Submarine commander Ken White reminisces about his wartime years aboard submarine USS Tiger Shark and struggles with feelings of personal guilt.Submarine commander Ken White reminisces about his wartime years aboard submarine USS Tiger Shark and struggles with feelings of personal guilt.Submarine commander Ken White reminisces about his wartime years aboard submarine USS Tiger Shark and struggles with feelings of personal guilt.
George D. Wallace
- Chief Herb Bixby
- (as George Wallace)
John Close
- Frogman
- (as John V. Close)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaSS-306 was actually the USS Tang. In her short career, lasting barely over a year, she amassed an unequaled record. Depending on the source, she sank either 24 ships for 93,824 tons or 31 ships in her five patrols, totaling 227,800. The Tang was sunk on 25 October,1944 with the loss of 74 men. Nine men, including her skipper, survived. Tang was sunk by her last torpedo which made a circular run. Picked up by a Japanese destroyer, the men were tortured by survivors of the ships she had sunk in her last action. They were interred at Japanese POW camps until the end of the war.
- GoofsIn the opening scenes when a down pilot is being rescued, the sub is at full stop. However in the dialogue, the captain is still calling orders to the engine room to slow engines.
- Quotes
Lt. Cmdr. Ken White: Looks like a nice day for a swim.
Cmdr. Joshua Rice: You wouldn't like it Ken. The water's about 50.
Lt. Cmdr. Ken White: Back in Michigan we call that warm.
Cmdr. Joshua Rice: Down in Kentucky we chop it up and pour bourbon over it .
- ConnectionsFeatured in A Simple Plan (1998)
Featured review
Good...not great. But it does talk about PTSD.
The term Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder was coined more recently, so you won't hear it used in "Submarine Command". However, some of the symptoms clearly are what Lt. Cmdr. Ken White (William Holden) are clearly what he's struggling with...making it one of the earlier war films to tackle this.
The film begins during the closing days of WWII. Ken is second in command on the USS Tiger Shark, a sub. When the ship is under attack from a Japanese plane, he orders the ship to dive in order to save it from being sunk. Unfortunately, the Captain and one other man are stuck on the deck...injured and unable to make it in time. The CPO aboard (William Bendix) holds Ken responsible for losing the men...though he had no other choice. Even the widow and father of the Captain assure Ken he did the right thing...but Ken won't forgive himself or forget it.
When he returns to the US, he gets married...and proves to be a surly husband. His wife has difficulty getting close to him and he is a jerk. When the Korean War arrives, the Tiger Shark is once again activated...and Ken is in command. Can he work through his anxieties and self-doubt? Or, will he simply remain a surly jerk?
This is a decent but not great sub film...and there are quite a few great sub films out there. My biggest gripe is that the CPO was insubordinate at times and it seemed ridiculous for Ken to keep him on the ship as well as bring him aboard years later. But still, this is a minor problem and overall it's very good and worth seeing.
The film begins during the closing days of WWII. Ken is second in command on the USS Tiger Shark, a sub. When the ship is under attack from a Japanese plane, he orders the ship to dive in order to save it from being sunk. Unfortunately, the Captain and one other man are stuck on the deck...injured and unable to make it in time. The CPO aboard (William Bendix) holds Ken responsible for losing the men...though he had no other choice. Even the widow and father of the Captain assure Ken he did the right thing...but Ken won't forgive himself or forget it.
When he returns to the US, he gets married...and proves to be a surly husband. His wife has difficulty getting close to him and he is a jerk. When the Korean War arrives, the Tiger Shark is once again activated...and Ken is in command. Can he work through his anxieties and self-doubt? Or, will he simply remain a surly jerk?
This is a decent but not great sub film...and there are quite a few great sub films out there. My biggest gripe is that the CPO was insubordinate at times and it seemed ridiculous for Ken to keep him on the ship as well as bring him aboard years later. But still, this is a minor problem and overall it's very good and worth seeing.
helpful•11
- planktonrules
- Jun 24, 2017
- How long is Submarine Command?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Runtime1 hour 27 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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