- Lt. 'Rusty' Ryan: [as they watch the inspectors drive away] Wonderful the way people believe in those high powered canoes of yours.
- Lt. John Brickley: Don't you believe in them, Rusty?
- Lt. 'Rusty' Ryan: And I let you sell me that stuff about a command of my own.
- Lt. John Brickley: You're skipper of the 34 boat, aren't you?
- Lt. 'Rusty' Ryan: I used to skipper a cake of soap in the bathtub, too.
- [He walks off]
- Lt. John Brickley: Oh, Snuffy... how about getting some torpedoes from you?
- Submarine commander: For those cracker boxes of yours? No telling when we'll see a mother ship again.
- Lt. John Brickley: How long have you been on patrol?
- Submarine commander: Since the day the war started.
- Lt. 'Rusty' Ryan: What did you get?
- Submarine commander: Two small freighters. We had hard luck.
- Lt. John Brickley: Well, while you've been cruising around the Pacific, those 'cracker boxes' have sunk two converted cruisers, an auxiliary aircraft carrier, a 10,000-ton tanker, a large freighter, a flock of barges and numerous sons of Nippon!
- Lt. 'Rusty' Ryan: And also in our brief career, we've carried more messages than Western Union!
- Submarine commander: Well, look, I'd love to help you out, fellas. But you know, I got orders...
- Lt. John Brickley: Snuffy... who played the leading lady in "Tess of the D'Urbervilles" in 1932 at the Academy?
- Lt. 'Rusty' Ryan: And does your crew know about it?
- Submarine commander: [after a long pause] How many do you want?
- Lt. John Brickley: You've got sixteen?
- Lt. 'Rusty' Ryan: We'll take eight.
- Lt. John Brickley: And we'll try and put 'em where they belong.
- Submarine commander: Thanks.
- [walks away slowly]
- Lt. 'Rusty' Ryan: Are you kidding, Brick?
- Lt. John Brickley: Theirs not to reason why. Theirs but to do...
- Lt. 'Rusty' Ryan: And die... but I don't want to be bored to death running messages!
- Lt. John Brickley: I'll see that you get the more intriguing ones.
- Ens. 'Snake' Gardner: [tasting liquid from a tureen] Holy smokes, Cookie, you call that soup?
- 'Squarehead' Larsen SC 2c: No, sir. That's dishwater.
- Ens. 'Snake' Gardner: [stunned, places the ladle back in the pot] Well, uh... right, carry on.
- [exits]
- 'Doc': Yes, sir.
- 'Squarehead' Larsen SC 2c: Ensigns!
- 'Slug' Mahan T.M. 1c: Mr. Ryan, this has gone far enough! That 41 boat is always hoggin' the good jobs, sir.
- Seaman Jones: We'll get all the soaking we need on our way up to hit the Japs, sir.
- 'Squarehead' Larsen SC 2c: What are we gonna do, sit around on our duffs till they get back, sir?
- Ens. 'Snake' Gardner: 41 can't handle this job alone... sir.
- Lt. 'Rusty' Ryan: How about it, sir?
- Lt. John Brickley: Okay. But if she starts taking water, turn back. Sir.
- Admiral Blackwell: [to Brickley] Listen, son: you and I are professionals. If the manager says, "Sacrifice", we lay down a bunt and let somebody else hit the home runs. We know all about those destroyers out of commission, tied up around San Diego. We could use them here. But they're not around. They won't be. Our job is to lay down that sacrifice. That's what we were trained for, and that's what we'll do. Understand?
- Lt. 'Rusty' Ryan: Listen Brick, for years I've been taking your fatherly advice, and it's never been any good. So from now on, I'm strictly a one man band!
- 'Slug' Mahan T.M. 1c: Fellas, we finally got the green light... to sink one of them Jap cruisers in Subic Bay. Though those Jap mines, artillery, and past the patrol boats. One of our boats ought to get back. Any of you guys not on time, don't get to go.