My father was one of the three men depicted in this movie who camped on Protection Island and played the part of fishermen. When they made the movie, they were unable to locate my dad to get permission to use his real name, so in the movie, my dad is depicted as "Taylor". His name was actually W. Robert (Bob) Wehner. I have an article about the exercise that was printed in the November 1954 issue of "Male" magazine, which shows a photo of my dad on Protection Island clad in his coonskin hat. The magazine story is good, but the ads in this 1954 magazine are hilarious. My dad was the 'cartoonist' on the submarine which is probably why he got selected as the sketch artist for this caper. He never tired of telling this story.
In 1987 I was crewing on a racing sailboat in the Vashon Island Race. At the start of the race we spotted a periscope, one of the Skippers was a retired USN Commander. He said the 'scope was from a Russian D/E sub. Within the hour we had a couple of Coast Guard Cutters, a Frigate and a Destroyer pounding the hell out of the bottom with active sonar and saw a couple of planes running search patterns.
Using a trick or deception in any type of operation is a very good aid and shows good thinking. I know of a friend years ago who performed a mock attack with a flight of F-111’s in Nevada during the 1970’s on a ground radar complex by following a road at very speed and making the enemy believe they were cars or trucks on the highway. His superiors were not happy but he succeeded.
Sonny Burnett, if I was his commander I would have been really impressed and thankful I had a pilot who inventive and intuitive enough to carry out an unusual tactical attack that meant the mission was successful, in war that is something that is an asset, not a drawback, as long as the line between inventive and insane isn’t crossed.
I'm delighted to find your series. While more than melodramatic, it's also a fine remembrance of the stories of actual men who did actual things. God Bless them all.
I did oceanography study with marine labs on Friday Harbor. I scuba dive Hiro straights on vertical rock wall from nw lighthouse. Ive been diving that 600ft basalt rock wall when US submarine makes Southern turn to go South down Hiro straight with San Juan Island on one side an Vancouver Island on other. When submarine makes that S. Turn it usually sonars down straight. The sonars under water is loud an awesome. Seeing sub pass you, when you can see metal panels, is most awesome! I can understand why ocras sonar are messed with, when submarine uses they're sonar!
We shared a large duplex with the Ruhe family in Newport, RI in the late 50's. I vaguely remember Dad referring to him as 'Barney', but it was a long time ago. In addition to this episode, we heard that he wrote the theme song for the series. I can't verify that, however--not listed in the credits.
Good ol Johnson outboard motor, 17:35 I wouldn't say that they are the best ever built but I have had a few of them over the years and they do work and run ok.
I'm an instructor at the Navel shipyard in Bremerton and tell this story to my students. Can't remember where I heard it so it's funny that I just now find this video. I didn't know it was 1951. I don't think it could be done now but it would be neat to try. The lady that saw them submerge was in Port Angeles. Loved the idea of the fishing boat as a sound and periscope shield. This is exactly what an enemy could and would have done.
@@bestwishes5060 It would be hard to spot a small device that is buried in a shipping container filled with industrial machinery made of steel and loaded with electronics. It would be especially challenging if the product was designed to hide the bomb.
In this day in age submarines would just use stand of weapons, like the cruise missiles launched by allied surface and subsurface craft during operations in the Middle East etc. Thanks for your service and dedication. I salute you.
I served on the Sea Devil during this operation. It don’t tell the whole story but it is close. We operated out of Port Angeles for about three months and docked at the Coast Guard station when in port. We visited Seattle,Victoria and Van C. During our ops. It was my first ops other than San Diego. Eugene Edmonds EM2 SS.
This is Eugene Edmomds again. This operation took place during our ops out of Port Angeles (sp ?) between Jan. and Mar. of 1958. The motion picture was made when???
Wonderful true story and professional men and knowing their machines/tactics! Wish we have this professional military groups today instead of all the P.C. agenda going on today. God Bless the USA and REAL USA CITIZENS!!!
in the video about the germans going into the harbor to sink the british fleet, it starts with an instructor talking to the student captains telling them that the only thing between success failure is their mind. which is part of the old adage, your mind is your primary weapon, all else is an extention there of.
Nothing new. Those have always been there even episode 1. That is the production companies suggested place to put commercials. These tapes were meant for a broadcast network not a newsreel type movie.
Protection Island is nowhere near the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It is on the north side of Vancouver Island near Namaimo, BC. in the Strait of Georgia. Some script writer needs to check up on the geography.
Wrong. It's west of Port Townsend, and just north of the opening of Discovery Bay. I used to fly up and land there, pretty regularly, until it became a marine and bird sanctuary.
+gbowne1 This is SS-400, BALAO class. I think the operation depicted in this episode took place in early 1952. SEA DEVIL was based at Pearl but did ASW TraOps in Puget before overhaul that spring. SS-664 (STURGEON class) was laid down in May, 1964.
664 was a SSN not an SS so this being during the Korean war it had to be the SS 400. SSN 571 Nautilus was not commission until 1954 and the SSN-664 was Commissioned in 1969.
matrox Naah, just regular ruse de guerre, common both on land and at sea, just look at the ww2 allied inteligence ruse sending a corps dressed as army officer with breifcase full of "secret" invasion plans (for calais), or alied fooling germans that norway was to be atacked simply with a few commando raids...
matrox - In war, there is no rule mandating fairness and no dictate against cheating. There is winning, and there is losing. My preference is for winning, whether in a training exercise/test or against live fire targets. De Oppresso Liber
My father was one of the three men depicted in this movie who camped on Protection Island and played the part of fishermen. When they made the movie, they were unable to locate my dad to get permission to use his real name, so in the movie, my dad is depicted as "Taylor". His name was actually W. Robert (Bob) Wehner. I have an article about the exercise that was printed in the November 1954 issue of "Male" magazine, which shows a photo of my dad on Protection Island clad in his coonskin hat. The magazine story is good, but the ads in this 1954 magazine are hilarious. My dad was the 'cartoonist' on the submarine which is probably why he got selected as the sketch artist for this caper. He never tired of telling this story.
HOW Cool to KNOW YOUR HISTORY! RIP GREATEST!
In 1987 I was crewing on a racing sailboat in the Vashon Island Race. At the start of the race we spotted a periscope, one of the Skippers was a retired USN Commander. He said the 'scope was from a Russian D/E sub. Within the hour we had a couple of Coast Guard Cutters, a Frigate and a Destroyer pounding the hell out of the bottom with active sonar and saw a couple of planes running search patterns.
I remember that. I was a liveaboard at Shilshole marina. Served on subs in the 60's.
Run over, tie a bouy to the periscope, call the Navy.
Thank you. I qualified on USS Sea Devil in the early 1960's.
Using a trick or deception in any type of operation is a very good aid and shows good thinking. I know of a friend years ago who performed a mock attack with a flight of F-111’s in Nevada during the 1970’s on a ground radar complex by following a road at very speed and making the enemy believe they were cars or trucks on the highway. His superiors were not happy but he succeeded.
Sonny Burnett, if I was his commander I would have been really impressed and thankful I had a pilot who inventive and intuitive enough to carry out an unusual tactical attack that meant the mission was successful, in war that is something that is an asset, not a drawback, as long as the line between inventive and insane isn’t crossed.
fly at truck and car speed ?
@@motomark9736
Those fighters must have had their speed brakes on and wings full forward to go that slow.
@@drmayeda1930 Nah, they just landed and drove all the way...
Thank you for posting this video. My Grandfather served on the Sea Devil during World War 2. Anything about the Sea Devil helps. Thank you.
I recognize that photo of Gen. Patton- it was on the dust jacket of the book "Before the Colors Fade"
+Todd B. -- Salute! And "Thank You" to your grandfather!
My uncle served on the sea devil as well. Perhaps they were shipmates
I thank and salute your Grandfather. Submariners were/are the bravest men in any Navy.
Did you know that on the Sea Devils first war patrol her first sinking was a Japanese submarine. Way to go SS 400 !!!!!!
I'm delighted to find your series. While more than melodramatic, it's also a fine remembrance of the stories of actual men who did actual things. God Bless them all.
I was impressed that they used a real coast guard cap device during this episode. I just love this series.
I did oceanography study with marine labs on Friday Harbor. I scuba dive Hiro straights on vertical rock wall from nw lighthouse. Ive been diving that 600ft basalt rock wall when US submarine makes Southern turn to go South down Hiro straight with San Juan Island on one side an Vancouver Island on other. When submarine makes that S. Turn it usually sonars down straight. The sonars under water is loud an awesome. Seeing sub pass you, when you can see metal panels, is most awesome! I can understand why ocras sonar are messed with, when submarine uses they're sonar!
We shared a large duplex with the Ruhe family in Newport, RI in the late 50's. I vaguely remember Dad referring to him as 'Barney', but it was a long time ago. In addition to this episode, we heard that he wrote the theme song for the series. I can't verify that, however--not listed in the credits.
Good ol Johnson outboard motor, 17:35 I wouldn't say that they are the best ever built but I have had a few of them over the years and they do work and run ok.
I think that's what my father had in the 60's.
The hard working Jim Davis post-Stories of the Century, pre-Dallas.
82Echo411 one of the best
I'm an instructor at the Navel shipyard in Bremerton and tell this story to my students. Can't remember where I heard it so it's funny that I just now find this video. I didn't know it was 1951. I don't think it could be done now but it would be neat to try. The lady that saw them submerge was in Port Angeles. Loved the idea of the fishing boat as a sound and periscope shield. This is exactly what an enemy could and would have done.
Songs Of White Wolf Belly button?
In this day it would be far less trouble to just load nuclear bombs onto cargo freighters and set them off when they dock.
@@deezynar lol not as easy as you think... that number is covered!
@@bestwishes5060 It would be hard to spot a small device that is buried in a shipping container filled with industrial machinery made of steel and loaded with electronics. It would be especially challenging if the product was designed to hide the bomb.
In this day in age submarines would just use stand of weapons, like the cruise missiles launched by allied surface and subsurface craft during operations in the Middle East etc. Thanks for your service and dedication. I salute you.
CLOAKING DEVICE !!! This is probably the origin of the Cloaking Device concept on Star Trek.
Anything that talks or mentions any thing of Washington and what lies therein, l love it.
I lived in Sedro Woolley,Port Angeles was the closest harbour on Puget Sound. The San Juan island to Whidby Island.Loved Puget Sound.
Thank you for the nice video! Lucky times - nobody strike with tobacco smoking!
Fishing boats may have played a role in the Bungo strait sinkings in the movie - Run Silent, Run Deep".
I served on the Sea Devil during this operation. It don’t tell the whole story but it is close. We operated out of Port Angeles for about three months and docked at the Coast Guard station when in port. We visited Seattle,Victoria and Van C. During our ops. It was my first ops other than San Diego. Eugene Edmonds EM2 SS.
This is Eugene Edmomds again. This operation took place during our ops out of Port Angeles (sp ?) between Jan. and Mar. of 1958. The motion picture was made when???
@@geneedmonds1998 Airdate: Mar 14, 1958
Nelson Leigh as the admiral was outstanding--very believable.
Wonderful true story and professional men and knowing their machines/tactics! Wish we have this professional military groups today instead of all the P.C. agenda going on today. God Bless the USA and REAL USA CITIZENS!!!
Love it.
I would bet that this was the basis of the the comedy movie "Down Periscope", same basic plot.
interesting that this was posted by a man named Richard Damm, i went to high school with a Mike Damm in Portland Oregon
Excellent 👌 👌 👌 9
Jim Davis as the commander.
The ship shown at begining looks like USS W.H. Mann a transport from Seattle to Okinawa in the 1950s
I served on the W A Mann. TAP 112 in the late 50s. Not W H...
@@grumpydwarf167 you are right typo on my part.
Cliff Robertson..woops...Jim Davis
in the video about the germans going into the harbor to sink the british fleet, it starts with an instructor talking to the student captains telling them that the only thing between success failure is their mind. which is part of the old adage, your mind is your primary weapon, all else is an extention there of.
Nice to see the P2V, too.
P
Gardner McKay before he became Adam Troy skipper of the Tiki in Adventures in Paradise.
I noticed something very strange. I saw that when they were... ... I mean, wow, so anyone else notice that?
Nothing new. Those have always been there even episode 1. That is the production companies suggested place to put commercials. These tapes were meant for a broadcast network not a newsreel type movie.
@@drmayeda1930 Sar-casm : The use of irony to mock or convey contempt.
Did they sink puget sound?
As I know US submariners couldn't drink vine. Pity...
Protection Island is nowhere near the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It is on the north side of Vancouver Island near Namaimo, BC. in the Strait of Georgia. Some script writer needs to check up on the geography.
Wrong. It's west of Port Townsend, and just north of the opening of Discovery Bay. I used to fly up and land there, pretty regularly, until it became a marine and bird sanctuary.
Bathtub king in Namiamo had a bathtub boat.Went and saw it.
Is that Warren Oates?..sub capt
A good story, although the sub cheated by dropping off the small boat before the exercise.
Just to clarify, the boat trick itself was great. But he should have dropped it off after the exercise had started.
@@christopherlynch3314 Agreed.
Not a cheat, a real war game. Eugene A. Edmonds EM2 SS. Qualified on Sea Devil SS 400.
I remember way back Our shore officers quarters had toilet and heat stove. I mean our shore officers was a toilet with heat stove. Sorry about that...
Supposedly no Japanese boat was never close to west coast.
No guests?
teeheehee...there's a ship sinking..UFO..unidentified floating object..
Jim Davis? If this was a western chances are he'd
be the bad guy
SS-664 or SS-400??
+gbowne1 This is SS-400, BALAO class. I think the operation depicted in this episode took place in early 1952. SEA DEVIL was based at Pearl but did ASW TraOps in Puget before overhaul that spring. SS-664 (STURGEON class) was laid down in May, 1964.
664 was a SSN not an SS so this being during the Korean war it had to be the SS 400. SSN 571 Nautilus was not commission until 1954 and the SSN-664 was Commissioned in 1969.
That was sort of like cheating though.
matrox
Naah, just regular ruse de guerre, common both on land and at sea, just look at the ww2 allied inteligence ruse sending a corps dressed as army officer with breifcase full of "secret" invasion plans (for calais), or alied fooling germans that norway was to be atacked simply with a few commando raids...
All's fair in love and war!
You use every tool you have or you lose. In war on a sub, if you lose you are most often dead.
matrox there is no such thing as cheating in war. Do you expect the enemy to fight fair?
matrox - In war, there is no rule mandating fairness and no dictate against cheating. There is winning, and there is losing. My preference is for winning, whether in a training exercise/test or against live fire targets.
De Oppresso Liber