The Silent Service – Season 1 Episode 1 “Yamanami Crushes” Recap & Review

Yamanami Crushes

Episode 1 of The Silent Service begins with Captain Shiro Kaide aboard the JMSDF Diesel Electric Submarine Yamanani. He’s the Commanding Officer and is jotting down notes about the current movements in the ocean. Yamanaka, one of the officers, enters his cabin to inform him that they have reached their destination.

We are also introduced to Hiroshi Fukamachi, the commanding officer of the Diesel Electric Tatsunami Submarine, who is conducting a routine war drill and patrolling the sea. Suddenly, he receives a distress call as the submarine detects an Unidentified Vessel in Japanese waters.

It’s heading towards the Japanese shore and is near Inubosaki, which falls under Yamanami’s jurisdiction. Captain Fukamachi feels relieved knowing that Yamanami is under the command of Captain Kaide. Having trained under Kaide, Fukamachi is aware of his capabilities.

However, his relief is short-lived as the SONAR radiations from the Unidentified Vessel indicate that it’s a Nuclear Submarine. They also notice that Yamanami is heading straight towards the Unidentified Nuclear Vessel.

Tatsunami’s officials attempt to establish contact with Yamanami, but it’s too late, and Yamanami collides with the Unidentified Nuclear Vessel. Yamanami starts sinking, and there’s nothing anyone can do. This is news for Fukamachi, and he wonders how someone as skilled as Kaide could crash his ship into something as large as a Nuclear Vessel.

Later, Tatsunami surfaces, and all 76 officials, including Kaide (whoever was on Yamanami), are declared dead. Japanese officials confirm the deaths, stating that the bodies have been recovered by American Naval officials who will hand them over after conducting a primary investigation.

Fukamachi still can’t believe that Kaide is dead. He even offers to reinvestigate the location, but Admiral Susuma Tadokora refuses, stating that this might harm diplomatic relations as America is already conducting an investigation.

Later, we see the PM of Japan, Toshio Takegami, engaged in a high-level phone call with a Senator in America. Defense Minister Hitoni Sonezaki enters the room while the PM is still on the phone.

The PM ends the call and asks Hitoni to dismiss the matter, deeming it unimportant. However, Hitoni is persistent, believing that the presence of a Nuclear Vessel near the border poses a threat, and Japan must take action to protect itself.

As they discuss the threat, the Chief Cabinet Secretary enters the Prime Minister’s Office. The Prime Minister instructs all his bodyguards to leave the office. Once the bodyguards depart, Hitoni asks, “Does he know?” The PM nods in affirmation, and all three sit down to discuss the current situation.

After the room is empty, they begin a formal discussion where it’s revealed that Japanese authorities, including Defense, were aware of the Nuclear Vessel’s presence. It’s part of their joint operation with the US, as the US has deployed its Sea Bat, the world’s finest nuclear submarine.

Fukamachi is still confused and wants to know what happened to Kaide. However, as he doesn’t have permission to carry out an official investigation, he decides to look into the SONAR radiation recorded during the accident.

He asks the technician to investigate the SONAR radiation and track all the movements of Yamanami before the accident. The technician tracks down movements for every second, and this is when Fukamachi notices that Yamanami surfaced before crashing into the Nuclear Vessel (Sea Bat).

Fukamachi is sure that Kaide and his team left the submarine when it surfaced and that the submarine that hit was being remotely controlled. Meanwhile, the meeting at PMO intensifies, and the PM and DM (Defense Minister) explain to the Chief Cabinet Secretary the secret joint operation between the US and Japan.

In this operation, Japan will receive a Sea Bat submarine from the US to protect its border. However, since obtaining a Nuclear Submarine could have harmed Japan’s international relations, the government decided to keep it a secret.

Later, we are taken back to the send-off ceremony where the Japanese Naval Platoon is being sent on a Naval operation with the US. The entire operation is headed by Captain Shiro Kaide. It’s revealed that Captain Shiro and his team left Yamananmi when it surfaced, and the entire team shifted to Sea Bat. Later, Yamanami crashed into Sea Bat, ensuring the operation remained anonymous.

But things take a darker turn as America assigned only one person, Captain Ryan, as an advisor over the Sea Bat, and Kaide had full control over the submarine. Suddenly, the submarine starts heading towards American waters. Ryan, who is resting after a long shift, is unaware of what Kaide is doing.

By the time Ryan realizes this, Sea Bat is already in American waters, and Kaide has assembled a torpedo ready to launch. Ryan tries to stop the process, but the countdown has already begun. The torpedo shoots at one of the American coast guard submarines, catching everyone onboard by surprise.

They have no time to shift their position and brace themselves in case they get hit. However, the torpedo lands just 2 meters before the submarine, serving as a wake-up call for the American submarines.

In response, the Japanese PM calls for a high-level meeting involving all important diplomats, and they finally decide to declare Kaide a terrorist on the run.

Japan devises a plan to combat Kaide. At the same time, America is aware of foreign insurgence in American waters. Thus, they fire a satellite-controlled missile towards the submarine, and the episode ends on a cliffhanger.’

The Episode Review

With the action abound in episode 1, The Silent Service is off to an impressive start. The pacing of the story is swift, wasting no time in introducing the characters and diving straight into the action.

In the next episode, we’ll find out what happens with the satellite-guided missile and witness Kaide’s attempts to navigate through the formidable American Navy. Additionally, we might uncover Kaide’s ultimate objective, which remains a mystery for now. This could shed light on why Kaide hijacked the submarine in the first place.