE DESTROYER WILL KNOW
EXACTLY WHERE TO FIND THEM.
HARDER'S SKIPPER
SINKS THE ESCORT
BEFORE IT CAN DROP
A SINGLE BOMB.
MORE THAN TWO YEARS
INTO THE PACIFIC WAR,
ONLY 14 JAPANESE DESTROYERS
HAVE BEEN SUNK
BY AMERICAN SUBMARINES.
DEALEY JOINS AN ELITE GROUP
OF SUBMARINE OFFICERS
DARING ENOUGH TO ACCOMPLISH
THIS EXCLUSIVE FEAT.
THE SUCCESS EMBOLDENS HIM.
Norman Jolin:
COMMANDER SAM DEALEY
IS A CALM, PROFESSIONAL,
AND RESERVED NAVAL OFFICER.
HOWEVER,
IN THE HEAT OF A BATTLE,
HE TURNS OUT TO BE
VERY, VERY AGGRESSIVE
IN A WAY THAT MANY
HAD NOT FORESEEN.
Narrator: THE 37-YEAR-OLD DEALEY
HAS COMMANDED USS HARDER
SINCE IT WAS COMMISSIONED
IN 1942.
THE SOFT-SPOKEN SKIPPER
COMES FROM
AN UPPER-CRUST TEXAS FAMILY.
Robert Dienesch: USUALLY OFFICERS
FROM THOSE KIND OF FAMILIES
DIDN'T GO INTO SUBMARINES.
SUBMARINES WERE ASSOCIATED
WITH A CAREER PATH IN THE NAVY
THAT REALLY DIDN'T GO VERY FAR.
LIKE AVIATION
IN THE INTER-WAR YEARS,
IT WAS SEEN AS A NEGATIVE.
SO FOR HIM TO TAKE THAT PATH
SAYS A LOT ABOUT HIM
AS AN INDIVIDUAL.
Friedman:
YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND,
THERE ARE PEOPLE
THAT YOU WOULD MEET
THAT WOULD SEEM TO BE
THE QUIETEST CAUTIOUS TYPES.
THEN YOU FIND OUT
THEY WERE COMPLETELY CRAZY
AND THEY WOULD DO THINGS
THAT, THAT WOULD BE
ABSOLUTELY TERRIFYING.
Dienesch: FOR DEALEY,
THE EASY SOLUTION ISN'T
NECESSARILY THE BEST SOLUTION.
COULD HE BACK OUT OF AN ATTACK?
YES.
HOWEVER, IT WOULD ALSO GO
AGAINST HIS NATURE.
Narrator: DEALEY
AND THE CREW OF USS HARDER
END THEIR PATROL
IN FREMANTLE, AUSTRALIA.
FREMANTLE BECAME
AN ALLIED SUB BASE
AFTER ANOTHER JAPANESE ASSAULT
ONLY TWO MONTHS
AFTER PEARL HARBOR.
IN FEBRUARY 1942,
THE ISLAND OF JAVA
FELL IN A FIERY CAMPAIGN
AND SENT THE AMERICANS STATIONED
THERE INTO A PANICKED RETREAT.
THEY SCUTTLED MILITARY ASSETS,
LIKE THE WARSHIP USS STEWART,
DRY-DOCKED FOR REPAIRS
WHEN THE JAPANESE STRUCK.
THE DESTROYER
FELL INTO ENEMY HANDS.
THE JAPANESE EMPIRE
REACHES A ZENITH.
Scott: STRETCHED OUT OVER ABOUT
20 MILLION SQUARE MILES
AND 7 TIME ZONES.
SO IT'S HUGE.
IT'S HELD TOGETHER OVER
MILLIONS OF MILES OF SEA LANES
AND OPEN OCEAN.
THEY'RE AN ISLAND NATION
WHO DEPENDED ON
THIS MARITIME HIGHWAY
TO MOVE ALL THEIR GOODS AROUND.
THEY HAD TO IMPORT ALMOST
EVERYTHING THEY NEEDED,
INCLUDING RICE,
AND THAT WAS ESPECIALLY ACUTE
WHEN IT CAME DOWN
TO WAR MATERIALS,
PARTICULARLY OIL,
WHICH IS A PRECIOUS FUEL SOURCE
FOR BATTLESHIPS, BOMBERS,
FIGHTERS, EVERYTHING.
Narrator: THE MASSIVE
BUT FAR-FLUNG EMPIRE
IS ALSO A WEAKNESS.
IN EARLY 1944,
AMERICAN SUBMARINES IN AUSTRALIA
ARE COMMANDED BY REAR ADMIRAL
RALPH WALDO CHRISTIE.
CHRISTIE'S SILENT HUNTERS
TARGET JAPANESE SHIPS
HAULING GOODS
TO SUSTAIN THE PACIFIC WAR.
ALLIED OPERATIVES PLANTED
THROUGHOUT THE JAPANESE EMPIRE
SPY ON SHIPPING
AND COLLECT INTELLIGENCE
THAT HELPS CHRISTIE
ASSIGN HIS SUBMARINES.
Friedman: THE ADVANTAGES
OF HAVING AGENTS ASHORE
WERE ENORMOUS.
THE AUSTRALIANS
HAD COAST WATCHERS.
THE JAPANESE WOULD
STEAM DOWN THE COAST,
AND THEY WOULD REPORT IT.
Narrator: BY MAY 1944,
ONE OF THESE OPERATIONS
TAKES AN ALARMING TURN.
AUSTRALIAN COMMANDOS
SPYING IN OCCUPIED BORNEO
ARE BETRAYED TO JAPAN'S
INFAMOUS MILITARY POLICE,
THE KEMPAI TAI.
THREE HAVE ALREADY
BEEN CAPTURED.
SIX MORE HIDE
IN THE NORTHERN JUNGLES,
HUNTED BY HUNDREDS OF TROOPS.
AUSTRALIAN SPECIAL FORCES
REQUEST ASSISTANCE
TO RECOVER THE COMMANDOS,
NOW RUNNING LOW ON SUPPLIES.
THE PLAN REQUIRES A SUBMARINE
TO SNEAK INTO ENEMY WATERS
AND RESCUE THE OPERATIVES
BEFORE THE JAPANESE FIND THEM.
HARDER'S FIFTH PATROL
WILL INCLUDE AN ATTEMPT TO
RESCUE THE AUSTRALIAN COMMANDOS.
[RADIO CHATTER]
THE JUNGLES OF BORNEO
LIE THOUSANDS OF MILES
NORTH OF FREMANTLE.
HARDER'S GATO-CLASS BUILD
IS ENGINEERED TO MAKE
THE LONG-DISTANCE RUN.
Jolin: IT'S GOT THE ABILITY
TO GO HUGE DISTANCES,
BE ON PATROL
FOR A COUPLE MONTHS,
AND THEN COME BACK.
IT COULD CARRY A FAIRLY
HEFTY LOAD OF TORPEDOES
AND ALSO THE FOOD
AND LOGISTICS THAT YOU NEED
TO KEEP A CREW GOING
FOR THAT LENGTH OF TIME.
Narrator: BEFORE HARDER
LEAVES FREMANTLE,
DEALEY WELCOMES
A SPECIAL PASSENGER,
AUSTRALIAN OPERATIVE
MAJOR BILL JINKINS.
ALREADY AN ESCAPED
PRISONER OF WAR,
HE'S COMMITTED
TO DEFEATING THE JAPANESE.
HIS FIRST STEP
IS TO COORDINATE THE RESCUE
OF HIS BESIEGED COMRADES.
THE ASSIGNMENT WILL NOT BE
JINKINS' FIRST MISSION
ABOARD A SUBMARINE.
Scott: IT TAKES A LITTLE BIT
OF A DIFFERENT TYPE
TO GO INTO
THE SUBMARINE SERVICE.
YOU KNOW, IT'S A VERY
AUSTERE ENVIRONMENT.
YOU'RE LIVING ON TOP
OF MEN IN BUNKS.
YOU CAN GO WEEKS, EVEN MONTHS
WITHOUT SEEING DAYLIGHT.
Dienesch: A SUBMARINE
CAN BE EXTREMELY BIZARRE
FOR MOST PEOPLE,
CREEPY FOR OTHERS.
THE HULL, OF COURSE,
AS IT'S DIVING,
IS GOING TO CREAK AND STRESS
UNDER PRESSURE.
[CREAKING]
BUT YOU ALSO HAVE
THE SOUND OF WATER
RUSHING INTO THE BALLAST TANKS
ON BOTH SIDES,
AIR'S RUSHING OUT.
YOU HAVE THE BOW GOING DOWN
AND THE STERN GOING UP.
IT'S A BIZARRE FEELING.
Narrator:
WITH THE CONFINED SPACE
AND EERINESS
OF THE SUBMERGED ENVIRONMENT,
JINKINS SIGNS ON
FOR ALL OF THE RISKS
OF A SUBMARINE ON ACTIVE PATROL.
IN ADDITION
TO THE RESCUE ATTEMPT,
THE SUB WILL CONTINUE
WITH ITS REGULAR OPERATIONS.
22% OF AMERICA'S SILENT SERVICE
ARE KILLED AT SEA,
THE HIGHEST CASUALTY RATE
OF ANY ARM OF THE U. S. MILITARY.
EVEN IF THE RESCUE IS A SUCCESS,
IT MAY ONLY TAKE THE COMMANDOS
OUT OF THE JUNGLE
AND PUT THEM SQUARELY
IN THE LINE OF FIRE.
[EXPLOSIONS]
ON MAY 26, 1944,
USS HARDER LEAVES
FREMANTLE, AUSTRALIA.
AMONG THE PERSONNEL NOW ABOARD
IS AUSTRALIAN OPERATIVE
BILL JINKINS.
HE QUICKLY VOLUNTEERS
TO STAND WATCH ON THE DECK
AND BECOMES AN ACCEPTED
MEMBER OF THE CREW.
THEY ENJOY THEIR SHARE
OF CREATURE COMFORTS.
AMERICAN SUBMARINES
BOAST AIR CONDITIONING:
A CRITICAL PERK IN THE HEAT AND
HUMIDITY OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC.
Friedman: YOU'RE IN A SUBMARINE,
AND YOU'RE THERE FOR 75 DAYS.
HOW WELL YOU FEEL DETERMINES
HOW WELL YOU'LL FIGHT.
A LOT OF THINGS
THAT FEEL LIKE LUXURIES
REALLY ARE THINGS THAT MAKE IT
BETTER FOR YOU TO FIGHT
IN THE END.
♪
Narrator: DEALEY'S EARLIER
DEFEAT OF A JAPANESE DESTROYER
PROVED HE CAN BE AGGRESSIVE.
BUT THIS MISSION
WILL ALSO REQUIRE STEALTH.
THE WATERS THAT SURROUND
NORTHERN BORNEO
ARE GUARDED BY ONE OF JAPAN'S
LARGEST NAVAL BASES, TAWI TAWI.
HARDER PATROLS ALONE,
WITH ONLY 24 TORPEDOES.
IN 1944,
IT TAKES AMERICAN SKIPPERS
AN AVERAGE OF TEN TORPEDOES
TO SINK ONE SHIP.
AGAINST A SINGLE DESTROYER,
DEALEY STOOD A CHANCE.
AGAINST A FLEET OF WARSHIPS,
AGGRESSION WOULD BE SUICIDE.
JUST AFTER 6:30 P. M.,
THE CREW SPOTS THE FIRST THREAT
TO THEIR MISSION.
THREE TANKERS HEAD TO A PORT
ON THE EAST COAST OF BORNEO
TO PICK UP FUEL.
THEY'RE ESCORTED
BY TWO JAPANESE DESTROYERS.
QUICK AND HIGHLY MANEUVERABLE,
JAPAN RELIES ON THESE ESCORTS
AND THEIR UNDERWATER BOMBS
TO PROTECT AGAINST
ENEMY SUBMARINES.
Scott: SUBMARINES ARE UNIQUELY
VULNERABLE TO ATTACKS.
NOT ONLY ARE THEY
AT RISK OF DAMAGE,
FOR INSTANCE
FROM A DEPTH CHARGE,
BUT ALL THAT PRESSURE FROM
THE SEAWATER PUSHING IN ON THEM
CAN LEAD TO COLLAPSES.
Brian Hayashi:
THE PROBLEM WITH THE JAPANESE
WAS THAT THEY DIDN'T
KNOW THE DEPTHS
OF WHERE THE AMERICAN
SUBMARINES WERE.
SO THEY GENERALLY ASSUMED
IT IS SHALLOW.
AND SO THEY WOULD SET
THEIR DEPTH CHARGES
TO HIT RATHER HIGH IN THE WATER.
Narrator: TRIGGERING
THEIR UNDERWATER BOMBS
TO EXPLODE AT AROUND 150 FEET.
Hayashi: THE AMERICAN
SUBMARINE CAPTAINS KNEW THIS,
AND SO THEY WOULD DIVE UNDER
AND BE SAFE.
Narrator: THAT ADVANTAGE WAS
SHATTERED 19 MONTHS INTO THE WAR
WHEN AMERICAN CONGRESSMAN
ANDREW JACKSON MAY
HELD A PRESS CONFERENCE.
Friedman: UNFORTUNATELY,
A U. S. POLITICIAN
WHO CAME BACK FROM THE FAR EAST
BOASTED THAT
OUR SUBMARINES WERE SAFE
BECAUSE THE JAPANESE
DEPTH CHARGES
WERE SET TOO SHALLOW.
THIS WAS NOT REALLY HELPFUL.
AND THE NAVY WAS FURIOUS.
Hayashi: THE JAPANESE
PICKED THIS INFORMATION UP
AND QUICKLY RETOOLED
THEIR DEPTH CHARGES
SO THAT IT WOULD
GO DOWN FARTHER.
AND AS A RESULT, A NUMBER OF
AMERICAN SUBMARINES WERE SUNK.
Narrator: SO BY JUNE OF 1944,
DEALEY RISKS
DEEP-SET DEPTH CHARGES
EVERY TIME HE EVADES
HIS GATO-CLASS SUBMARINE.
Dienesch: THE GATO-CLASS
BY 1944 ISN'T OBSOLETE.
HOWEVER, IT IS NOT AS UP-TO-DATE
AS THE BALAO-CLASS.
FOR THE GATO-CLASS,
WITH A MAXIMUM DIVE DEPTH
OF ABOUT 300 TO 350 FEET,
THEY DON'T HAVE THAT
EXTRA 100 FEET OF DEPTH
TO BE ABLE TO MANEUVER IN.
IT ALSO MEANS THEY'RE MORE
LIKELY TO BE DETECTED
AND CAUGHT.
Narrator: AT 9:25 P. M.
ONE OF TWO DESTROYERS ESCORTING
THE THREE-TANKER CONVOY
SPOTS USS HARDER ON THE SURFACE.
THE WARSHIP IS THE MINATSUKI,
A MUTSUKI-CLASS DESTROYER.
DESIGNED TO TRAVEL
AT UP TO 37 KNOTS,
THE ESCORT CAN SPEED
NEARLY TWICE AS FAST
AS DEALEY'S SUBMARINE,
EVEN ON THE SURFACE.
DEALEY TRIES OUTRUNNING IT,
BUT HARDER'S PHOSPHORESCENT WAKE
ILLUMINATES A PATH
TO THEIR POSITION.
[KLAXON HORN]
DEALEY DROPS TO PERISCOPE DEPTH
TO HIDE FROM THE ESCORT.
BUT SHARP-EYED LOOKOUTS
TRACK THE PERISCOPE'S WAKE.
THE DESTROYER TURNS
TO INTERCEPT USS HARDER.
IT'S 1,100 YARDS AWAY
AND CLOSING.
Friedman: WITH A SUBMARINE,
YOUR ONLY PROTECTION
IS YOUR INVISIBILITY,
THE CLOAK OF INVISIBILITY,
IF YOU LIKE.
AS LONG AS THAT WORKS,
YOU'RE OK.
IF THEY CAN SEE YOU,
YOU'RE DEAD.
Narrator: DEALEY'S ONLY CHANCE
TO THWART THE ESCORT'S
DEPTH CHARGES
IS TO ATTACK FIRST.
Dealey: SPEED 34 KNOTS.
Operator: SPEED 34 KNOTS.
Narrator:
DRIVEN BY HIS EARLIER SUCCESS,
HE PREPARES TO ATTACK
AN ENEMY DESTROYER AGAIN.
DEALEY ORDERS
FULL RUDDER PORT, OR LEFT,
TOWARDS THE DESTROYER'S PROFILE.
Dealey: FIRE.
Narrator:
HE FIRES THREE TORPEDOES
TO TARGET THE WIDEST AREA
OF THE SHIP POSSIBLE.
IF THEY MISS,
DEALEY WILL HAVE TO DIVE
TO AVOID THE RAIN
OF DEPTH CHARGES.
DEALEY'S TORPEDOES CLOSE IN.
[BOOM]
ONE STRIKES ITS BOW.
A SECOND
BREAKS THE SHIP'S SPINE.
DEPTH CHARGES ON THE DECK
EXPLODE IN THE FLAMES.
LESS THAN A MINUTE
AFTER THE TORPEDOES STRIKE,
THE DESTROYER STARTS TO LIST.
DEALEY BRINGS THE SUB
TO THE SURFACE
ABOUT A THOUSAND YARDS AWAY
TO CONFIRM THE KILL.
HE INVITES JINKINS AND OTHER
CREW TO THE BRIDGE TO WATCH.
THE MINATSUKI
AND ITS DEPTH CHARGES
SLIP BENEATH THE WAVES.
DEALEY HAS SUNK THE SECOND
DESTROYER OF HIS CAREER.
Friedman: DEALEY'S CONTRIBUTION
IS TO GO AFTER DESTROYERS
AND SHOW IT CAN WORK.
AND HE SINKS A LOT
OF DESTROYERS THAT WAY.
NOT ONLY DOES HE
SINK A LOT OF THEM,
BUT HE PROBABLY INSPIRES
HIS FELLOW OFFICERS
TO THINK THIS IS NOT A BAD IDEA.
THAT'S WHAT SAM DEALEY DOES,
AND VERY SUCCESSFULLY.
Narrator: DESPITE THE COMMANDOS
AWAITING RESCUE,
DEALEY IS NOT FINISHED
WITH THE CONVOY.
WITHIN MINUTES,
THE SUB DETECTS ANOTHER SHIP
ONLY 1,400 YARDS AWAY.
[KLAXON HORN]
USS HARDER
IS FORCED TO DIVE AGAIN.
♪
JUNE 6, 1944.
FRANCE.
THE ALLIES LAND
ON THE BEACHES OF NORMANDY,
HOPING TO TURN THE TIDE
OF THE EUROPEAN WAR.
IN THE PACIFIC,
AN AMERICAN SUBMARINE HAS JUST
SUNK A JAPANESE DESTROYER
NEAR NORTHERN BORNEO
AND NOW PURSUES
THE CONVOY IT GUARDED.
A SECOND DESTROYER PROWLS NEAR
JAPAN'S NAVAL BASE TAWI TAWI,
SEEKING REVENGE
ON THE AMERICAN SUB.
USING ACTIVE SONAR,
THE DESTROYER SENDS PINGS
OF HIGH-FREQUENCY SOUND
INTO THE OCEAN.
[PING]
IF THE JAPANESE CREW
HEAR THE ECHO
BOUNCE OFF THE SUBMARINE,
THEY CAN ESTIMATE ITS LOCATION
AND RELATIVE DISTANCE.
[PING]
WHEN THE ENEMY SHIP
IS CLOSE ENOUGH,
THE SOUND EVEN PENETRATES
THE HULL OF THE SUB.
[PING]
USS HARDER'S HUNTER
IS ALMOST CERTAINLY
AN AKIZUKI-CLASS DESTROYER.
THE APEX OF JAPAN'S
WORLD WAR II ESCORT DESIGN,
THE AKIZUKIS CARRY
UP TO 72 DEPTH CHARGES
TO KILL SUBMARINES.
DEALEY WORKS
THE ATTACK PERISCOPE
IN A BID TO TAKE THE OFFENSIVE.
BUT INTERMITTENT CLOUDS
BLOCK THE MOONLIGHT
AND HELP CLOAK HIS TARGET.
AS THE DESTROYER
APPROACHES HEAD ON,
HARDER DOES NOT
HAVE THE ADVANTAGE
OF ATTACKING THE BROAD SIDE.
DEALEY MUST TARGET THE BOW,
WHICH IS ONLY A TENTH AS WIDE.
Dealey:
IT'S A DOWN-THE-THROAT SHOT.
HE'S HEADING
RIGHT FOR OUR SCOPE.
♪
STAND BY TWO.
FIRE TWO.
Operator: TWO ON THE WAY.
Narrator:
HE FIRES SIX TORPEDOES,
GAMBLING ONE WILL STRIKE
THE ESCORT HEAD ON.
Friedman:
THIS IS BEFORE HOMING TORPEDOES.
HE'S JUST FIRING
A BULLET, BASICALLY,
AT THIS NARROW THING
COMING AT HIM.
Narrator: BUT THIS TIME,
DEALEY'S
AGGRESSIVE GAMBLE FAILS.
ALL SIX OF HIS TORPEDOES MISS.
Dealey: TAKE HER DEEP.
RIG FOR DEPTH CHARGE.
Narrator: HARDER'S SKIPPER HAS
RUN OUT OF OFFENSIVE CHOICES.
HE MOVES QUICKLY TO THE DEFENSE.
AS THE SUBMARINE PLUNGES,
THE CREW CAN ONLY WAIT
FOR THE ENEMY'S DEPTH CHARGES
TO BEGIN DETONATING.
[EXPLOSIONS]
[EXPLOSIONS]
Dienesch: YOU HAVE TO IMAGINE
THE WORST POSSIBLE EXPERIENCE.
THE SOUND OF THE DEPTH CHARGE
REVERBERATING THROUGH THE WATER,
THE SHOCK IMPACT ON THE HULL,
THE SHAKING OF THE HULL,
AND WHAT THAT DOES
INSIDE THE HULL
IS ABSOLUTELY TERRIFYING.
YOU'RE INUNDATED WITH NOISE,
YOU'RE INUNDATED WITH
THE FEELING OF MOTION,
RANDOM MOTION,
BUT ALSO WITH ANYTHING
IN THE COMPARTMENT
FLYING AROUND
AND POTENTIALLY HITTING YOU,
DARKNESS 'CAUSE LIGHT BULBS
TEND TO BURST.
IT'S PRETTY HORRENDOUS.
[CRASHING AND EXPLOSIONS]
Narrator: HARDER RACES
TO ITS MAXIMUM DEPTH
TO OUTRUN
THE DESTROYER'S BARRAGE.
AS THE DIVE NEARS 300 FEET,
THE CREW EXPECTS
THE SUBMARINE TO LEVEL OFF.
THE GOAL IS TO EQUALIZE
HARDER'S BUOYANCY WITH WATER,
THEN LEVEL IT WITH
ITS STERN PLANES-
A PAIR OF RUDDERS THAT CONTROL
THE ANGLE OF THE SUBMARINE.
BUT IN THE CONTROL ROOM...
Dienesch:
A VERY GREEN PLANESMAN,
HE IS IN
THE STERN PLANE POSITION,
SO HE'S CONTROLLING THE PLANES
AT THE BACK OF THE BOAT.
HE PUSHED THE PLANE
IN THE WRONG DIRECTION.
HE RAISES THE STERN
OF THE SUBMARINE,
IN ESSENCE
DRIVING THE BOAT DEEPER.
A MISTAKE, A VERY HUMAN MISTAKE
UNDER THE STRESS OF COMBAT,
THE SOUND OF DEPTH CHARGES,
ALL OF THAT-HUMAN MISTAKE,
EXTREMELY DANGEROUS.
Friedman: PEOPLE ON SUBS
ARE BEING TRAINED.
ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT THEY HAVE TO LEARN
IS WHAT IS AND IS NOT DANGEROUS.
PEOPLE WHO ARE COMPLETELY NEW
DON'T GET IT.
THEY DON'T GET IT
UNTIL THEY'VE EXPERIENCED IT.
Dienesch: YOU'RE NOW
PUSHING THE SUBMARINE
CLOSER TO CRUSH DEPTH.
IF YOU DON'T RECOVER
FAST ENOUGH,
YOU COULD LOSE THE SUBMARINE.
Narrator: THE DIVING OFFICER
RUSHES TO CORRECT THE MISTAKE.
[CREAKING]
NON-ESSENTIAL CREW CHARGE
TO THE REAR OF THE SUBMARINE
TO MANUALLY
REDISTRIBUTE THE WEIGHT
IN A DESPERATE BID TO BRING
THE BOW OUT OF ITS DIVE.
[CREAKING]
THEY MANAGE TO LEVEL THE SUB.
BUT THE UNCONTROLLED DESCENT
HAS CAUSED ANOTHER PROBLEM:
ONE OF THE TORPEDOES IN THE
TUBES HAS STARTED A "HOT RUN."
ITS PROPELLER SPINS
AS IF IT'S BEEN LAUNCHED.
Friedman: YOU GOT A TORPEDO
SITTING IN THE TUBE.
THE TORPEDO GETS SHAKEN ENOUGH
THAT IT STARTS UP.
THAT'S VERY DANGEROUS.
Narrator:
IF IT KEEPS SPINNING,
DEALEY'S SUBMARINE COULD BE SUNK
BY ITS OWN WARHEAD.
Friedman:
THE TORPEDO IS DESIGNED
TO GO A CERTAIN DISTANCE
BEFORE IT'S ARMED.
THE WAY IT DECIDES
IT'S GONE THAT DISTANCE
IS HOW MANY TURNS
OF THE PROPELLER.
Narrator: THE TORPEDO'S
PROPELLER MUST STOP
BEFORE IT CAUSES
THE EXPLOSIVES TO DETONATE.
JUNE 1944.
IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC,
A WORLD WAR II SUBMARINE
IS UNDER SIEGE.
[EXPLOSIONS]
A JAPANESE DESTROYER LAUNCHES
UNDERWATER BOMBS AT USS HARDER.
A HOT RUN TORPEDO COMPLICATES
THE CREW'S PLIGHT.
Jolin: A TORPEDO HOT RUN
IS WHEN A TORPEDO
SHIFTS IN THE TUBE
AND CAUSES THE PROPULSION
SEQUENCE TO START,
WHEREBY THE ENGINE OF
THE TORPEDO IS ACTUALLY RUN UP
AND THE PROPELLERS ARE ACTUALLY
TURNING IN THE TUBE.
Narrator: THE SOUND MAKES IT
EVEN MORE UNNERVING.
[EXPLOSIONS]
DEALEY AND HIS AMERICAN CREW
ARE IN THE DEPTHS OF CHAOS.
[CRASHING AND EXPLOSIONS]
THEY'RE LUCKY THIS TIME.
THE ROGUE TORPEDO WINDS DOWN
BEFORE THE WARHEAD
OVERHEATS OR EXPLODES.
AT THAT DEPTH,
EVERYONE WOULD HAVE PERISHED
AND THEIR FATES REMAINED
AN UNSOLVED MYSTERY.
ABOUT AN HOUR
INTO THE ONSLAUGHT,
THE OCEAN FINALLY FALLS SILENT.
HARDER HAS ENDURED
A DEPTH CHARGE ATTACK
BY JAPAN'S GREATEST
DESTROYER CLASS.
BUT THE CLOCK IS TICKING
FOR COMMANDER DEALEY
AND MAJOR JINKINS
TO RESCUE SIX ALLIED OPERATIVES,
A KEY OBJECTIVE OF THEIR PATROL.
Dienesch: THE COMMANDOS
IN BORNEO IN 1944
ARE RUNNING LOW
ON FOOD AND SUPPLIES,
THEY'RE BEING HUNTED
BY THE JAPANESE
IN EXTREMELY HARSH CONDITIONS.
THEY REALLY NEED
TO BE PULLED OUT.
AND EVERY ATTEMPT
AT THAT POINT HAD FAILED.
SO FOR THE HARDER
TO GO IN FOR THEM
IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.
THOSE GUYS NEEDED HELP.
Narrator: DEALEY AND THE CREW
SET COURSE FOR BORNEO
AND FINALIZE PLANS
FOR THE RESCUE.
Dienesch:
IN THE CASE OF DEALEY,
HE'S TAKING A SUBMARINE
RIGHT UP TO THE SHORELINE,
SO HE'S MAKING HIMSELF VERY
VULNERABLE FROM SHORE FIRE.
BUT HE'S ALSO PUTTING HIMSELF
IN A POSITION,
IF A DESTROYER COMES ALONG OR
ANOTHER CRAFT CAN IDENTIFY HIM,
OF NOT BEING ABLE TO ESCAPE
BECAUSE THERE'S NO WATER
UNDER THE KEEL TO DIVE,
NO ABILITY TO MANEUVER.
Narrator:
AFTER DARK ON JUNE 8, 1944,
HARDER SURFACES
AND HEADS TOWARD SHORE.
SOME 6,000 YARDS OUT,
THEY SCRAPE BOTTOM.
IT'S AS CLOSE AS THEY CAN GET
TO THE RENDEZVOUS POINT
ON THE NORTH COAST.
JAPANESE OUTPOSTS THREATEN
THE SUBMARINE ON BOTH SIDES.
Friedman: SPECIAL OPERATIONS
TEND TO BE DANGEROUS
BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO GO INSHORE.
IF SOMEONE SPOTS YOU,
YOU MAY BE ATTACKED
BEFORE YOU CAN GET AWAY.
Narrator: THE CREW ASSISTS
JINKINS AND HIS PARTNER
TO GET THEIR COLLAPSIBLE BOATS
AND GEAR TO THE DECK.
THEY HAVE THREE DAYS'
WORTH OF RATIONS
SHOULD THEY NEED TO REMAIN
ASHORE TO LOCATE THE COMMANDOS.
THIS WOULD BE
A WORST-CASE SCENARIO.
Dienesch: WHEN DEALEY BRINGS
THE SUBMARINE TO THE SURFACE
TO MAKE THE RESCUE IN BORNEO,
HE'S BATHED IN MOONLIGHT,
HE'S VERY VISIBLE.
IT'S FAR MORE LIGHT
THAN HE'D LIKE TO HAVE.
AND HE'S VERY CLOSE TO
THE SHORELINE TO DO THE RESCUE.
SO HE'S ALSO NOW OPEN
TO ANYBODY ON SHORE
WHO'S GOT SMALL ARMS MUNITIONS.
SO HE COULD BE SHOT
BY ARTILLERY, MACHINE GUNS,
EVEN RIFLES.
NOT A GOOD POSITION TO BE IN.
Narrator: THE RESCUE TEAM STAYS
IN CONTACT WITH USS HARDER
THROUGH A SERIES
OF LIGHT SIGNALS
TO ASSIST THEM
WITH THEIR BEARINGS.
AS THEY NEAR SHORE,
THEY USE ANOTHER LIGHT FLASH
TO ALERT THE COMMANDOS.
Dienesch: COMMUNICATION WITH
THOSE PEOPLE TO BE RESCUED
IS ESSENTIAL.
AND THE ONLY WAY TO DO THAT
IS GONNA BE BLINKER LIGHT,
HOWEVER, ANYONE ON SHORE
CAN SEE IT.
AND THE BLINKER LIGHT IN RETURN
FROM SHORE IS JUST AS VISIBLE.
SO ANYBODY BEHIND THE SUBMARINE
COULD POTENTIALLY SEE THAT, TOO.
Narrator: THEY CAN ONLY HOPE
NO ONE ELSE IS WATCHING.
JUST AFTER 1 A. M.,
THE OPERATIVES SIGNAL AS THEY
APPROACH THE DARKENED SUB.
Dealey: OK, I SEE 'EM.
LETS GET 'EM IN THE SUB.
Narrator: THEY PULL
ALONGSIDE USS HARDER.
THE COMMANDOS AND THEIR RESCUERS
ARE HAULED ABOARD,
MENTALLY
AND PHYSICALLY EXHAUSTED.
Dealey: GOOD JOB.
Narrator: DEALEY'S CREW
SPRINGS TO ACTION.
GENTLY BACKING AWAY FROM SHORE
AND OUT OF SHALLOW WATER,
USS HARDER
LEAVES THE ENEMY BEHIND.
BELOW DECK,
THE RESCUED OPERATIVES
RECEIVE CLEAN CLOTHES
AND THEIR FIRST REAL FOOD
IN MONTHS.
THE COOK WHIPS UP A CELEBRATORY
MEAL OF STEAK AND EGGS.
Dienesch: FOR THOSE LIVING
ON SHORT RATIONS,
STEAK AND EGGS FOR BREAKFAST
IS A MASSIVE MORALE BOOST.
THEY'VE BEEN UNDER STRESS
AND STRAIN FOR SO LONG,
AND THEN THEY'RE GREETED
WITH REALLY A HEARTY BREAKFAST,
THE FIRST REAL GOOD FOOD
THEY'VE HAD IN A LONG TIME.
YOU CAN IMAGINE
THE FEELING IN THAT CREW
AS THEY WERE BEING RESCUED.
Narrator: FOOD ON THE U. S. BOATS
WAS CONSIDERED AMONG THE BEST.
Friedman: AND OTHER NAVIES WOULD
SOMETIMES SAY THINGS LIKE,
"WELL, THE AMERICANS
ARE JUST SOFT."
WELL, NO, WE DID VERY WELL.
QUALITY OF LIFE
IS WHAT IT'S CALLED NOW.
WE UNDERSTOOD THAT
BEFORE WORLD WAR II.
Narrator:
AS THE COMMANDOS TURN IN,
COMMANDER DEALEY MUST TURN HIS
ATTENTION TO A NEW DIRECTIVE.
ALLIED INTEL HAS REVEALED
THAT JAPANESE ARE MOBILIZING
WARSHIPS AT TAWI TAWI,
THE ENEMY NAVAL BASE
THE CREW OF USS HARDER
BARELY SURVIVED JUST DAYS AGO.
MILITARY BRASS BELIEVE
IT MAY BE THE SIGN
OF AN EPIC ENEMY OFFENSIVE.
JAPAN'S NEW BATTLE PLAN,
OPERATION A-GO,
ORDERS A CONSOLIDATED ATTACK TO
HALT ADVANCING AMERICAN CARRIERS
AND PROTECT JAPANESE GAINS.
Friedman: THE QUESTION WAS
ARE THEY DOING IT?
ONE OF THE BETTER SOURCES
OF INFORMATION WOULD BE
IF YOU ACTUALLY SAW WHAT WAS
HAPPENING IN THEIR PORTS.
THAT'S WHY YOU SEND IN A SUB.
YOU HAVE TO SEE.
THIS IS THE WORLD
BEFORE SATELLITES
AND VERY LONG-RANGE
RECONNAISSANCE PLANES
AND ALL THE THINGS
THAT ENABLE YOU TO SEE
WHAT'S INSIDE A HARBOR NOW
ON GOOGLE ON YOUR COMPUTER.
A SUBMARINE IS A VERY GOOD WAY
OF FINDING OUT.
THAT'S WHY HE GOES IN THERE.
Narrator: THE U. S. NAVY
NEEDS THIS INFORMATION
BEFORE DEALEY TAKES
THE RESCUED OPERATIVES HOME.
♪
JUST FOUR HOURS
FROM THE SHORES OF BORNEO,
DEALEY AND HIS CREW
SPOT EVIDENCE
OF THE MILITARY BUILD-UP.
A JAPANESE WARPLANE PATROLLING
NORTH OF THE SIBUTU PASS
ALSO SEES THEM.
[KLAXON HORN]
PLANES ARMED WITH DEPTH CHARGES
ARE A SUBMARINE'S
DEADLIEST THREAT.
Friedman:
WHEN THERE ARE AIRPLANES,
YOU'D RATHER DIVE BECAUSE,
FIRST THE AIRPLANE CAN BOMB YOU,
BUT SECOND HE CAN CALL ON PEOPLE
TO GO AFTER YOU.
YOUR JOB IS TO DISAPPEAR.
Narrator:
AS HARDER REACHES 75 FEET,
AN AERIAL DEPTH CHARGE
DETONATES OFF THE PORT SIDE.
[EXPLOSION]
THE EXPLOSION THROWS
THE SUBMARINE STARBOARD.
THE RESCUED COMMANDOS
GET A RUDE AWAKENING.
Scott: YOU CAN HAVE THESE
MOMENTS OF TOTAL BOREDOM
WHEN YOU'RE LAYING ON YOUR BUNK
AND YOU'RE JUST HANGING OUT,
AND THEN YOU CAN HAVE
AT THE SAME POINT
ABSOLUTE TERROR
WHEN YOU MAY STILL BE LAYING
ON THAT SAME BUNK
AND YOU'VE GOT LIGHTS
EXPLODING AROUND YOU,
GAUGES BEING DESTROYED.
AND SO FROM
A PSYCHOLOGICAL STANDPOINT,
WHERE YOU FEEL SAFE IN YOUR BUNK
CAN ALSO BE
WHERE YOU FEEL TERRIFIED.
Narrator: HARDER WITHSTANDS
THE AERIAL DEPTH CHARGES.
BUT THE WARPLANE WILL PROBABLY
REPORT THEIR COORDINATES
TO JAPAN'S NEARBY FLEET.
Dealey: NEW HEADING, COME ABOUT,
ZERO TWO ZERO DEGREES.
Narrator: DEALEY NEEDS
TO KEEP HIS HEAD DOWN.
THE SUBMARINE WILL NEED
TO STAY SUBMERGED.
THIS PUTS ADDITIONAL STRAIN
ON OPERATIONS.
Dienesch:
FOR THE CREW OF THE HARDER,
PLUS THE COMMANDOS FROM BORNEO,
ONCE THEY'RE ON BOARD THE SHIP,
THE CONDITIONS GET
EVEN MORE DIFFICULT.
THE SUBMARINE IS ALWAYS GONNA BE
CLAUSTROPHOBIC, IT'S ALWAYS HOT.
THE AIR QUALITY DETERIORATES
THE LONGER YOU'RE UNDERWATER.
THE ADDITION OF BODIES TO THAT
INCREASES THE USE OF OXYGEN.
SO UNDER A FORCED SUBMERSION,
ESPECIALLY UNDER
AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME,
THE OXYGEN CONDITION
DETERIORATES.
THE HUMIDITY AND HEAT,
ESPECIALLY IF THE BLOWERS ARE
SHUT OFF FOR SILENT RUNNING,
REALLY SKYROCKETS VERY FAST.
Narrator: IF CARBON DIOXIDE
LEVELS GET TOO HIGH,
IT COULD BE LETHAL.
USS HARDER MUST RISK
DETECTION ON THE SURFACE
TO CHANGE THE AIR.
DEALEY USES
THE COVER OF DARKNESS
JUST BEFORE 5 A.M.
FOR SURFACING
TO REPLENISH THE AIR AND
QUICKLY CHARGE THE BATTERIES.
THEY CAN NOW SAFELY CARRY ON
WITH THEIR MISSION.
♪
ON JUNE 10th, HARDER NEARS
THE BASE AT TAWI TAWI.
IT WILL BE A PERILOUS PROWL.
HE MUST REMAIN SUBMERGED
TO CONCEAL HIS PRESENCE,
BUT SHALLOW ENOUGH
TO USE HIS PERISCOPE-
ONLY ABOUT 55 FEET
BELOW THE SURFACE.
AT 5 P. M.,
THE CREW PICKS UP THE SOUND
OF APPROACHING SHIPS.
DEALEY RAISES THE PERISCOPE
FOR VISUAL CORROBORATION.
TWO BATTLESHIPS
AND AT LEAST FOUR CRUISERS
STEAM THE WATERS NEAR TAWI TAWI.
EIGHT DESTROYERS AND AIRPLANES
PROVIDE ADDITIONAL COVERAGE.
THE FLEET OF WARSHIPS CONFIRMS
THAT JAPAN'S NAVY IS MOBILIZING.
BUT BEFORE DEALEY CAN REPORT
THE HIGH-PROFILE SIGHTING,
A PATROL PLANE DETECTS HARDER
THROUGH THE GLASSY WATERS.
THE AERIAL SCOUT
DIVULGES DEALEY'S PRESENCE
TO THE WARSHIPS.
TWO OF THE FLEET'S DESTROYERS
TURN ON THE SUBMARINE.
Dealey: BATTLE STATIONS.
[BELL RINGS]
♪
Narrator:
DEALEY TARGETS THE FIRST ESCORT
1,500 YARDS FROM HARDER'S BOW.
Dealey: FIRE TUBE TWO.
Narrator: HE FIRES
A SPREAD OF THREE TORPEDOES.
AS THE OTHER DESTROYER ADVANCES
FROM THE STARBOARD SIDE,
DEALEY IS OUT OF TIME.
Dealey: TAKE HER DEEP.
RIG FOR DEPTH CHARGE.
Narrator: HE DIVES TO AVOID
THE SECOND INCOMING SHIP.
[EXPLOSIONS]
THE SUB IS ROCKED
AS EXPLOSIONS DETONATE.
[EXPLOSIONS]
THE IMPACT TOSSES THE CREW
AND BREAKS WATER LINES.
♪
AS THE SEA GOES SILENT,
THE REAL HUNT BEGINS.
♪
JUNE 1944.
AN AMERICAN SUBMARINE ATTEMPTED
TO PERFORM RECONNAISSANCE
OF A JAPANESE NAVAL BASE
IN THE SOUTHERN PHILIPPINES.
NOW TWO DESTROYERS
STALK USS HARDER.
THE JAPANESE CREWS
USE TWO TYPES OF SONAR.
THE PASSIVE SONAR TEAM
LISTENS FOR ANY MAN-MADE SOUND
BENEATH THE WAVES.
Friedman: ONE WAY TO DETECT
A SUB IS TO LISTEN FOR IT.
IF YOU BELIEVE
THAT THEY'RE CHASING YOU,
YOU'LL TRY TO CUT OFF
EVERY BIT OF SOUND YOU CAN
SO THAT THEY WON'T NOTICE YOU.
Narrator:
DEALEY TAKES HARDER DEEP
IN A BID TO ESCAPE
THE DESTROYERS.
HE MIGHT ALSO RIG
FOR SILENT RUNNING.
Jolin: SILENT RUNNING
IS THE PROCEDURE
WHEREBY YOU REDUCE ALL NOISE
IN THE SUBMARINE
BY SWITCHING OFF ANYTHING
THAT MAKES A NOISE
UNLESS IT'S ESSENTIAL FOR
THE OPERATION OF THE SUBMARINE.
Scott: SAILORS WHO ARE
AT THEIR BATTLE STATIONS
WILL MAN THEIR BATTLE STATIONS,
BUT ALL OTHER SAILORS WHO ARE
NON-ESSENTIAL AT THAT POINT
WILL GET IN THEIR BUNKS.
TO GO ALONG WITH THAT,
THEY'LL SHUT DOWN
THE AIR-CONDITIONING SYSTEMS,
THEY'LL SHUT DOWN THE MOTORS
FOR THE REFRIGERATOR
AND THE FREEZER.
ANYTHING THAT COULD BE PICKED UP
BY ENEMY SONAR
IS A THREAT TO THAT SUBMARINE.
[PING]
Narrator: BUT NO MATTER
HOW QUIET THEY ARE,
USS HARDER REMAINS VULNERABLE
TO THE DESTROYER'S
ACTIVE SONAR PINGS.
[PING]
[PING]
IF AN ECHO RETURNS
TO THE LISTENING CREWS,
THEY WILL HONE IN
ON THE LOCATION.
[PING]
RIGGED TO ROLL DEPTH CHARGES
OFF THE STERN
AND LAUNCH THEM FROM THE SIDES,
THE TWO DESTROYERS STRATEGIZE
WHERE HARDER MAY BE
AND LAY DOWN A CARPET
OF UNDERWATER BOMBS.
Friedman:
TO MAKE DEPTH CHARGING WORK,
YOU HAVE TO VISUALIZE HOW TO
MANEUVER THE STERN OF YOUR SHIP
OVER WHERE YOU THINK
THE SUBMARINE WILL BE.
YOU CAN WATCH HIM ON YOUR SONAR
WHILE YOU CON SOMEONE ELSE
TO DROP DEPTH CHARGES OVER HIM.
THAT'S CALLED A CREEPING ATTACK.
Narrator: A STRIKE WITHIN
50 FEET COULD BREACH THE HULL.
Friedman: SO THE IDEA IS
THAT YOU CREATE
A BARRAGE OF THESE THINGS.
IF YOU DO A MANEUVER JUST RIGHT,
YOU MAY BE ABLE TO LAUNCH
ENOUGH DEPTH CHARGES
TO MAKE A PATTERN
THAT WILL ENCLOSE THE SUB.
IF IT'S EXPLODED A CERTAIN
DISTANCE FROM YOUR SUB,
IT'LL OPEN IT UP AND THAT'S IT.
Narrator:
DEALEY'S SUBMARINE IS TRAPPED
IN THE HEART OF ENEMY WATERS.
SUBMERGED
AND RELIANT ON BATTERIES,
HARDER LACKS THE POWER
TO RUN AWAY.
[EXPLOSIONS]
Scott: IF A SUBMARINE UNDERWATER
USING ITS BATTERIES
GOES AT ITS MAXIMUM SPEED
OF ABOUT 8 KNOTS,
IT'LL ACTUALLY RUN OUT OF
ALL OF ITS BATTERY POWER
IN JUST ONE HOUR.
AND SO, IF YOU'VE GOT
DESTROYERS UP ABOVE
AND THEY'VE GOT YOU CORNERED,
YOU KNOW, YOU CAN'T JUST
PUT IT IN FULL GEAR AND GO,
OR YOU WON'T HAVE
THE POWER NEEDED
TO GET BACK TO THE SURFACE.
Friedman: YOU'RE NOT FAST ENOUGH
TO GET AWAY,
AND ALL YOU'LL DO
IS EXHAUST YOUR BATTERY
SO THAT IF THEY GIVE UP,
YOU'RE DEAD ANYWAY.
[EXPLOSIONS]
[CRASHING]
[EXPLOSIONS]
[PING]
[PING]
Dealey: COME ABOUT NEW HEADING
OF ZERO TWO ZERO.
ALL AHEAD TWO THIRDS
FOR FIVE MINUTES.
Narrator: DEALEY HAS A PLAN
THE JAPANESE PROBABLY
HAVEN'T CONSIDERED.
USING A DEVICE CALLED
A BATHYTHERMOGRAPH,
HE SEARCHES FOR A LOCATION WHERE
WATER TEMPERATURE CHANGES,
CALLED A THERMOCLINE.
THE DIFFERENCE IN DENSITY
BETWEEN WARM AND COLD LAYERS
DISTORTS SOUND WAVES ENOUGH
TO DEFLECT ACTIVE SONAR.
TWO HOURS AFTER HARDER
IS ATTACKED,
DEALEY FINDS
WHAT HE'S SEARCHING FOR.
RISING GRADUALLY
FROM THE DEPTHS,
HE LOCATES WARM CURRENTS
ABOUT 200 FEET
BELOW THE SURFACE.
Dienesch: IT ACTS
AS A BARRIER TO SOUND WAVES.
SO THE SONAR BOUNCES OFF
OF THE THERMOCLINE,
NOT THE SUBMARINE,
AND IT LOOKS LIKE
THE SUBMARINE VANISHES.
Narrator:
NOW INVISIBLE TO SONAR,
USS HARDER ESCAPES
THE WATERS OF TAWI TAWI.
LATER THAT NIGHT,
THE SUB SURFACES IN CLEAR SEAS
TO TRANSMIT DETAILS ABOUT
THE WARSHIPS THEY SIGHTED.
INTELLIGENCE
GATHERED BY SUBMARINES
HELPS THE ALLIES TO TRACK
JAPANESE TROOP MOVEMENTS
AND THWARTS JAPAN'S OBJECTIVE
TO REINFORCE A KEY ISLAND
IN THE FIGHT FOR NEW GUINEA.
IT ALSO HELPS TO TIP THE BALANCE
IN FAVOR OF THE U. S. NAVY
IN THE BATTLE
FOR THE PHILIPPINE SEA.
ON JUNE 21st, HARDER
AND THE RESCUED COMMANDOS
REACH DARWIN, AUSTRALIA.
THEY OUTMATCHED
16 SHIPS AND 18 AIRCRAFT
TO BRING
THE ALLIED OPERATIVES HOME.
ADMIRAL CHRISTIE
AWARDS DEALEY A NAVY CROSS
FOR THIS EPIC PATROL.
Jolin: COMMANDER SAM DEALEY'S
LEGACY TO THE UNITED STATES NAVY
IS ONE OF
AN INSPIRATIONAL ROLE MODEL
TO THE SUBMARINE FORCE.
Narrator: BUT LESS THAN THREE
MONTHS AFTER THE BORNEO RESCUE,
DEALEY'S SIXTH PATROL
WOULD BE HIS LAST.
ON AUGUST 24, 1944,
USS HARDER IS SUNK
BY THE UNDERWATER BOMBS
IT HAD ESCAPED MANY TIMES.
THE ATTACK INVOLVED
AMERICAN-BUILT USS STEWART.
SEIZED BY THE JAPANESE IN JAVA
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE WAR,
IN A TERRIBLE TWIST,
IT SEEMS LIKELY
THAT THE SHIP
TO BEST USS HARDER
WAS AN AMERICAN ONE.
SOME SAY THE TOLL OF DEALEY'S
HIGH-STAKES MISSIONS
PLAYED A ROLE IN HIS END.
OTHERS BELIEVE SUBMARINES LIKE
HARDER JUST RAN OUT OF CHANCES.
Friedman:
IT DOESN'T SOUND AS THOUGH
THE WAY THEY DIE
IS FROM BURNING OUT.
IT SOUNDS LIKE THE WAY THEY DIE
IS THEIR LUCK RUNS OUT.
Narrator:
DEALEY ACCELERATED THE CAMPAIGN
AGAINST THE JAPANESE EMPIRE
BY DIRECTLY ATTACKING
ITS WARSHIPS
TO ERODE ITS ABILITY
TO CONDUCT WAR.
HE'D NEVER LEARN
OF HIS GREATEST TRIBUTES.
FOR CONSPICUOUS GALLANTRY
AND INTREPIDITY
BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY,
DEALEY WOULD
POSTHUMOUSLY RECEIVE
THE CONGRESSIONAL
MEDAL OF HONOR.
AFTER THE WAR, THE AMERICAN NAVY
WOULD NAME A NEW CLASS
OF DESTROYERS IN HIS HONOR-
AN IRONIC TRIBUTE
TO A DESTROYER KILLER.
IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC,
AN AMERICAN SUBMARINE
CONSIDERS A DEADLY SHOWDOWN
WITH AN ENEMY WARSHIP.
[SONAR PING]
[PING]
A JAPANESE DESTROYER
CLOSES IN ON USS HARDER.
SKIPPER SAM DEALEY
MUST CHOOSE TO DIVE...
OR FIGHT.
Man: NORMALLY SUBMARINES AVOID
DESTROYERS AND OTHER ESCORTS
'CAUSE THEY'RE DESIGNED
TO KILL SUBMARINES.
BY TAKING ON A DESTROYER
ONE ON ONE,
YOU ARE IN FACT
TAKING ON THE TOUGHEST GAME.
Narrator: WITH THE JAPANESE
STILL OCCUPYING
GREAT SWATHS OF THE PACIFIC,
THE ALLIES USE SUBMARINES
TO SUBVERT THEIR CONTROL.
DEALEY PROVES RELENTLESS
IN BOLD ATTACKS
DURING DARING PATROLS,
LEADING USS HARDER AND ITS CREW
INTO GLORY...
AND PERIL.
IN WORLD WAR II,
A SUBSEA WEAPON ALLOWS WARRIORS
TO FIGHT FROM BENEATH THE WAVES.
WITH CUNNING, FORCE,
AND TENACITY,
THEIR ENEMIES STRIKE BACK.
REVOLUTIONARY,
BUT STILL SOMETIMES PRIMITIVE,
IT'S A DESPERATE BID
TO CHANGE THE COURSE OF WAR.
THEIR STORIES ARE LEGEND.
ON APRIL 13, 1944,
COMMANDER SAM DEALEY
AND HIS CREW
FACE A JAPANESE DESTROYER
IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC.
IN THREE WAR PATROLS
THEY HAVE ALREADY SUNK
10 JAPANESE MERCHANT SHIPS.
BUT THEY HAVE NEVER
BEATEN A DESTROYER,
A TYPE OF WARSHIP
THAT CARRIES DEPTH CHARGES.
James Scott: DEPTH CHARGES
ARE CYLINDRICAL CANISTERS
ABOUT TWO AND A HALF FEET.
THEY'RE TRIGGERED BY AN ORIFICE
THAT ALLOWS SEAWATER TO COME IN
SO THAT WHEN A CERTAIN AMOUNT
OF SEAWATER ACTUALLY GETS IN,
IT TRIGGERS
THE DEPTH CHARGE TO EXPLODE.
Narrator: PACKED WITH UP TO
325 POUNDS OF EXPLOSIVES,
THEY'RE RIGGED
TO SINK SUBMARINES.
JUST BEFORE 7 P. M.,
DEALEY DECIDES TO ATTACK
INSTEAD OF EVADE THE DESTROYER.
Sam Dealey: READY TUBE TWO.
Operator: TWO READY.
Dealey: FIRE TWO.
Operator: TWO ON THE WAY.
Norman Friedman:
AT SOME POINT HE REALIZED
THAT WHEN HE WAS BEING
PURSUED BY DESTROYERS,
INSTEAD OF WAITING FOR THEM
TO DEPTH CHARGE HIM,
HE COULD SHOOT BACK.
Dealey: STAND BY THREE.
FIRE THREE.
Operator: THREE ON THE WAY.
Narrator: A BUBBLE TRAIL FROM
DEALEY'S STEAM-POWERED TORPEDOES
WILL GIVE AWAY
HARDER'S LOCATION.
IF THE OFFENSIVE FAILS,
THE DESTROYER WILL KNOW
EXACTLY WHERE TO FIND THEM.
HARDER'S SKIPPER
SINKS THE ESCORT
BEFORE IT CAN DROP
A SINGLE BOMB.
MORE THAN TWO YEARS
INTO THE PACIFIC WAR,
ONLY 14 JAPANESE DESTROYERS
HAVE BEEN SUNK
BY AMERICAN SUBMARINES.
DEALEY JOINS AN ELITE GROUP
OF SUBMARINE OFFICERS
DARING ENOUGH TO ACCOMPLISH
THIS EXCLUSIVE FEAT.
THE SUCCESS EMBOLDENS HIM.
Norman Jolin:
COMMANDER SAM DEALEY
IS A CALM, PROFESSIONAL,
AND RESERVED NAVAL OFFICER.
HOWEVER,
IN THE HEAT OF A BATTLE,
HE TURNS OUT TO BE
VERY, VERY AGGRESSIVE
IN A WAY THAT MANY
HAD NOT FORESEEN.
Narrator: THE 37-YEAR-OLD DEALEY
HAS COMMANDED USS HARDER
SINCE IT WAS COMMISSIONED
IN 1942.
THE SOFT-SPOKEN SKIPPER
COMES FROM
AN UPPER-CRUST TEXAS FAMILY.
Robert Dienesch: USUALLY OFFICERS
FROM THOSE KIND OF FAMILIES
DIDN'T GO INTO SUBMARINES.
SUBMARINES WERE ASSOCIATED
WITH A CAREER PATH IN THE NAVY
THAT REALLY DIDN'T GO VERY FAR.
LIKE AVIATION
IN THE INTER-WAR YEARS,
IT WAS SEEN AS A NEGATIVE.
SO FOR HIM TO TAKE THAT PATH
SAYS A LOT ABOUT HIM
AS AN INDIVIDUAL.
Friedman:
YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND,
THERE ARE PEOPLE
THAT YOU WOULD MEET
THAT WOULD SEEM TO BE
THE QUIETEST CAUTIOUS TYPES.
THEN YOU FIND OUT
THEY WERE COMPLETELY CRAZY
AND THEY WOULD DO THINGS
THAT, THAT WOULD BE
ABSOLUTELY TERRIFYING.
Dienesch: FOR DEALEY,
THE EASY SOLUTION ISN'T
NECESSARILY THE BEST SOLUTION.
COULD HE BACK OUT OF AN ATTACK?
YES.
HOWEVER, IT WOULD ALSO GO
AGAINST HIS NATURE.
Narrator: DEALEY
AND THE CREW OF USS HARDER
END THEIR PATROL
IN FREMANTLE, AUSTRALIA.
FREMANTLE BECAME
AN ALLIED SUB BASE
AFTER ANOTHER JAPANESE ASSAULT
ONLY TWO MONTHS
AFTER PEARL HARBOR.
IN FEBRUARY 1942,
THE ISLAND OF JAVA
FELL IN A FIERY CAMPAIGN
AND SENT THE AMERICANS STATIONED
THERE INTO A PANICKED RETREAT.
THEY SCUTTLED MILITARY ASSETS,
LIKE THE WARSHIP USS STEWART,
DRY-DOCKED FOR REPAIRS
WHEN THE JAPANESE STRUCK.
THE DESTROYER
FELL INTO ENEMY HANDS.
THE JAPANESE EMPIRE
REACHES A ZENITH.
Scott: STRETCHED OUT OVER ABOUT
20 MILLION SQUARE MILES
AND 7 TIME ZONES.
SO IT'S HUGE.
IT'S HELD TOGETHER OVER
MILLIONS OF MILES OF SEA LANES
AND OPEN OCEAN.
THEY'RE AN ISLAND NATION
WHO DEPENDED ON
THIS MARITIME HIGHWAY
TO MOVE ALL THEIR GOODS AROUND.
THEY HAD TO IMPORT ALMOST
EVERYTHING THEY NEEDED,
INCLUDING RICE,
AND THAT WAS ESPECIALLY ACUTE
WHEN IT CAME DOWN
TO WAR MATERIALS,
PARTICULARLY OIL,
WHICH IS A PRECIOUS FUEL SOURCE
FOR BATTLESHIPS, BOMBERS,
FIGHTERS, EVERYTHING.
Narrator: THE MASSIVE
BUT FAR-FLUNG EMPIRE
IS ALSO A WEAKNESS.
IN EARLY 1944,
AMERICAN SUBMARINES IN AUSTRALIA
ARE COMMANDED BY REAR ADMIRAL
RALPH WALDO CHRISTIE.
CHRISTIE'S SILENT HUNTERS
TARGET JAPANESE SHIPS
HAULING GOODS
TO SUSTAIN THE PACIFIC WAR.
ALLIED OPERATIVES PLANTED
THROUGHOUT THE JAPANESE EMPIRE
SPY ON SHIPPING
AND COLLECT INTELLIGENCE
THAT HELPS CHRISTIE
ASSIGN HIS SUBMARINES.
Friedman: THE ADVANTAGES
OF HAVING AGENTS ASHORE
WERE ENORMOUS.
THE AUSTRALIANS
HAD COAST WATCHERS.
THE JAPANESE WOULD
STEAM DOWN THE COAST,
AND THEY WOULD REPORT IT.
Narrator: BY MAY 1944,
ONE OF THESE OPERATIONS
TAKES AN ALARMING TURN.
AUSTRALIAN COMMANDOS
SPYING IN OCCUPIED BORNEO
ARE BETRAYED TO JAPAN'S
INFAMOUS MILITARY POLICE,
THE KEMPAI TAI.
THREE HAVE ALREADY
BEEN CAPTURED.
SIX MORE HIDE
IN THE NORTHERN JUNGLES,
HUNTED BY HUNDREDS OF TROOPS.
AUSTRALIAN SPECIAL FORCES
REQUEST ASSISTANCE
TO RECOVER THE COMMANDOS,
NOW RUNNING LOW ON SUPPLIES.
THE PLAN REQUIRES A SUBMARINE
TO SNEAK INTO ENEMY WATERS
AND RESCUE THE OPERATIVES
BEFORE THE JAPANESE FIND THEM.
HARDER'S FIFTH PATROL
WILL INCLUDE AN ATTEMPT TO
RESCUE THE AUSTRALIAN COMMANDOS.
[RADIO CHATTER]
THE JUNGLES OF BORNEO
LIE THOUSANDS OF MILES
NORTH OF FREMANTLE.
HARDER'S GATO-CLASS BUILD
IS ENGINEERED TO MAKE
THE LONG-DISTANCE RUN.
Jolin: IT'S GOT THE ABILITY
TO GO HUGE DISTANCES,
BE ON PATROL
FOR A COUPLE MONTHS,
AND THEN COME BACK.
IT COULD CARRY A FAIRLY
HEFTY LOAD OF TORPEDOES
AND ALSO THE FOOD
AND LOGISTICS THAT YOU NEED
TO KEEP A CREW GOING
FOR THAT LENGTH OF TIME.
Narrator: BEFORE HARDER
LEAVES FREMANTLE,
DEALEY WELCOMES
A SPECIAL PASSENGER,
AUSTRALIAN OPERATIVE
MAJOR BILL JINKINS.
ALREADY AN ESCAPED
PRISONER OF WAR,
HE'S COMMITTED
TO DEFEATING THE JAPANESE.
HIS FIRST STEP
IS TO COORDINATE THE RESCUE
OF HIS BESIEGED COMRADES.
THE ASSIGNMENT WILL NOT BE
JINKINS' FIRST MISSION
ABOARD A SUBMARINE.
Scott: IT TAKES A LITTLE BIT
OF A DIFFERENT TYPE
TO GO INTO
THE SUBMARINE SERVICE.
YOU KNOW, IT'S A VERY
AUSTERE ENVIRONMENT.
YOU'RE LIVING ON TOP
OF MEN IN BUNKS.
YOU CAN GO WEEKS, EVEN MONTHS
WITHOUT SEEING DAYLIGHT.
Dienesch: A SUBMARINE
CAN BE EXTREMELY BIZARRE
FOR MOST PEOPLE,
CREEPY FOR OTHERS.
THE HULL, OF COURSE,
AS IT'S DIVING,
IS GOING TO CREAK AND STRESS
UNDER PRESSURE.
[CREAKING]
BUT YOU ALSO HAVE
THE SOUND OF WATER
RUSHING INTO THE BALLAST TANKS
ON BOTH SIDES,
AIR'S RUSHING OUT.
YOU HAVE THE BOW GOING DOWN
AND THE STERN GOING UP.
IT'S A BIZARRE FEELING.
Narrator:
WITH THE CONFINED SPACE
AND EERINESS
OF THE SUBMERGED ENVIRONMENT,
JINKINS SIGNS ON
FOR ALL OF THE RISKS
OF A SUBMARINE ON ACTIVE PATROL.
IN ADDITION
TO THE RESCUE ATTEMPT,
THE SUB WILL CONTINUE
WITH ITS REGULAR OPERATIONS.
22% OF AMERICA'S SILENT SERVICE
ARE KILLED AT SEA,
THE HIGHEST CASUALTY RATE
OF ANY ARM OF THE U. S. MILITARY.
EVEN IF THE RESCUE IS A SUCCESS,
IT MAY ONLY TAKE THE COMMANDOS
OUT OF THE JUNGLE
AND PUT THEM SQUARELY
IN THE LINE OF FIRE.
[EXPLOSIONS]
ON MAY 26, 1944,
USS HARDER LEAVES
FREMANTLE, AUSTRALIA.
AMONG THE PERSONNEL NOW ABOARD
IS AUSTRALIAN OPERATIVE
BILL JINKINS.
HE QUICKLY VOLUNTEERS
TO STAND WATCH ON THE DECK
AND BECOMES AN ACCEPTED
MEMBER OF THE CREW.
THEY ENJOY THEIR SHARE
OF CREATURE COMFORTS.
AMERICAN SUBMARINES
BOAST AIR CONDITIONING:
A CRITICAL PERK IN THE HEAT AND
HUMIDITY OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC.
Friedman: YOU'RE IN A SUBMARINE,
AND YOU'RE THERE FOR 75 DAYS.
HOW WELL YOU FEEL DETERMINES
HOW WELL YOU'LL FIGHT.
A LOT OF THINGS
THAT FEEL LIKE LUXURIES
REALLY ARE THINGS THAT MAKE IT
BETTER FOR YOU TO FIGHT
IN THE END.
♪
Narrator: DEALEY'S EARLIER
DEFEAT OF A JAPANESE DESTROYER
PROVED HE CAN BE AGGRESSIVE.
BUT THIS MISSION
WILL ALSO REQUIRE STEALTH.
THE WATERS THAT SURROUND
NORTHERN BORNEO
ARE GUARDED BY ONE OF JAPAN'S
LARGEST NAVAL BASES, TAWI TAWI.
HARDER PATROLS ALONE,
WITH ONLY 24 TORPEDOES.
IN 1944,
IT TAKES AMERICAN SKIPPERS
AN AVERAGE OF TEN TORPEDOES
TO SINK ONE SHIP.
AGAINST A SINGLE DESTROYER,
DEALEY STOOD A CHANCE.
AGAINST A FLEET OF WARSHIPS,
AGGRESSION WOULD BE SUICIDE.
JUST AFTER 6:30 P. M.,
THE CREW SPOTS THE FIRST THREAT
TO THEIR MISSION.
THREE TANKERS HEAD TO A PORT
ON THE EAST COAST OF BORNEO
TO PICK UP FUEL.
THEY'RE ESCORTED
BY TWO JAPANESE DESTROYERS.
QUICK AND HIGHLY MANEUVERABLE,
JAPAN RELIES ON THESE ESCORTS
AND THEIR UNDERWATER BOMBS
TO PROTECT AGAINST
ENEMY SUBMARINES.
Scott: SUBMARINES ARE UNIQUELY
VULNERABLE TO ATTACKS.
NOT ONLY ARE THEY
AT RISK OF DAMAGE,
FOR INSTANCE
FROM A DEPTH CHARGE,
BUT ALL THAT PRESSURE FROM
THE SEAWATER PUSHING IN ON THEM
CAN LEAD TO COLLAPSES.
Brian Hayashi:
THE PROBLEM WITH THE JAPANESE
WAS THAT THEY DIDN'T
KNOW THE DEPTHS
OF WHERE THE AMERICAN
SUBMARINES WERE.
SO THEY GENERALLY ASSUMED
IT IS SHALLOW.
AND SO THEY WOULD SET
THEIR DEPTH CHARGES
TO HIT RATHER HIGH IN THE WATER.
Narrator: TRIGGERING
THEIR UNDERWATER BOMBS
TO EXPLODE AT AROUND 150 FEET.
Hayashi: THE AMERICAN
SUBMARINE CAPTAINS KNEW THIS,
AND SO THEY WOULD DIVE UNDER
AND BE SAFE.
Narrator: THAT ADVANTAGE WAS
SHATTERED 19 MONTHS INTO THE WAR
WHEN AMERICAN CONGRESSMAN
ANDREW JACKSON MAY
HELD A PRESS CONFERENCE.
Friedman: UNFORTUNATELY,
A U. S. POLITICIAN
WHO CAME BACK FROM THE FAR EAST
BOASTED THAT
OUR SUBMARINES WERE SAFE
BECAUSE THE JAPANESE
DEPTH CHARGES
WERE SET TOO SHALLOW.
THIS WAS NOT REALLY HELPFUL.
AND THE NAVY WAS FURIOUS.
Hayashi: THE JAPANESE
PICKED THIS INFORMATION UP
AND QUICKLY RETOOLED
THEIR DEPTH CHARGES
SO THAT IT WOULD
GO DOWN FARTHER.
AND AS A RESULT, A NUMBER OF
AMERICAN SUBMARINES WERE SUNK.
Narrator: SO BY JUNE OF 1944,
DEALEY RISKS
DEEP-SET DEPTH CHARGES
EVERY TIME HE EVADES
HIS GATO-CLASS SUBMARINE.
Dienesch: THE GATO-CLASS
BY 1944 ISN'T OBSOLETE.
HOWEVER, IT IS NOT AS UP-TO-DATE
AS THE BALAO-CLASS.
FOR THE GATO-CLASS,
WITH A MAXIMUM DIVE DEPTH
OF ABOUT 300 TO 350 FEET,
THEY DON'T HAVE THAT
EXTRA 100 FEET OF DEPTH
TO BE ABLE TO MANEUVER IN.
IT ALSO MEANS THEY'RE MORE
LIKELY TO BE DETECTED
AND CAUGHT.
Narrator: AT 9:25 P. M.
ONE OF TWO DESTROYERS ESCORTING
THE THREE-TANKER CONVOY
SPOTS USS HARDER ON THE SURFACE.
THE WARSHIP IS THE MINATSUKI,
A MUTSUKI-CLASS DESTROYER.
DESIGNED TO TRAVEL
AT UP TO 37 KNOTS,
THE ESCORT CAN SPEED
NEARLY TWICE AS FAST
AS DEALEY'S SUBMARINE,
EVEN ON THE SURFACE.
DEALEY TRIES OUTRUNNING IT,
BUT HARDER'S PHOSPHORESCENT WAKE
ILLUMINATES A PATH
TO THEIR POSITION.
[KLAXON HORN]
DEALEY DROPS TO PERISCOPE DEPTH
TO HIDE FROM THE ESCORT.
BUT SHARP-EYED LOOKOUTS
TRACK THE PERISCOPE'S WAKE.
THE DESTROYER TURNS
TO INTERCEPT USS HARDER.
IT'S 1,100 YARDS AWAY
AND CLOSING.
Friedman: WITH A SUBMARINE,
YOUR ONLY PROTECTION
IS YOUR INVISIBILITY,
THE CLOAK OF INVISIBILITY,
IF YOU LIKE.
AS LONG AS THAT WORKS,
YOU'RE OK.
IF THEY CAN SEE YOU,
YOU'RE DEAD.
Narrator: DEALEY'S ONLY CHANCE
TO THWART THE ESCORT'S
DEPTH CHARGES
IS TO ATTACK FIRST.
Dealey: SPEED 34 KNOTS.
Operator: SPEED 34 KNOTS.
Narrator:
DRIVEN BY HIS EARLIER SUCCESS,
HE PREPARES TO ATTACK
AN ENEMY DESTROYER AGAIN.
DEALEY ORDERS
FULL RUDDER PORT, OR LEFT,
TOWARDS THE DESTROYER'S PROFILE.
Dealey: FIRE.
Narrator:
HE FIRES THREE TORPEDOES
TO TARGET THE WIDEST AREA
OF THE SHIP POSSIBLE.
IF THEY MISS,
DEALEY WILL HAVE TO DIVE
TO AVOID THE RAIN
OF DEPTH CHARGES.
DEALEY'S TORPEDOES CLOSE IN.
[BOOM]
ONE STRIKES ITS BOW.
A SECOND
BREAKS THE SHIP'S SPINE.
DEPTH CHARGES ON THE DECK
EXPLODE IN THE FLAMES.
LESS THAN A MINUTE
AFTER THE TORPEDOES STRIKE,
THE DESTROYER STARTS TO LIST.
DEALEY BRINGS THE SUB
TO THE SURFACE
ABOUT A THOUSAND YARDS AWAY
TO CONFIRM THE KILL.
HE INVITES JINKINS AND OTHER
CREW TO THE BRIDGE TO WATCH.
THE MINATSUKI
AND ITS DEPTH CHARGES
SLIP BENEATH THE WAVES.
DEALEY HAS SUNK THE SECOND
DESTROYER OF HIS CAREER.
Friedman: DEALEY'S CONTRIBUTION
IS TO GO AFTER DESTROYERS
AND SHOW IT CAN WORK.
AND HE SINKS A LOT
OF DESTROYERS THAT WAY.
NOT ONLY DOES HE
SINK A LOT OF THEM,
BUT HE PROBABLY INSPIRES
HIS FELLOW OFFICERS
TO THINK THIS IS NOT A BAD IDEA.
THAT'S WHAT SAM DEALEY DOES,
AND VERY SUCCESSFULLY.
Narrator: DESPITE THE COMMANDOS
AWAITING RESCUE,
DEALEY IS NOT FINISHED
WITH THE CONVOY.
WITHIN MINUTES,
THE SUB DETECTS ANOTHER SHIP
ONLY 1,400 YARDS AWAY.
[KLAXON HORN]
USS HARDER
IS FORCED TO DIVE AGAIN.
♪
JUNE 6, 1944.
FRANCE.
THE ALLIES LAND
ON THE BEACHES OF NORMANDY,
HOPING TO TURN THE TIDE
OF THE EUROPEAN WAR.
IN THE PACIFIC,
AN AMERICAN SUBMARINE HAS JUST
SUNK A JAPANESE DESTROYER
NEAR NORTHERN BORNEO
AND NOW PURSUES
THE CONVOY IT GUARDED.
A SECOND DESTROYER PROWLS NEAR
JAPAN'S NAVAL BASE TAWI TAWI,
SEEKING REVENGE
ON THE AMERICAN SUB.
USING ACTIVE SONAR,
THE DESTROYER SENDS PINGS
OF HIGH-FREQUENCY SOUND
INTO THE OCEAN.
[PING]
IF THE JAPANESE CREW
HEAR THE ECHO
BOUNCE OFF THE SUBMARINE,
THEY CAN ESTIMATE ITS LOCATION
AND RELATIVE DISTANCE.
[PING]
WHEN THE ENEMY SHIP
IS CLOSE ENOUGH,
THE SOUND EVEN PENETRATES
THE HULL OF THE SUB.
[PING]
USS HARDER'S HUNTER
IS ALMOST CERTAINLY
AN AKIZUKI-CLASS DESTROYER.
THE APEX OF JAPAN'S
WORLD WAR II ESCORT DESIGN,
THE AKIZUKIS CARRY
UP TO 72 DEPTH CHARGES
TO KILL SUBMARINES.
DEALEY WORKS
THE ATTACK PERISCOPE
IN A BID TO TAKE THE OFFENSIVE.
BUT INTERMITTENT CLOUDS
BLOCK THE MOONLIGHT
AND HELP CLOAK HIS TARGET.
AS THE DESTROYER
APPROACHES HEAD ON,
HARDER DOES NOT
HAVE THE ADVANTAGE
OF ATTACKING THE BROAD SIDE.
DEALEY MUST TARGET THE BOW,
WHICH IS ONLY A TENTH AS WIDE.
Dealey:
IT'S A DOWN-THE-THROAT SHOT.
HE'S HEADING
RIGHT FOR OUR SCOPE.
♪
STAND BY TWO.
FIRE TWO.
Operator: TWO ON THE WAY.
Narrator:
HE FIRES SIX TORPEDOES,
GAMBLING ONE WILL STRIKE
THE ESCORT HEAD ON.
Friedman:
THIS IS BEFORE HOMING TORPEDOES.
HE'S JUST FIRING
A BULLET, BASICALLY,
AT THIS NARROW THING
COMING AT HIM.
Narrator: BUT THIS TIME,
DEALEY'S
AGGRESSIVE GAMBLE FAILS.
ALL SIX OF HIS TORPEDOES MISS.
Dealey: TAKE HER DEEP.
RIG FOR DEPTH CHARGE.
Narrator: HARDER'S SKIPPER HAS
RUN OUT OF OFFENSIVE CHOICES.
HE MOVES QUICKLY TO THE DEFENSE.
AS THE SUBMARINE PLUNGES,
THE CREW CAN ONLY WAIT
FOR THE ENEMY'S DEPTH CHARGES
TO BEGIN DETONATING.
[EXPLOSIONS]
[EXPLOSIONS]
Dienesch: YOU HAVE TO IMAGINE
THE WORST POSSIBLE EXPERIENCE.
THE SOUND OF THE DEPTH CHARGE
REVERBERATING THROUGH THE WATER,
THE SHOCK IMPACT ON THE HULL,
THE SHAKING OF THE HULL,
AND WHAT THAT DOES
INSIDE THE HULL
IS ABSOLUTELY TERRIFYING.
YOU'RE INUNDATED WITH NOISE,
YOU'RE INUNDATED WITH
THE FEELING OF MOTION,
RANDOM MOTION,
BUT ALSO WITH ANYTHING
IN THE COMPARTMENT
FLYING AROUND
AND POTENTIALLY HITTING YOU,
DARKNESS 'CAUSE LIGHT BULBS
TEND TO BURST.
IT'S PRETTY HORRENDOUS.
[CRASHING AND EXPLOSIONS]
Narrator: HARDER RACES
TO ITS MAXIMUM DEPTH
TO OUTRUN
THE DESTROYER'S BARRAGE.
AS THE DIVE NEARS 300 FEET,
THE CREW EXPECTS
THE SUBMARINE TO LEVEL OFF.
THE GOAL IS TO EQUALIZE
HARDER'S BUOYANCY WITH WATER,
THEN LEVEL IT WITH
ITS STERN PLANES-
A PAIR OF RUDDERS THAT CONTROL
THE ANGLE OF THE SUBMARINE.
BUT IN THE CONTROL ROOM...
Dienesch:
A VERY GREEN PLANESMAN,
HE IS IN
THE STERN PLANE POSITION,
SO HE'S CONTROLLING THE PLANES
AT THE BACK OF THE BOAT.
HE PUSHED THE PLANE
IN THE WRONG DIRECTION.
HE RAISES THE STERN
OF THE SUBMARINE,
IN ESSENCE
DRIVING THE BOAT DEEPER.
A MISTAKE, A VERY HUMAN MISTAKE
UNDER THE STRESS OF COMBAT,
THE SOUND OF DEPTH CHARGES,
ALL OF THAT-HUMAN MISTAKE,
EXTREMELY DANGEROUS.
Friedman: PEOPLE ON SUBS
ARE BEING TRAINED.
ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT THEY HAVE TO LEARN
IS WHAT IS AND IS NOT DANGEROUS.
PEOPLE WHO ARE COMPLETELY NEW
DON'T GET IT.
THEY DON'T GET IT
UNTIL THEY'VE EXPERIENCED IT.
Dienesch: YOU'RE NOW
PUSHING THE SUBMARINE
CLOSER TO CRUSH DEPTH.
IF YOU DON'T RECOVER
FAST ENOUGH,
YOU COULD LOSE THE SUBMARINE.
Narrator: THE DIVING OFFICER
RUSHES TO CORRECT THE MISTAKE.
[CREAKING]
NON-ESSENTIAL CREW CHARGE
TO THE REAR OF THE SUBMARINE
TO MANUALLY
REDISTRIBUTE THE WEIGHT
IN A DESPERATE BID TO BRING
THE BOW OUT OF ITS DIVE.
[CREAKING]
THEY MANAGE TO LEVEL THE SUB.
BUT THE UNCONTROLLED DESCENT
HAS CAUSED ANOTHER PROBLEM:
ONE OF THE TORPEDOES IN THE
TUBES HAS STARTED A "HOT RUN."
ITS PROPELLER SPINS
AS IF IT'S BEEN LAUNCHED.
Friedman: YOU GOT A TORPEDO
SITTING IN THE TUBE.
THE TORPEDO GETS SHAKEN ENOUGH
THAT IT STARTS UP.
THAT'S VERY DANGEROUS.
Narrator:
IF IT KEEPS SPINNING,
DEALEY'S SUBMARINE COULD BE SUNK
BY ITS OWN WARHEAD.
Friedman:
THE TORPEDO IS DESIGNED
TO GO A CERTAIN DISTANCE
BEFORE IT'S ARMED.
THE WAY IT DECIDES
IT'S GONE THAT DISTANCE
IS HOW MANY TURNS
OF THE PROPELLER.
Narrator: THE TORPEDO'S
PROPELLER MUST STOP
BEFORE IT CAUSES
THE EXPLOSIVES TO DETONATE.
JUNE 1944.
IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC,
A WORLD WAR II SUBMARINE
IS UNDER SIEGE.
[EXPLOSIONS]
A JAPANESE DESTROYER LAUNCHES
UNDERWATER BOMBS AT USS HARDER.
A HOT RUN TORPEDO COMPLICATES
THE CREW'S PLIGHT.
Jolin: A TORPEDO HOT RUN
IS WHEN A TORPEDO
SHIFTS IN THE TUBE
AND CAUSES THE PROPULSION
SEQUENCE TO START,
WHEREBY THE ENGINE OF
THE TORPEDO IS ACTUALLY RUN UP
AND THE PROPELLERS ARE ACTUALLY
TURNING IN THE TUBE.
Narrator: THE SOUND MAKES IT
EVEN MORE UNNERVING.
[EXPLOSIONS]
DEALEY AND HIS AMERICAN CREW
ARE IN THE DEPTHS OF CHAOS.
[CRASHING AND EXPLOSIONS]
THEY'RE LUCKY THIS TIME.
THE ROGUE TORPEDO WINDS DOWN
BEFORE THE WARHEAD
OVERHEATS OR EXPLODES.
AT THAT DEPTH,
EVERYONE WOULD HAVE PERISHED
AND THEIR FATES REMAINED
AN UNSOLVED MYSTERY.
ABOUT AN HOUR
INTO THE ONSLAUGHT,
THE OCEAN FINALLY FALLS SILENT.
HARDER HAS ENDURED
A DEPTH CHARGE ATTACK
BY JAPAN'S GREATEST
DESTROYER CLASS.
BUT THE CLOCK IS TICKING
FOR COMMANDER DEALEY
AND MAJOR JINKINS
TO RESCUE SIX ALLIED OPERATIVES,
A KEY OBJECTIVE OF THEIR PATROL.
Dienesch: THE COMMANDOS
IN BORNEO IN 1944
ARE RUNNING LOW
ON FOOD AND SUPPLIES,
THEY'RE BEING HUNTED
BY THE JAPANESE
IN EXTREMELY HARSH CONDITIONS.
THEY REALLY NEED
TO BE PULLED OUT.
AND EVERY ATTEMPT
AT THAT POINT HAD FAILED.
SO FOR THE HARDER
TO GO IN FOR THEM
IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.
THOSE GUYS NEEDED HELP.
Narrator: DEALEY AND THE CREW
SET COURSE FOR BORNEO
AND FINALIZE PLANS
FOR THE RESCUE.
Dienesch:
IN THE CASE OF DEALEY,
HE'S TAKING A SUBMARINE
RIGHT UP TO THE SHORELINE,
SO HE'S MAKING HIMSELF VERY
VULNERABLE FROM SHORE FIRE.
BUT HE'S ALSO PUTTING HIMSELF
IN A POSITION,
IF A DESTROYER COMES ALONG OR
ANOTHER CRAFT CAN IDENTIFY HIM,
OF NOT BEING ABLE TO ESCAPE
BECAUSE THERE'S NO WATER
UNDER THE KEEL TO DIVE,
NO ABILITY TO MANEUVER.
Narrator:
AFTER DARK ON JUNE 8, 1944,
HARDER SURFACES
AND HEADS TOWARD SHORE.
SOME 6,000 YARDS OUT,
THEY SCRAPE BOTTOM.
IT'S AS CLOSE AS THEY CAN GET
TO THE RENDEZVOUS POINT
ON THE NORTH COAST.
JAPANESE OUTPOSTS THREATEN
THE SUBMARINE ON BOTH SIDES.
Friedman: SPECIAL OPERATIONS
TEND TO BE DANGEROUS
BECAUSE YOU HAVE TO GO INSHORE.
IF SOMEONE SPOTS YOU,
YOU MAY BE ATTACKED
BEFORE YOU CAN GET AWAY.
Narrator: THE CREW ASSISTS
JINKINS AND HIS PARTNER
TO GET THEIR COLLAPSIBLE BOATS
AND GEAR TO THE DECK.
THEY HAVE THREE DAYS'
WORTH OF RATIONS
SHOULD THEY NEED TO REMAIN
ASHORE TO LOCATE THE COMMANDOS.
THIS WOULD BE
A WORST-CASE SCENARIO.
Dienesch: WHEN DEALEY BRINGS
THE SUBMARINE TO THE SURFACE
TO MAKE THE RESCUE IN BORNEO,
HE'S BATHED IN MOONLIGHT,
HE'S VERY VISIBLE.
IT'S FAR MORE LIGHT
THAN HE'D LIKE TO HAVE.
AND HE'S VERY CLOSE TO
THE SHORELINE TO DO THE RESCUE.
SO HE'S ALSO NOW OPEN
TO ANYBODY ON SHORE
WHO'S GOT SMALL ARMS MUNITIONS.
SO HE COULD BE SHOT
BY ARTILLERY, MACHINE GUNS,
EVEN RIFLES.
NOT A GOOD POSITION TO BE IN.
Narrator: THE RESCUE TEAM STAYS
IN CONTACT WITH USS HARDER
THROUGH A SERIES
OF LIGHT SIGNALS
TO ASSIST THEM
WITH THEIR BEARINGS.
AS THEY NEAR SHORE,
THEY USE ANOTHER LIGHT FLASH
TO ALERT THE COMMANDOS.
Dienesch: COMMUNICATION WITH
THOSE PEOPLE TO BE RESCUED
IS ESSENTIAL.
AND THE ONLY WAY TO DO THAT
IS GONNA BE BLINKER LIGHT,
HOWEVER, ANYONE ON SHORE
CAN SEE IT.
AND THE BLINKER LIGHT IN RETURN
FROM SHORE IS JUST AS VISIBLE.
SO ANYBODY BEHIND THE SUBMARINE
COULD POTENTIALLY SEE THAT, TOO.
Narrator: THEY CAN ONLY HOPE
NO ONE ELSE IS WATCHING.
JUST AFTER 1 A. M.,
THE OPERATIVES SIGNAL AS THEY
APPROACH THE DARKENED SUB.
Dealey: OK, I SEE 'EM.
LETS GET 'EM IN THE SUB.
Narrator: THEY PULL
ALONGSIDE USS HARDER.
THE COMMANDOS AND THEIR RESCUERS
ARE HAULED ABOARD,
MENTALLY
AND PHYSICALLY EXHAUSTED.
Dealey: GOOD JOB.
Narrator: DEALEY'S CREW
SPRINGS TO ACTION.
GENTLY BACKING AWAY FROM SHORE
AND OUT OF SHALLOW WATER,
USS HARDER
LEAVES THE ENEMY BEHIND.
BELOW DECK,
THE RESCUED OPERATIVES
RECEIVE CLEAN CLOTHES
AND THEIR FIRST REAL FOOD
IN MONTHS.
THE COOK WHIPS UP A CELEBRATORY
MEAL OF STEAK AND EGGS.
Dienesch: FOR THOSE LIVING
ON SHORT RATIONS,
STEAK AND EGGS FOR BREAKFAST
IS A MASSIVE MORALE BOOST.
THEY'VE BEEN UNDER STRESS
AND STRAIN FOR SO LONG,
AND THEN THEY'RE GREETED
WITH REALLY A HEARTY BREAKFAST,
THE FIRST REAL GOOD FOOD
THEY'VE HAD IN A LONG TIME.
YOU CAN IMAGINE
THE FEELING IN THAT CREW
AS THEY WERE BEING RESCUED.
Narrator: FOOD ON THE U. S. BOATS
WAS CONSIDERED AMONG THE BEST.
Friedman: AND OTHER NAVIES WOULD
SOMETIMES SAY THINGS LIKE,
"WELL, THE AMERICANS
ARE JUST SOFT."
WELL, NO, WE DID VERY WELL.
QUALITY OF LIFE
IS WHAT IT'S CALLED NOW.
WE UNDERSTOOD THAT
BEFORE WORLD WAR II.
Narrator:
AS THE COMMANDOS TURN IN,
COMMANDER DEALEY MUST TURN HIS
ATTENTION TO A NEW DIRECTIVE.
ALLIED INTEL HAS REVEALED
THAT JAPANESE ARE MOBILIZING
WARSHIPS AT TAWI TAWI,
THE ENEMY NAVAL BASE
THE CREW OF USS HARDER
BARELY SURVIVED JUST DAYS AGO.
MILITARY BRASS BELIEVE
IT MAY BE THE SIGN
OF AN EPIC ENEMY OFFENSIVE.
JAPAN'S NEW BATTLE PLAN,
OPERATION A-GO,
ORDERS A CONSOLIDATED ATTACK TO
HALT ADVANCING AMERICAN CARRIERS
AND PROTECT JAPANESE GAINS.
Friedman: THE QUESTION WAS
ARE THEY DOING IT?
ONE OF THE BETTER SOURCES
OF INFORMATION WOULD BE
IF YOU ACTUALLY SAW WHAT WAS
HAPPENING IN THEIR PORTS.
THAT'S WHY YOU SEND IN A SUB.
YOU HAVE TO SEE.
THIS IS THE WORLD
BEFORE SATELLITES
AND VERY LONG-RANGE
RECONNAISSANCE PLANES
AND ALL THE THINGS
THAT ENABLE YOU TO SEE
WHAT'S INSIDE A HARBOR NOW
ON GOOGLE ON YOUR COMPUTER.
A SUBMARINE IS A VERY GOOD WAY
OF FINDING OUT.
THAT'S WHY HE GOES IN THERE.
Narrator: THE U. S. NAVY
NEEDS THIS INFORMATION
BEFORE DEALEY TAKES
THE RESCUED OPERATIVES HOME.
♪
JUST FOUR HOURS
FROM THE SHORES OF BORNEO,
DEALEY AND HIS CREW
SPOT EVIDENCE
OF THE MILITARY BUILD-UP.
A JAPANESE WARPLANE PATROLLING
NORTH OF THE SIBUTU PASS
ALSO SEES THEM.
[KLAXON HORN]
PLANES ARMED WITH DEPTH CHARGES
ARE A SUBMARINE'S
DEADLIEST THREAT.
Friedman:
WHEN THERE ARE AIRPLANES,
YOU'D RATHER DIVE BECAUSE,
FIRST THE AIRPLANE CAN BOMB YOU,
BUT SECOND HE CAN CALL ON PEOPLE
TO GO AFTER YOU.
YOUR JOB IS TO DISAPPEAR.
Narrator:
AS HARDER REACHES 75 FEET,
AN AERIAL DEPTH CHARGE
DETONATES OFF THE PORT SIDE.
[EXPLOSION]
THE EXPLOSION THROWS
THE SUBMARINE STARBOARD.
THE RESCUED COMMANDOS
GET A RUDE AWAKENING.
Scott: YOU CAN HAVE THESE
MOMENTS OF TOTAL BOREDOM
WHEN YOU'RE LAYING ON YOUR BUNK
AND YOU'RE JUST HANGING OUT,
AND THEN YOU CAN HAVE
AT THE SAME POINT
ABSOLUTE TERROR
WHEN YOU MAY STILL BE LAYING
ON THAT SAME BUNK
AND YOU'VE GOT LIGHTS
EXPLODING AROUND YOU,
GAUGES BEING DESTROYED.
AND SO FROM
A PSYCHOLOGICAL STANDPOINT,
WHERE YOU FEEL SAFE IN YOUR BUNK
CAN ALSO BE
WHERE YOU FEEL TERRIFIED.
Narrator: HARDER WITHSTANDS
THE AERIAL DEPTH CHARGES.
BUT THE WARPLANE WILL PROBABLY
REPORT THEIR COORDINATES
TO JAPAN'S NEARBY FLEET.
Dealey: NEW HEADING, COME ABOUT,
ZERO TWO ZERO DEGREES.
Narrator: DEALEY NEEDS
TO KEEP HIS HEAD DOWN.
THE SUBMARINE WILL NEED
TO STAY SUBMERGED.
THIS PUTS ADDITIONAL STRAIN
ON OPERATIONS.
Dienesch:
FOR THE CREW OF THE HARDER,
PLUS THE COMMANDOS FROM BORNEO,
ONCE THEY'RE ON BOARD THE SHIP,
THE CONDITIONS GET
EVEN MORE DIFFICULT.
THE SUBMARINE IS ALWAYS GONNA BE
CLAUSTROPHOBIC, IT'S ALWAYS HOT.
THE AIR QUALITY DETERIORATES
THE LONGER YOU'RE UNDERWATER.
THE ADDITION OF BODIES TO THAT
INCREASES THE USE OF OXYGEN.
SO UNDER A FORCED SUBMERSION,
ESPECIALLY UNDER
AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME,
THE OXYGEN CONDITION
DETERIORATES.
THE HUMIDITY AND HEAT,
ESPECIALLY IF THE BLOWERS ARE
SHUT OFF FOR SILENT RUNNING,
REALLY SKYROCKETS VERY FAST.
Narrator: IF CARBON DIOXIDE
LEVELS GET TOO HIGH,
IT COULD BE LETHAL.
USS HARDER MUST RISK
DETECTION ON THE SURFACE
TO CHANGE THE AIR.
DEALEY USES
THE COVER OF DARKNESS
JUST BEFORE 5 A.M.
FOR SURFACING
TO REPLENISH THE AIR AND
QUICKLY CHARGE THE BATTERIES.
THEY CAN NOW SAFELY CARRY ON
WITH THEIR MISSION.
♪
ON JUNE 10th, HARDER NEARS
THE BASE AT TAWI TAWI.
IT WILL BE A PERILOUS PROWL.
HE MUST REMAIN SUBMERGED
TO CONCEAL HIS PRESENCE,
BUT SHALLOW ENOUGH
TO USE HIS PERISCOPE-
ONLY ABOUT 55 FEET
BELOW THE SURFACE.
AT 5 P. M.,
THE CREW PICKS UP THE SOUND
OF APPROACHING SHIPS.
DEALEY RAISES THE PERISCOPE
FOR VISUAL CORROBORATION.
TWO BATTLESHIPS
AND AT LEAST FOUR CRUISERS
STEAM THE WATERS NEAR TAWI TAWI.
EIGHT DESTROYERS AND AIRPLANES
PROVIDE ADDITIONAL COVERAGE.
THE FLEET OF WARSHIPS CONFIRMS
THAT JAPAN'S NAVY IS MOBILIZING.
BUT BEFORE DEALEY CAN REPORT
THE HIGH-PROFILE SIGHTING,
A PATROL PLANE DETECTS HARDER
THROUGH THE GLASSY WATERS.
THE AERIAL SCOUT
DIVULGES DEALEY'S PRESENCE
TO THE WARSHIPS.
TWO OF THE FLEET'S DESTROYERS
TURN ON THE SUBMARINE.
Dealey: BATTLE STATIONS.
[BELL RINGS]
♪
Narrator:
DEALEY TARGETS THE FIRST ESCORT
1,500 YARDS FROM HARDER'S BOW.
Dealey: FIRE TUBE TWO.
Narrator: HE FIRES
A SPREAD OF THREE TORPEDOES.
AS THE OTHER DESTROYER ADVANCES
FROM THE STARBOARD SIDE,
DEALEY IS OUT OF TIME.
Dealey: TAKE HER DEEP.
RIG FOR DEPTH CHARGE.
Narrator: HE DIVES TO AVOID
THE SECOND INCOMING SHIP.
[EXPLOSIONS]
THE SUB IS ROCKED
AS EXPLOSIONS DETONATE.
[EXPLOSIONS]
THE IMPACT TOSSES THE CREW
AND BREAKS WATER LINES.
♪
AS THE SEA GOES SILENT,
THE REAL HUNT BEGINS.
♪
JUNE 1944.
AN AMERICAN SUBMARINE ATTEMPTED
TO PERFORM RECONNAISSANCE
OF A JAPANESE NAVAL BASE
IN THE SOUTHERN PHILIPPINES.
NOW TWO DESTROYERS
STALK USS HARDER.
THE JAPANESE CREWS
USE TWO TYPES OF SONAR.
THE PASSIVE SONAR TEAM
LISTENS FOR ANY MAN-MADE SOUND
BENEATH THE WAVES.
Friedman: ONE WAY TO DETECT
A SUB IS TO LISTEN FOR IT.
IF YOU BELIEVE
THAT THEY'RE CHASING YOU,
YOU'LL TRY TO CUT OFF
EVERY BIT OF SOUND YOU CAN
SO THAT THEY WON'T NOTICE YOU.
Narrator:
DEALEY TAKES HARDER DEEP
IN A BID TO ESCAPE
THE DESTROYERS.
HE MIGHT ALSO RIG
FOR SILENT RUNNING.
Jolin: SILENT RUNNING
IS THE PROCEDURE
WHEREBY YOU REDUCE ALL NOISE
IN THE SUBMARINE
BY SWITCHING OFF ANYTHING
THAT MAKES A NOISE
UNLESS IT'S ESSENTIAL FOR
THE OPERATION OF THE SUBMARINE.
Scott: SAILORS WHO ARE
AT THEIR BATTLE STATIONS
WILL MAN THEIR BATTLE STATIONS,
BUT ALL OTHER SAILORS WHO ARE
NON-ESSENTIAL AT THAT POINT
WILL GET IN THEIR BUNKS.
TO GO ALONG WITH THAT,
THEY'LL SHUT DOWN
THE AIR-CONDITIONING SYSTEMS,
THEY'LL SHUT DOWN THE MOTORS
FOR THE REFRIGERATOR
AND THE FREEZER.
ANYTHING THAT COULD BE PICKED UP
BY ENEMY SONAR
IS A THREAT TO THAT SUBMARINE.
[PING]
Narrator: BUT NO MATTER
HOW QUIET THEY ARE,
USS HARDER REMAINS VULNERABLE
TO THE DESTROYER'S
ACTIVE SONAR PINGS.
[PING]
[PING]
IF AN ECHO RETURNS
TO THE LISTENING CREWS,
THEY WILL HONE IN
ON THE LOCATION.
[PING]
RIGGED TO ROLL DEPTH CHARGES
OFF THE STERN
AND LAUNCH THEM FROM THE SIDES,
THE TWO DESTROYERS STRATEGIZE
WHERE HARDER MAY BE
AND LAY DOWN A CARPET
OF UNDERWATER BOMBS.
Friedman:
TO MAKE DEPTH CHARGING WORK,
YOU HAVE TO VISUALIZE HOW TO
MANEUVER THE STERN OF YOUR SHIP
OVER WHERE YOU THINK
THE SUBMARINE WILL BE.
YOU CAN WATCH HIM ON YOUR SONAR
WHILE YOU CON SOMEONE ELSE
TO DROP DEPTH CHARGES OVER HIM.
THAT'S CALLED A CREEPING ATTACK.
Narrator: A STRIKE WITHIN
50 FEET COULD BREACH THE HULL.
Friedman: SO THE IDEA IS
THAT YOU CREATE
A BARRAGE OF THESE THINGS.
IF YOU DO A MANEUVER JUST RIGHT,
YOU MAY BE ABLE TO LAUNCH
ENOUGH DEPTH CHARGES
TO MAKE A PATTERN
THAT WILL ENCLOSE THE SUB.
IF IT'S EXPLODED A CERTAIN
DISTANCE FROM YOUR SUB,
IT'LL OPEN IT UP AND THAT'S IT.
Narrator:
DEALEY'S SUBMARINE IS TRAPPED
IN THE HEART OF ENEMY WATERS.
SUBMERGED
AND RELIANT ON BATTERIES,
HARDER LACKS THE POWER
TO RUN AWAY.
[EXPLOSIONS]
Scott: IF A SUBMARINE UNDERWATER
USING ITS BATTERIES
GOES AT ITS MAXIMUM SPEED
OF ABOUT 8 KNOTS,
IT'LL ACTUALLY RUN OUT OF
ALL OF ITS BATTERY POWER
IN JUST ONE HOUR.
AND SO, IF YOU'VE GOT
DESTROYERS UP ABOVE
AND THEY'VE GOT YOU CORNERED,
YOU KNOW, YOU CAN'T JUST
PUT IT IN FULL GEAR AND GO,
OR YOU WON'T HAVE
THE POWER NEEDED
TO GET BACK TO THE SURFACE.
Friedman: YOU'RE NOT FAST ENOUGH
TO GET AWAY,
AND ALL YOU'LL DO
IS EXHAUST YOUR BATTERY
SO THAT IF THEY GIVE UP,
YOU'RE DEAD ANYWAY.
[EXPLOSIONS]
[CRASHING]
[EXPLOSIONS]
[PING]
[PING]
Dealey: COME ABOUT NEW HEADING
OF ZERO TWO ZERO.
ALL AHEAD TWO THIRDS
FOR FIVE MINUTES.
Narrator: DEALEY HAS A PLAN
THE JAPANESE PROBABLY
HAVEN'T CONSIDERED.
USING A DEVICE CALLED
A BATHYTHERMOGRAPH,
HE SEARCHES FOR A LOCATION WHERE
WATER TEMPERATURE CHANGES,
CALLED A THERMOCLINE.
THE DIFFERENCE IN DENSITY
BETWEEN WARM AND COLD LAYERS
DISTORTS SOUND WAVES ENOUGH
TO DEFLECT ACTIVE SONAR.
TWO HOURS AFTER HARDER
IS ATTACKED,
DEALEY FINDS
WHAT HE'S SEARCHING FOR.
RISING GRADUALLY
FROM THE DEPTHS,
HE LOCATES WARM CURRENTS
ABOUT 200 FEET
BELOW THE SURFACE.
Dienesch: IT ACTS
AS A BARRIER TO SOUND WAVES.
SO THE SONAR BOUNCES OFF
OF THE THERMOCLINE,
NOT THE SUBMARINE,
AND IT LOOKS LIKE
THE SUBMARINE VANISHES.
Narrator:
NOW INVISIBLE TO SONAR,
USS HARDER ESCAPES
THE WATERS OF TAWI TAWI.
LATER THAT NIGHT,
THE SUB SURFACES IN CLEAR SEAS
TO TRANSMIT DETAILS ABOUT
THE WARSHIPS THEY SIGHTED.
INTELLIGENCE
GATHERED BY SUBMARINES
HELPS THE ALLIES TO TRACK
JAPANESE TROOP MOVEMENTS
AND THWARTS JAPAN'S OBJECTIVE
TO REINFORCE A KEY ISLAND
IN THE FIGHT FOR NEW GUINEA.
IT ALSO HELPS TO TIP THE BALANCE
IN FAVOR OF THE U. S. NAVY
IN THE BATTLE
FOR THE PHILIPPINE SEA.
ON JUNE 21st, HARDER
AND THE RESCUED COMMANDOS
REACH DARWIN, AUSTRALIA.
THEY OUTMATCHED
16 SHIPS AND 18 AIRCRAFT
TO BRING
THE ALLIED OPERATIVES HOME.
ADMIRAL CHRISTIE
AWARDS DEALEY A NAVY CROSS
FOR THIS EPIC PATROL.
Jolin: COMMANDER SAM DEALEY'S
LEGACY TO THE UNITED STATES NAVY
IS ONE OF
AN INSPIRATIONAL ROLE MODEL
TO THE SUBMARINE FORCE.
Narrator: BUT LESS THAN THREE
MONTHS AFTER THE BORNEO RESCUE,
DEALEY'S SIXTH PATROL
WOULD BE HIS LAST.
ON AUGUST 24, 1944,
USS HARDER IS SUNK
BY THE UNDERWATER BOMBS
IT HAD ESCAPED MANY TIMES.
THE ATTACK INVOLVED
AMERICAN-BUILT USS STEWART.
SEIZED BY THE JAPANESE IN JAVA
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE WAR,
IN A TERRIBLE TWIST,
IT SEEMS LIKELY
THAT THE SHIP
TO BEST USS HARDER
WAS AN AMERICAN ONE.
SOME SAY THE TOLL OF DEALEY'S
HIGH-STAKES MISSIONS
PLAYED A ROLE IN HIS END.
OTHERS BELIEVE SUBMARINES LIKE
HARDER JUST RAN OUT OF CHANCES.
Friedman:
IT DOESN'T SOUND AS THOUGH
THE WAY THEY DIE
IS FROM BURNING OUT.
IT SOUNDS LIKE THE WAY THEY DIE
IS THEIR LUCK RUNS OUT.
Narrator:
DEALEY ACCELERATED THE CAMPAIGN
AGAINST THE JAPANESE EMPIRE
BY DIRECTLY ATTACKING
ITS WARSHIPS
TO ERODE ITS ABILITY
TO CONDUCT WAR.
HE'D NEVER LEARN
OF HIS GREATEST TRIBUTES.
FOR CONSPICUOUS GALLANTRY
AND INTREPIDITY
BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY,
DEALEY WOULD
POSTHUMOUSLY RECEIVE
THE CONGRESSIONAL
MEDAL OF HONOR.
AFTER THE WAR, THE AMERICAN NAVY
WOULD NAME A NEW CLASS
OF DESTROYERS IN HIS HONOR-
AN IRONIC TRIBUTE
TO A DESTROYER KILLER.