Morning Departure Page #3

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we'll be all right.

MANSON:
Blow Q.

MARKS:
Blow Q, sir.

- What's the captain mean "antenna", sir?

- It means it's electrically operated.

You mean, we don't have to hit it, for it...

No lad, we don't have to hit it.

Q blower and Q Kingston shut, sir.

MANSON:
Sixty feet, sir.

- Vent Q inboard.

- SAILOR:
Vent Q inboard, sir.

- Steady on your course, now.

- KELLY:
Steady, sir. Course 128, sir.

(MINE EXPLODING)

I've just had a signal from the Bullfinch.

"Trojan overdue in exercise

Area Baker Charlie.

"Submarine has not surfaced

within visibility distance

"and cannot be contacted by Asdic.

Am searching."

- That settles it, sir.

- Not necessarily.

A number of things may have happened.

However, we must assume

it's something serious.

- Make Subsmash One signal.

- Aye, aye, sir.

Chief Yeoman. Emergency unclassified.

Address to CinC, Portsmouth.

Flag Officer Submarines. Flag Officer Air.

Costal Command,

Channel Area. Admiralty.

Repeated Air Ministry,

all other CinC's Home Command.

Subsmash One.

- Is that you, Barlow?

- Lieutenant Manson, sir?

- Well, what happened?

- I don't know, sir.

We're not flooded, sir.

At least, not in here, sir.

Where's the captain?

(FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING)

- Are you okay, Number One?

- Oh, I think so.

I must have knocked myself out.

- Barlow?

- Yes, sir.

I think the bows have blown off.

I'm going to check the engine room.

Come on, Chief.

Everybody else all right in here?

- Andrews.

- Andrews, are you all right?

- ANDREWS:
Yes, sir.

- Are you sure?

- ANDREWS:
Quite sure, sir.

- Get across to the main battery fuse

and see if you can get

the emergency lights to work.

- Aye, aye, sir.

- KELLY:
Hello, Coxswain.

- BARLOW:
Kelly?

- Aye, aye, Coxswain.

- Are you all right, Higgins?

- Yes, sir, thank you, sir.

If I have to get blown up,

trust me to land in there.

I'm thinking, sir, the mine

must have blown off the snort mast

and lifted the induction valve.

- Do you mean the stern's flooded, sir?

- We don't know yet.

No point in making

a mystery out of it, Chief.

They've all got to know.

Poor bastards.

If the snort induction lifted,

1000 gallons of water

would get inside in 30 seconds.

I don't think they'd have known

much about it.

A chance in a million.

I'm afraid it won't be much good, Chief.

Try the salvage blow.

- Nice work, men.

- Aye, aye, sir.

That's the lot, sir.

Thank you, Barlow.

Tell the captain, will you?

Aye, aye, sir.

Twelve left out of 65.

Only 12 of us.

I'm not sure that we're the lucky ones.

Have you checked the survivors,

Number One?

Yes, here you are, sir.

Andrews, Brough, Higgins,

Hillbrook, Kelly, Marks, Snipe.

You, Oakley, the Chief, Barlow and myself.

Twelve altogether.

Yes, Snipe?

I just wanted to ask

what had happened, sir.

Can we get up again? Can we escape?

Oh, for God's sake, tell us, sir.

Get back to the control room, Snipe.

Yes, sir.

Let me know at once

if he gives any further trouble.

Very good, sir.

I suppose you have guessed the worst.

We better go and tell the chaps.

No luck with the blows, sir.

- Everyone here, Coxswain?

- All except Higgins, sir.

Able Seaman Higgins.

I'm sorry, sir. I was trying

to get some heat, sir.

We've only got one battery, Higgins,

and we want to save it.

I see, sir. There's plenty of tins, sir.

Good, we may need them.

Now, listen, everybody.

I'm gonna give you the whole position

as far as I know it.

And then I'm going to tell you

what I propose to do about it.

The bows are blown off,

and the stern is flooded.

So the only means

of normal escape left to us,

are through the conning tower

and the gun hatch.

Do you mean that all the other chaps

except us are dead, sir?

Yes, I'm afraid so, Kelly.

But at least they couldn't

have known much about it.

No, sir.

I see.

Thank you, sir.

Now, we're on the bottom,

depth of about 15 fathoms.

The section we're in now

is completely watertight,

so there's nothing to worry

about from that point of view.

By this time, the flap will have started.

The Bullfinch and possibly two or three

other destroyers will be searching for us.

It can only be a matter of hours

before they find us,

because they already know

roughly where we are.

When they do, the drill is to drop

some small charges to let us know.

As soon as we hear them,

four men will go up through the gun hatch.

And ten minutes later,

I shall send another four up

through the conning tower.

That's eight, sir. What about the rest?

I was coming to that.

Now, you all know we can't use

the conning tower or the gun hatch

more than once, don't you?

So as soon as we're sure

the first eight are safe,

I and three others will flood

this whole section and escape that way.

It can be done, and we shall do it.

Anybody got any questions?

How about the air, sir?

Will it last all right?

The normal air will last for several hours.

After that, by using the CO2 absorption

unit and making extra oxygen...

- What's that?

...we can renew it for...

- Oh, that!

...as long as necessary.

All right? Any other questions?

Right.

Now there's nothing much

we can do now except wait.

Waiting's not too easy, but

I know you'll manage it all right.

Move about as little as possible,

take it easy. Sleep if you want to.

That should be quite simple,

shouldn't it, Higgins?

(ALL CHUCKLING)

- Oh, no, sir. I never sleep in the day, sir.

- No, of course you don't.

We could blow some oil to the surface, sir.

Might help them find us a bit quicker.

Oil. That's a good idea, Chief. Higgins?

- Are you sure you don't want to sleep?

- What, me, sir? Oh, no, sir.

- Good. Then you can blow some oil.

- Certainly, sir. Where from, sir?

From the place you usually

go to for a quiet smoke.

Blimey!

You think you're everything,

don't you, sir?

(OIL SPLASHING)

I thought I was supposed to be a cook,

not a perishing plumber!

Hello, Sub. Where's the captain?

Well, he's in the conning tower,

checking the upper hatch.

You've made an escape before,

haven't you?

Why, naturally, we all have.

No, I don't mean the practice tank,

I mean a real one.

You did, didn't you? During the war.

Yes.

Was it... Was it all right?

It must've been. Otherwise he wouldn't

be here now, would he, lad?

I mean, it was quite easy, like the tank?

Sure. Piece of cake.

- How deep were you then?

- About the same as this.

Don't you worry, Sub.

It's as safe as crossing in the street.

Safer, if it happens

to be Sauchiehall Street.

You were in the Welkin then, weren't you?

They...

Did they all get out? I mean...

Look, if you have nothing else

to talk about,

for God's sake, keep quiet!

"Seven down. Led to self-control."

Any suggestions?

I'm sorry.

BROUGH:
There, beat that if you can.

Don't get so excited man, you'll be

breathing more than your fair share of air.

I'll bet you anything you like

I'll win this game.

All right, what's your stakes?

- A tot of rum, tomorrow.

- I'll take you!

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