The Silent Service

The Silent Service

1957
The Silent Service
The Silent Service

The Silent Service

8.5 | en | Drama

The Silent Service was a 1957–1958 syndicated anthology television series based on actual events in the submarine section of the United States Navy. The Silent Service was narrated by Rear Admiral Thomas M. Dykers, who retired from the Navy in 1949 after twenty-two years of service. He began each episode with this refrain: "Tonight, we bring you another thrilling episode of Silent Service stories, of warfare under the sea." Many of the episodes focused on the history of specific submarines, including: ⁕USS Sculpin ⁕USS Nautilus, the first atomic submarine ⁕USS Perch ⁕USS Tang ⁕USS S-38 ⁕USS Tirante ⁕USS Bergall ⁕USS Spearfish ⁕USS Triton ⁕USS Wahoo, and ⁕USS Gato, subject of the series finale. Actors appearing on The Silent Service included Russell Johnson, cast three times in the role of the character "Beach". DeForest Kelley and Leonard Nimoy appeared in two episodes each as Lieutenant Commander James Dempsey and as Sonarman, respectively. Jerry Paris and Liam Sullivan each guest starred twice. Eric Morris appeared in nineteen episodes identified only as "Soldier". Other guest stars included Joe Conley, Mike Connors, Lawrence Dobkin, Ron Hagerthy, Adam Kennedy, Robert Knapp, Paul Richards, Bing Russell, Craig Stevens, Dennis Weaver and Stuart Whitman.

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Seasons & Episodes

2
1
EP39  U-47 in Scapa Flow
Nov. 28,1958
U-47 in Scapa Flow

On 14 October 1939, Gunther Prien penetrated the Royal Navy's primary base at Scapa Flow where he torpedoed and sank the battleship Royal Oak and returned home to instant fame.

EP38  Seanettle vs U-Boat
Nov. 21,1958
Seanettle vs U-Boat

American submarine skillfully tracks and engages a German U-Boat that is headed for Japan.

EP37  The Squalus Story
Nov. 14,1958
The Squalus Story

USS Squalus sinks off of New Hampshire in 1939. New rescue equipment is used to rescue half of the crew.

EP36  Royal Submarines
Nov. 07,1958
Royal Submarines

A British sub commander in the Mediterranean intercepts enemy supply boats.

EP35  The Bowfin Story
Oct. 31,1958
The Bowfin Story

Today's theme is the Bowfin Story.

EP34  The Silversides Story
Oct. 24,1958
The Silversides Story

An egocentric young torpedoman matures as he his shaped by the harsh realities of submarine combat.

EP33  The Gato Story
Oct. 17,1958
The Gato Story

The captain of the USS Gato plays a hunch (or is it something more than a mere "hunch"?) to rescue downed American airmen.

EP32  The Gabilan Story
Oct. 10,1958
The Gabilan Story

Submarine risks Japanese shore batteries to rescue downed airman less than a mile off coast of Japan. Then USN destroyers mistake submarine for Japanese ship. Galivan evades multiple attacks by "friendly" destroyers.

EP31  The Swordfish Story
Oct. 03,1958
The Swordfish Story

USS Swordfish travels to the Lembeh Straits on Celebes to discover how an Imperial Japanese air base is being supplied.

EP30  The Tautog Story
Sep. 26,1958
The Tautog Story

USS Tautog was at Pearl Dec. 7th, 1941. She sank 26 Jap ships equating to 72,606 tons by the end of the war. She had one of the best records in WWII.

EP29  The Harder at Woleai
Sep. 19,1958
The Harder at Woleai

Extensive effort to rescue a downed pilot off enemy held island beach from a reef. Early success versus an enemy destroyer. CDR Samuel D Dealey commanding.

EP28  Operation Seadragon
Sep. 12,1958
Operation Seadragon

Appendectomy. No doctor. No surgical supplies. But American Submariners get the job done -- even as depth charges explode nearby.

EP27  The Sandshark Story
Sep. 05,1958
The Sandshark Story

American submarine is sent to rescue missionaries from Japanese held island, but one does not want to leave.

EP26  The Nautilus and the Nuns
Aug. 29,1958
The Nautilus and the Nuns

Fourteen nuns escape from the Solomon Islands in the U.S.S. Nautilus.

EP25  The Sunfish's Cook
Aug. 22,1958
The Sunfish's Cook

Fed up with his routine chores in the gallery, the cook of the USS Sunfish, Teddy Aldridge, requests an active combat station for the next engagement with the enemy. The ship's executive officer assigns him a Browning automatic rifle for use during surface action.

EP24  The Sunfish Story
Aug. 15,1958
The Sunfish Story

The U.S.S. Sunfish endures 186 depth charges released by Japanese surface craft.

EP23  The Crevalle's Mine Plant
Aug. 08,1958
The Crevalle's Mine Plant

Laying mines off the Japanese-held harbor of Saigon was a tough job at best; but, with one of your own mines stuck in the torpedo tube and an enemy destroyer closing fast, it was a downright nightmare.

EP22  The Pargo's Lucky Seventh
Aug. 01,1958
The Pargo's Lucky Seventh

On her seventh war patrol, the USS Pargo gets an assignment to land Australian commandos on one of the Paracel Islands.

EP21  The S-44 Story
Jul. 27,1958
The S-44 Story

A renovated 18-year-old sub is sent to sink a Japanese cruiser.

EP20  The Grayling Story
Jul. 20,1958
The Grayling Story

A Lucky hat and a whale of a tale that contribute to an evasion.

EP19  The U.S.S. Tinosa Story
Jul. 13,1958
The U.S.S. Tinosa Story

This was Operation Barney where 9 US Subs entered the Sea of Japan in June 45. They were the "Hellcats" squadron. They wreaked havoc on Japanese ships with the loss of only 1 sub.

EP18  The Growler's Captain
Jul. 06,1958
The Growler's Captain

A submarine captain sacrifices himself for the safety of his ship and crew.

EP17  The Cavalla Story
Jun. 29,1958
The Cavalla Story

On her first war patrol in June of 1944, the USS Cavala's captain obeys orders despite a tempting target. His disciplined conduct sets up the great American victory of "The Marianas Turkey Shoot."

EP16  The Tigershark
Jun. 20,1958
The Tigershark

Tigershark sights an enemy task force. The skipper has to make a decision: Follow orders and leave the area or surface and radio headquarters. His decision leads to one of his sailors being recommended for the Navy Cross.

EP15  The Hawkbill's Revenge
Jun. 13,1958
The Hawkbill's Revenge

The skipper of the USS Hawkbill vows revenge when a Japanese minelayer sinks the USS Lagarto.

EP14  The Triton's Christmas
Jun. 06,1958
The Triton's Christmas

The Triton wardroom and torpedomen ensure a good Christmas is had by all.

EP13  The U.S.S. Cod's Lost Boarding Party
May. 30,1958
The U.S.S. Cod's Lost Boarding Party

The USS Cod boarding party was stranded for 52 hours on a Japanese junk before they could be rescued.

EP12  Fish Out of Water
May. 23,1958
Fish Out of Water

The USS Baya operates in cooperation with Navy patrol planes in the South China Sea.

EP11  Mine for Keeps
May. 16,1958
Mine for Keeps

When the Navy learns that Japanese freighters are hugging the coast of Japan in order to evade US submarines, the Trigger is sent to the area to lay mines to force Japanese shipping out into deeper waters. USS Trigger (SS-237) a Gato-class submarine. From 3 Dec 1942 to 22 Jan 1943, the submarine conducted a combined minelaying and offensive patrol, in waters surrounding Japan. On 20 December, she began planting a minefield off Inubo Saki, Honshū. Trigger planted the northern half of the field and was working on the southern part when a cargo ship passed her, heading into the newly-laid mines. Five minutes later, a violent explosion rocked the captain of the Trigger gets to see the freighter while an escort circled her. The submarine later heard another explosion from the direction of the minefield and, when she surfaced the next day, found the field was covered by smoke.

EP10  Incident Down South
May. 09,1958
Incident Down South

In early 1942, the USS Tarpon is in bad shape. Then bad turns to worse when she is grounded on an uncharted reef. Can the ship float free in time to avoid the nearby Japanese?

EP9  The S-38 Story
May. 02,1958
The S-38 Story

During the Japanese invasion of the Dutch East Indies the S-38 attempts to rescue survivors from a British destroyer. She rescued 58 Royal sailors from the HMS Electra which had been sunk the day before.

EP8  Peto Plucks Some Chickens
Apr. 25,1958
Peto Plucks Some Chickens

This episode starts with the New CO borrowing uniforms from one of his officers in San Fran. The Story ends with that JO resigning to be a priest. Plenty of soul saving in between late in the war.

EP7  The Ugly Duckling
Apr. 18,1958
The Ugly Duckling

We don't have an overview of this episode, please check back later.

EP6  The Thresher Story
Apr. 11,1958
The Thresher Story

Torpedo test goes wrong and fired with the outer door still closed. It has to be disarmed or boom. Thresher adds a 5" gun for surface action in 42. US Torpedoes were bad at that time. The 5" gun saved the Thresher in a duel with a Jap ship.

EP5  The Story of the U.S.S. Aspro
Apr. 04,1958
The Story of the U.S.S. Aspro

US subs provided lifeguard duty. Saving downed allied pilots. The USS Aspro did that just outside Tokyo, Japan in Aug. 1945 at great risk to all aboard.

EP4  The Unsuccessful Patrol
Mar. 28,1958
The Unsuccessful Patrol

S boats were early and older US subs. S34 was sent into Kiska, Alaska after Japan invaded. She barely survived. Nothing sunk, but she survived.

EP3  The Bergall's Revenge
Mar. 21,1958
The Bergall's Revenge

Follows the beginning of the Bergall's third war patrol to Lombok strait. The highlight of the patrol is to use the new "cutie" torpedo to eliminate escorts that threaten US subs passing through the straits.

EP2  The Sea Devil Attacks Puget Sound
Mar. 14,1958
The Sea Devil Attacks Puget Sound

US Submarine vs US ASW group consisting of Destroyers and aircraft in a Cold War era war game. Who will win the competition?

EP1  The Archerfish Spits Straight
Mar. 07,1958
The Archerfish Spits Straight

Submarine Commander questions his own judgment and beaches himself in administrative duty. He returns to sea and commands another sub to sink one of the biggest warship prizes of the war.

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8.5 | en | Drama | More Info
Released: 1957-04-05 | Released Producted By: , Country: Budget: 0 Revenue: 0 Official Website:
Synopsis

The Silent Service was a 1957–1958 syndicated anthology television series based on actual events in the submarine section of the United States Navy. The Silent Service was narrated by Rear Admiral Thomas M. Dykers, who retired from the Navy in 1949 after twenty-two years of service. He began each episode with this refrain: "Tonight, we bring you another thrilling episode of Silent Service stories, of warfare under the sea." Many of the episodes focused on the history of specific submarines, including: ⁕USS Sculpin ⁕USS Nautilus, the first atomic submarine ⁕USS Perch ⁕USS Tang ⁕USS S-38 ⁕USS Tirante ⁕USS Bergall ⁕USS Spearfish ⁕USS Triton ⁕USS Wahoo, and ⁕USS Gato, subject of the series finale. Actors appearing on The Silent Service included Russell Johnson, cast three times in the role of the character "Beach". DeForest Kelley and Leonard Nimoy appeared in two episodes each as Lieutenant Commander James Dempsey and as Sonarman, respectively. Jerry Paris and Liam Sullivan each guest starred twice. Eric Morris appeared in nineteen episodes identified only as "Soldier". Other guest stars included Joe Conley, Mike Connors, Lawrence Dobkin, Ron Hagerthy, Adam Kennedy, Robert Knapp, Paul Richards, Bing Russell, Craig Stevens, Dennis Weaver and Stuart Whitman.

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Thomas M. Dykers

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