The Pacific War, the Great War and the Cold War: Warships and Submarines on Screen
Pearl Harbor, Midway, the Yamato, the pink submarine of Operation Petticoat and the silent hunters of the Cold War. Hollywood borrowed real carriers and destroyers for many of these films, and Japanese, Korean, Russian and Indian cinema added their own navies.
This chapter of Ships on Screen holds 101 ships and boats. For each one you will find the film or the book, the year, who was in it, what the ship does in the story, and the scene we would bring to life. See all 1,404 ships on one page.
Marea can build every one of these ships as a scale model, with the maximum detail the scale permits, finished to be inspected. But we don’t stop at the ship. We bring the scene with it: a few hand painted figurines on deck, caught in the one moment you remember. It isn’t a diorama. It’s the ship, with its story on board.
This database was put together by Ai Refloat™, Marea’s own artificial intelligence. Ai Refloat is still young & like any teenager, it can be a little volatile and unpredictable at times, but above all, it is learning fast. So this list may well contain mistakes and we welcome the input of everyone who knows these films, books and ships better than we do: listening, correcting and learning is one of the many ways we work towards perfection in this craft.
Have you spotted a mistake? Tell us which film, series, book, cartoon or boat, and we will amend it accordingly. Tell us here
The ships
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Balkans
USS Carl Vinson Real ship
Behind Enemy Lines (2001)
Directed by John Moore
Starring Owen Wilson, Gene Hackman, Gabriel Macht
Navigator Chris Burnett flies from a US carrier in the Adriatic and is shot down over Bosnia. Admiral Reigart defies his NATO superiors from the carrier to launch the rescue.
The Marea scene Admiral Reigart on the carrier's flight deck as the rescue helicopters lift off.
On set Filmed aboard the real USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70).
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · First World War
Battleship Potemkin (Knyaz Potemkin Tavricheskiy) Real ship
Battleship Potemkin (1925)
Directed by Sergei Eisenstein
Starring Aleksandr Antonov, Vladimir Barsky, Grigori Aleksandrov
Imperial Russia, 1905: sailors of the Black Sea Fleet battleship mutiny over rotten meat and take the ship to Odessa. The film ends with the battleship passing through the fleet without a shot being fired.
The Marea scene Sailors under a tarpaulin face the firing squad on Potemkin's quarterdeck as Vakulinchuk calls out to the guards.
On set The real Potemkin was being scrapped. The battleship Dvenadsat Apostolov is usually said to have been used, but footage better matches the scuttled Rostislav at Sevastopol; interiors were shot aboard the cruiser Komintern, in Odessa.
Photo: Unknown, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · First World War
British and German squadrons of 1914 Real ship
The Battles of Coronel and Falkland Islands (1927)
Directed by Walter Summers
A reconstruction with documentary feel of the German victory at Coronel and the Royal Navy's revenge at the Falkland Islands in 1914, where von Spee's squadron was destroyed.
The Marea scene British battlecruisers fire broadsides at von Spee's cruisers in the South Atlantic.
On set Real Royal Navy ships stood in for both squadrons, among them HMS Barham; filmed at Cricklewood Studios and off Malta and the Isles of Scilly.
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · First World War
Q-ship and U-boats Real ship
Q-Ships (1928)
Directed by Geoffrey Barkas
A British semi documentary reconstruction of the anti submarine war of 1917, showing disguised merchant ships luring U-boats to the surface.
The Marea scene The Q-ship's false panels drop to reveal her guns as the U-boat surfaces alongside.
Photo: UK Government, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · First World War
Submarine S-13 Fictional
Men Without Women (1930)
Directed by John Ford
Starring Kenneth MacKenna, Frank Albertson, Paul Page
A US submarine sinks after a collision in the China Sea, trapping her crew on the bottom. The men wait for rescue as the air runs out, and one man must stay behind to help the others escape.
The Marea scene The trapped crew in the tilted, dripping torpedo room waiting for the divers.
On set Filmed with navy cooperation. John Wayne appears in a small role.
Photo: Fox Movietone, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · First World War
Q-ship and German U-boat Fictional
Seas Beneath (1931)
Directed by John Ford
Starring George O'Brien, Marion Lessing
An American Q-ship commanded by Bob Kingsley hunts a German U-boat off the Canary Islands in 1918. The U-boat refuels at sea from another submarine.
The Marea scene A German U-boat slips alongside a supply submarine to refuel on a calm sea.
Photo: UK Government, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · First World War
Landing boats at Gallipoli Real ship
Tell England (1931)
Directed by Anthony Asquith, Geoffrey Barkas
Starring Fay Compton, Tony Bruce, Carl Harbord, Dennis Hoey
Two English schoolfriends serve at Gallipoli in 1915; the landing from boats under Turkish fire is the centre of the film.
The Marea scene Soldiers crouch in open boats as they are towed towards the beach under fire.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · First World War
USS AL-14 Fictional
Hell Below (1933)
Directed by Jack Conway
Starring Robert Montgomery, Walter Huston, Madge Evans, Jimmy Durante
An American submarine operates in the Adriatic in the First World War. A clash between her officers ends with a sacrificial attack on the enemy.
The Marea scene The AL-14 surfaces beside the burning Austrian minelayer.
On set USS S-31 played the AL-14; the old destroyer USS Moody (DD-277) was bought for 35,000 dollars and sunk as the enemy minelayer; filmed at Pearl Harbor and Honolulu.
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · First World War
U-21 Real ship
Morgenrot (1933)
Directed by Gustav Ucicky
Starring Rudolf Forster, Fritz Genschow, Adele Sandrock
The U-21 sinks a cruiser carrying a senior British leader to Russia, a thinly disguised version of Kitchener's death in 1916. She is then damaged by a Q-ship.
The Marea scene The crew of the stricken U-21 lie trapped on the seabed debating who will use the few escape sets.
On set A submarine borrowed from the Finnish Navy; filmed at Kiel and Helsinki in 1932.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · First World War
Submarine chaser SC-599 Fictional
Submarine Patrol (1938)
Directed by John Ford
Starring Richard Greene, Nancy Kelly, Preston Foster
A rich young man joins the navy in 1917 and is posted to a run down wooden submarine chaser with a misfit crew. A tough new captain turns them into a fighting unit that goes after a U-boat.
The Marea scene The little wooden subchaser dropping depth charges in a line behind her stern.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · First World War
Cruiser Varyag Real ship
Cruiser Varyag (Kreiser Varyag) (1946)
Directed by Viktor Eisymont
Set in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904, the cruiser Varyag fights a hopeless battle at Chemulpo against a Japanese squadron and is scuttled by her crew.
The Marea scene Varyag steams out of Chemulpo harbour to face the Japanese squadron with her band playing.
On set The cruiser Aurora, today a museum ship in Saint Petersburg, reportedly portrayed Varyag.
Photo: Uncredited, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · First World War
USS San Pablo Fictional
The Sand Pebbles (1966)
Directed by Robert Wise
Starring Steve McQueen, Richard Attenborough, Richard Crenna, Candice Bergen
In 1926 the old gunboat San Pablo patrols the Yangtze amid the Chinese revolution. Engineer Jake Holman finds his place in her engine room while tension with the crew and the Chinese grows.
The Marea scene The San Pablo rams through the boom of junks across the river under fire.
On set A seaworthy replica built by 20th Century Fox for 250,000 dollars, based on USS Villalobos; it sailed under its own power between Hong Kong and Taiwan, became the Nola D and was broken up in Singapore in 1975.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · First World War
U-boat U-33 Fictional
The Land That Time Forgot (1975)
Directed by Kevin Connor
Starring Doug McClure, John McEnery, Susan Penhaligon
Survivors of a torpedoed ship capture the U-boat that sank them. Lost in the South Atlantic, the submarine reaches the prehistoric island of Caprona.
The Marea scene The U-boat surfacing inside the island's lagoon surrounded by dinosaurs.
On set Models and sets at Shepperton.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · First World War
SMS Blücher (based on SMS Königsberg) Fictional
Shout at the Devil (1976)
Directed by Peter R. Hunt
Starring Lee Marvin, Roger Moore, Barbara Parkins, Ian Holm
A poacher and an Englishman in German East Africa set out to destroy the German cruiser Blücher hidden for repairs in the Rufiji delta. The ship is loosely based on the real Königsberg, sunk there in 1915.
The Marea scene The two men paddle a canoe loaded with explosives towards the grey cruiser in the delta.
On set Filmed in Malta and South Africa.
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · First World War
Troopships to Egypt and Gallipoli Fictional
Gallipoli (1981)
Directed by Peter Weir
Starring Mel Gibson, Mark Lee, Bill Kerr
Two young Australian runners enlist and sail by troopship to Egypt before the Gallipoli campaign. The ships mark the passage from outback Australia to the war.
The Marea scene Young Light Horsemen crowd the rail of a troopship at night as it sails for Egypt.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · First World War
Sibirsky Strelok Real ship
Admiral (2008)
Directed by Andrei Kravchuk
Starring Konstantin Khabensky, Elizaveta Boyarskaya, Sergei Bezrukov
The biography of Admiral Kolchak opens in the Baltic in 1916 with his destroyer Sibirsky Strelok engaging German ships. The film then follows him through revolution and civil war.
The Marea scene Kolchak stands on the destroyer's deck amid shell splashes as the German cruiser closes in.
On set Heavy use of computer generated imagery, around 24,000 shots; the duel with the German cruiser Friedrich Karl is fictional.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Korea and Cold War
USS Tiger Shark Fictional
Submarine Command (1951)
Directed by John Farrow
Starring William Holden, Nancy Olson, William Bendix
An officer haunted by a decision he made in the last days of the Second World War serves again on a submarine in the Korean War. A rescue mission gives him a chance to redeem himself.
The Marea scene The submarine surfacing close inshore to pick up prisoners in the Korean dark.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Korea and Cold War
Mercenary submarine Fictional
Hell and High Water (1954)
Directed by Samuel Fuller
Starring Richard Widmark, Bella Darvi, Victor Francen
An American ex officer is hired to command an old submarine for a private group of scientists investigating atomic activity on an Arctic island. They uncover a plot to drop an atomic bomb and blame it on the United States.
The Marea scene The submarine surfacing in Arctic fog beside a Chinese freighter.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Korea and Cold War
USS Oriskany Real ship
Men of the Fighting Lady (1954)
Directed by Andrew Marton
Starring Van Johnson, Walter Pidgeon, Louis Calhern, Keenan Wynn
The film follows the jet pilots of the carrier Oriskany in the Korean War. The best known sequence has a pilot talk a blinded comrade down onto the deck.
The Marea scene One Panther jet guides another, flown by a blinded pilot, down to the Oriskany's deck.
On set Filmed aboard the real USS Oriskany, sunk as an artificial reef off Florida in 2006.
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Korea and Cold War
USS Savo Island Fictional
The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1954)
Directed by Mark Robson
Starring William Holden, Grace Kelly, Fredric March, Mickey Rooney
The carrier Savo Island operates off Korea, launching jets against the heavily defended bridges at Toko-Ri. Reserve pilot Harry Brubaker flies from her deck.
The Marea scene Brubaker's damaged Panther jet catches the wire on the Savo Island's deck in rough seas.
On set Played by the Essex class carriers USS Oriskany and USS Kearsarge.
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Korea and Cold War
SS Chiku Shan Fictional
Blood Alley (1955)
Directed by William A. Wellman
Starring John Wayne, Lauren Bacall, Paul Fix
An American merchant captain helps a whole Chinese village steal their own ferry and escape from Communist China to Hong Kong. They take it down the dangerous strait known as Blood Alley.
The Marea scene John Wayne on the crowded bridge of the old ferry as villagers pack every deck.
On set Filmed in California waters.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Korea and Cold War
Tigershark Fictional
The Atomic Submarine (1959)
Directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet
Starring Arthur Franz, Dick Foran, Brett Halsey
A US nuclear submarine sent to the Arctic to investigate the loss of ships and submarines. The crew find an alien flying saucer operating beneath the sea.
The Marea scene The submarine ramming the glowing alien saucer under the Arctic ice.
On set Models.
Photo: Reynold Brown, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Korea and Cold War
Seaview Fictional
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961)
Directed by Irwin Allen
Starring Walter Pidgeon, Joan Fontaine, Barbara Eden, Peter Lorre
Admiral Nelson's glass nosed nuclear submarine races to the Marianas to fire a missile at a burning Van Allen belt and save the world. The Seaview later starred in its own television series.
The Marea scene The Seaview's glass observation nose lit up as a giant squid looms outside.
On set Built as models and full size sets.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Korea and Cold War
USS Bedford Fictional
The Bedford Incident (1965)
Directed by James B. Harris
Starring Richard Widmark, Sidney Poitier, James MacArthur, Martin Balsam
Captain Finlander drives his destroyer relentlessly in pursuit of a Soviet submarine in the Denmark Strait. His obsession brings the crew to the edge of nuclear catastrophe.
The Marea scene Finlander stares down from the bridge at the snorkel wake of the Soviet submarine in icy seas.
On set The US Navy declined to help; the Royal Navy Type 15 frigates HMS Wakeful (opening shots) and HMS Troubridge (interiors) were used, plus a large model filmed in a tank at Shepperton.
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Korea and Cold War
Proteus Fictional
Fantastic Voyage (1966)
Directed by Richard Fleischer
Starring Stephen Boyd, Raquel Welch, Donald Pleasence, Edmond O'Brien
A submarine and its crew are shrunk to microscopic size and injected into a defecting scientist to destroy a blood clot in his brain. The Proteus must complete her voyage through the body within an hour.
The Marea scene The Proteus drifting through glowing red blood cells in a vast artery.
On set Full size and model submarine built by 20th Century Fox.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Korea and Cold War
USS Tigerfish Fictional
Ice Station Zebra (1968)
Directed by John Sturges
Starring Rock Hudson, Ernest Borgnine, Patrick McGoohan, Jim Brown
The nuclear submarine Tigerfish races under the Arctic ice to a stricken weather station, carrying a British agent with a secret mission. Sabotage nearly sinks her on the way.
The Marea scene The Tigerfish breaks upward through the polar ice pack under a grey Arctic sky.
On set USS Ronquil (SS-396) for surface scenes, USS Blackfin (SS-322) for diving and surfacing near Pearl Harbor, and scale models of a Skate class nuclear submarine underwater.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Korea and Cold War
USS Pueblo (AGER-2) Real ship
Pueblo (1973)
Directed by Anthony Page
Starring Hal Holbrook
ABC television film about the capture of the intelligence ship USS Pueblo by North Korea in January 1968, and the eleven months of imprisonment of Commander Lloyd Bucher and his crew. Hal Holbrook plays Bucher.
The Marea scene The small grey ship with her aerial masts steaming alone in the Sea of Japan before the encounter.
On set Studio sets and a stand in vessel; the real Pueblo remains in North Korea as a museum ship in Pyongyang.
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Korea and Cold War
USS Neptune and DSRV Fictional
Gray Lady Down (1978)
Directed by David Greene
Starring Charlton Heston, David Carradine, Stacy Keach, Ned Beatty
The nuclear submarine Neptune sinks after colliding with a freighter and lies on the edge of an undersea canyon. The Navy rushes rescue submersibles to save the trapped crew.
The Marea scene The rescue vehicle latches on to the Neptune's escape hatch on the edge of the canyon.
On set USS Trout (SS-566) was filmed as the Neptune; the rescue ship USS Pigeon (ASR-21) and its DSRV appeared, and USS Cayuga (LST-1186) played USS Nassau.
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Korea and Cold War
Red October Fictional
The Hunt for Red October (1990)
Directed by John McTiernan
Starring Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn, James Earl Jones
Soviet captain Marko Ramius takes his new submarine, with a silent caterpillar drive, west in an attempt to defect. Both navies hunt her across the Atlantic.
The Marea scene Red October's huge black sail glides out of Polyarny as the crew sing on the deck.
On set Soundstage mock ups and a near full scale above water mock up built from welded barges for the opening sequence.
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Korea and Cold War
USS Dallas Fictional
The Hunt for Red October (1990)
Directed by John McTiernan
Starring Scott Glenn, Courtney B. Vance, Alec Baldwin
The Dallas detects the Red October's unusual sound and trails her, and Jack Ryan is flown aboard to make contact with Ramius.
The Marea scene Jack Ryan is lowered from a helicopter onto the Dallas's sail in a storm.
On set The Navy lent USS Houston (SSN-713) for the Dallas, with filming also aboard USS Dallas, Chicago, Portsmouth, Salt Lake City and Louisville; the carrier USS Enterprise and frigate USS Reuben James also appear.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Korea and Cold War
V.K. Konovalov Fictional
The Hunt for Red October (1990)
Directed by John McTiernan
Starring Stellan Skarsgård, Sean Connery
The Konovalov is sent to hunt down and sink Red October, and her captain Tupolev was taught by Ramius himself.
The Marea scene The Konovalov's torpedo turns back on its own boat in the canyon.
On set Models and visual effects.
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Korea and Cold War
USS Alabama (SSBN-731) Real ship
Crimson Tide (1995)
Directed by Tony Scott
Starring Denzel Washington, Gene Hackman, Viggo Mortensen, James Gandolfini
During a Russian crisis the missile submarine receives an incomplete launch order. Her captain and executive officer clash over whether to launch, leading to mutiny aboard.
The Marea scene Hunter and Ramsey face each other across the control room with the missile keys at stake.
On set The Navy withdrew cooperation over the mutiny theme. The scrapped USS Barbel (SS-580) with a plywood sail served for the boarding scene, the French carrier Foch was lent by the French Navy, and the real USS Alabama was filmed leaving Pearl Harbor by helicopter until she dived.
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Korea and Cold War
USS Stingray Fictional
Down Periscope (1996)
Directed by David S. Ward
Starring Kelsey Grammer, Lauren Holly, Rob Schneider, Harry Dean Stanton
Lieutenant Commander Dodge is handed a rusty Second World War submarine and a crew of misfits for a war game against the modern Navy. The old boat outwits the nuclear fleet.
The Marea scene The Stingray sails into Norfolk disguised as a fishing trawler with a tuna net over her sail.
On set Played by the museum submarine USS Pampanito (SS-383) at San Francisco; the Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet stood in for Norfolk.
Photo: Sanfranman59, CC BY-SA 3.0
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Korea and Cold War
K-19 Real ship
K-19: The Widowmaker (2002)
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow
Starring Harrison Ford, Liam Neeson, Peter Sarsgaard
The Soviet Union's first nuclear missile submarine suffers a reactor coolant failure in 1961. Crewmen enter the reactor compartment to improvise repairs at the cost of lethal radiation.
The Marea scene Reactor crew in makeshift suits climb into the glowing compartment while their shipmates wait.
On set The Soviet submarine K-77 (a Juliett class boat, not a Hotel) portrayed K-19; it became a museum ship in Providence, Rhode Island, and sank in a storm in 2007.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Korea and Cold War
K-129 Real ship
Phantom (2013)
Directed by Todd Robinson
Starring Ed Harris, David Duchovny, William Fichtner
A fictional account of the loss of the Soviet missile submarine K-129 in 1968, in which a KGB group tries to use her to start a war.
The Marea scene Captain Zubov faces the KGB agent across the cramped control room.
On set Filmed aboard the former Foxtrot class submarine B-39, then a museum at San Diego.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Korea and Cold War
USS Argus Fictional
World War Z (2013)
Directed by Marc Forster
Starring Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, Daniella Kertesz
Gerry Lane's family are flown to a US Navy ship off New York, which has become the floating headquarters of the UN response to the zombie pandemic. Gerry agrees to leave on a mission so his family can stay aboard.
The Marea scene The helicopter landing on the crowded deck of the Argus while survivors wait below.
On set The Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship RFA Argus was used for filming.
Photo: Dave Sherfield, OGL v1.0
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Korea and Cold War
Chammsuri 357 (PKM 357) Real ship
Northern Limit Line (2015)
Directed by Kim Hak-soon
Starring Kim Mu-yeol, Jin Goo, Lee Hyun-woo
Recreates the Second Battle of Yeonpyeong of 29 June 2002, when North Korean patrol boats attacked the South Korean PKM 357, which sank with the loss of six men.
The Marea scene The crew of PKM 357 fire back from their shattered bridge as the boat burns.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Korea and Cold War
Incheon invasion fleet and intelligence boats Real ship
Operation Chromite (2016)
Directed by John H. Lee
Starring Lee Jung-jae, Lee Beom-soo, Liam Neeson
South Korean naval intelligence men infiltrate Incheon to secure information before MacArthur's amphibious landing in September 1950.
The Marea scene Jang Hak-soo's team light the lighthouse on Palmido as the invasion fleet approaches.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Modern naval
USS Enterprise Real ship
Top Gun (1986)
Directed by Tony Scott
Starring Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis, Val Kilmer, Anthony Edwards
The carrier is Maverick and Goose's base at sea, where the film opens and closes with dogfights against MiGs. Carrier deck operations define the film's look.
The Marea scene Deck crew launch an F-14 Tomcat from the catapult at sunset.
On set Filmed aboard USS Enterprise (CVN-65) with Carrier Air Wing Fifteen; USS Ranger (CV-61) also reportedly used.
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Modern naval
USS Missouri Real ship
Under Siege (1992)
Directed by Andrew Davis
Starring Steven Seagal, Tommy Lee Jones, Gary Busey, Erika Eleniak
On her final voyage before decommissioning, the Missouri is seized by mercenaries who want her Tomahawk missiles. The ship's cook, a former SEAL, fights back.
The Marea scene Ryback fires the Missouri's main guns at the mercenaries' submarine.
On set Much was filmed aboard the museum battleship USS Alabama (BB-60) at Mobile, with footage of the real Missouri at sea; the museum submarine USS Drum (SS-228) portrayed the North Korean submarine.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Modern naval
USS Hoist (ARS-40) Real ship
Men of Honor (2000)
Directed by George Tillman Jr.
Starring Robert De Niro, Cuba Gooding Jr., Charlize Theron, Hal Holbrook
The story of Carl Brashear, the first African American Navy master diver. From the Hoist he takes part in the 1966 Palomares hydrogen bomb recovery, where he loses his leg.
The Marea scene Brashear in a Mark V helmet is lowered from the Hoist's deck as the chief watches.
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Modern naval
USS Bonhomme Richard and special warfare boats Real ship
Act of Valor (2012)
Directed by Mouse McCoy, Scott Waugh
Starring active duty Navy SEALs, Roselyn Sánchez, Alex Veadov, Nestor Serrano
Real SEALs and Special Boat Team crews play themselves; riverine boats extract a SEAL team in a famous sequence.
The Marea scene Riverine assault boats roar in with miniguns blazing to pick up the SEALs from the riverbank.
On set Real Navy vessels and crews.
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Modern naval
USS Missouri Real ship
Battleship (2012)
Directed by Peter Berg
Starring Taylor Kitsch, Alexander Skarsgård, Rihanna, Liam Neeson
After alien ships destroy the modern destroyers, the survivors and Second World War veterans bring the museum battleship back to sea to fight.
The Marea scene Veterans in their eighties join young sailors at the Missouri's guns as she steams out of Pearl Harbor.
On set Filmed aboard the real USS Missouri, a museum ship at Pearl Harbor.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Modern naval
USS John Paul Jones, USS Sampson and JS Myoko Real ship
Battleship (2012)
Directed by Peter Berg
Starring Taylor Kitsch, Tadanobu Asano, Alexander Skarsgård
The destroyers are on RIMPAC exercise off Hawaii when alien ships arrive; they are trapped inside a force field and fight the invaders. Only the John Paul Jones survives the first battle.
The Marea scene Hopper and Nagata track the alien ships using tsunami buoys on the John Paul Jones's bridge.
On set Real destroyers USS John Paul Jones, USS Sampson and USS Benfold and the Japanese destroyer JS Myoko appear, with CGI.
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Modern naval
Soviet Foxtrot submarine Fictional
Black Sea (2014)
Directed by Kevin Macdonald
Starring Jude Law, Scoot McNairy, Ben Mendelsohn, David Threlfall
A sacked submarine captain gathers a British and Russian crew aboard an old Soviet submarine to recover Nazi gold from a sunken U-boat in the Black Sea.
The Marea scene The rusty submarine settles beside the wreck of the U-boat in the dark.
On set Filmed aboard the ex Soviet Foxtrot class U-475 Black Widow moored on the River Medway at Strood, Kent.
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Modern naval
USS Nathan James (DDG-151) Fictional
The Last Ship (2014)
Created by Hank Steinberg, Steven Kane
Starring Eric Dane, Rhona Mitra, Adam Baldwin, Charles Parnell
The crew of the Nathan James were in the Arctic when a pandemic devastated the world, and the destroyer must deliver a cure. The series ran for five seasons to 2018.
The Marea scene The Nathan James steams at speed with the Stars and Stripes flying over an empty ocean.
On set Played by the real destroyers USS Halsey and USS Dewey at San Diego. Based on the 1988 novel by William Brinkley.
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Modern naval
Mikhail Somov (icebreaker) Real ship
The Icebreaker (Ledokol) (2016)
Directed by Nikolay Khomeriki
Starring Pyotr Fyodorov, Sergei Puskepalis, Aleksandr Pal
Based on the 1985 drift of the Mikhail Somov, trapped in Antarctic ice for 133 days. The crew struggle to keep ship and discipline together until rescue.
The Marea scene The ship lies frozen in with an iceberg towering over the bow.
On set Filmed aboard the nuclear icebreaker Lenin (1957), now a museum ship at Murmansk.
Photo: Insider, CC BY-SA 3.0
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Modern naval
S21 and PNS Ghazi Real ship
The Ghazi Attack (2017)
Directed by Sankalp Reddy
Starring Rana Daggubati, Kay Kay Menon, Atul Kulkarni, Taapsee Pannu
In 1971 the Indian submarine S21 hunts the Pakistani submarine Ghazi, sent to sink the carrier INS Vikrant. The duel is presented as a key episode of the 1971 war.
The Marea scene S21 lies silent on the seabed while the Ghazi passes overhead.
On set Studio sets; shot in Telugu and Hindi.
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Modern naval
USS Arkansas Fictional
Hunter Killer (2018)
Directed by Donovan Marsh
Starring Gerard Butler, Gary Oldman, Common, Michael Nyqvist
The Arkansas is sent under the Arctic ice to investigate the loss of another American submarine and must rescue the kidnapped Russian president.
The Marea scene The Arkansas creeps through a minefield in a Russian fjord guided by a Russian captain.
On set Gimballed interior sets at Ealing Studios based on Navy approved plans and exterior tank work at Pinewood.
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Modern naval
K-141 Kursk Real ship
Kursk (2018)
Directed by Thomas Vinterberg
Starring Matthias Schoenaerts, Léa Seydoux, Colin Firth, Max von Sydow
Dramatises the sinking of the Russian submarine Kursk in the Barents Sea in August 2000 and the failed attempts to rescue survivors trapped in the stern.
The Marea scene Survivors in the flooded aft compartment tap on the hull, waiting for rescue.
On set Russian cooperation was withdrawn; filmed at the naval base in Toulon and in Brest, where the vessel Atlantic Tonjer stood in for the rescue ship Seaway Eagle, as well as in Belgium and Norway.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Modern naval
Titane and L'Effroyable Fictional
The Wolf's Call (Le Chant du loup) (2019)
Directed by Antonin Baudry
Starring François Civil, Omar Sy, Mathieu Kassovitz, Reda Kateb
A French sonar operator with an extraordinary ear misidentifies a contact, and the French missile submarine L'Effroyable is ordered to fire on an apparent attack. The attack submarine Titane must stop her.
The Marea scene Chanteraide listens with headphones in the dark sonar room as a contact grows louder.
On set Filmed at Toulon and Brest, with some scenes shot on actual French Navy submarines.
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Modern naval
Carrier strike group Fictional
Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Directed by Joseph Kosinski
Starring Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm
The unnamed carrier launches the strike on an enemy uranium enrichment plant flown by Maverick's team of young pilots.
The Marea scene An F/A-18 is recovered on the carrier's deck after the mission, with the crew rushing out.
On set Filmed aboard USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Theodore Roosevelt.
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
Genoa Maru Fictional
Across the Pacific (1942)
Directed by John Huston
Starring Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Sydney Greenstreet
Rick Leland, posing as a cashiered army officer, sails on the Japanese ship from Halifax towards the Panama Canal. On board he uncovers a plot by the pro Japanese Dr Lorenz to attack the canal.
The Marea scene Bogart leaning on the rail of the Genoa Maru, sparring with Greenstreet in a deck chair.
On set Studio sets.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
USS Warren Fictional
Stand By for Action (1942)
Directed by Robert Z. Leonard
Starring Robert Taylor, Charles Laughton, Brian Donlevy, Walter Brennan
A Harvard educated officer is posted to the old destroyer USS Warren, recommissioned for war duty. The ship rescues survivors, including babies, and fights a Japanese battleship.
The Marea scene The destroyer's crew passing two rescued babies hand to hand along the deck.
Photo: Thomas Smith, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
PT boats and Midway garrison Real ship
The Battle of Midway (1942)
Directed by John Ford
Presented by Donald Crisp, Henry Fonda, Jane Darwell (narrators)
Ford's short documentary records the Japanese air attack on Midway atoll in June 1942 as it happened, including PT boats off Sand Island. It won one of the first Academy Awards for Best Documentary.
The Marea scene A PT boat circles off Sand Island as smoke rises from the burning oil tanks.
On set Real wartime 16mm footage shot by John Ford and Joseph August, who were both wounded.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
USS Copperfin Fictional
Destination Tokyo (1943)
Directed by Delmer Daves
Starring Cary Grant, John Garfield, Alan Hale Sr., Dane Clark
The Copperfin slips into Tokyo Bay on a secret mission to gather weather information for the Doolittle Raid. Life aboard, including an emergency appendectomy, fills the long patrol.
The Marea scene Captain Cassidy watches the Doolittle raiders over Tokyo through the periscope while his crew wait below.
On set Studio sets and a model submarine that deliberately mixed equipment from several classes of American submarine; the cast trained at Mare Island Naval Shipyard.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
USS Juneau Real ship
The Fighting Sullivans (1944)
Directed by Lloyd Bacon
Starring Anne Baxter, Thomas Mitchell, Selena Royle, Ward Bond
The five Sullivan brothers from Waterloo, Iowa, serve together aboard the Juneau and are lost when she is sunk off the Solomon Islands in November 1942. The film closes with the launch of the destroyer USS The Sullivans named in their honour.
The Marea scene The five brothers stand together at the rail of the Juneau shortly before the fatal battle.
On set Studio sets and wartime footage. The destroyer USS The Sullivans (DD-537) is today a museum ship at Buffalo, New York.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
USS Hornet Real ship
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944)
Directed by Mervyn LeRoy
Starring Van Johnson, Robert Walker, Spencer Tracy, Robert Mitchum
The Hornet carries sixteen Army B-25 bombers towards Japan for the Doolittle Raid of April 1942. Ted Lawson's bomber, the Ruptured Duck, takes off from her deck early when the task force is spotted.
The Marea scene A B-25 bomber strains to lift off the pitching deck of the Hornet with Doolittle watching from the island.
On set No real carrier was available: the real Hornet had been sunk in October 1942, so MGM built 179 feet of carrier deck on Stage 15 holding three real B-25s, combined with matte paintings and newsreel footage.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
PT-41 and Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron Three Real ship
They Were Expendable (1945)
Directed by John Ford
Starring Robert Montgomery, John Wayne, Donna Reed, Ward Bond
The squadron's plywood motor torpedo boats fight a losing battle in the Philippines in 1941 and 1942 and carry out the evacuation of senior commanders. The boats embody the film's theme of men and equipment sacrificed to buy time.
The Marea scene Two PT boats race side by side at full speed, bows high and machine gunners braced in their turrets.
On set Real PT boats were used: Elco 80 foot PT-139 and PT-141 and Higgins 78 foot PT-98, PT-100, PT-101 and PT-102, filmed around Key Biscayne and the Florida Keys.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
USS Langley and later US carriers Real ship
Task Force (1949)
Directed by Delmer Daves
Starring Gary Cooper, Jane Wyatt, Walter Brennan
Gary Cooper plays a naval aviator whose career follows the growth of the American carrier from the first converted collier to the great fleet carriers of the Pacific war. Real footage of carriers in action is woven into the story.
The Marea scene A biplane landing on the wooden deck of the early carrier as officers watch sceptically.
On set Real US Navy carriers and wartime footage.
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
USS Thunderfish Fictional
Operation Pacific (1951)
Directed by George Waggner
Starring John Wayne, Patricia Neal, Ward Bond
Duke Gifford's submarine struggles with the faulty Mark 14 torpedo and ends by locating the Japanese fleet before Leyte Gulf. The climax is inspired by the actions of USS Darter and USS Dace.
The Marea scene A dud torpedo clangs against a Japanese ship's hull as the Thunderfish crew watch in disbelief.
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
Eiko-maru and Bingo-maru Fictional
Godzilla (1954)
Directed by Ishirō Honda
Starring Akira Takarada, Momoko Kōchi, Akihiko Hirata, Takashi Shimura
The freighter Eiko-maru vanishes in a flash of light at sea, and the Bingo-maru sent to investigate is lost too. The sequence evokes the Lucky Dragon No. 5 fishing boat irradiated by the Bikini H-bomb test in March 1954.
The Marea scene The crew of the Eiko-maru stare at a blinding light rising from the sea on a calm night.
On set Studio miniatures by Eiji Tsuburaya's team, mostly at 1:25 scale. The real Daigo Fukuryu Maru is preserved in Tokyo.
Photo: carpkazu, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
USS Caine Fictional
The Caine Mutiny (1954)
Directed by Edward Dmytryk
Starring Humphrey Bogart, José Ferrer, Van Johnson, Fred MacMurray
The rusty Caine gains a new captain, Queeg, whose erratic command ends in his officers relieving him during a typhoon. The court martial that follows decides whether it was mutiny.
The Marea scene Queeg on the bridge in the typhoon, rolling steel balls in his hand as Maryk takes command.
On set Filmed with the destroyer minesweepers USS Doyle (DMS-34) and USS Thompson (DMS-38) and USS Rodman, with the carrier USS Kearsarge (CV-33), at Pearl Harbor and San Francisco.
Photo: USN, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
USS Reluctant (AK-601) Fictional
Mister Roberts (1955)
Directed by John Ford, Mervyn LeRoy
Starring Henry Fonda, James Cagney, William Powell, Jack Lemmon
The Reluctant is a backwater supply ship plying between dull Pacific islands, run by a petty captain. Lieutenant Roberts longs to be transferred to a combat ship while protecting the crew.
The Marea scene Ensign Pulver's firecracker explodes in the laundry and floods the Reluctant's deck with soap suds.
On set Played by the real USS Hewell (AG-145), filmed at Midway Island and off Hawaii in 1954.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
USS Belinda (APA-22) Fictional
Away All Boats (1956)
Directed by Joseph Pevney
Starring Jeff Chandler, George Nader, Lex Barker, Julie Adams
The Belinda is an attack transport whose raw crew are trained into an efficient unit and land troops on Pacific beaches. The ship survives a kamikaze strike near the end.
The Marea scene The Belinda's landing craft are lowered into the sea full of Marines heading for the beach.
On set Filmed aboard the attack transport USS Randall (APA-224) during manoeuvres in the Caribbean and at Vieques in March 1955.
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
USS Nerka Fictional
Run Silent, Run Deep (1958)
Directed by Robert Wise
Starring Clark Gable, Burt Lancaster, Jack Warden, Don Rickles
Commander Richardson takes over the Nerka determined to sink the Japanese destroyer that sank his previous boat. His drilling of the crew and tension with his executive officer drive the story.
The Marea scene The Nerka takes a down angle for a bow shot as the crew brace in the control room.
On set Exteriors used USS Redfish (SS-395), which had played the Nautilus in Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954). The real USS Nerka (SS-380) was cancelled in 1944.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
Akikaze Fictional
Run Silent, Run Deep (1958)
Directed by Robert Wise
Starring Clark Gable, Burt Lancaster, Jack Warden, Brad Dexter
The Akikaze guards the Bungo Strait and has sunk several American submarines. She is the Nerka's nemesis and the object of Richardson's obsession.
The Marea scene The Akikaze bears down on the Nerka's periscope at full speed with her bow wave rising.
On set Played in close ups and exteriors by the Fletcher class destroyer USS Kidd (DD-661), now a museum ship at Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and by a model in a water tank.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
USS Greyfish Fictional
Torpedo Run (1958)
Directed by Joseph Pevney
Starring Glenn Ford, Ernest Borgnine, Diane Brewster
Commander Doyle's submarine hunts the Japanese carrier Shinaru, which took part in Pearl Harbor. The target is screened by a transport, the Yoshida Maru, carrying American prisoners including Doyle's family.
The Marea scene Doyle hesitates at the periscope with the prison transport in the crosshairs in front of the carrier.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
USS Sea Tiger Fictional
Operation Petticoat (1959)
Directed by Blake Edwards
Starring Cary Grant, Tony Curtis, Joan O'Brien, Dina Merrill
The damaged Sea Tiger is patched up with scrounged parts and, for lack of paint, ends up pink after red and white lead primers are mixed. She picks up a group of Army nurses and becomes the most unlikely submarine in the Pacific.
The Marea scene The pink Sea Tiger surfaces with nurses' underwear strung from the periscope shears.
On set Three real Balao class submarines: USS Queenfish (SS-393) for the opening and closing, USS Archerfish (SS-311) in grey and black, and USS Balao (SS-285) for all the pink scenes.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
American fleet submarine Fictional
Up Periscope (1959)
Directed by Gordon Douglas
Starring James Garner, Edmond O'Brien, Andra Martin, Alan Hale Jr.
A Navy frogman is carried by submarine to a Japanese held island to steal a code book. The submarine's captain and the frogman clash over the mission.
The Marea scene The frogman slips from the submarine's deck into the dark sea off the enemy island.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
Hiryu Real ship
Storm Over the Pacific (I Bombed Pearl Harbor) (1960)
Directed by Shūe Matsubayashi
Starring Yosuke Natsuki, Toshiro Mifune
A young pilot flies from the carrier Hiryu at Pearl Harbor and Midway under Admiral Yamaguchi, who goes down with the ship.
The Marea scene Admiral Yamaguchi stands alone on the burning Hiryu's bridge as she is abandoned.
On set Eiji Tsuburaya's team built 136 ship models, including carrier models of Akagi and USS Yorktown 11 and 13 metres long, filmed in a large tank.
Photo: Unknown, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
PT-109 Real ship
PT 109 (1963)
Directed by Leslie H. Martinson
Starring Cliff Robertson, Ty Hardin, James Gregory, Robert Culp
The film tells how Lieutenant John F. Kennedy took command of the battered PT-109 in the Solomon Islands. After a Japanese destroyer rams and cuts the boat in two, Kennedy leads his crew to safety.
The Marea scene A Japanese destroyer looms out of the night and slices through the plywood PT-109.
On set Former US Army Air Forces 85 foot crash rescue boats were converted to look like Elco PT boats, since almost all real ones had been destroyed at the end of the war; filmed at Little Palm Island in the Florida Keys with support from Naval Station Key West.
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
Walter Eckland's launch Fictional
Father Goose (1964)
Directed by Ralph Nelson
Starring Cary Grant, Leslie Caron, Trevor Howard
A beachcomber is forced by the Royal Australian Navy to act as a coast watcher on a Pacific island in 1942. His boat is damaged and he ends up with a teacher and schoolgirls in his care.
The Marea scene Eckland at the helm of his battered launch with schoolgirls crammed aboard.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
Cruiser and destroyer force (USS Cassiday and others) Fictional
In Harm's Way (1965)
Directed by Otto Preminger
Starring John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, Patricia Neal, Henry Fonda
Captain Rock Torrey takes his cruiser to sea after Pearl Harbor and later leads a task force in a desperate night action against a much larger Japanese force. The ships carry the story from the day of the attack to the climactic battle.
The Marea scene Torrey stands on the bridge wing of his cruiser as it steams out of Pearl Harbor under attack.
On set Active Navy ships were used: the heavy cruiser USS Saint Paul (still in Second World War configuration), USS Boston, the destroyer USS Philip as USS Cassiday, destroyers Braine, O'Bannon, Renshaw and Walker, submarine USS Capitaine and transport USS Renville, with modern equipment hidden under dummy gun mounts.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
Mikasa Real ship
Battle of the Japan Sea (Nihonkai Daikaisen) (1969)
Directed by Seiji Maruyama
Starring Toshiro Mifune
Mikasa is Admiral Togo's flagship in the Russo-Japanese War, leading the fleet to victory over the Russian Baltic Fleet at Tsushima in May 1905. Set before the First World War, it is grouped here with the Pacific naval epics.
The Marea scene Togo stands on Mikasa's open bridge as the Russian fleet appears on the horizon.
On set A 13 metre miniature of Mikasa, one of 107 miniature ships made by Eiji Tsuburaya's effects team. The real Mikasa is preserved as a museum ship at Yokosuka.
Photo: 江戸村のとくぞう, CC BY-SA 4.0
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
Akagi Real ship
Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)
Directed by Richard Fleischer, Toshio Masuda, Kinji Fukasaku
Starring Sō Yamamura, Tatsuya Mihashi, Takahiro Tamura, Martin Balsam
Akagi is Admiral Nagumo's flagship, from which the first wave of aircraft departs for Pearl Harbor. Fuchida's famous signal that gives the film its title is tied to the strike launched from her deck.
The Marea scene Zero fighters and torpedo bombers warm up on Akagi's deck at dawn as the deck crew wave their caps.
On set A full scale mock up of Akagi was built in Japan, with its island wrongly placed on the starboard side; take offs were filmed on the Essex class carrier USS Yorktown (CV-10), fitted with a false bow, now a museum ship at Patriots Point, South Carolina.
Photo: Japanese Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
Nagato Real ship
Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)
Directed by Richard Fleischer, Toshio Masuda, Kinji Fukasaku
Starring Sō Yamamura, Tatsuya Mihashi, Eijirō Tōno, Takahiro Tamura
Nagato is Admiral Yamamoto's flagship, where the Combined Fleet plans and follows the attack on Pearl Harbor. Scenes on her decks frame Yamamoto's doubts about waking a sleeping giant.
The Marea scene Admiral Yamamoto stands on Nagato's quarterdeck in white uniform with his staff behind him.
On set A full scale mock up built from the waterline up in Japan, with about 90 feet of bow projecting over the sea on stilts. The real Nagato was sunk in the Bikini atomic tests of 1946.
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
USS Arizona and USS Nevada Real ship
Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970)
Directed by Richard Fleischer, Toshio Masuda, Kinji Fukasaku
Starring Martin Balsam, Joseph Cotten, Jason Robards, James Whitmore
The American battleships on Battleship Row are the targets of the Japanese attack, and the film's detailed recreation of the raid culminates in their destruction.
The Marea scene Sailors on the stern of a battleship scramble to the guns as the first aircraft come in low over the harbour.
On set A full scale shore set of a Standard type battleship stern with two triple gun turrets portrayed both Arizona and Nevada; the carrier USS Kearsarge (CV-33) portrayed an American carrier returning to port.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
USS Yorktown and USS Enterprise Real ship
Midway (1976)
Directed by Jack Smight
Starring Charlton Heston, Henry Fonda, Toshiro Mifune, Robert Mitchum
The American carriers launch the dive bomber strikes that sink four Japanese carriers in June 1942. Yorktown's own loss after being hit twice forms part of the climax.
The Marea scene A dive bomber is waved off the flight deck of an American carrier as the air group launches for the Japanese fleet.
On set Shipboard scenes were filmed aboard the Essex class carrier USS Lexington (CV-16) in the Gulf of Mexico; she is now a museum ship at Corpus Christi, Texas. Much combat footage came from Tora! Tora! Tora! and wartime film.
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
USS Nimitz Real ship
The Final Countdown (1980)
Directed by Don Taylor
Starring Kirk Douglas, Martin Sheen, Katharine Ross, James Farentino
The modern supercarrier passes through a storm vortex and arrives on 6 December 1941, the day before Pearl Harbor. Her captain must decide whether to use his F-14s against the Japanese strike force.
The Marea scene F-14 Tomcats in formation with two Japanese Zeros over the Nimitz.
On set Filmed aboard the real USS Nimitz (CVN-68) at sea and in dry dock in 1979, with her crew as extras.
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
USS Arizona Real ship
Pearl Harbor (2001)
Directed by Michael Bay
Starring Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett, Kate Beckinsale, Cuba Gooding Jr.
The battleship moored on Battleship Row is the centrepiece of the Japanese attack on 7 December 1941. Her catastrophic magazine explosion is the defining image of the film's long attack sequence.
The Marea scene A bomb falls towards the forward turrets of the Arizona as sailors on deck look up at the incoming aircraft.
On set Recreated with large scale models and effects work at the Rosarito Beach water tanks in Baja California (the former Titanic facility); battleship deck scenes were shot aboard the museum battleship USS Texas near Houston. The real Arizona wreck remains a memorial at Pearl Harbor.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
USS Oklahoma Real ship
Pearl Harbor (2001)
Directed by Michael Bay
Starring Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett, Kate Beckinsale, Cuba Gooding Jr.
The Oklahoma is hit by torpedoes and capsizes during the attack, trapping men inside her hull. The rolling of the ship is one of the most dramatic sequences of the film.
The Marea scene The Oklahoma rolls over as sailors slide down her exposed hull into the burning harbour.
On set A scale model of the Oklahoma's bow section was built and rolled at Rosarito Beach, Baja California. The real ship was raised and sank under tow in 1947.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
USS Hornet (and Japanese carriers) Real ship
Pearl Harbor (2001)
Directed by Michael Bay
Starring Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett, Alec Baldwin, Jon Voight
The Hornet carries Doolittle's B-25 bombers towards Japan for the raid on Tokyo that closes the film. The same museum carrier also stood in for a Japanese carrier launching the attack on Pearl Harbor.
The Marea scene A B-25 bomber lumbers off the short flight deck of the Hornet in heavy seas with deck crew cheering.
On set Played mainly by the Essex class museum carrier USS Lexington (CV-16) at Corpus Christi, Texas, the vessel most seen in the film; USS Constellation and the modern USS Hornet were also used for carrier sequences.
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
Yamato Real ship
Yamato (Otoko-tachi no Yamato) (2005)
Directed by Junya Satō
Starring Takashi Sorimachi, Kenichi Matsuyama, Tatsuya Nakadai, Yū Aoi
Framed by a present day voyage to the wreck, the film follows young crewmen of the giant battleship up to her sinking in Operation Ten-Go on 7 April 1945.
The Marea scene Young sailors man the portside anti aircraft guns of Yamato as waves of American aircraft attack.
On set A 1:1 scale set of the forward section and portside anti aircraft guns was built at a former Hitachi Zosen yard in Onomichi, Hiroshima, for about 600 million yen; it drew around one million visitors before closing in May 2006.
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
Iwo Jima invasion fleet Real ship
Flags of Our Fathers (2006)
Directed by Clint Eastwood
Starring Ryan Phillippe, Jesse Bradford, Adam Beach, Barry Pepper
The vast American fleet carries the Marines to Iwo Jima in February 1945 and bombards the island before the landings. The flag raising on Mount Suribachi follows.
The Marea scene A Marine falls overboard from a transport while the fleet steams on, underlining the scale of the armada.
On set Fleet created largely with visual effects; filming in Iceland and Southern California.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
Combined Fleet flagship Real ship
Isoroku (2011)
Directed by Izuru Narushima
Starring Kōji Yakusho, Hiroshi Abe, Hiroshi Tamaki
The biography follows Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto from his opposition to war to the attack on Pearl Harbor and Midway, much of it on his flagship. It ends with his death when his aircraft is shot down in 1943.
The Marea scene Yamamoto seated at his desk in the flagship's day cabin, receiving news of the Pearl Harbor strike.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
Essex class carrier target Fictional
The Eternal Zero (2013)
Directed by Takashi Yamazaki
Starring Junichi Okada, Haruma Miura, Mao Inoue
A young man researches his grandfather, a gifted Zero pilot who died as a kamikaze. The final attack on an American Essex class carrier closes the film.
The Marea scene A Zero dives through anti aircraft fire towards the deck of an American carrier.
On set Computer generated imagery overseen by Takashi Yamazaki.
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
Life rafts of the Green Hornet crew Real ship
Unbroken (2014)
Directed by Angelina Jolie
Starring Jack O'Connell, Domhnall Gleeson, Finn Wittrock, Miyavi
After their B-24 crashes in the Pacific, Louis Zamperini and two crewmates drift for 47 days on rafts, strafed by a Japanese aircraft and circled by sharks. Japanese sailors finally capture the two survivors.
The Marea scene Zamperini and Phillips lie exhausted on the small raft under a blazing sun with a shark fin close by.
On set Raft scenes filmed at sea in Moreton Bay, Queensland; the capture by a Japanese warship was filmed in Sydney Harbour aboard MV Cape Don.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
USS Indianapolis and Japanese submarine I-58 Real ship
USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage (2016)
Directed by Mario Van Peebles
Starring Nicolas Cage, Tom Sizemore, Thomas Jane, Matt Lanter
After delivering atomic bomb components to Tinian, the Indianapolis is torpedoed by I-58 in July 1945. Hundreds of survivors spend days in shark infested water before rescue, and Captain McVay is later court martialled.
The Marea scene Survivors in life jackets cling together in the open sea as a shark fin circles.
On set Filmed at Battleship Memorial Park in Mobile, Alabama: the battleship USS Alabama (BB-60) stood in for the Indianapolis and the submarine USS Drum (SS-228) for I-58.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
USS Enterprise Real ship
Midway (2019)
Directed by Roland Emmerich
Starring Ed Skrein, Patrick Wilson, Luke Evans, Woody Harrelson
Enterprise is home to dive bomber pilot Dick Best, whose squadron strikes the Japanese carriers at Midway. The film follows the carrier from Pearl Harbor to the decisive battle.
The Marea scene Dick Best's Dauntless dive bomber lands back aboard Enterprise with smoke trailing from the flight deck behind it.
On set Recreated largely with sets and visual effects by Scanline VFX, with filming in Honolulu and Montreal.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
Akagi, Kaga, Hiryu and Soryu Real ship
Midway (2019)
Directed by Roland Emmerich
Starring Tadanobu Asano, Etsushi Toyokawa, Jun Kunimura, Ed Skrein
The four carriers of the Kido Butai are the targets of the American dive bombers; three are wrecked within minutes and Hiryu is caught later in the day.
The Marea scene An American dive bomber pulls out low over Kaga's burning flight deck, crowded with armed aircraft.
On set Computer generated imagery by Scanline VFX and Pixomondo.
Photo: Mr Fukami, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
Yamato Real ship
The Great War of Archimedes (2019)
Directed by Takashi Yamazaki
Starring Masaki Suda, Hiroshi Tachi, Tasuku Emoto
A mathematics prodigy is drafted into the navy to expose the true cost of the proposed Yamato battleship. The film explores the politics behind her construction up to an inspection after Pearl Harbor.
The Marea scene The battleship Yamato fitting out at Kure, her great guns trained forward, while the young mathematician checks the numbers that decide her fate.
On set Computer generated imagery overseen by Takashi Yamazaki.
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
Shinsei Maru Fictional
Godzilla Minus One (2023)
Directed by Takashi Yamazaki
Starring Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Yuki Yamada, Munetaka Aoki
Former kamikaze pilot Shikishima takes a job clearing mines aboard the small Shinsei Maru. The crew have a terrifying encounter with Godzilla at sea and later join the civilian effort against the monster.
The Marea scene Godzilla's head rises behind the tiny Shinsei Maru as the crew drop a mine into its jaws.
On set Maritime scenes filmed at Lake Hamana and the Enshu Sea with boats modified by local businesses near the Tenryu River, plus visual effects.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
Destroyers Yukikaze and Hibiki Real ship
Godzilla Minus One (2023)
Directed by Takashi Yamazaki
Starring Ryunosuke Kamiki, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Kuranosuke Sasaki, Minami Hamabe
The surviving demilitarised destroyers are crewed by veterans for Operation Wadatsumi, the plan to sink Godzilla with Freon gas in Sagami Bay. They are the last warships of the old navy to fight.
The Marea scene Yukikaze and Hibiki steam side by side towing cables as Godzilla surfaces between them.
On set The real Yukikaze went to the Republic of China and Hibiki to the Soviet Union after the war.
Photo: Shizuo Fukui, Public domain
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Pacific War
Heavy cruiser Takao Real ship
Godzilla Minus One (2023)
Directed by Takashi Yamazaki
Starring Ryunosuke Kamiki, Yuki Yamada, Kuranosuke Sasaki
The cruiser Takao, being returned from Singapore, is sent to stop Godzilla and is destroyed by the monster's atomic breath.
The Marea scene Takao's main turrets fire at point blank range into Godzilla alongside.
On set Computer generated imagery.
Photo: Wikipedia
Pacific, Great War and Cold War · Vietnam
USS Independence Real ship
Flight of the Intruder (1991)
Directed by John Milius
Starring Danny Glover, Willem Dafoe, Brad Johnson
A-6 Intruder crews fly from a carrier in the Gulf of Tonkin during the Vietnam War. Frustrated by the rules of engagement, two airmen plan an unauthorised raid on Hanoi.
The Marea scene An A-6 Intruder being catapulted off the carrier deck at dusk.
On set Filmed aboard the real USS Independence (CV-62).
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
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