The Silent Service — Season 1
Documentary dramatic anthology about the US Navy's submarine fleet. All stories were based on fact and the realism was heightened by actual use of combat footage from the files of the Navy.
About this season
Documentary dramatic anthology about the US Navy's submarine fleet. All stories were based on fact and the realism was heightened by actual use of combat footage from the files of the Navy.
Episodes (39)
1. The Jack at Tokyo
Aired 5 April 1957 • 30 min
A submarine springs a leak while well into Japanese waters. An engineer takes on the dangerous mission of repairing it.
2. The Trout at the Rainbow's End
Aired 12 April 1957 • 30 min
A docudrama about a mission during World War II by the submarine USS Trout involving transporting a large amount of gold and silver.
3. The End of the Line
Aired 17 April 1957 • 30 min
The USS Thresher is caught at the end of a Japanese destroyer's grappling hook and attempts to shake itself loose.
4. The Sculpin Story
Aired 26 April 1957 • 30 min
After a damaged submarine is forced to surface, all hands are ordered by the captain to abandon ship, but he stays aboard.
5. The Spearfish Delivers
Aired 3 May 1957 • 30 min
A submarine is ordered to slip into Japanese-occupied Filipino waters to spirit out some important passengers from Corregidor.
6. The U.S.S. Bergall's Dilemma
Aired 10 May 1957 • 30 min
The USS Bergall, which has been badly damaged, is trying to get to port but three Japanese patrol boats are making it difficult.
7. The U.S.S. Batfish Scores
Aired 17 May 1957 • 30 min
The USS Batfish is ordered to intercept some enemy submarines that are carrying very important Japanese officials.
8. The U.S.S. Tigrone Sets a Record
Aired 6 June 1957 • 30 min
A submarine trying to rescue downed American pilots comes under attack from Japanese destroyers.
9. The Five-Ring Circus
Aired 27 June 1957 • 30 min
On the hunt for a Japanese convoy, the crew of the USS Gato discovers that an unexploded enemy depth charge has landed on its deck.
10. The U.S.S. Pampanito Story
Aired 7 June 1957 • 30 min
U.S. subs are about to close in on a Japanese convoy. What they don't know is that aboard one of the ships are Allied POWs.
11. The U.S.S. Tirante Plays a Hunch
Aired 14 June 1957 • 30 min
The commander of the submarine USS Tirante may lose his target in the shallow waters of a Japanese-held harbor if he doesn't surface.
12. The U.S.S. Tang vs. Truk
Aired 21 June 1957 • 30 min
With morale low, USS Tang stands by for rescue downed American pilots during the attack on the Truk islands.
13. The Wahoo Story
Aired 28 June 1957 • 30 min
The final mission of the USS Wahoo.
14. The Two Davids and Goliath
Aired 5 July 1957 • 30 min
Darter and Dace during the Battle of Leyte Gulf.
15. The Ordeal of S-38
Aired 12 July 1957 • 30 min
A submarine suffers a series of disasters: a broken prop, damaged instruments and an explosion onboard.
16. The Seahorse Story
Aired 19 July 1957 • 30 min
The USS Seahorse is in big trouble: it's deep in Japanese waters, it's been badly damaged and is in danger of being destroyed by a barrage of enemy depth charges.
17. The Salmon Swims Upstream
Aired 26 July 1957 • 30 min
In October of 1944. 100 miles off Japan. Salmon is damaged in a depth charge attack and must remain surfaced.
18. Cargo for Crevalle
Aired 2 August 1957 • 30 min
The crew of the USS Crevalle takes aboard a Filipino woman about to give birth to a baby.
19. Boomerang
Aired 9 August 1957 • 30 min
A sub being hunted by Japanese ships is forced to settle on the bottom of the ocean to escape detection, but it has been badly damaged and if it stays on the bottom for too long it may not be able to surface.
20. The Squailfish
Aired 16 August 1957 • 30 min
The Squailfish sinks a Japanese escort carrier, but that only seems to be what sets off a string of bad luck that begins to plague the sub.
21. The Grouper Story
Aired 23 August 1957 • 30 min
Prior to the invasion, the USS Grouper transports Australian raiders and their native guides to a hidden cove on New Britain.
22. The Eyes of the Seawolf
Aired 30 August 1957 • 30 min
When his ship's attempts to sink Japanese shipping fail, a seaman with an interest in photography produces evidence of faulty design.
23. The Sea Dragon Story
Aired 6 September 1957 • 30 min
The USS Sea Dragon's oxygen tanks are exhausted. Death by suffocation or enemy gun fire seems inevitable.
24. The Narwhal's Passenger from Mindanao
Aired 13 September 1957 • 30 min
A docudrama about a submarine mission during World War II, the rescue by the USS Narwhal of escaped POW survivors of Bataan from the island of Mindanao.
25. The Perch's New Role
Aired 20 September 1957 • 30 min
A docudrama about the submarine USS Perch on a mission during The Korean War to deliver British Royal Marines on a secret commando raid.
26. The Final War Patrol
Aired 27 September 1957 • 30 min
Concerns the Gato Class WWII Sub U.S.S. Barb (SS-220) and her Final WWII Patrol.
27. The Last Dive
Aired 4 October 1957 • 30 min
A broken propeller, an internal explosion and damaged instruments plague an outmoded American submarine assigned to attack Jap transports.
28. The Gar Story
Aired 11 October 1957 • 30 min
A docudrama about the submarine USS Gar on a secret mission with guerillas during World War II.
29. The Story of the U.S.S. Flier
Aired 18 October 1957 • 30 min
The successes and the sinking of the USS Flyer and the dozen who survived after 17 hours in the water and then had to sail to additional islands before finding food and rescue.
30. The Starfish Came Home
Aired 25 October 1957 • 30 min
Enemy bombers attack the U.S.S. Starfish, and a hatch cover sticks as it attempts to submerge.
31. The Sealion Story
Aired 1 November 1957 • 30 min
A damaged sub surfaces to attack a fleet of Japanese destroyers.
32. The Nautilus Story
Aired 8 November 1957 • 30 min
The Nautilus is assigned to observation duty at Tarawa and caught between U.S. and Japanese fire.
33. Hit 'Em Again, Harder
Aired 15 November 1957 • 30 min
The Captain of the USS Harder earns the Congressional Medal of Honor by aggressive tactics which sink a record number of enemy destroyers over a few days. As a result, Japanese planning for a major operation is upset leading to American victory.
34. The Seashark Story
Aired 22 November 1957 • 30 min
A photographer's mate is frightened by his assignment - to photograph submarines in action. The crew helps to make things unpleasant.
35. The Tshushima Straits Story
Aired 29 November 1957 • 30 min
At the urging of Vice Admiral Charles A. Lockwood, civilian scientists developed an electronic device that enabled submarines to detect floating and submerged mines. With this apparatus, a wolf-pack of nine subs entered the Sea of Japan in June 1945 and wreaked havoc with enemy shipping, contributing materially to the end of the war.
36. The Searaven
Aired 6 December 1957 • 30 min
A U.S. sub becomes a sitting duck to save Australian soldiers from Timor Island.
37. The Tang's Last Shot
Aired 13 December 1957 • 30 min
The USS Tang, after sinking an entire convoy, gets in the way of her own torpedo.
38. The Loss of the Perch
Aired 20 December 1957 • 30 min
The perch starts wwii two engines down and doesn't keep them repaired long. During the opening of the war it suffers a series of mishaps (a circular running torpedo detonates close, loss of the comm gear, hole at the base of the sail, cracked and bowed shafts with only one engine providing propulsion. Scopes out, depth gauge out, numerous electrical grounds take sonar out, interior communications out-can't call for help., "Can't fight, can't run, - can't even dive. "
39. The Guardfish
Aired 27 December 1957 • 30 min
Action centers around the historic and very successful First War Patrol for the USS Guardfish. There is a side story that the Guardfish got so close to Tokyo Bay that her crew were able to watch a horse race, through the periscope.