The submarine has influenced more than just the outcome of the wars of the 20th Century. It has become an object of fascination for those drawn to the allure and mystique surrounding the Silent Service. Popular culture has both canonized and damned the submarine and their crews. However, it cannot be denied that the submarine has played a major role in both film and print since its inception 100 years ago. The following is a selection of prominent movies and books on submarines, submarine history, and the men who made and fought them:

Hell Below (MGM, 1933) Love triagle in World War I.

Men Without Women (Fox, 1930) John Ford film about a crew that awaits rescue about sunken submarine S-13. This early "talkie" uses both spoken dialogue and silent-film intertitles - sometimes in the same scene!

Morgenrot (German, 1933) Suspenseful story about a crew trapped in a sunken U-boat during World War I.

Submarine D-1 (Warner Bros., 1937) Action film showing a submarine rescue using the McCann Rescue Chamber and Momsen Lung.

Submarine Raider (Columbia, 1942) Hokey yarn about submarine that fails in its attempts to warn Pearl Harbor of the impending Japanese attack, then sinks one of the carriers that launched it.

Crash Dive (20th Century Fox, 1943) A U.S. submarine fights the Germans in the Atlantic, while its commander (Dana Andrews) and a lieutenant (Tyrone Power) romance the same woman (Anne Baxter). Won an Academy Award for special effects.

We Dive at Dawn (British, 1943) Drama about the crew of a British submarine as it stalks the new German battleship Brandenburg in the Baltic. Stars Jon Mills.

Destination Tokyo (Warner Bros., 1944) Cary Grant stars in this classic wartime adventure about a U.S. submarine on a secret mission to enter Tokyo bay and gather information for the Doolittle air raid against Japan.

The Flying Missile (Columbia, 1950) Glenn Ford stars as a naval commander who develops the means to launch missiles from submarines.

Morning Departure (British, 1950; released in the United States as Operation Disaster) Richard Attenborough stars in this World War II adventure about a British crew waiting to be rescued from a sunken submarine.

Operation Pacific (Warner Bros., 1951) Under John Wayne's leadership, the submarine Thunderfish fights the Japanese and rescues nuns and children. This film, the first of a spate of World War II submarine movies released during the 1950s, was loosely based on the true stories of the USS Angler (SS-240) and Growler (SS-215). Admiral Charles Lockwood, the commander of submarine operations in the Pacific, served as technical advisor.

Submarine Command (Paramount, 1951) William Holden is a Korean War submarine commander who is haunted by his memory of the last day of World War II, when, as an exec, he saved his boat by crash diving while the captain was on the bridge.

Torpedo Alley (Allied Artists, 1952) William Bendix commands a submarine in this story of Korean War combat and romance.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (Walt Disney Productions, 1954) Classic screen adaptation of Jules Verne's early vision of submarine warfare. James Mason is the mad Captain Nemo, who takes on the warmongering imperialist countries with his submarine Nautilus. Also stars Kirk Douglas and Peter Lorre. This Oscar winner (for special effects and set decoration) is a remake of a 1916 silent film.

Hellcats of the Navy (Columbia, 1957) Based on Admiral Charles Lockwood's book Hellcats of the Sea, this is a fictionalized account of the submarine attack group that entered the Sea of Japan in 1945 to ravage Japanese shipping. This film is the only one in which Ronald and future wife Nancy Davis appeared together.

The Enemy Below (20th Century Fox, 1957) Robert Mitchum and Curt Jürgens star in this story about the pursuit of a wily German U-boat by a U.S. destroyer during World War II. Won an Academy Award for special effects.

Run Silent, Run Deep (United Artists, 1958) A submarine skipper (Clark Gable) single-mindedly pursues the notorious Japanese destroyer "Bungo Pete," which sank his previous boat. This adaptation of the best-selling novel by former sub commander Ned Beach also stars Burt Lancaster and Don Rickles.

Torpedo Run (MGM, 1958) Glenn Ford is a submarine commander who is forced to sink a Japanese transport carrying American prisoners and his own family because it was being used to shield an aircraft carrier. He then seeks his revenge. Ernest Borgnine also stars.

Up Periscope (Warner Bros., 1959) James Garner stars in this World War II action yarn about a submarine on a secret mission to photograph a Japanese code book.

Operation Petticoat (Universal-International, 1959) Comedy about a damaged World War II submarine seeking a yard for repairs. Along the way, it takes on five stranded Army nurses and is painted pink (the only color the crew could find). Stars Cary Grant and Tony Curtis. Remade as a TV movie and series in 1977.

On The Beach (United Artists, 1959) Moving story of a U.S. submarine crew that finds itself stranded in Australia in 1964, after a nuclear war has destroyed the rest of the world. As the radioactive residue closes in, the captain (Gregory Peck) and crew must decide whether to go back home. Not a submarine actioner but a thought-provoking film based on the novel by Nevil Shute.

The Bedford Incident (Columbia, 1966) Richard Widmark stars as a destroyer commander who discovers and pursues a Soviet submarine during the Cold War. Also stars Sidney Poitier.

The Russians Are Coming! (Mirisch Corp., 1966) Popular comedy about a Soviet captain who unintentionally provokes panic among Maine locals while seeking a tow for his grounded submarine.

Ice Station Zebra (Filmway/MGM, 1968) Cold War story about the nuclear submarine Tigerfish, on a mission to rescue the crew of Drift Ice Station Zebra at the North Pole. Rock Hudson, Ernest Borgnine, and Patrick McGoohan star. Based on a novel by Alistair MacLean.

Gray Lady Down (Universal/Mirisch, 1978) The Navy seeks to rescue the crew of USS Neptune, which sank off the coast of Connecticut after a collision. Stars Charlton Heston, Stacy Keach, Ned Beatty, and David Carradine.

Das Boot (German, 1981; dubbed in English as The Boat) Gritty and gripping portrayal of the U-boat war in World War II, seen from the German perspective. The film follows the crew of a U-boat as it attacks Allied shipping and endures ASW attack. Nominated for six Oscars.

The Hunt for Red October (Paramount, 1990) Screen adaptation of the Tom Clancy thriller, starring Alec Baldwin as a U.S. intelligence agent tracking the maiden voyage of the new, secret Soviet submarine Red October. Sean Connery is the Soviet sub commander, who is up to something. Oscar winner for sound effects editing.

Crimson Tide (Hollywood, 1995) A thriller about the fictional ballistic missile submarine Alabama during a crisis in the post-Cold War Russian Far East. A dispute over the meaning of a partially recovered flash message-does it order a missile launch? Leads the XO (Denzel Washington) to mutiny against his captain (Gene Hackman).

Down Periscope (20th Century Fox, 1996) Slapstick comedy about a crew of misfits on board the old diesel submarine Stingray, which is competing against a modern nuclear submarine in a wargame. Stars Kelsey Grammer as Stingray's ambitious captain.

Hostile Waters (TV, 1997) Account about the accidental sinking of a Soviet nuclear submarine off the coast of Bermuda in 1986, based on the 1996 book of the same name.

The Hunley (TV, 1999) True story of the Confederate submarine Hunley, which became the first sub to sink a ship when it destroyed USS Housatonic in Charleston Harbor in 1863.

U-571 (Universal, 2000) Matthew McConnaughey and Bill Paxton star in this World War II action film, in which a U.S. submarine captain undertakes to recover an Enigma decoding machine from a stranded German U-boat. Based-on-fact story (although it was actually the British who recovered the decoder).

Fiction

Beach, Edward L., Cold is the Sea (Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1978)

Beach, Edward L., Dust on the Sea (Kensington Publishing Corp., 1989, paper). Novel of a dangerous mission in Japanese home waters.

Beach, Edward L., Run Silent, Run Deep (Naval Institute Press, 1986). Classic story of WWII submarine operations, by a former sub commander. Originally published 1955.

Buchheim, Lothar G. The Boat (Knopf, 1975). An accurate portrayal of a German U-boat in World War II. Although not about American submarines, this novel is worth reading for an understanding of submarine life and service during WWII.

Clancy, Tom, The Hunt for Red October (Berkley Publishing Group, 1999, paper). Thriller about the pursuit of a runaway Soviet submarine, the state-of-the-art Red October.

Dimercurio, Michael, Attack of the Seawolf (Onyx Books, 1994, paper) Techno-thriller about the rescue of a U.S. submarine captured by a faction fighting a new Chinese civil war.

Dimercurio, Michael, Barracuda Final Bearing (Onyx Books, 1997, paper) U.S. Admiral Michael Pacino of the Unified Submarine Command takes on the newly independent Greater Manchuria.

Dimercurio, Michael, Phoenix Sub Zero (Onyx Books, 1995, paper) During a war between United States and an Islamic coalition, a U.S. submarine tries to stop an Islamic submarine from launching a deadly nuclear strike on Washington.

Dimercurio, Michael, Piranha Firing Point (Penguin, 1999, paper) A force of U.S. submarines (including the new SSNX) must stop the submarines commandeered by the Red Chinese faction fighting a new Chinese civil war.

Dimercurio, Michael, Voyage of the Devilfish (Onyx Books, 1994, paper) U.S. submarine Devilfish duels with a new, super-advanced Russian sub.

Joseph, Mark, Typhoon (Pocket Books, 1992, paper). Thriller set in the waning days of the Cold War. A U.S. hunter-killer submarine pursues renegade Soviet Typhoon-class ballistic missile submarines.

Verne, Jules, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (Naval Institute Press, 1993; paper). Classic science fiction tale of Captain Nemo and his fantastic submarine, the Nautilus. Published in 1870, this book inspired many early submarine designers, including Simon Lake.

Memoirs and Autobiographies

Beach, Edward L., Salt and Steel: Reflections of a Submariner (Naval Institute Press, 1999). Autobiographical essays and reflections.

Beach, Edward L., Around the World Submerged: The Voyage of the Triton (Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1962).

Beach, Edward L., Submarine! (Holt, 1952). Memoir of service aboard Trigger (SS-237).

Calvert, James F., Silent Running: My Years on a World War II Attack Submarine (J. Wiley & Sons, 1997; paper). Memoir of service aboard Jack (SS-259) and Haddo (SS-255).

Connor, Claude C., Nothing Friendly in the Vicinity: My Patrols in the Submarine USS Guardfish in WWII (Savas Publishing, 1999). WWII memoir.

Dunham, Roger C., Spy Sub: A Top Secret Mission to the Bottom of the Sea (Onyx Books, 1997; paper). A former officer recounts a once-secret operation of Halibut (SSGN/SSN-587) during the Cold War. Along the way, he changes some facts and details to protect classified information.

Fluckey, Eugene B., Thunder Below! The USS Barb Revolutionizes Submarine Warfare in World War II (Illinois, 1992; paper). WWII memoir by the captain of Barb (SS-220).

Galantin, I. J., Take Her Deep! A Submarine against Japan in World War II (Pocket Books, 1992; paper). WWII memoir by the commander of Halibut (SS-232).

Galantin, I. J., Submarine Admiral: From Battlewagons to Ballistic Missiles (Illinois, 1997; paper). Autobiography of a four-star admiral who retired in 1970.

Lockwood, Charles A., Down to the Sea in Subs (Norton, 1967).

Lockwood, Charles A., Sink 'Em All: Submarine Warfare in the Pacific (Dutton, 1951).

O'Kane, Richard H., Clear the Bridge! The War Patrols of the U.S.S. Tang (Presidio, 1997; paper). Classic memoir of a WWII submarine commander.

O'Kane, Richard H., Wahoo: The Patrols of America's Most Famous World War II Submarine (Presidio, 1996; paper). WWII memoir of a submarine executive officer.

Ruhe, William J., War in the Boats: My World War II Submarine Battles (Brassey's, 1996; paper). Memoir by a submarine officer, based on his wartime journal.

Russel, Dale., Hell Above, Deep Water Below (Bayocean Enterprises, 1995). Memoir of a WWII submariner.

Schratz, Paul R., Submarine Commander: A Story of World War II and Korea (Kentucky, 2000; paper). Memoir.

Sims, William Snowden, The Victory at Sea Classics of Naval Literature Series (Naval Institute Press, 1984). An account of U.S. naval operations during World War I, by the commander of the U.S. naval forces in European waters. First published in 1920.

Sterling, Forest J., Wake of the Wahoo: The Heroic Story of America's Most Daring WWII Submarine, U.S.S. Wahoo (R.A. Cline, 1999; paper). Account of the WWII exploits of the celebrated but ill-fated Wahoo (SS-238), by a surviving member of the crew (who left the boat 45 minutes before it sailed on its final patrol).

Histories and Biographies

Alden, John D., The Fleet Submarine in the U.S. Navy: A Design and Construction History (Naval Institute Press, 1979). Important source of design information on the fleet boats of the 1920s, '30s, and '40s.

Alden, John D., U.S. Submarine Attacks During World War II: Including Allied Submarine Attacks in the Pacific (Naval Institute Press, 1989).

Blair, Clay, Silent Victory: The U.S. Submarine War against Japan (Lippincott, 1975). Classic history of U.S. submarine campaign in the Pacific.

Bouslog, Dave, Maru Killer: The War Patrols of the USS Seahorse (Seahorse Books, 1996). Story of the Seahorse (SS-304).

Calvert, James F., Surface at the Pole: The Extraordinary Voyages of the USS Skate (U.S. Naval Institute, 1996; paper). Story of Skate (SSN-578), the third nuclear-powered submarine and the first to break through the ice to surface at the North Pole.

Campbell, R. Thomas, The CSS H.L. Hunley: Confederate Submarine (White Mane Publishing, 1999).

Clancy, Tom, Submarine: A Guided Tour Inside a Nuclear Warship (Berkley Publishing Group, 1993; paper). A look into the workings of a Los Angeles (SSN-688I)-class submarine.

Friedman, Norman, U.S. Submarines since 1945: An Illustrated Design History (Naval Institute Press, 1994). Detailed discussion of design evolution in U.S. submarines since World War II; not an easy read, but a good reference source, and has a very useful list giving a thumbnail history of every U.S. submarine during this period.

Friedman, Norman, U.S. Submarines through 1945: An Illustrated Design History (U.S. Naval Institute, 1995). The prequel to the earlier volume on submarines since 1945.

Gannon, Robert, Hellions of the Deep: The Development of American Torpedoes in World War II (Penn State, 1996).

Gardner, W.J.R., Anti-Submarine Warfare (Brassey's, 1996).

Gray, Edwyn, The Devil's Device: Robert Whitehead and the History of the Torpedo (Naval Institute Press, 1991). History of the invention of the "automobile torpedo" during the 19th century.

Gugliotta, Bobette. Pigboat 39: An American Sub Goes to War (Kentucky, 2000; paper). Story of the K-8 (SS-39) in World War I.

Holmes, Harry, The Last Patrol (Naval Institute Press, 1994). History of the 52 U.S. submarines lost during World War II.

Hoyt, Edwin Palmer, Bowfin: The Story of One of America's Fabled Fleet Submarines in World War II (Burford Books, 1998; paper). Story of WWII submarine.

Lavo, Carl, Back from the Deep: The Strange Story of the Sister Subs Squalus and Sculpin (Naval Institute Press, 1998; paper) Account of the loss of Squalus (SS-192-raised and recommissioned as Sailfish) in 1939, the sinking of Sculpin (SS-494) in World War II, and the experiences of Sculpin's survivors as prisoners of war.

Leary, William M., Under Ice: Waldo Lyon and the Development of the Arctic Submarine (Texas A&M, 1999; paper) Study of the development of under-ice capabilities in submarines.

Lockwood, Charles A., and Hans Christian Adamson, Hell at Fifty Fathoms (Chilton Co., 1962).

Lockwood, Charles A., and Hans Christian Adamson, Hellcats of the Sea (Greenberg, 1955).

Lockwood, Charles A., and Hans Christian Adamson, Through Hell and Deep Water: The Stirring Story of the Navy's Deadly Submarine, the USS Harder, Under the Command of Sam Dealey, Destroyer Killer! (Greenberg, 1956).

Maas, Peter, The Terrible Hours: The Man Behind the Greatest Submarine Rescue in History (HarperCollins, 1999; paper) Story of Swede Momsen and the rescue of the crew of Squalus (SS-192) in 1939.

Williams, Marion D. Submarines Under Ice: The U.S. Navy's Polar Operations (Naval Institute Press, 1998). History of under-ice operations up to the early 1960s.

Michno, Gregory, USS Pampanito: Killer-Angel (Oklahoma, 2000). Story of Pampanito (SS-383) in World War II.

Morris, Richard Knowles, John P. Holland, 1841-1914: Inventor of the Modern Submarine (South Carolina, 1998; paper). Biography of the father of the American submarine.

Padfield, Peter, War Beneath the Sea: Submarine Conflict in World War II (John Wiley & Sons, 1998; paper). Detailed account of the submarine operations by the various participants in World War II.

Polmar, Norman, and Thomas B. Allen, Rickover, A Biography: Controversy and Genius (Simon & Schuster, 1982; paper).

Poluhowich, John J., Argonaut: The Submarine Legacy of Simon Lake (Texas A&M, 1996). Biography of one of the most innovative early submarine designers.

Rockwell, Theodore, The Rickover Effect: The Inside Story of How Admiral Hyman Rickover Built the Nuclear Navy (John Wiley & Sons, 1995; paper). Salutory account of the controversial admiral by his former technical director.

Roscoe, Theodore, United States Submarine Operations in World War II (U.S. Naval Institute, 1949). First official history of the submarine campaign and still useful, but written before key disclosures of WWII classified information.

Sapolsky, Harvey M., The Polaris System Development: Bureaucratic and Programmatic Success in Government (Harvard, 1972). Important study of then-RADM William Raborn and the Polaris Program.

Sasgen, Peter, Red Scorpion: War Patrols of the USS Rasher (Naval Institute Press, 1995). Account of Rasher (SS-269)'s WWII service.

Sontag, Sherry, and Christopher Drew, Blind Man's Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage (PublicAffairs Press, 1998). Journalistic and provocative account of secret submarine operations during the Cold War.