The Silent Service was a documentary style anthology series about the U.S. Navy’s submarine fleet and their missions during World War II and the Korean War created by Rear Admiral Thomas M. Dykers, who retired from the Navy in the late 1940s. Every episode was based on true historical events, with the realism of the show reinforced by the use of actual combat footage from the archives of the United States Navy. This particular episode titled “The Sea Dragon” is episode 23 from season 1 of the show, which aired Friday, September 6th, 1957.
Directed by Sobey Martin and written by Robb White, “The Sea Dragon” featured a cast of actors which included Murvyn Vye, Lance Fuller, Peter Hansen, Allan Nixon, John Crawford, Bernie Rich, Michael Hagen, Rudy Solari, Ray Hemphill, Richard Newton and special guest Capt. Charles K. Miller. Together, this crew of actors bring to life the story of those aboard the Sargo-class submarine USS Seadragon (SS-194) as they face impending doom – the ship’s oxygen tanks are exhausted and Japanese destroyers are on their tail. The crew face the risk of death by suffocation or enemy fire.
Following an introduction by Rear Admiral Thomas M. Dykers (0:31), the viewer is transported to the evening of December 19th, 1942 aboard the USS Seadragon as the vessel comes under a relentless 16-hour attack by Japanese destroyers firing off depth charges. Although the destroyers have eased up, monitors reveal that a Japanese submarine is following the USS Seadragon and oxygen levels are falling to dangerously low levels – the captain orders the ship to surface (6:52). Once the submarine surfaces, it begins to exchange fire with the enemy ship but luckily manages to survive the battle unscathed (9:38). Two crew members meet with the ship’s captain to discuss strategy, where they learn the captain is taking them towards Rabaul Harbor – a Japanese Naval stronghold in Papua New Guinea “Would you expect to find a Japanese sub in Pearl Harbor? They won’t be expecting us either” (14:00). With no shortage of challenges, the USS Seadragon comes under attack by a Japanese Bomber while one of the submarine’s torpedoes becomes jammed in its tube (17:28). The captain realizes the submarine can neither surface nor flee the scene, as any sudden movement may cause the trapped tornado to explode. As a result, he orders the crew to blast air into the tube in hopes of dislodging the torpedo (20:20). After successfully dislodging the torpedo, USS Seadragon captain and crew members unwind to a game of cards, listen to a Japanese propaganda radio special reporting on the battle (22:53). The historical-reenactment portion of the episode has finished, Rear Admiral Thomas M. Dykers welcomes Capt. Charles K. Miller, the torpedo and gunnery officer of the USS Seadragon (24:09).
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