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Season guide

The Silent Service: Season 1

39 episodes Premiered Apr 5, 1957 Updated Jul 30, 2026

The Silent Service is a 1957-1958 syndicated anthology television series based on actual events in the submarine section of the United States Navy. The series is a documentary-dramatic anthology that features stories based on fact. The realism of the series was heightened by the use of actual combat footage from the files of the Navy. The series was produced in 1957-1958.

Season overview

The Silent Service is a 1957-1958 syndicated anthology television series based on actual events in the submarine section of the United States Navy. The series is a documentary-dramatic anthology that features stories based on fact. The realism of the series was heightened by the use of actual combat footage from the files of the Navy. The series was produced in 1957-1958.

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Episodes

S1·E1

The Jack at Tokyo

Apr 5, 1957 · 30 min

A submarine springs a leak while well into Japanese waters. An engineer takes on the dangerous mission of repairing it.

S1·E2

The Trout at the Rainbow's End

Apr 12, 1957 · 30 min

A docudrama about a mission during World War II by the submarine USS Trout involving transporting a large amount of gold and silver.

S1·E3

The End of the Line

Apr 17, 1957 · 30 min

The USS Thresher is caught at the end of a Japanese destroyer's grappling hook and attempts to shake itself loose.

S1·E4

The Sculpin Story

Apr 26, 1957 · 30 min

After a damaged submarine is forced to surface, all hands are ordered by the captain to abandon ship, but he stays aboard.

S1·E5

The Spearfish Delivers

May 3, 1957 · 30 min

A submarine is ordered to slip into Japanese-occupied Filipino waters to spirit out some important passengers from Corregidor.

S1·E6

The U.S.S. Bergall's Dilemma

May 10, 1957 · 30 min

The USS Bergall, which has been badly damaged, is trying to get to port but three Japanese patrol boats are making it difficult.

S1·E7

The U.S.S. Batfish Scores

May 17, 1957 · 30 min

The USS Batfish is ordered to intercept some enemy submarines that are carrying very important Japanese officials.

S1·E8

The U.S.S. Tigrone Sets a Record

Jun 6, 1957 · 30 min

A submarine trying to rescue downed American pilots comes under attack from Japanese destroyers.

S1·E9

The Five-Ring Circus

Jun 27, 1957 · 30 min

On the hunt for a Japanese convoy, the crew of the USS Gato discovers that an unexploded enemy depth charge has landed on its deck.

S1·E10

The U.S.S. Pampanito Story

Jun 7, 1957 · 30 min

U.S. subs are about to close in on a Japanese convoy. What they don't know is that aboard one of the ships are Allied POWs.

S1·E11

The U.S.S. Tirante Plays a Hunch

Jun 14, 1957 · 30 min

The commander of the submarine USS Tirante may lose his target in the shallow waters of a Japanese-held harbor if he doesn't surface.

S1·E12

The U.S.S. Tang vs. Truk

Jun 21, 1957 · 30 min

With morale low, USS Tang stands by for rescue downed American pilots during the attack on the Truk islands.

S1·E13

The Wahoo Story

Jun 28, 1957 · 30 min

The final mission of the USS Wahoo.

S1·E15

The Ordeal of S-38

Jul 12, 1957 · 30 min

A submarine suffers a series of disasters: a broken prop, damaged instruments and an explosion onboard.

S1·E16

The Seahorse Story

Jul 19, 1957 · 30 min

The USS Seahorse is in big trouble: it's deep in Japanese waters, it's been badly damaged and is in danger of being destroyed by a barrage of enemy depth charges.

S1·E17

The Salmon Swims Upstream

Jul 26, 1957 · 30 min

In October of 1944. 100 miles off Japan. Salmon is damaged in a depth charge attack and must remain surfaced.

S1·E18

Cargo for Crevalle

Aug 2, 1957 · 30 min

The crew of the USS Crevalle takes aboard a Filipino woman about to give birth to a baby.

S1·E19

Boomerang

Aug 9, 1957 · 30 min

A sub being hunted by Japanese ships is forced to settle on the bottom of the ocean to escape detection, but it has been badly damaged and if it stays on the bottom for too long it

S1·E20

The Squailfish

Aug 16, 1957 · 30 min

The Squailfish sinks a Japanese escort carrier, but that only seems to be what sets off a string of bad luck that begins to plague the sub.

S1·E21

The Grouper Story

Aug 23, 1957 · 30 min

Prior to the invasion, the USS Grouper transports Australian raiders and their native guides to a hidden cove on New Britain.

S1·E22

The Eyes of the Seawolf

Aug 30, 1957 · 30 min

When his ship's attempts to sink Japanese shipping fail, a seaman with an interest in photography produces evidence of faulty design.

S1·E23

The Sea Dragon Story

Sep 6, 1957 · 30 min

The USS Sea Dragon's oxygen tanks are exhausted. Death by suffocation or enemy gun fire seems inevitable.

S1·E24

The Narwhal's Passenger from Mindanao

Sep 13, 1957 · 30 min

A docudrama about a submarine mission during World War II, the rescue by the USS Narwhal of escaped POW survivors of Bataan from the island of Mindanao.

S1·E25

The Perch's New Role

Sep 20, 1957 · 30 min

A docudrama about the submarine USS Perch on a mission during The Korean War to deliver British Royal Marines on a secret commando raid.

S1·E26

The Final War Patrol

Sep 27, 1957 · 30 min

Concerns the Gato Class WWII Sub U.S.S. Barb (SS-220) and her Final WWII Patrol.

S1·E27

The Last Dive

Oct 4, 1957 · 30 min

A broken propeller, an internal explosion and damaged instruments plague an outmoded American submarine assigned to attack Jap transports.

S1·E28

The Gar Story

Oct 11, 1957 · 30 min

A docudrama about the submarine USS Gar on a secret mission with guerillas during World War II.

S1·E29

The Story of the U.S.S. Flier

Oct 18, 1957 · 30 min

The successes and the sinking of the USS Flyer and the dozen who survived after 17 hours in the water and then had to sail to additional islands before finding food and rescue.

S1·E30

The Starfish Came Home

Oct 25, 1957 · 30 min

Enemy bombers attack the U.S.S. Starfish, and a hatch cover sticks as it attempts to submerge.

S1·E31

The Sealion Story

Nov 1, 1957 · 30 min

A damaged sub surfaces to attack a fleet of Japanese destroyers.

S1·E32

The Nautilus Story

Nov 8, 1957 · 30 min

The Nautilus is assigned to observation duty at Tarawa and caught between U.S. and Japanese fire.

S1·E33

Hit 'Em Again, Harder

Nov 15, 1957 · 30 min

The Captain of the USS Harder earns the Congressional Medal of Honor by aggressive tactics which sink a record number of enemy destroyers over a few days. As a result, Japanese pla

S1·E34

The Seashark Story

Nov 22, 1957 · 30 min

A photographer's mate is frightened by his assignment - to photograph submarines in action. The crew helps to make things unpleasant.

S1·E35

The Tshushima Straits Story

Nov 29, 1957 · 30 min

At the urging of Vice Admiral Charles A. Lockwood, civilian scientists developed an electronic device that enabled submarines to detect floating and submerged mines. With this appa

S1·E36

The Searaven

Dec 6, 1957 · 30 min

A U.S. sub becomes a sitting duck to save Australian soldiers from Timor Island.

S1·E37

The Tang's Last Shot

Dec 13, 1957 · 30 min

The USS Tang, after sinking an entire convoy, gets in the way of her own torpedo.

S1·E38

The Loss of the Perch

Dec 20, 1957 · 30 min

The perch starts wwii two engines down and doesn't keep them repaired long. During the opening of the war it suffers a series of mishaps (a circular running torpedo detonates close

S1·E39

The Guardfish

Dec 27, 1957 · 30 min

Action centers around the historic and very successful First War Patrol for the USS Guardfish. There is a side story that the Guardfish got so close to Tokyo Bay that her crew were