The submarine film is a

subgenre Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...

war film War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about navy, naval, air force, air, or army, land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle s ...

in which most of the plot revolves around a

submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...

below the ocean's surface. Films of this subgenre typically focus on a small but determined crew of submariners battling against enemy submarines or submarine-hunter ships, or against other problems ranging from disputes amongst the crew, threats of mutiny, life-threatening mechanical breakdowns, or the daily difficulties of living on a submarine. The genre plays on the psychological tension of the submarine's crew and their unseen enemy, signified by a soundscape that may feature explosions, the ping of

sonar Sonar (sound navigation and ranging or sonic navigation and ranging) is a technique that uses sound propagation (usually underwater, as in submarine navigation) to navigate, measure distances ( ranging), communicate with or detect objects o ...

, the creaking of the submarine's hull under extreme pressure, the alarm ordering the submarine to dive, and the threatening sound signatures of a destroyer's propeller or of an approaching torpedo. Some 150 films have been made in the submarine genre between 1910 and 2010, variously depicting submarines in relatively realistic stories about World War I, World War II or the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

, or purely fictional and fantastic scenarios.

Characteristics

Submarine films have their own particular

semantics Semantics is the study of linguistic Meaning (philosophy), meaning. It examines what meaning is, how words get their meaning, and how the meaning of a complex expression depends on its parts. Part of this process involves the distinction betwee ...

and

syntax In linguistics, syntax ( ) is the study of how words and morphemes combine to form larger units such as phrases and sentences. Central concerns of syntax include word order, grammatical relations, hierarchical sentence structure (constituenc ...

, creating a

film genre A film genre is a Genre, stylistic or thematic category for Film, motion pictures based on similarities either in the narrative , narrative elements, aesthetic approach, or the emotional response to the film. Drawing heavily from the theories ...

concerned specifically with

submarine warfare Submarine warfare is one of the four divisions of underwater warfare, the others being anti-submarine warfare, Naval mine, mine warfare and Naval mine, mine countermeasures. Submarine warfare consists primarily of Diesel engine, diesel and nu ...

. A distinctive element in this genre is the

soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...

, which attempts to bring home the emotional and dramatic nature of conflict under the sea. For example, in the 1981 ''

Das Boot (; ) is a 1981 West Germany, West German war film written and directed by Wolfgang Petersen, produced by Günter Rohrbach, and starring Jürgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer and Klaus Wennemann. An Film adaptation, adaptation of Lothar-Günthe ...

'', the sound design works together with the hours-long film format to depict lengthy pursuit with depth charges, and as the critic Linda Maria Koldau writes, Koldau identifies the basic syntactic structure of the submarine genre as "outside is bad, inside is good." The unseen outside means the enemy: this may be from nature, with elements such as water pressure threatening to crush the hull, sea monsters, or underwater rocks; or human opponents. Meanwhile, the inside of the submarine represents the human warmth and trust of the crew for each other and for their

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

, their lives bound together by the situation. To this scenario can be added elements from within such as

mutiny Mutiny is a revolt among a group of people (typically of a military or a crew) to oppose, change, or remove superiors or their orders. The term is commonly used for insubordination by members of the military against an officer or superior, ...

, fire, discord, or accidents including radiation leakage; and from outside such as water, terrorism, disease, and weapons, while the plot may feature sudden switches from being the hunter to being the hunted. The soundscape may depict the creaking of the hull under pressure: as Koldau observes, this is both realistic and

metaphor A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide, or obscure, clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are usually meant to cr ...

ic, standing in for the fear and the responsibility on the shoulders of the crew. Stress may further be expressed in the acoustic signature of specifically submarine threats, such as the swelling sound of an approaching

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, maneuverable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy, or carrier battle group and defend them against a wide range of general threats. They were conceived i ...

propeller A propeller (often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon a working flu ...

, the soft buzz of an enemy

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, such ...

, or the submarine's own alarm ordering an immediate dive. Another element of the soundscape less often remarked upon is simply silence, which can mean both safety (nothing is happening) and unseen danger, creating tension.

List of submarine movies

This is a list of

movie A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

s, grouped by the era in which they were made, in which a submarine plays a significant role in the storyline. From 1910 to 2010, some 150 fictional films about submarines have been made. Many of these are set in World War I, World War II, or the Cold War; others depict relatively "authentic" terrorist scenarios. Some movies depict historical events from actual battles or incidents, such as '' Above Us the Waves'', a 1955 film which depicts the true story of the British

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

midget submarine A midget submarine is any submarine under 150 tons, typically operated by a crew of one or two but sometimes up to six or nine, with little or no on-board living accommodation. They normally work with mother ships, from which they are launched an ...

s attacks on the . Other submarine movies develop a fictional plot created using more or less realistic details of naval warfare, such as the film ''U-571'', which tells the story of a fictional U-boat in World War II. Other submarine films from the

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

or occasionally

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...

genres depict entirely fictitious events, such as the various film versions of

Jules Verne Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the ''Voyages extraor ...

's novel ''20,000 Leagues Under the Sea''.

Set before World War I

* ''

Hearts in Bondage ''Hearts in Bondage'' is a 1936 American black-and-white war drama film directed by Lew Ayres for Republic Pictures. Set during the American Civil War, the film depicts the Union Navy's deliberate sinking of , the Confederate States Navy's sa ...

'' (1936) – directed by

Lew Ayres Lewis Frederick Ayres III (December 28, 1908 – December 30, 1996) was an American actor whose film and television career spanned 65 years. He is best known for starring as German soldier Paul Bäumer in the film ''All Quiet on the Western Fro ...

* '' The Hunley'' (1999) – CSS ''Hunley'' attacks a U.S. Navy ship

Made before World War II

* '' The Secret of the Submarine'' (1915) – US action-adventure silent serial directed by George L. Sargent depicting prevention of US submarine from falling into enemy hands * '' A Submarine Pirate'' (1915) – US heist-comedy-short directed by Charles Avery and Syd Chaplin, depicting waiter attempting to foil sea-heist of gold-filled cargo vessel by submarine * ''

Civilization A civilization (also spelled civilisation in British English) is any complex society characterized by the development of state (polity), the state, social stratification, urban area, urbanization, and symbolic systems of communication beyon ...

'' (1916) – US allegorical-drama directed by Reginald Barker, Thomas H. Ince, Raymond B. West, et al. depicting pacifist German Count's construction of submarine with order to sink ocean liner ''

Lusitania Lusitania (; ) was an ancient Iberian Roman province encompassing most of modern-day Portugal (south of the Douro River) and a large portion of western Spain (the present Extremadura and Province of Salamanca). Romans named the region after th ...

'' presumably also carrying enemy munitions; a.k.a. ''La cruz de la humanidad'', a.k.a. ''Civilização'' * ''

The Little American ''The Little American'' is a 1917 American silent romantic war drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille. The film stars Mary Pickford (who also served as producer) as an American woman who is in love with both a German soldier and a French ...

'' (1917) – US action-drama directed by Cecil B. DeMille and Joseph Levering, depicting ship of young Americans returning to ancestral French home torpedoed by a German

U-boat U-boats are Submarine#Military, naval submarines operated by Germany, including during the World War I, First and Second World Wars. The term is an Anglicization#Loanwords, anglicized form of the German word , a shortening of (), though the G ...

and witness to German brutality while imprisoned; a.k.a. ''A Pequena Americana'', a.k.a. ''La petite américaine'' * '' On the Jump'' (1918) – US comedy directed by

Raoul Walsh Raoul Walsh (born Albert Edward Walsh; March 11, 1887December 31, 1980) was an American film director, actor, founding member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), and the brother of silent cinema actor George Walsh. He wa ...

, depicting US reporter who joins

Liberty Loan A liberty bond or liberty loan was a war bond that was sold in the United States to support the Allies of World War I#Co-belligerents; the United States, Allied cause in World War I. Subscribing to the bonds became a symbol of patriotic duty ...

campaign before he must rescue his girlfriend and stolen secret fuel formula from German agent rendezvousing with a German U-boat * ''

Patriotism Patriotism is the feeling of love, devotion, and a sense of attachment to one's country or state. This attachment can be a combination of different feelings for things such as the language of one's homeland, and its ethnic, cultural, politic ...

'' (1918) – US mystery-drama directed by Raymond B. West, depicting search in Scotland for German agent sending vital information to German U-boat fleet off the Scottish coast * '' Behind the Door'' (1919) – US action-drama directed by

Irvin Willat Irvin V. Willat (November 18, 1890 – April 17, 1976) was an American film director of the silent film, silent film era. A short biography reprinted from ''Blue Book of the Screen'' (1923). He directed 39 films between 1917 and 1937. Early i ...

, depicting German-American naval officer who takes revenge against the German U-boat commander who brutalized his wife after sinking his ship; a.k.a. ''Detrás de la puerta'' * '' The False Faces'' (1919) – US espionage-drama directed by

, depicting a thief who becomes a reluctant US agent and infiltrates German U-boat to deliver vital enemy information; a.k.a. ''The Lone Wolf'' * '' The Isle of Conquest'' (1919) – US adventure-drama directed by

, based on Arthur Hornblow novel, about a man and woman marooned on a deserted isle after their ship is sunk by a German U-boat * ''

Mare Nostrum In the Roman Empire, () was a term that referred to the Mediterranean Sea. Meaning "Our Sea" in Latin, it denoted the body of water in the context of borders and policy; Ancient Rome, Rome remains the only state in history to have controlled th ...

'' (1926) – directed by Rex Ingram * ''

Submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...

'' (1928) – directed by

Frank Capra Frank Russell Capra (born Francesco Rosario Capra; May 18, 1897 – September 3, 1991) was an Italian-American film director, producer, and screenwriter who was the creative force behind Frank Capra filmography#Films that won Academy Award ...

* '' Men Without Women'' (1930) – fictional USS ''S-13'' * '' The Sea Ghost'' (1931) – a.k.a. ''U-67'' * '' A Woman of Experience'' (1931) * '' Morgenrot'' (1933) * '' Hell Below'' (1933) – USS ''AL-14'' * '' Dark Journey'' (1937) – UK adventure-thriller directed by Victor Saville * '' Submarine D-1'' (1937) * ''

Submarine Patrol ''Submarine Patrol'' is a 1938 film directed by John Ford. The screenplay was by Rian James, Darrell Ware, and Jack Yellen. The film starred Richard Greene, Nancy Kelly and Preston Foster. The supporting cast features George Bancroft, Eli ...

'' (1938) – directed by

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), better known as John Ford, was an American film director and producer. He is regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers during the Golden Age of Hollywood, and w ...

* ' (1939) – the Soviet film * '' The Spy in Black'' (1939) – a.k.a. ''U-Boat 29'' * '' Thunder Afloat'' (1939)

Made during World War II

* '' Three Little Sew and Sews'' (1939) – US comedy short directed by

Del Lord Delmer "Del" Lord (October 7, 1894March 23, 1970) was a Canadians, Canadian film director and actor best known as a director of Three Stooges films. Career Delmer Lord was born in the small town of Grimsby, Ontario, Canada. Interested in the the ...

, depicting the Three Stooges as sailors working in a ships' tailor shop tricked into stealing a submarine by Nazi spies * '' 49th Parallel'' (1941) – a U-boat is sunk in Hudson's Bay, leaving the surviving crewmen stranded in northern Canada * '' U-Boote westwärts!'' (''U-Boat, Course West!'') (1941) – German war film promoting

Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official military branch, branche ...

and Unterseeboot service * '' Crash Dive'' (1943) – fictional USS ''Corsair'' * ' (1943) – the Soviet movie * '' Destination Tokyo'' (1943) – fictional USS ''Copperfin'' * '' Gung Ho'' (1943) – fictional account of the Makin Island raid * '' The Silver Fleet'' (1943) – British drama directed by Vernon Sewell and Gordon Wellesley, depicting a Dutch submarine builder forced to work for the Nazis * ''

Submarine Alert ''Submarine Alert'' is a 1943 American film directed by Frank McDonald (director), Frank McDonald, produced by Pine-Thomas Productions and released by Paramount Pictures. The film stars Richard Arlen, Wendy Barrie, Nils Asther, Roger Pryor, Marc L ...

'' (1943) – US thriller directed by Frank McDonald, depicting a former gangster supplying German U-boat commanders with torpedoes in South America * '' Submarine Base'' (1943) – US drama directed by Albert H. Kelley, depicting Nazi spies using a stolen shortwave transmitter prototype to broadcast top secret shipping info to an offshore

Imperial Japanese Navy The Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN; Kyūjitai: Shinjitai: ' 'Navy of the Greater Japanese Empire', or ''Nippon Kaigun'', 'Japanese Navy') was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945, Potsdam Declaration, when it was dissolved followin ...

submarine * '' We Dive at Dawn'' (1943) – UK action-drama directed by Anthony Asquith, depicting fictional submarine HMS ''Sea Tiger'' on a mission to sink fictional German battleship ''Brandenburg'' * '' Two-Man Submarine'' (1944) – US B-movie directed by

Lew Landers Lew Landers (born Louis Friedlander, January 2, 1901 – December 16, 1962) was an American independent film and television director. Biography Born as Louis Friedlander in New York City, Lew Landers began his movie career as an actor. In 1914, ...

Later films depicting World War II

* '' The Damned'' (1947) – directed by

René Clément René Clément (; 18 March 1913 – 17 March 1996) was a French film director and screenwriter. He is known for directing the films ''The Battle of the Rails'' (1946), ''Forbidden Games'' (1952), ''Gervaise (film), Gervaise'' (1956), ''Purple No ...

* '' Morning Departure'' (1950) – directed by

Roy Ward Baker Roy Ward Baker (born Roy Horace Baker; 19 December 1916 – 5 October 2010) was an English film director. He was known professionally as Roy Baker until 1967, when he adopted Roy Ward Baker as his screen credit. Early life Baker was born i ...

. A British film about a crew aboard a disabled submarine during a rescue operation. * '' Mystery Submarine'' (1950) – directed by

Douglas Sirk Douglas Sirk (born Hans Detlef Sierck; 26 April 1897 – 14 January 1987) was a German film director best known for his work in Hollywood (film industry), Hollywood melodramas of the 1950s. However, he also directed comedies, westerns, and war f ...

, depicting a mission to destroy a U-boat off the coast of South America; a.k.a. ''Phantom Submarine'' * '' Operation Pacific'' (1951) – fictional USS ''Thunderfish'' * '' Submarine Command'' (1951) – US drama directed by

John Farrow John Villiers Farrow, Order of the Holy Sepulchre (Catholic), KGCHS (10 February 190427 January 1963) was an Australian film director, producer, and screenwriter. Spending a considerable amount of his career in the United States, he was nomina ...

, depicting a US submarine commander forced to confront the consequences of sudden high-sea submersion while the crew remain outside the submarine * '' Ubåt 39'' (''U-Boat 39'') (1952) – Swedish drama directed by Hampe Faustman, depicting the crew of * '' Torpedo Alley'' (1953) – US drama directed by

, depicting a US Navy pilot rescued at sea by submarine before applying for submarine duty; a.k.a. ''Down Periscope'' * '' Submarine Attack'' (''La grande speranza'') (1954) – Italian action-romance directed by Duilio Coletti, depicting an Italian submarine sinking Allied shipping during the

Battle of the Atlantic The Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, ran from 1939 to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, covering a major part of the naval history of World War II. At its core was the Allies of World War II, ...

; a.k.a. ''Torpedo Zone'' * '' Above Us the Waves'' (1955) –

s vs. German battleship ''Tirpitz'' * '' Haie und kleine Fische'' (1957) – Four young German naval cadets begin their military service in 1940; only one of them will survive - Based on the

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

of the same name * '' Hellcats of the Navy'' (1957) – fictional USS ''Starfish'' * '' Sea Wife'' (1957) – US action-drama directed by Bob McNaught and starring

Richard Burton Richard Burton (; born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his mellifluous baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespearean actor in the 1950s and gave a memor ...

and Joan Collins, depicting a cargo ship dangerously jammed to excess capacity with evacuees fleeing the 1942 Japanese invasion and Battle of Singapore that is sunk by a Japanese Imperial Navy submarine; one scene depicts the submarine underwater while another scene shows the submarine on the surface * '' The Enemy Below'' (1957) – US action-drama directed by Dick Powell, depicting a duel between an American destroyer escort and a German U-boat in South Atlantic * '' Run Silent, Run Deep'' (1958) – fictional (which loosely shares plot elements and the villain destroyer captain, Bungo Pete, with Edward L. Beach's novel, but not much of the plot) * '' Submarine Seahawk'' (1958) – US action-drama directed by

Spencer Gordon Bennet Spencer Gordon Bennet (January 5, 1893 – October 8, 1987) was an American film producer and director. Known as the "King of Serial Directors", he directed more film serials than any other director. Biography Born in Brooklyn, New York, Benne ...

depicting a US submarine commander on a reconnaissance mission to locate a fleet of

fighting ships; a.k.a. ''Submarine X-2'' * '' Torpedo Run'' (1958) – US drama directed by

Joseph Pevney Joseph Pevney (September 15, 1911 – May 18, 2008) was an American film and television director. Biography Born in New York City, Pevney made his debut in vaudeville as a boy soprano in 1924. Although he hated vaudeville, he loved the thea ...

, depicting a US submarine commander confronted with destroying an

ship with Allied prisoners and civilians * '' U 47 – Kapitänleutnant Prien'' (1958) – somewhat factual combat career of Günther Prien * '' Battle of the Coral Sea'' (1959) – USS ''Dragonfish'' * '' Operation Petticoat'' (1959) – US comedy directed by

Blake Edwards Blake Edwards (born William Blake Crump; July 26, 1922 – December 15, 2010) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Edwards began his career in the 1940s as an actor, but he soon began writing screenplays and radio scripts ...

, depicting fictional USS ''Sea Tiger''; remade in 1977 TV series '' Operation Petticoat'' * '' Orzeł'' (''The Eagle'') (1959) – Polish drama directed by Leonard Buczkowski, depicting ORP Orzeł and Orzeł incident * '' Up Periscope'' (1959) – US drama directed by Gordon Douglas, depicting a US Navy

frogman A frogman is someone who is trained in scuba diving or swimming underwater. The term often applies more to professional rather than recreational divers, especially those working in a tactical capacity that includes military, and in some Europea ...

on mission aboard a submarine to be smuggled into Japanese-held island; a.k.a. ''Up Periscope!'' * '' Nacht fiel über Gotenhafen'' (''Darkness Fell on Gotenhafen'') (1960) – German film about the sinking of the '' Wilhelm Gustloff'' by the Soviet submarine '' S-13''. The film is about the maritime disaster, not about the submarine. * ''

McHale's Navy ''McHale's Navy'' is an American sitcom starring Ernest Borgnine that aired 138 half-hour episodes over four seasons, from October 11, 1962, to April 12, 1966, on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network. The series was filmed i ...

'' (TV series), ''McHale and His Schweinhunds'' eason 2, Episode 3(1963) – US comedy episode directed by

Sidney Lanfield Sidney Ivanovich Lanfield (April 20, 1898 – June 20, 1972) was an American film director known for directing romances and light comedy films and later television programs. The one-time jazz musician and vaudevillian star started his first di ...

, depicting a

PT boat A PT boat (short for patrol torpedo boat) was a motor torpedo boat used by the United States Navy in World War II. It was small, fast, and inexpensive to build, and it was valued for its maneuverability and speed. However, PT boats were hampe ...

crew destroying a German U-boat rendezvousing with a Japanese patrol * '' Mystery Submarine'' (1963) – UK action-drama directed by C.M. Pennington-Richards, depicting a British captured U-boat used for a mission * '' Beta Som'' (''Torpedo Bay'') (1963) – Italian-French drama directed by

Charles Frend Charles Herbert Frend (21 November 1909, Pulborough, Sussex – 8 January 1977, London) was an English film director and editor, best known for his films produced at Ealing Studios. He began directing in the early 1940s and is known for suc ...

and Bruno Vailati, depicting a British warship and Italian submarine operating in the

Strait of Gibraltar The Strait of Gibraltar is a narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and separates Europe from Africa. The two continents are separated by 7.7 nautical miles (14.2 kilometers, 8.9 miles) at its narrowest point. Fe ...

and meeting in the neutral Rick's Cafe; a.k.a. ''Défi à Gibraltar'' * '' Morituri'' (1965) – US drama directed by Bernhard Wicki, depicting German blackmailed by English to impersonate SS officer aboard ship; a.k.a. ''Saboteur: Code Name Morituri'' * ''

'' (TV series), ''36-24-73'' eason 4, Episode 23(1966) – US comedy episode directed by Hollingsworth Morse, depicting a

crew capturing a German U-boat * '' Submarine X-1'' (1969) – X class submarines * '' Murphy's War'' (1971) * '' Commander of the Lucky 'Pike''' (1972), the Soviet movie * '' Operation Petticoat'' (TV series) (1977–79) – comedy directed by Hollingsworth Morse, depicting fictional USS ''Sea Tiger''; spinoff of 1959 film '' Operation Petticoat'', producing 32 episodes * ''

1941 The Correlates of War project estimates this to be the deadliest year in human history in terms of conflict deaths, placing the death toll at 3.49 million. However, the Uppsala Conflict Data Program estimates that the subsequent year, 1942, wa ...

'' (1979) – US

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

directed by

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...

, depicting an

submarine terrorizing the

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

coast * ''

'' (1981) – German movie about * ' (1985), the Soviet film, about S-131 * ' (1985), the Soviet TV-movie * ' (1986–87), the Soviet TV miniseries * '' ''War and Remembrance'''' (TV miniseries) (1988) * '' Das letzte U-Boot'' (''The Last U-Boat'') (1993) – a German television film about '' U-234'' * '' ''U-571'''' (2000) – fictional * '' Below'' (2002) – fictional ''USS Tiger Shark'' ( horror) * '' In Enemy Hands'' (2004) – fictional USS ''Swordfish'' and ''U-429''; a.k.a. ''U-Boat'' * '' Ghostboat'' (2006) – mystery-thriller based on George E. Simpson and Neal R. Burger novel, directed by Stuart Orme, depicting fictional lost during World War II and resurfacing near the end of the

* '' 真夏のオリオン'' (''Battle under Orion'') (2009) – Japanese action-drama directed by

Tetsuo Shinohara is a Japanese film director. His film ''First Love (2000 film), First Love'' was the 3rd Best Film at the 22nd Yokohama Film Festival. Filmography * ''Running High'' (1989) * ''Work on the Grass'' (1993) * ''One More Time, One More Chance'' (19 ...

, depicting an

submarine against a US destroyer near the end of the war; a.k.a. ''Manatsu no Orion'', ''Last Operations Under the Orion'' * '' Die Gustloff'' (2008) – German television drama about the sinking of the ''Wilhelm Gustloff''. Really the story of the maritime disaster, but does feature a few scenes aboard the Soviet submarine ''S-13'' * '' The Sinking of the Laconia'' (2010) – British-German historical drama directed by Uwe Janson about the sinking of the former British ocean liner by , which then, with three other U-boats (including ) and an Italian submarine, attempted to rescue nearly 2,000 passengers * ''

Torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, such ...

'' (Also known as ''U-235'') – a Belgian film (2019)

Korean War

* '' Submarine Command'' (1951) – fictional USS ''Tiger Shark''

Cold War

* '' Morning Departure'' (1950) – British drama directed by

depicting the crew of a sunken British submarine trapped on the sea floor; a.k.a. ''Operation Disaster'' * '' Hell and High Water'' (1954) – American action-adventure directed by Samuel Fuller, depicting a World War II surplus Japanese submarine battling a Chinese submarine * '' On the Beach'' (1959) – fictional nuclear submarine USS ''Sawfish'' (SSN-623) * '' Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'' (1961) – adventure-science fiction film directed by

Irwin Allen Irwin Allen (born Irwin O. Cohen; June 12, 1916 – November 2, 1991) was an American film and television producer and director, known for his work in science fiction, then later as the "Master of Disaster" for his work in the disaster film genr ...

, depicting fictional SSRN ''Seaview''; remade in the 1964 TV series '' Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'' * '' Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'' (TV series) (1964) – adventure-science fiction, directed by Jus Addiss depicting fictional SSRN ''Seaview''; spinoff of 1961 film '' Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'' * '' The Bedford Incident'' (1965) * '' The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming'' (1966) – American comedy directed by

Norman Jewison Norman Frederick Jewison (July 21, 1926 – January 20, 2024) was a Canadian filmmaker. He was known for directing films which addressed topical Social issue, social and political issues, often making controversial or complicated subjects acces ...

, depicting fictional Soviet submarine ''Спрут''; a.k.a. ''The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!'' * '' Ice Station Zebra'' (1968) – fictional (in novel: USS ''Dolphin'') * '' Mission Impossible'' (TV series), "

" (1969) – American action-adventure episode directed by Paul Krasny, depicting former SS officer with plans to fund

Neo-Nazis Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and racial supremacy (often white supremacy), to att ...

* '' The Boatniks'' (1970) – comedy directed by

Norman Tokar Norman Tokar (November 25, 1919 – April 6, 1979) was an American film director, director, actor and occasionally writer and producer of serial television and feature films, who directed many of the early episodes of ''Leave it to Beaver'', and ...

, depicting a salami in a submarine torpedo tube * '' Assault on the Wayne'' (1971) – fictional missile submarine USS ''Wayne'' (also named in ''The Spy Who Loved Me'') * '' The Spy Who Loved Me'' (1977) – American, British and Soviet submarines * '' Gray Lady Down'' (1978) – fictional USS ''Neptune'' * '' Bear Island'' (1979) – fictional U.S. Science Year team on remote island discover a World War II submarine base to which the SS had dispatched two U-boats with holds full of gold bullion from the conquest of Europe. SS, ex-Nazis, sons of U-boat commanders, Israelis, all try to recover the enormous wealth. * '' Raise the Titanic'' (1980) – U.S. submarine confronts a Soviet warship and escorts the salvaged ''Titanic'' to port * ''

Virus A virus is a submicroscopic infectious agent that replicates only inside the living Cell (biology), cells of an organism. Viruses infect all life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea. Viruses are ...

'' (1980) – fictional HMS ''Nereid'' * '' Incident at Map Grid 36-80'' (1982) – the Soviet movie, about U.S. submarine * ''

Never Say Never Again ''Never Say Never Again'' is a 1983 spy film directed by Irvin Kershner. The film is based on the 1961 James Bond novel ''Thunderball (novel), Thunderball'' by Ian Fleming, which in turn was based on an original story by Kevin McClory, Jack Wh ...

'' (1983) – fictional U.S. submarine * '' The Fifth Missile'' (1986) – fictional USS ''Montana'' * '' The Dolphin's Cry'' (1986) – the Soviet movie * '' Russkies'' (1987) – the Soviet submarine * '' Full Fathom Five'' (1990) – fictional USS ''Aspen'' versus Alpha Victor Three class submarine CCCP ''Kirov' * '' The Rift'' (1990) – fictional ''Siren II'' searches for lost ''Siren I'' * '' The Hunt for Red October'' (1990) – fictional ''Red October'' (''Красный Октябрь''), fictional ''V.K. Konovalov'' (''В. К. Коновалов''), , * '' Going Under'' (1991) – Comedy – An American submarine races to get a nuclear weapon before a Russian submarine. * '' Buried on Sunday'' (1992) – a Soviet submarine is used to launch a missile attack on

Canada's Wonderland Canada's Wonderland, formerly known as Paramount Canada's Wonderland, is a amusement park located in Vaughan, Ontario, a municipality within the Greater Toronto Area. Opened in 1981 by the Taft Broadcasting, Taft Broadcasting Company and the Gr ...

* '' Silent Service'' (1995) –

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

; JMSDF ''Seabat'' (Japan's first nuclear-powered submarine) * '' Hostile Waters'' (1997) – ''K-219'' * '' K-19: The Widowmaker'' (2002) – ''K-19'' * '' Phantom'' (2013) – '' K-129'', the plot has a basis in one theory about the events aboard the Soviet submarine's final voyage

Post-Cold War

* ''Fer-de-Lance'' (1974) - TV movie, fictional nuclear submarine USS ''Fer-de-Lance'', released on video as ''Operation Serpent'' * '' Crimson Tide'' (1995) – * '' Down Periscope'' (1996) – comedy directed by David S. Ward, depicting fictional USS ''Stingray'' (SS-161) * '' Peculiarities of the National Fishing'' (1998) * '' Phantom: The Submarine'' (1999), about fictional South Korea's first nuclear-powered submarine ''Phantom''. * '' On the Beach'' (2000) – fictional USS ''Charleston'' (SSN-704) * '' Danger Beneath the Sea'' (2001) * '' 72 Meters'' (2004) * '' Phantom Below'' (2005) * '' Solar Attack'' (2006) * '' Critical Situation'' (2008) - TV series, episode 10 "Running Out of Air" about AS-28 training accident * '' Last Resort'' (2012–13) – TV series, fictional , USS ''Colorado'' (SSBN-753) * ''

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...

'' (2014) * '' Hunter Killer'' (2018) * ''

Kursk Kursk (, ) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Kur (Kursk Oblast), Kur, Tuskar, and Seym (river), Seym rivers. It has a population of Kursk ...

'' (2018) * '' The Wolf's Call'' (2019) * '' Vigil'' (2021) – TV series, season one largely on fictional , HMS ''Vigil''

Other conflicts

* '' Ghazi Shaheed'' (1998) * '' The Ghazi Attack'' (2017), first Indian underwater/war-at-sea film

Future or fantastic past

* '' Le voyage à travers l'impossible'' (''An Impossible Voyage'') (1904) – French adventure-comedy silent short directed by

Georges Méliès Marie-Georges-Jean Méliès ( , ; 8 December 1861 – 21 January 1938) was a French magic (illusion), magician, toymaker, actor, and filmmaker. He led many technical and narrative developments in the early days of film, cinema, primarily in th ...

, depicting Geographic Society members on an around-the-world journey using various modes of transport including a submarine; a.k.a. ''The Voyage Across the Impossible'', a.k.a. ''The Impossible Voyage''; predecessor to 1907 silent film '' 20,000 lieues sous les mers'' * ''20,000 Thousand Leagues Under the Sea'' (

1907 Events January * January 14 – 1907 Kingston earthquake: A 6.5 Moment magnitude scale, Mw earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica, kills between 800 and 1,000. February * February 9 – The "Mud March (suffragists), Mud March", the ...

, 1916,

1954 Events January * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown–IBM experiment: The first public demonstration of a machine translation system is held in New York, at the head ...

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

) – Jules Verne's fictional ''Nautilus'' (

) * '' The Secret of Two Oceans'' (1957) – based on Grigory Adamov's novel, about the crew of the Soviet submarine "Pioneer" * '' The Atomic Submarine'' (1959) – fictional USS ''Tiger Shark'' battles an underwater alien spacecraft/submarine * '' Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'' (1961) – ''Seaview'' nuclear submarine, the film was followed by a TV series 1964–68 * '' The Fabulous World of Jules Verne'' (1958) – based on Jules Verne's '' Facing the Flag'', featuring * '' The Three Stooges in Orbit'' (1962) – comedy directed by

Edward Bernds Edward Bernds (July 12, 1905May 20, 2000) was an American screenwriter and director, born in Chicago, Illinois. Career While in his junior year in Lake View High School, he and several friends formed a small radio clique and obtained amateur li ...

, depicting the Three Stooges assisting an inventor with a new military hybrid (tank, helicopter, submarine) vehicle to aid in defense of a Martian invasion * '' Atragon'' (1963) – fictional '' Gotengo'' (science fiction/fantasy) * ''

Stingray Stingrays are a group of sea Batoidea, rays, a type of cartilaginous fish. They are classified in the suborder Myliobatoidei of the order Myliobatiformes and consist of eight families: Hexatrygonidae (sixgill stingray), Plesiobatidae (deepwate ...

'' (1964–1965) – adventures of the WASPs (the World Aquanaut Security Patrol) (Supermarionation) * ''

Fantastic Voyage ''Fantastic Voyage'' is a 1966 American science fiction adventure film directed by Richard Fleischer and written by Harry Kleiner, based on a story by Otto Klement and Jerome Bixby. The film is about a submarine crew who is shrunk to microsco ...

'' (1966) – set in the near future, an experimental submarine with special medical team aboard are reduced to microscopic size and injected into body of a brain-damaged scientist possessing military secrets in an attempt to repair his injury * '' Around the World Under the Sea'' (1966) * '' Yellow Submarine'' (1968) – ( psychedelic animated fantasy) * '' Captain Nemo and the Underwater City'' (1969) – Jules Verne's fictional ''Nautilus'' (science fiction/fantasy) * '' The Neptune Factor'' (1973) – undersea rescue (science fiction) * '' The Land That Time Forgot'' (1975) – depicts a stranded World War I U-boat crew on uncharted South-Atlantic sub-continent of "Caprona" * '' The Return of Captain Nemo'' (1978) – Jules Verne's fictional ''Nautilus'' (science fiction/fantasy) * '' Thundersub'' (1979) – (anime) * ''

'' (1980) – Japanese-made post-apocalyptic thriller featuring an international cast aboard a British sub, trying to find a cure to a global pandemic. * '' The Abyss'' (1989) – fictional USS ''Montana'' (science fiction/fantasy) * '' Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water'' (1989) – Jules Verne's fictional ''Nautilus'' (anime) * '' seaQuest DSV'' (1993) – (science fiction/fantasy) * '' Blue Submarine No. 6'' (1998) – (anime) * '' The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'' (2003) – Jules Verne's fictional ''Nautilus'' (fantasy) * '' Submarine 707R'' (2004) – (anime) * '' The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou'' (2004) – US adventure-comedy-drama directed by

Wes Anderson Wesley Wales Anderson (born May 1, 1969) is an American filmmaker. Wes Anderson filmography, His films are known for themes of grief, loss of innocence, and dysfunctional families. Due to his films' eccentricity, distinctive visual and narrative ...

* '' Lorelei: The Witch of the Pacific Ocean'' (2005) – (World War II,

) * '' Tide-Line Blue'' (2005) – (anime) * '' The Land That Time Forgot'' (2009) – action-sci-fi directed by C. Thomas Howell, depicting a stranded World War II U-boat crew in a time void on an island inside the Bermuda Triangle * '' Arpeggio of Blue Steel'' (2013) – (anime) * ''

Nautilus A nautilus (; ) is any of the various species within the cephalopod family Nautilidae. This is the sole extant family of the superfamily Nautilaceae and the suborder Nautilina. It comprises nine living species in two genera, the type genus, ty ...

'' (2024) - Jules Verne's fictional ''Nautilus'', TV series, prequel to and reimagining of the Verne novel ''

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas'' () is a science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may inclu ...

''.

References

External links

* * * * {{Authority control Submarine movies

Submarines A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or info ...

U-boats Films Lists of World War II films

Films A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of Visual arts, visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are gen ...