Jonas Sanchez earned his degree at the University of Connecticut. Mr. Sanchez currently works at Sonalysts, Inc., in Waterford, Connecticut. He has line-produced many television, video and.film projects, including the feature film, Mystic Ni~hrs and Pirate Fights.
The fascination the public has with submarines is a strange but understandable phenomenon. With its covert missions in one of the most potentially hazardous working environments, submarine operations, while instilling great pride in submariners, confers a sense of bewilderment to the uninitiated. It is no wonder that the majority of submarine movies have been. to an extent, successful. They provide the public at large a glimpse into a world that they are not regularly privy to-a world of cloak and dagger secrecy and stealth hidden by a classified veil. It is this inherent allure that has prompted movie makers to produce submarine films for over 90 years. From archaic diesel submarines to modern nuclear powered wonders to futuristic. high tech submersibles, submarines have continued to entertain and captivate.
The following lists of movies offer a sampling of the many submarine films produced over the years for the entertainment and education of the public.
Classic Submarine Feature Films
A Submarine Pirate (Keystone Film Company, 1915)
America’s first undersea move features Sydney Chaplin as a bungling waiter who thwarts the hijacking of a gold-laden liner.
Hell Below (MGM. 1933)
This story of a love triangle is set in the turbulent events of World War I.
Submarine D-1 (Warner Bros., 1937)
An action adventure, this movie showcases a sunken submarine crew’s rescue using the Mccann Rescue Chamber and the Momsen Lung.
Submarine Raider (Columbia Pictures, 1942)
This World War II tale tells of a U.S. submarine’s failed attempt to warn Pearl Harbor of the impending Japanese attack and its redemption by sinking the carrier that launched the attack.
Crash Dive (2Qth Century Fox, 1943)
USS CORSAIR engages German submarines in the Atlantic in this World War II story.
Destination Tokyo (Warner Bros., 1944)
This World War II adventure reveals a U.S. submarine’s secret mission to enter Tokyo Bay to gather intelligence for the Doolittle air raid against Japan.
Ocean Pacific (Warner Bros., 1944)
This World War II story engages the U.S. submarine THUNDERFISH’s fight against the Japanese. It is loosely based on the actual exploits of USS ANGLER and USS GROWLER.
The Flying Missile (Columbia Pictures, 1950)
A naval commander develops the means to launch missiles from a submarine platform.
Submarine Command (Paramount Pictures, 1951)
A Korean War submarine commander is haunted by memories of the last days of World War II, when, as the second in command, he saved his boat at the cost of his captain’s life.
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (Buena Vista, 1954)
A ship is sent to investigate mysterious sinkings, encounters the advanced submarine NAUTILUS, commanded by Captain Nemo.
This movie was based on the novel by Jules Verne.
The Enemy Below (20111 Century Fox, 1957)
A U.S. destroyer plays cat and mouse with an elusive German U~boat during World War II.
Hellcats of the Navy (Columbia Pictures, 1957)
Based on the book, Hellcats of the Sea by Vice Admiral Charles Lockwood, WWII ComSubPac, the film is a fictionalized account of a U.S. submarine group’s attempt to destroy Japanese shipping in the Sea of Japan in 1945.
Run Silent, Run Deep (United Artists, 1958)
With grim determination, an American skipper pursues the Japanese destroyer responsible for sinking his previous boat. This movie was adapted from the best selling novel by Ned Beach.
Torpedo Run (MGM, 1958)
A U.S. submarine commander is forced to sink a Japanese transport carrying American prisoners and his own family when it acts as a shield for a Japanese carrier.
The Atomic Submarine (Allied Artists, 1959)
An advanced submarine is sent to investigate another submarine that disappeared crossing the Arctic Ocean.
On the Beach (United Artists, 1959)
Set in 1964, a U.S. submarine crew finds itself stranded in Australia after the rest of the world has been destroyed by a nuclear holocaust.
Operation Petticoat (Universal, 1959)
This World War II comedy tells of a damaged submarine seeking a yard for repairs. Along the way, it picks up five stranded Army nurses.
Up Periscope (Warner Bros., 1959) This movie is a World War II story about a U.S. submarine’s mission to photograph a Japanese codebook.
Around the World Under the Sea (MGM, 1966)
Attempting to help warn scientists of impending earthquakes, a mini-submarine crew plants sensors on the ocean floor.
The Bedford Incident (Columbia Pictures, 1966)
Richard Widmark stars as the captain of the U. S. destroyer BEDFORD. Sidney Poitier is the reporter given the task to interview him. Things go awry when BEDFORD detects a Soviet submarine and gives chase.
Ice Station Zebra (MGM, 1968)
A Cold War story of U.S. nuclear submarine TIGERFISH’ s attempt to rescue the crew of Drift Ice Station Zebra at the North Pole.
Contemporary Submarine Feature Films
Gray Lady Down (Universal, 1978)
The Navy attempts to rescue the crew of USS NEPTUNE, which sank after a collision off the Connecticut coast.
The Hunt for Red October (Paramount Pictures, 1990)
This Cold War drama describes a Russian captain’s attempt to defect with his country’s most advanced nuclear submarine.
Crimson Tide (Buena Vista, 1995)
This post-Cold War story involves the U.S. ballistic submarine ALABAMA that receives a partial transmission, leaving the crew to dispute if it ordered a launch or not. The indecision causes the crew to mutiny .
Hostile Waters (HBO, 1997)
This account relates what could have occurred when a Russian Typhoon class submarine collided with a U.S. submarine off the coast of Bermuda. The tension mounts with the realized potential of a reactor meltdown, as well as the ramifications that the situation may have on delicate peace negotiations between the United States and the Soviet Union.
Sub Down: Take the Dive (Columbus Films, 1997)
Research scientists and Navy men clash aboard USS PORT-LAND after a mishap perilously pins the submarine beneath the waters of the Bering Strait with no escape. Only by working together can the military and civilian crew survive.
U571 (Universal, 2000)
A U.S. captain attempts to retrieve an Enigma decoding machine from a stranded German U-boat in this World War II based-on-fact story.
Submarine Specials/Series
Silent Service (NBC, 1957)
This half hour episodic series chronicles the adventures of World War II U.S. submarine operations based partly on actual events.
The Hunley, (TV, 1999)
This is the story of the Confederate submarine HUNLEY, which became the first submarine to sink a ship when it destroyed USS HOUSATONIC in Charleston Harbor in 1863.
Submarine Documentaries
Submarine Walfare: The Navy’s Most Deadly Weapon (1942) This chronicles the U.S. Navy Submarine Force’s role during World War II , including the Pacific Fleet operations that would destroy Japan’s merchant fleet and cripple their Navy.
No Deck to Strut Upon (Navy, 1971)
This film shows the development of the modem submarine with a background on John P. Holland, inventor of the U.S. Navy’s first viable submarine.
Nova: Submarines, Secrets & Spies (1974)
Nova brings to light several confidential and controversial submarine related incidents that occurred throughout the forty years of the Cold War.
Submarine: Steel Boats -Iron Men (1989)
Shot aboard a Los Angeles class submarine, this video depicts the real 24 hour workday on board a nuclear fast attack submarine.
Submarines: Sharks of Steel (Discovery, 1993)
This informative, multi-tape series features the U.S. Submarine Force and includes comparisons to the submarine of other navies of the world, as well as interviews with crewmembers and their families.
Super Structures of the World: SEA WOLF (1998)
This is a documentary of what has been called “the most complex military machine of the 20111 century”, USS SEA WOLF. A visit to the facilities of General Dynamics’ Electric Boat Division reveals the construction of the most lethal force in the Navy’s arsenal.
Blind Man’s Bluff(History)
A 2 hour special, based on the bestseller by Christopher Drew and Sherry Sontag, documents the stories of the brave men who dedicated their lives to stalking the world’s oceans during the Cold War. Submarines were the super-secret front line of the Cold War and played an undersea game of hide and seek with the fate of the world as stakes. For the first time on television, U.S. and Russian submariners share their stories and harrowing experiences
