USS Swordfish 'The Swordfish Story'

[@patrickshanley4466]

We used to watch the silent service on tv in the late 50’s. Great show!!

[@ABQRT]

That and Victory at Sea!

[@dLLund]

thank you for posting. my late father served on the uss hake, out of perth/freemantle, in sw australia.

[@jefferyhorton7496]

“Yes sir! We’ll do our best.” A good combination of confidence and humility.

[@jayp423]

My Step dad served on the Sawfish from 1942 till the end of the war....

[@seansky2721]

Young Richard Jaeckel makes a fine, dynamic, submarine Skipper. As a 4-year US Navy veteran his concise commands and bearing cannot be all acting. Captain Smith must have been proud of his portrayal. It is evident that servicemen are less than comfortable with a camera pointed at them. God alone knows what might befall the Man the screws the pooch on Admiral Dykers' TV show!

[@usaturnuranus]

I realize that I'm replying to a 2 yr old thread but I just discovered this series. I wanted to add that Richard Jaeckel, in addition to his well-portrayed sense of bearing as a sub commander is also much more in line with the typical age of many who served in that position.

[@edwardgoering1237]

Every Western he plays in he,s Physco Kid

[@edwardgoering1237]

Everyone of these Contract actors would run circles around todays talent ! Two notables Warren Oats Harry Stanton I wish Jack Elam would have played this part It would have lost its seriousness Cool Hand Luke just passed He was Cool too ? Warden ? I served on Forresta;l famous 81 cruise US 2 Libya 0

[@usaturnuranus]

Warren Oates, Harry Dean Stanton, and Jack Elam are all giants of their profession in my book. Didn't matter what genre they were performing in, they absolutely nailed it every single time. Any film would be improved by casting them.

[@JB-171]

The script writers gave Richard Jaeckel a pretty easy job…”Take a look Johnny.” Love these shows!

[@180mph9]

Thank you for posting, great stuff.

[@johnrogan9420]

Richard Jaeckel...top actor of the 1950s.

[@amadeusamwater]

He was on the show more than once.

[@stevenhj3124]

Well done!

[@raymichael7078]

When Thomas announced that there would be a special guest my first thought was the black cat! But quickly realized that probably wouldn't be the case.

[@andybreglia9431]

The cat was the key to the success of the operation and should have gotten a screen credit.

[@billhuber2964]

Wwwwww. Poor cat.

[@ABQRT]

CQM William E Russell, joined SS193 USS Swordfish, on her 8th War Patrol, was lost with the Swordfish on their 13th War Patrol Jan 1945, somewhere off Kyushu, on Eternal Patrol. Swordfish was sister boat of SS192 USS Squalus. Squalus was renamed USS Sailfish after she was raised from her tragic sinking off the East Coast.

[@warriorgaming1604]

she was bad luck since the rename nothing good ever happened to that boat

[@carlatillman2891]

My Uncle James Mayfield died when she sank.

[@usaturnuranus]

Respect!

[@timengineman2nd714]

Normally, in waters where you're uncertain about the depth (and therefor the clearance of your keel), you try to go in with the bow trim slightly lower than normal. That way, if you run aground, you shift cargo aft (or in a submarine, you do a minor shot of air to blow out some of the water (not a full blow out of all the ballast tanks forward!) and you float off! The other thing, if it can be done, is to go in at low tide, that way the rising sea helps you get free. Very bad if you get high and dry and the peak of high tide!!!

[@usaturnuranus]

Man, that kind of thing just goes to show the incredible risks involved and the sheer bravery of these submariners. Betting their lives on every mission - then doing something just as dangerous again and again. I can't imagine the stress and the emotional toll it took on these young people and frankly I'm glad I was never called on to do it.

[@timengineman2nd714]

@@usaturnuranus Not to mention the possibility of finding an enemy minefield (or even a unmarked Dutch minefield that they laid as they retreated!)....

[@timengineman2nd714]

@@usaturnuranus Also, around the 14:20 mark, there could be currents in that strait that could cause big issues with your attempt to keep the sub in the middle of the channel...

[@usaturnuranus]

@@timengineman2nd714 Yes, no doubt. There are so many ways to lose your life in those situations,, a lot of them icy cold and slow.

[@stevefarris9433]

While on patrol on the USS Catfish SS339 in the late 50's the crew watched lots of VICTORY AT SEA movies.

[@dickylobster]

While on patrol on the USS CARP SS338 in the late 60's we watched lots of Victory AT Sea movies too.

[@ABQRT]

@@dickylobster Just watched a film noire movie on TCM Alexander Scouby was the bad guy, but as soon as he spoke I would flashback to his narration of the Victory at Seas episodes! Was nice to put a face to the voice!

[@ABQRT]

My brother was an EM2 on AS 12 USS Sperry at Pt. Loma. finish with with a WESTPAC on the USS Cimarron AO 22 1968, she was decommision after that tour. My dad turned periscope tubes on horizontal lathe at Mare isalnd in WW 2.

[@ABQRT]

Richard Jaekel (sp) the skipper once said he appeared in more military based movies, and programs than any other actor in Hollywood.

[@keyweststeve3509]

That guy REALLY got around. I couldn't begin to count the number of shows and movies I've seen Richard Jaekel in during the course of my life.

[@marileestetson737]

Continue to be surprised at the actors I see in these. Just watched one with DeForest Kelly from Star Trek. Werner Klemperer in U-47 story. Think the last thing Jaeckel did was Capt. Quirk in Spenser: For Hire.

[@timmi59]

Bob Burns My personal fave was The Devil’s Brigade w/ William Holden and several others.

[@parrot849]

Timothy Collins - He was great as outlaw Jess Evans in the John Wayne film Chisum....

[@jimlaguardia8185]

ABQRT 1900 Very good actor.

[@donaldtarr2332]

Non-cat people don't understand the "Black Cat" rules; if you take in the cat, love it and feed it, let it sleep in your bunk, ,you OWN the cat and are immune to the bad-luck curse. It is then directed at your enemies!

[@johnbockelie3899]

" And now for our special guest, the black cat of the U.S.S. Swordfish..........".

[@andybreglia9431]

@donald tarr: One mistake. You do not own a cat. The cat owns YOU! I've been owned by two cats, I speak from experience. My understanding is that, for obvious reasons, Jesus Christ can own a cat, no one else.

[@paulsheridan5960]

I’m uuuyt

[@thomasb1889]

I adopted Shadow who is very much a black cat after a very good friend's son passed do to heart issues and his mother could not stay in the house. His sister because of cat allergies asked me to take him. He was ten when I let him adopt me and he is now 13 and I would not know what to do without him around.

[@gregreynolds7745]

I'm sure 😊😊😊

[@rodfirefighter8341]

Glad to see he finally made captain.

[@Fozzymaple]

And here I thought the distinguished guest would be the ship's cat.

[@stephenfarthing3819]

I think that the Captain is Richard Jaekel - I knew that he's been in many warfilms and in Baywatch in the 1980's !

[@kevinweinberger8446]

You are correct about Richard Jaekel! He is a very special actor. Besides he always had a well groomed haircut!!😊

[@timgore2502]

Outstanding !!

[@jrkat]

The bow planes are up on the model under water EM 3 SS

[@johnrogan9420]

you can feel the love and respect between "TOMMIE" AND HIS GUEST "chester".

[@diamonddog257]

----and the Acatemy Award goes to the 'Best Acting in a Submarine'...........

[@philpartin8618]

The captain never blinks. How does anyone do that?

[@johnrogan9420]

JAECKEL did an impressive acting job as a young hothead who is killed by MR RINGO...AKA GREGORY PECK...in a bar room gunfight. PECK shoots left handed...quickly!

[@matrox]

Jimmie Lydon from the Henry Aldrich 1930s/40s movies is the navigator.

[@ThomasWIck-ms5tj]

According to a Reference Book, "United States and Allied Submarine Successes in the Pacific and Far East During World War 2" by John D Alden & Craig R. McDonald, the Swordfish sunk one ship during this attack. It was the Myoken Maru, 4,124 tons. Even so this is a very good accomplishment because at this time there were 3 major defects in our torpedoes.

[@stargazer5784]

I would be more inclined to believe the story as presented, considering that a crew member was interviewed at the end. Historical accounts written after the fact by armchair analysts are frequently fraught with errors and personal opinions.

[@richardcline1337]

Was Lucky really on board the sub or was this just another case of Hollywood taking licence with the show?

[@simonjones3863]

All the officers he interviews are frozen almost solid.

[@GermanShepherd1983]

Yes, unbelievable how stiff they are. You'd think being career navy guys they'd be used to public speaking. Some guys are just painful to watch.

[@timengineman2nd714]

Early TV, there were no guidelines for how you interview people (for instance JFK shaved and wore makeup while Nixon didn't and had a major 5 o'clock shadow... made a lot of people think that JFK would perhaps a better president.)

[@GermanShepherd1983]

@@timengineman2nd714 Well it turned out that Kennedy was a better president than nixon, just like Biden is turning out to be a better president than trump.

[@richardcline1337]

@@GermanShepherd1983, man, whatever you're smoking must be some mighty powerful stuff! Biden couldn't hit his butt with a 2x4 and an instruction manual!

[@redtobertshateshandles]

I'd love to see you guys commanding a depth charged sub or reading on TV.

[@keyweststeve3509]

I always love the shows but I have to admit, making the guest read prepared responses from cue cards at the end is pretty hard to take. It would have been nice to hear them recounting their experiences in their own words and not sounding like 4th graders reading out loud in class.

[@jimlaguardia8185]

Key West Steve This show is produced in complete reflection of US Navy culture, whether we like it or not.

[@shotforshot5983]

I grew up with WWI, WWII, KOREA, VIETNAM vets. Some genuinely didn't talk much about it, certainly not on cue. Others, you wouldn't want to broadcast what they had to say.

[@garyletterle9412]

They're sailors not actors

[@keyweststeve3509]

@@garyletterle9412 That's perfect because I don't expect them to "act", just to be able to respond to questions like sailors instead of having prepared scripted answers that they read off of cue cards.

[@keyweststeve3509]

@@jimlaguardia8185 Actually this has more to do with the way network TV was produced at the time rather than Navy culture. There was nothing related to Navy culture that involved reading cue cards on TV.

[@maniyan_wanagi]

Poor ol' Cap'n Chester! He's more wooden than Kaw-Liga!

[@wilfredruffian8429]

Melquiades Estrada he is,gratefully, not an actor.

[@maniyan_wanagi]

@@wilfredruffian8429 Pretty easy to surmise, as he was introduced as an original officer, but thanks for helping the "ignorant foreigner" with the curious moniker to understand. I've nominated you for the No Shitter Of The Week award - if you win this week, you're automatically forwarded to the No Shitter Of The Month contest, and so on.

[@wilfredruffian8429]

Melquiades Estrada I'm glad I was able to clarify this for you.

[@maniyan_wanagi]

@@wilfredruffian8429 that's mighty white of ya there, Boss

[@wilfredruffian8429]

@@maniyan_wanagi thanks, you're all right for a foreigner.

[@andrewbesso4257]

4 hits with 4 Mark 14 torpedoes in 1942 - that's good shooting!

[@stinker43]

And they all worked! That's good luck!

[@andrewbesso4257]

@@stinker43 Good point

[@thomasb1889]

I love the cat and there is a long history of cats going to sea with man such as Unsinkable Sam en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unsinkable_Sam who the Royal Navy retired to shore duty after two RN ships went down and he survived after his surviving the Bismarck.

[@ABQRT]

My dad worked at Mare Island NSY 1940-1946, was there when the Cruiser USS San Francisco came in all shot up. Worked on British ships also, said they were the most filthy, vermin, bugs and rodent infested ships he'd ever seen, probably agood reason to ahve car aboard!

[@warriorgaming1604]

correction the USS Enterprise dive bomb wing sunk the first ship it nailed one of the mother subs that lunched the midget subs at pearl that qualifies as first ship sunk

[@MatthewBaileyBeAfraid]

If we are counting midget subs, then the destroyer USS Ward sunk the first ship of the war, just before the attack on Pearl Harbor at the mouth of the Harbor.

[@rodfirefighter8341]

@@MatthewBaileyBeAfraid Good call.

[@robertscutt2904]

Technically THE War Was Not Declared Yet , And A Midget Submarine Is Not A Ship, God Bless Them All Especially The Older Men And Women ☆Patriot's ☆That Sayed To Teach The Boys, The ABC's Of Fighting A War. ☆ Sincere Patriot ☆ ☆ Semper Fi.☆ ☆ God Bless America.☆

[@thekingsilverado3266]

Boy my Bubba cat is just sittin here sething sayin he hopes he never meets that guy in his dark alley of trash cans. Bubba's been known to hand out some real good butt kickings on regular basis....

[@mineown1861]

Still on patrol , lost at sea January 1945 .

[@ABQRT]

RIP, on the Swordfish or another Boat or Ship?

[@carlatillman2891]

My uncle James Mayfield was lost with the crew of the USS Swordfish.

[@keyweststeve3509]

Here's a link to his "On eternal patrol" listing- www.oneternalpatrol.com/mayfield-j-m.htm . They also have the whole story of the Swordfish, her loss, and a crew picture www.oneternalpatrol.com/uss-swordfish-193-loss.html

[@mobilechief]

Sorry

[@marileestetson737]

So sorry. :(

[@robertarold529]

My uncle Roy Gordon Arold died with him.

[@carlatillman2891]

He's the reason I joined the Navy.

[@stargazer5784]

Keety keety.....

[@michaelschneider6106]

I thought the destroyer ARRON WARD sank a mini sub outside Pearl Harbor? That would have been the 1st, though before war was declared.

[@ABQRT]

Good old fashion Flush Deck Four Piper ala vintage WW1 design, roguh riding and a "wet ship"! Iconic photo of gun crew and the deck gun that hit the sub conning tower, she was unk later in the war I believe. What was the first US warship sunk Before we got into the War, exluding the USS Panay which happened in the 1930's.

[@ABQRT]

First Japanese merchant ship sunk in the War Dec 14th (?) after we were officially in the War?

[@pdoylemi]

But what happened to Lucky in the end?

[@uncatila]

It's like they are reading a pre written script without rehearsal

[@juliehoffman6292]

The actor playing Johnny looks like the child actor that played the oldest boy in the movie Life with Father.

[@lorenzobeckmann3736]

navegator should have gotten some small decoration. I saw this episode first run tv.

[@johnrogan9420]

Navigator

[@johnrogan9420]

Navigator

[@dlwaterloo2221]

The guest never blinks. It looks like they had AI in 1958.

[@robertarold529]

My uncle died of the cost of Japan on the Swordfish when it war sunk.

[@kevinweinberger8446]

Sorry to hear about your loss!

[@michaelpass2176]

My dad serve in this boat.❤ was on short time.

[@cultureshock5000]

i hope the kitty survived the war he deserved the moh and a navy cross too

[@josephsmithmeyer1195]

Funny lucky the cat survived 3 sunken ships and the war I think his name was sam

[@johnrogan9420]

Sub is 30 feet high per jaeckel.

[@robertacton1271]

Why do the majority of Tommy's guests sound like they are reading. poorly. from a teleprompter? LOL

[@photografr7]

Which Swordfish was this?

[@carlatillman2891]

My Uncles WW ll haul number 193. My Uncle James Mayfield died when she sank.

[@rodfirefighter8341]

@@carlatillman2891 RIP ALL heroes and there are many.

[@zeero62]

The first one.....The 2nd Swordfish , (SSN 579) was in service from 1957 to 1989....

[@robertarold529]

@@carlatillman2891 my uncle died there to. Garden Arold

[@carlatillman2891]

@@robertarold529 I'm sorry Robert. One day they'll find her.

[@skaterman3847]

i like this show but you can tell that the actors are stiff, not really flowing into their rolls. and the guest that come in at the end are reading a cue cards with what they need to say. they are like robots. my god they look afraid. but the stories are true facts. i cked on a couple of them. but thanks for posting them

[@ABQRT]

Think about it, early days of TV programing, many of these actor's were kinda still learning their craft, if you recognise some of these young guys later in their careers.

[@arajoaina]

USS swordfish is a museum ship next to Arizona Memorial in Hawaii

[@ABQRT]

Incorrect ! USS Swordfish SS 193 is "Still on Patrol" off Southern Japan MIA Jan 1945, we had relative that was Chief of the Boat, they were on their 13th War Patrol. You are thinking of the USS Bowfin SS 287 at Pearl.

[@Acc0rd79]

But what happened to the cat??? That's the only answer I want to hear. Man these guests always seem so sterile like a zombie! lol

[@johnemerson1363]

Problem is they are not actors and probably didn't rehearse too much.

[@180mph9]

🇺🇸

[@robertcruz6974]

Never feed a cat milk. Bad for them.

[@jimlaguardia8185]

Robert Cruz Yes, I heard that too. Must be a lot of sick cats around, as they seem to enjoy it.

[@HemlockRidge]

Not all cats. Some do fine, and love it.

[@timengineman2nd714]

@@jimlaguardia8185 Kittens are normally ok, but as they grow older (at 6 months?), most cats become lactose intolerant. Milk then will give them diarrhea....

[@MrBobthebird]

the Dirty dozen.

[@hertzair1186]

The interviewed captain may have been drugged…

[@Carl-ht7cg]

Donate to the "Wounded Warrior Project"

[@ABQRT]

Every year!!!!

[@petejoseph8257]

Cardboard actors.... hahahahaha

[@stephen1137]

Gabby is anything but.