http://www.submarinesailor.com/History/Trivia/MovieBoats.htm
Operation Petticoat
- Used the Balao to be painted pink. Filmed in Key West
1959-1960. I was chipping pink paint from around the screw guards in 1962. - Tim
Spoon
- Balao AGSS-285 - Steamboat
- Final scenes, SS393. I don't know the name of the
boat that was painted pink. - Jon Krup
- There were two boats used in Key West... Archerfish
was the one used for all the underwater shots... "stuff" fired from tubes, etc.
That is Archerfish tied up inboard of Balao in the picture [below]. - Ken "Pig"
Henry
- It
was Queenfish: Remember on the fleet boats there were flat metal
numbers (and sometimes the boat's name as well), welded to the side of
the superstructure, and usually always painted over (sometimes also
painted white for contrast)....you can see the 393 in some scenes. -
Gary "Cowboy" Mclaughlin
- In
further reading on 311 and 393 history, I think previous web site (Gary
Walker's) and picture title may be wrong. 311 went back in service
1958*, assigned Key West, movie released in 1959. But 393 assigned to
San Diego for same time period. Interesting. Shows research into
history is as always .... verify verify verify - Don "donmac" Smith
* correct year is 1957 - Ken "Pig" Henry
- As
a Balao qualified guy I have been following the saga of movie
"Operation Petticoat" since I first reported aboard and watched the
movie the same night.
I am starting to believe that the Balao was painted pink, the
Archerfish was used for shots in and around Key West as in original
black/gray paint. The Queenfish was used for shots at the end of the
movie, in black/gray paint, when the Sea Tiger is put OOC.
At least with all the stories and the scenery in different parts of the
movie this makes sense. - Tim Spoon
- There
is nothing to ask... The Deck Logs say it was Archerfish... it was
Archerfish. I don't understand why we cannot agree that:
1 - Balao was painted pink and used as the star of the movie.
2 - Archerfish remained gray and was used for all submerged shots and
underway shots of a "gray" submarine during the filming IN KEY WEST.
3 - Queenfish was used for the filming of the WEST COAST scenes in
beginning and end of movie.
If someone out there is still determined to say that the gray boat
inboard of the pink Balao in Key West on Gary's page is Queenfish,
please provide us with some documentation that Queenfish came to Key
West from the west coast to make this movie. - Ken "Pig" Henry
- Tim
Spoon is correct on all accounts. I was in Key West attending sonar
operators school in January 1959. My class was pulled out of school for
a couple of days to handle lines, etc. on shore, for a couple of scenes
being shot: the sub was the Archerfish (grey paint). Sailors used for
the same kind of scenes for Balao (pink paint) were from the Sub Base
Key West. - Fr. Aaron S. Peters, O.S.B.
Here are a couple of the Deck Log entries from Archerfish
(SS-311) when we were assisting with the making of Operation Petticoat - Ken
"Pig" Henry:
February 18, 1959 - 0825- Moored starboard side
to berths 5 and 6, North Quay Wall, US Naval Station, Key West, Florida. 1710- USS
Balao (SS-285) moored alongside to port.
Joseph J. Kronzer, LTJG, USN
* * * *
[This is when Balao was painted pink for ‘Operation
Petticoat’. There is a photo of Archerfish and Balao floating around the BB's.
I think Gary Walker has a copy on his Atule site. Nobody knows who took the photo,
but these log entries confirm that the "other boat" is Archerfish.]
* * * *
February 20 - 0715- Mustered the crew at quarters. 0745-
Balao underway from alongside. 0803- Underway. 0950- Set speed 10 knots, commenced
Operation MoPix with YTB-543. [This was for filming our scenes for ‘Operation Petticoat’]
0951- Submerged. 1009- Surfaced. Stopped, lying to. 1139- Set speed 10 knots. 1146-
Submerged.1209- Surfaced. Set speed 16 knots. 1248- Stopped, lying to. 1425- Set
speed 16 knots, station the maneuvering watch. 1551- Moored starboard side to port
side of USS Balao at berths 5 and 6, Center Mole, US Naval Station, Key West, Florida.
Albert W. Houston, LT, USN
* * * *
February 21-23, 1959 - Moored starboard side to
berths 5 and 6, North Quay Wall, US Naval Station, Key West, Florida. USS Balao
(SS-285) moored alongside to port.
* * * *
February 27, 1959 - 1015- Commenced steering various
courses at various speeds while shooting various scenes for the movie ‘Operiation
Petticoat’. In company with YTB- 543. 1408- Completed scheduled operations with
YTB-543. 1529- Moored starboard side to the port side of the USS Chopper (SS-342)
at north side of Pier #2, US Naval Station, Key West, Florida.
Steve L. Ramos, LT, USN