Commander Howard Walter Gilmore was the commander of the submarine Growler. It was a successful command, and he had been awarded the Navy Cross, and a Gold Star. On the night of the 6th or 7th of February in 1943, the Growler encountered the Japanese convoy escort Hayasaki. During the action, two men were killed on deck, and three wounded, including Gilmore. Two of the men were taken into the interior, while Gilmore ordered "Take her down." His body was never recovered. He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Director John Ford didn't make many short subjects, but he directed this one for the Department of the Navy, using regulars Ward Bond as the Growler's bosun (the character was named, typically for Ford, "Quincannon") and his son-in-law, Ken Curtis, as Gilmore. There is some humor in Bond's eight children, but the heightened sentimentality usually displayed in Ford's service movies is absent. I imagine he felt it was unnecessary, and I agree with him.
