I've jumped ship from my local DVD stores - too many damaged discs - and gone to NetFlix. Now I'm thinking about all the strange movies I might be able to get...I'm wondering what your favorites are; ones with WWII ships as main characters?
For instance: Is the old 1950's TV series "The Silent Service" - the one with the unvarying lead-in of water rising up over the down-scope - available? Of course there is "Victory At Sea", and then there was that one about a cargo ship at war that sticks in my mind for some reason. Stephen

That movie might be Away all Boats. It was about the attack transport USS Belinda, aka "Beachhead Belinda." It's a pretty good movie based on an even better book.

Of course it could be the classic Mr Roberts concerning the USS Reluctant, aka The Old Bucket.

As to good ship movies how long do you have to read this? Among those in my collection...

Sink the Bismarck
Das Boot
The Enemy Below
Master and Commander.
Operation Petticoat

Of those I'd like to add to my stash number one has got to be The Battle of the River Platte. Among some others are Stand by for Action, about a "four piper" destroyer in WWII, Action in the North Atlantic, another one about a cargo ship, Destination Tokyo, in Harm's Way, John Paul Jones, We Dive at Dawn, Above us the Waves, and of course another great flick In Which We Serve.

If you are looking for only documentaries the two you mention are the best and I can't really think of any that compare.

You can also add to that list:
The Sea Chase
The Caine Mutany
Operation Pacific
Wing and a Prayer
Task Force
Hunt for Red October
Gray Lady Down

Unfortunately I have never seen "The Silent Service" released on either VHS or DVD.

Some of my favorite Navy films (Ship Flicks)
The Sand Pebbles
Corvette K225
Run Silent, Run Deep
The Sea Wolves
The Silent Enemy
Master and Commander
They Were Expendable
Mister Roberts
We Dive at Dawn
Flat Top
You're in the Navy Now
The Enemy Below
Battle Hell (Yangtse Incident)

Her are some of my favorites:

Sink the Bismarck
Das Boot
U-571 Yeah,I thought it was entertaining at least
In Harms Way "We got a mother-lovin,Gut bustin Navy War"
Sand Pebbles
PT-109

One with Peter O'Toole trying to sink a U-boat with a seaplane and some molotov cocktails somewhere in the tropics.Then he succeeded with a barge and an old torpedo.

Murphy's War

Don't forget "The Cruel Sea." Great book and a very good movie which stay's very close to the book, and the facts of the Battle of the Atlantic.

I forgot about "Morituri." Yul Brenner and Marlon Brando. Excellent movie.

I didn't care for "The Battle of the River Platte." Something about a US cruiser playing the Graf Spee just didn't look right.

As you might quess, my #1 favrite is "In Harms Way." It might not have had the best special effects but it rocked.

It does seem like you guys pretty much listed all fo the good ones. Another good old navy movie is "Battleship Potemkin" it is a silent film, but still really good. Also "The Perfect Storm" very good showing small boats in a BIG storm.

Unfortunately German Pocket Battleships were somewhat scare when they made the movie. They did it right by using INS Delhi, formerly the HMS Achilles, as herself and HMS Cumberland as herself. Along with HMS Sheffield as HMS Ajax and HMS Jamaica as HMS Exeter.

The USN would not allow any Nazi insignia aboard the Salem.

The movie has a couple of fun sequences.

When the gunnery officer reports to the captain after the battle the captain asks how he was doing. The reply "A few new ventilation gaps here, sir. A bit draughty, but otherwise all right." The skipper looks up and sees the control position is full of shot holes.

After Commodore Harwood is awarded the Knight of the Bath, and the Captain is awarded Companion of the Bath, Harwood laughs that they don't have a bath between them. (The officers washroom having been destroyed.)

Although a bit hokey, LXG: League of Extrordinary Gentleman, I thought was quite good. Captain Nemo's sub in the movie was pretty cool.

Wow; great suggestions. Some I had forgotten and some I have never heard of. "Das Boot": of course - but don't forget there was the movie release, the Director's Cut, and most of all, the 9 (?)-hour Deutsche TV release. Lots of beautiful lonely open-ocean nighttime cruising footage. "Silent Service" not yet found by me in DVD release but every minute of footage is marked 'Saved" by me in some lost memory file. , esp. And I am surprised that no one - esp. myself - mentioned Bogart's The African Queen! What a magnificent example of true fighting spirit! Stephen

Crimson Tide - just in case there is one of us Out There who has not seen it yet. Gene Hackman as skipper and Denzel Washington as XO was perfect casting!

Don't forget The Cruel Sea and Damn the Defiant!, and as a guilty pleasure, the Disney version of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Kirk Douglas could sure belt out sea chanties!

--Karl

Let's not forget "Down Periscope" with Kelsey Grammer and Lauren Holly. It's a hoot....


Bob

Not to be confused with the equally entertaining "Up Periscope".

Nice new avatar Lt Cdr. Reed.

Thanks Dave!

It's from a screen cap I made from a new Aussie TV show I've been able to see called Sea Patrol. It's actually pretty good and makes a good stab at realism as far as shipboard life is concerned. Good action, good fun.

cheers.
Bob

Sea Patrol, haven't seen that one yet. Maybe next season or next year it will make one of the US cable channels.

Correction: German TV series Das Boot, available entire on USA DVD, is 5+ hrs., not 9 hrs. Still, lots of open-sea patrolling footage. Really gives a good sense of the lonely peace and boredom involved. Stephen

I've always liked "Destroyer" with Edward G. Robinson and a young Glen Ford. And a couple of Bogart flicks, "Action in the North Atlantic", and "Passage to Marseilles". Besides all those movies already mentioned. Al

I really liked Away all Boats, but my favorite is The Sand Pebbles. Not only because it was about a machinists mate, which I was also once, but because Steve McQueen is one of my favorite actors. The drama , character building and action was terrific..........Anything John Wayne also makes the list.................Al