Destination Tokyo

---

In Washington, high-ranking Navy and

Army officers meet in closed conference.

After months of secret preparations...

... a far-reaching, combined operation

is about to begin.

Continued secrecy is imperative...

... for the plan's success.

We've cornered the chili sauce market

for you, sir.

Good work, Cookie.

Got steaks to go with it?

Yes, sir.

Captain, last torpedo's on board.

- Right. I'll be at the dock phone.

- Aye, aye, sir.

Any luck on that Oklahoma City call?

Sorry, Captain Cassidy, I haven't

gotten through to your wife.

You know how it is. Christmas Eve.

Yes, I know how it is.

Thank you. Cancel the call.

Hi, Rocky. That kid of yours

been born yet?

- Yes, sir. It's a boy.

- What, no cigar?

- Congratulations, Rocky.

- Thank you, sir.

- Oh, captain.

- What, Sparks?

- I got the record changer all hooked up, sir.

- So I hear.

The crew certainly does appreciate

your gift, sir.

Well, after five patrols,

I appreciate my crew, Sparks.

Full fuel, lube, oil, battery

and fresh water.

Engineering department

ready for sea, sir.

Request permission to warm up

the main engine.

- Okay, Larry.

- Thank you, sir.

Sweetheart, we're shoving off

ahead of schedule.

Something urgent.

I tried to telephone you

and the children...

... to wish you a merry Christmas...

... and to tell you I'm now wearing

three stripes on my sleeve...

... and some embarrassingly shiny

scrambled eggs on my cap.

I hope you like

the nylon stockings, darling.

Don't ask me how I got them.

Tell Michael I couldn't find

a toy submarine.

Tell him it's the war.

He'll understand.

There's even a shortage of teddy bears,

but I found one for Debby.

I hope her chickenpox didn't leave

any marks on that sweet face.

Full torpedoes onboard.

All tubes loaded and ready for war shot.

Full ammunition and pyrotechnics

onboard.

- Gunnery department ready for sea, sir.

- Very well, Pete.

- Send in the mail orderly, please.

- Aye, aye, sir.

I've got the same good crew.

A few new men from sub school.

If we were together tonight, darling...

- Mail orderly, captain.

- Mail this before we shove off.

Aye, aye, sir.

All hands aboard. All departments

ready for sea.

Secured quarters.

They won't kick you upstairs.

- You're too valuable at sea.

- Who's kidding who?

I'll be fighting from a desk

after this patrol, Andy.

Gather around, men.

I'm sorry your liberty was cut short.

But I guess the Navy would have let us have

Christmas ashore if this wasn't important.

The men who've been with me know

I don't believe in fight talks.

When a man gives a fight talk,

he needs one himself.

For the benefit of newcomers,

you're here because you volunteered.

You're well-trained, highly selected men,

and we're glad to have you aboard.

You may be infants in

the submarine service...

...but you'll be veterans

by the time we make port again.

We've had pretty fair luck so far.

Let's hope we really smear them

this time.

- Dismiss the crew.

- Aye, aye, sir.

Leave your quarters.

Shore connection is clear.

Topside secured, all except mooring lines.

Okay, chief.

All tested out. Ship ready

for getting under way, sir.

Number one and two

main engines on propulsion.

Okay, let's go.

Single up!

Answer bells.

Take in one!

Pull five! Port, back one-third.

Port, stop.

Take in five!

All ahead one-third.

- Hatch secured.

- Report, forward room rigged for diving.

What do you think you are?

The pipes of Pan?

This, Dakota, is a genuine Nazi flute.

- I paid an Atlantic sailor 5 bucks for it.

- Nazi flute?

You can get them in Frisco for four bits.

- Do you know of Tarpon Springs, Florida?

- Sure.

- You do?

- Yeah.

The best fishermen in the world

are the Greeks, my people.

You're Greek?

- Greek-American.

- What's your name?

Leos Deopoulis Gurfelis Junior.

That "junior" is pure American.

But seeing you're off a destroyer

we'll settle for "Tin Can." Okay?

Okay, just so long as nobody around here

calls me "Hey, Greek."

- I'm sensitive.

- Oh, Mike.

Surprise.

Here's that 5-spot I borrowed.

- Fine time to pay me back.

- But I did pay you.

There goes one of the nicest guys

that ever borrowed 5 bucks from me.

Why doesn't the captain

wear his decorations?

- Doesn't need to.

- We heard a lot about him at sub school.

You can believe anything that was good.

Those torpedoes cost 12,000 bucks

apiece. Our skipper doesn't waste them.

He's got more plain intestinal fortitude

than any guy I ever met.

I'd follow him right into

the mikado's bathtub.

Do you think we'll see action?

Good. That's why I got off

that four-stacker.

Up and down, nothing but escorting.

Made me sick.

- Sitting on a beehive?

- I know. He wants a medal.

Who cares about medals?

I got a better reason.

Pipe down. Look.

In all my 12 years in the Navy,

I never seen a doll on a submarine.

I won her, Mike. Cute, huh?

- She gonna bunk with you?

- Yep.

She's a liberty gimmick.

Makes gals jealous.

- Jealous of that doll?

- Sure.

I take her into a joint, sit her on a table.

Then we have a long talk.

It never fails.

Dame comes up and says,

"That's the best you can do?"

I says, "That's up to you, honey."

What happens then?

- How old are you, Tommy?

- Nineteen.

Come back next year.

Say, that's a cute military objective

you got there.

- That's my sister.

- Oh, intelligent too.

Well, if you boys don't mind, Nita and I,

we want to be alone, don't we?

See? It's cute. I told you.

You know, it works all the time.

Passed the submarine net, captain.

Well, Andy, it'll be a long time

between beers.

Merry Christmas, Mike.

Merry Christmas, Tommy.

This is the first Christmas

I ever spent underwater.

You should have been aboard with us

Christmas Day 1941.

The Japs sure gave us

a Christmas present.

Blasted the living daylights out of us

off Lingayen Gulf.

Between depth charges,

we ate Christmas dinner in the dark...

...200 feet down.

Ice water and sandwiches.

Well-sprinkled with rust and chips of paint

that kept flying off the bulkheads at that.

- Bet you said your prayers.

- I sure did. Some extra Hail Marys too.

- Do you think prayers do any good, Mike?

- Sure, they do.

Some guys say, "Go ahead, prove to me

there's a God."

I don't argue. I just know,

like I know there's salt in the sea.

That's the way it is with me too.

Look, Mike, if we get depth-charged,

and I show any signs of being yellow...

...you sock me.

- Right on the button.

- That's a promise?

- It's a promise.

If I were in Connecticut now...

...Mother and Dad would come in

to wake me singing Christmas carols.

It's sort of a custom they started

when I was a kid.

Pretty, ain't it?

Those guys practice all year for this.

- Merry Christmas.

- Merry Christmas, you guys!

- Merry Christmas, Tin Can!

- Happy Noel.

Same to you and many more.

Merry Christmas, skipper.

Merry Christmas, fellas.

Merry Christmas, skipper.

And a very merry Christmas to you gents.

We'll have to top the diesels.

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