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By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Daniel Hinton
JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR HICKAM – As the hot Hawaiian air rested and doors of historic Sharkey Theater opened, Sept. 22, 2016 submarine Sailors from past and present entered the 1940’s.
The Sailors who filled the auditorium, like the building they entered, were a combination of old and new.
The new air conditioning system in the pre-WWII building cooled both active submariners, and retired submariners whose watch for the nation has ended.
The decade was not really 1940 and WWII is over, the stories of Allied submarine warfare were being retold in a historical documentary television series called “Hell Below.”
The series is a harrowing retelling of critical submarine battles during WWII.
Paul Jurcsak, a veteran and base commander for the Bowfin Base United States Submarine Veterans, Inc., said he loved how authentic and realistic the episodes were.
“The episodes really show how dedicated both submarine forces were.”
While the stories were gripping, the screening had the added benefit of strengthening the bonds between submarine veterans and those still active.
“The guys who are on active duty today are very much interested in WWII veterans, so this is an opportunity for them to actually see what happen back then,” said Karl Dye, a veteran and member the United States Submarine Veterans Association.
Dye said he enjoyed interacting with current submariners and seeing what is going on in the submarine force today.
Although many of the facts of WWII are well known, much of the U.S. Navy’s submarine successes, especially directly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, remain relatively unknown.
“Because our submarines were not struck, they were able to begin war patrols that carried the battle across the Pacific and into Japanese home waters while the battle fleet was repaired,” said Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, Rear Adm. Frederick “Fritz” Roegge.
“Our submariners did their deadly business very well. Although submarines were only two percent of our Navy, they sank 60% of all Japanese ships sunk during the war. But submariners paid the heavy price of the highest rate of casualties of any branch of service in the war.”
One of the episodes screened was “America Fights Back” and displayed the success of the Gato-class USS Wahoo (SS-238) and its most famous Commanding Officer Cmdr. Dudley “Mush” Morton.
The show recounted his aggressive style and how it changed the way commanding officers of submarines in that era engaged the enemy.
While the images on the screen were just that—images, both active and retired submariners felt a deep connection to the stories depicted.
“Once you are a submariner it is in your blood and it is in your heart and it never goes away,” said Jurcsak.
For more news from the Pacific Submarine Force, visit www.csp.navy.mil.
| Date Taken: | 09.22.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 09.23.2016 22:17 |
| Story ID: | 210508 |
| Location: | PEARL HARBOR, HI, US |
| Web Views: | 175 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, "Hell Below" Screened at Sharkey, by PO1 Daniel Hinton, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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