It’s not often that a movie suddenly comes to life.
Even better, when an iconic war hero comes to town to appear on stage, joined by his band of brothers, all heroes of the deep, to share first-hand stories of courage and gumption.
The Bay Theatre is presenting a Star-Spangled Submarine Salute for Friday, July 4, and it will feature the classic submarine war movie “The Hunt For Red October,” starring Sean Connery and Alec Baldwin.
The movie will be followed by a panel discussion of real-life submariner experiences with U.S. Navy veteran submariners.
According to organizer Dr. Darin Detwiler, a Seal Beach Navy veteran and a submariner himself, “it promises to be a memorable night.”
The panel will feature a man who is not only 101 years old and served aboard the U.S.S. Starfish in WWII. Radioman First Class William “Bill” Dillion was manning his battle station when the Starfish sent the Japanese aircraft carrier Chukyo to the bottom of the Pacific in late 1943.
Dillion later wrote “Strike of the Sailfish,” a bestselling book about his submarine experiences in WWII. Dillion has been featured at Dodger Stadium, the Reagan Library, and he traveled back to the D-Day ceremony with actor Dennis Quaid.
In addition to Dillion, Detwiler said Ron Jones, a sonar technician who taught actor Courtney D. Vance all about sonars for his role in “Red October,” will also be among the panelists after the movie.
No joke, he said, Vance’s character in the movie was named Ronald “Jonesy” Jones. He said Jones has vivid memories of making the movie and teaching the cast about subs.Participants should arrive early, said Detwiler. Doors open at 4 p.m., the movie begins at 5 p.m. and the Question-and-Answer panel discussion will begin after a 15-minute intermission.
Detwiler, who also organizes Memorial Day tributes as the U.S. Submarine Memorial in Seal Beach, said there are about 100 submariners from all walks of life belong to the local chapter of the United States Submarine Veterans, Inc.
Detwiler said he handles the Los Angeles/Pasadena chapter, named for the cities of the same names but for the U.S. submarines.The USSVI mission is to perpetuate the memory of submariners who died in service to their country, foster camaraderie among submariners, and educate the public about the role and sacrifices of the Submarine Force, he said.
USSVI also works to strengthen the U.S. Submarine Force and honor the dedication and sacrifice of those who served.
“This event has been in the works for almost a year,” he said, thanking Ben Ahle and Paul Dunlap from the Bay Theatre, who were open to the idea.
Ahle said in a brief interview that this is exactly the type of community engagement they are seeking as the newly renovated Bay Theatre charts a course for impact in the community.
The United States Submarine Veterans, Inc. is an organization created by a group from the United States Submarine Veterans of World War II.
The local USSVI group is the caretaker of the WWII Submarine Veterans Memorial in Seal Beach.
Detwiler, who is an author and professor, said he will act as the “executive officer” to moderate what promises to be a unique discussion.
The submarine crew is expected to spill the secrets about living under the deep blue sea in service to our nation
While all the submariners are heroes, he said, having Dillion at the event is a rare treat for the community and the nation.
Born in 1924, Bill Dillon was just 17 when he joined the U.S. Navy. It was a time when war loomed heavy across the globe, and young men signed up not just for duty, but for something deeper: a sense of purpose. Bill found his aboard a submarine- a steel beast of the sea: the USS Sailfish, according to USSVI info.
But the Sailfish had already lived a lifetime. Originally commissioned as the Squalus, she had sunk during a test dive in 1939, killing 26 sailors. The Navy refused to let her story end in silence.
The Submarine was raised from the depths, renamed, and recommissioned. It’s fitting, then, that a man like Bill—resilient, quiet, and steady—would serve aboard a submarine that had already defied death, the info noted.
As a Radioman, Bill was the ears of the Sailfish, listening, decoding, and transmitting the messages that guided missions and saved lives. He was there during one of the war’s most dramatic naval actions: the sinking of the Japanese aircraft carrier Chuyo on December 4, 1943.
What makes that mission especially haunting is what no one aboard the Sailfish knew at the time: the Chuyo was carrying American prisoners of war – men from the USS Sculpin, another submarine lost in battle. Of the 21 POWs onboard, only one survived.
It’s the kind of tragedy that could haunt a crew, but the war did not allow for stillness. Bill and the Sailfish pressed on, rescuing 12 downed American pilots off the coast of Formosa (modern-day Taiwan), braving the risks of surfacing in hostile waters to bring fellow servicemen home.
For these actions and more, the Sailfish earned nine battle stars and the prestigious Presidential Unit Citation. But for Bill, it was never about medals, it was about doing the job right and bringing the crew back alive.
When the war ended, Bill’s story didn’t. He returned stateside and earned his degree from the University of Florida, then went on to lend his talents to one of America’s boldest frontiers: the early space program. While the details of that chapter remain quieter, it’s safe to say the man who once listened for enemy signals beneath the Pacific helped launch a nation skyward.
Bill turned 100 in 2024 and marked the milestone in grand style. He stood as the “Hero of the Game” at Dodger Stadium on his birthday, September 6, honored by a crowd who may not have known his story—but certainly felt his presence.
Detwiler said the submarine heroes will ride in the Huntington Beach Independence Day Parade earlier in the day but will be back at the Bay Theatre for when doors open at 4 p.m.
Dillion, Jones, Detwiler, Connery, Vance and many more on a Star Spangled Submarine night at the Bay Theatre July 4. A movie and the men of valor on stage whose very story was told. Tickets are available on the Bay Theatre website or at the door.