Silent Service TV show

[DWalt]

I had an Uncle in the Navy from WWI through WWII. He was a hard-hat salvage diver, and had a lot of experiences all over the world, including a tour in China during the Japanese invasion. He married a Chinese woman there, or so we were told, who died shortly afterward. Nobody in the family knew very much about his Naval service, and he left no records or letters anyone is aware of. But I do have one picture of him in uniform (sort of) that looks like it was taken during the 1930s based on the cars in the background. Family legend (with some substantiation from an old newspaper clipping) was he was one of the divers who worked on the rescue and recovery of the Squalus in 1939. That's my only tentative connection to the Silent Service.

 

[Texas Star]

About the same time there was another Navy-themed TV series - Navy Log. Does anyone remember that one? Then - Victory at Sea - over and over and over.

I recall one Navy Log show where some sailor was on a Jap-held island and wanted to steal a rifle. He blew up a gun emplacement or something with a grenade, but all the rifles were damaged. Must have been pretty heartbreaking.


I think he eventually was rescued by either USN or Aussie coast watchers.


I think this show was where I first heard the Navy Hymn.


Hollywood always seems to be partial to the Navy in their productions. I wonder why.

 

[les.b]

I was finally able to use Potobucket. Check my addition of a couple of pages from Uncle Gene's log to post #17 above. I will add a couple more when I can get them taken, and the technology cooperates. These two pages show what was going on on Pearl Harbor day.

Best Regards, Les

 

[DWalt]

I recall one Navy Log show where some sailor was on a Jap-held island and wanted to steal a rifle. He blew up a gun emplacement or something with a grenade, but all the rifles were damaged. Must have been pretty heartbreaking.


I think he eventually was rescued by either USN or Aussie coast watchers.


I think this show was where I first heard the Navy Hymn.


Hollywood always seems to be partial to the Navy in their productions. I wonder why.

The Navy Hymn was indeed the theme song for Navy Log. And each episode had something to do with actual events during WWII.

 

[les.b]

I am starting to follow Alhunt's lead, and sort through some of the episodes in his original post. In the meantime, if anyone finds any relevant material to the two subs that my uncle Gene was on (see post 17 above), please let me know. I had let the family stories drift to the back of my mind, but seeing this thread, and starting to look through Gene's memorabilia again has rekindled my interest in this segment of family history.

Thanks to the other posters for their observations on some of these old TV series that were based on real stories. Somewhere in there I might find reference to the Stingray, or the Scamp!!

Best Regards, Les

 

[Targets Guy]

During 1944 the USS Stingray was one of 23 older subs readied for retirement

 

[les.b]

During 1944 the USS Stingray was one of 23 older subs readied for retirement

Thanks, Targets Guy. That may have been the reason that Gene was transferred from the Stingray to the Scamp.

Best Regards, Les

 

[Targets Guy]

In April of '44 I think it was the USS Scamp almost got blown out of the water by a aircraft bomb. She was diving when the bomb went off and went tail down and started sinking. The skipper sent all hands to the forward torpedo room to get the nose down somewhere in the neighborhood of 320 feet. Then she started to yo-yo. Once back under control she limped to Mahr for a total refit.

 

[les.b]

I'm reading uncle Gene' log more. I just came into possession of it not too long ago, and I'm not sure just how far it goes, before he gave it to his bride in San Francisco for safe keeping.

I've been thinking about starting a thread of my own to tell some more of the remarkable story about this, one of my own personal heros, although I never met him.

I feel bad that I have been hijacking Alhunt's thread. Apologies, Al.

Best Regards, Les

 

[DWalt]

What was the WWII U.S. sub that was blown out of the water by one of its own torpedoes? I can't remember the name, except the torpedo's guidance system went haywire, and it circled back to strike the sub that fired it.

 

[Cyrano]

I'm reading uncle Gene' log more. I just came into possession of it not too long ago, and I'm not sure just how far it goes, before he gave it to his bride in San Francisco for safe keeping.

I've been thinking about starting a thread of my own to tell some more of the remarkable story about this, one of my own personal heros, although I never met him.

I feel bad that I have been hijacking Alhunt's thread. Apologies, Al.

Best Regards, Les

Les.b:
I have my father's diaries for 1917 and 1918 and his letters home to his mother. He was an infantryman in W W I, and fought in the trenches in France. Like your logs, it's history seen as it was being made by one of the participants. That sort of thing is invaluable. I've transcribed them all in Microsoft Word; it's a lot of work, but it makes them a lot more available and easier to read, to say nothing of saving wear and tear on old paper and bindings. I really recommend transcribing them. Haven't found anyone who wants to publish the diaries and letters, though.

 

[les.b]

Les.b:
I have my father's diaries for 1917 and 1918 and his letters home to his mother. He was an infantryman in W W I, and fought in the trenches in France. Like your logs, it's history seen as it was being made by one of the participants. That sort of thing is invaluable. I've transcribed them all in Microsoft Word; it's a lot of work, but it makes them a lot more available and easier to read, to say nothing of saving wear and tear on old paper and bindings. I really recommend transcribing them. Haven't found anyone who wants to publish the diaries and letters, though.

Thanks for commenting, Cryano...Ive been tossing some ideas like that around. I had seen parts of the diary back when I was younger, but they only recently came into my possession, and I haven't even read all of them. Some of the material is from prior to Pearl Harbor, but still sheds a lot of light on the pre war Navy. Like I said, I do think when I get a chance I'll at least start a thread, and post some more of his pages. I find them enthralling.

Best Regards, Les

 

[AlHunt]

I feel bad that I have been hijacking Alhunt's thread. Apologies, Al.

Best Regards, Les

Think nothing of it. It's a very interesting trip down memory lane. My grandfather on my fathers side (who I never met) was a Rear Admiral during WWII. I never had any connection to that side of the family, so I have no real tales of derring-do. But I have an old flight jacket...

By all means, carry on...

 

[zzzippper]

I watched part of the clip from the OP. Pretty casual crash dive! I don't know about other navies but on U-boats only the captain wore a hat below deck.

 

[zzzippper]

Les.b:
I have my father's diaries for 1917 and 1918 and his letters home to his mother. He was an infantryman in W W I, and fought in the trenches in France. Like your logs, it's history seen as it was being made by one of the participants. That sort of thing is invaluable. I've transcribed them all in Microsoft Word; it's a lot of work, but it makes them a lot more available and easier to read, to say nothing of saving wear and tear on old paper and bindings. I really recommend transcribing them. Haven't found anyone who wants to publish the diaries and letters, though.

Cyrano, can you share them through email? I'd love to read a first hand account. I wish I had recorded my uncle's stories of growing up on a farm and going to sea in WWII. His destroyer was hit by a kamikaze off Okinawa.

 

[Boudiepitbull]

Well, that story kicked my claustrophobia into high gear...

 

[epj]

I watched Silent Service religiously as a kid. Ended up in the Navy as an aviation officer, but when I was enlisted in the naval reserve, I was in sub training. Got to go out on one of the Navy's last diesel boats, the USS Trout. Made 10 dives that weekend. Pretty interesting. The boat was pretty rocky on the surface, but once submerged it was really smooth sailing. The food was better than any other Navy chow I ever had also.

 

[soFlaNative]

I've been thinking about starting a thread of my own to tell some more of the remarkable story about this, one of my own personal heros, although I never met him.

In the thread that shall not be named someone regularly posted excerpts from the ship's log of the USS Yolo. It was some good reading. Go for it.

 

[Evil Dog]

What was the WWII U.S. sub that was blown out of the water by one of its own torpedoes? I can't remember the name, except the torpedo's guidance system went haywire, and it circled back to strike the sub that fired it.

That would be the USS Tang.... here's the story.

The US Submarine That Torpedoed Itself - KnowledgeNuts

 

[GKC]

I was a Navy hospital corpsman, and after basic corps school, OR tech school, and optician's school, I decided I wanted to go into subs. I applied and was accepted for the Polaris Missile submarine medicine program, but the acceptance came with a 3 year extension of my enlistment. I declined, and promptly got orders to the 1st Marines, via field medical school, to finish my remaining two years.

I often wished I had signed that extension. Ah well, life is a series of decisions, and there aren't any do-overs.