Hold Fire — Shliemann's Restraint & Indy's Periscope Lifeline
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
The Wurrfler's Captain informs Shliemann that all torpedoes are loaded, setting up a potential confrontation.
Shliemann deliberates with the Captain about attacking the Bantu Wind, showing restraint due to their non-war status.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Desperate determination shifting to relieved wryness—survival focus overlays a private, almost embarrassed satisfaction when the dive halts.
Indy appears suddenly amid the aft rail, drags his soaked body onto the sub, loses his felt hat, fights rising water across the deck, clambers the ladder to the conning tower, braces between mast and periscope, and finally ties himself to the periscope with his bullwhip to avoid being swept under.
- • Avoid drowning and secure a safe hold on the sub
- • Remain hidden aboard the Wurrfler to continue pursuit of the Ark or allies
- • Improvisation and physical grit can overcome engineered danger
- • Staying aboard this sub advances his larger mission despite personal risk
Controlled impatience—his outward civility masks a readiness to escalate if tactically useful.
Shliemann stands on the bridge, watches the Bantu Wind with cold calculation, questions the Captain, then issues a curt concession and disappears down the hatch, signaling impatience restrained only by expediency.
- • Secure the destruction or neutralization of the Bantu Wind if it benefits the mission
- • Keep pressure on naval commanders to move quickly toward Nazi objectives
- • Force is an acceptable tool to achieve strategic aims
- • Delaying violence is tactical, not moral; escalation is inevitable when useful
Calm professional integrity; his refusal reflects naval honor and a desire to avoid unnecessary bloodshed.
The Wurrfler's Captain listens, asserts that torpedoes should not be fired because 'we are not at war,' salutes Katanga, and orders the sub to move away, then goes below and pulls the hatch closed.
- • Prevent an unprovoked attack and unnecessary loss of life
- • Maintain traditional naval discipline and rules of engagement
- • Military honor and protocol must limit wartime excesses
- • There are lines that should not be crossed without formal declaration of war
Defiant composure—using visible presence to communicate sovereignty and resilience in the face of threat.
Katanga stands tall on the Bantu Wind's bow, visible and defiant; his gesture toward the Wurrfler reads as a proud salute that the Captain acknowledges, a human counterpoint to the subs' cold machinery.
- • Protect his crew by signaling confidence and deterrence
- • Demonstrate moral courage in the face of armed intimidation
- • Visible defiance can blunt aggression
- • His crew's lives depend on projecting calm and strength
Tense vigilance—pride mixed with the knowledge of their exposed position under naval guns.
Katanga's crew are arrayed across the Bantu Wind's bow, a human line of defiance and vulnerability; their presence is the target of Shliemann's aggression and the object of the Captain's restraint.
- • Protect their ship and captain through visible solidarity
- • Avoid provocation that would justify violent reprisal
- • Unity and presence can deter immediate attack
- • They are vulnerable but morally justified in resisting intimidation
Businesslike quiet—focused on duty and carrying out commands without show of opinion.
The Captain's Aides stand on the bridge supporting the Captain, then obey his order and follow him below the hatch as the Wurrfler prepares to dive, their movements efficient and respectful.
- • Execute the Captain's orders swiftly and correctly
- • Maintain the submarine's operational readiness during the dive
- • Chain of command must be followed
- • Operational discipline prevents chaos and loss
Focused and routine—concerned with transmission accuracy rather than moral deliberation.
The Radioman crisply relays communications into his headset, then drops the headset and follows the aides down the hatch as the sub begins its dive, performing communicative and procedural tasks.
- • Transmit and receive orders accurately
- • Support the dive procedure by clearing the bridge communications
- • Clear communication is vital to safe operations
- • His role is to serve command, not to judge orders
Other submarines in formation begin to withdraw in the distance once the Wurrfler commences its dive, following the lead sub's …
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Indy's felt hat is noted as lost to the seas during his scramble; it functions here as a small personal casualty that underscores his physical cost and humiliation in the moment.
Torpedoes are explicitly present and loaded—mentioned as the lethal capability that Shliemann urges to use and the Captain refuses—establishing the stakes and the moral choice at the heart of the beat.
The heavy conning tower hatch is pulled closed by the Captain as he goes below, physically sealing the bridge and precipitating the dive which creates the hazardous flooding Indy must survive.
The Radioman's headset is used for brief communications at the start of the exchange; he speaks into it and then removes it as he follows the aides below, marking the end of bridge transmissions and the shift into dive operations.
The aft main deck rail is the first grip Indy finds when he pulls himself onto the sub; it anchors his initial haul out of the sea before he advances toward the conning tower.
The aftmast light serves as a last-ditch handhold: Indy grabs its base to arrest a slip and prevent being swept away while the deck floods and the submarine lists during the dive.
The fixed metal ladder is the vertical pathway Indy uses to reach the bridge and turret; it facilitates his ascent through flooding and is integral to his survival route upward.
The periscope becomes Indy's final physical anchor: as the turret submerges he climbs and clings to the top three feet, then uses it as the structural core to lash his bullwhip and secure himself above the waterline.
Indy's coiled bullwhip is repurposed from tool/weapon into a survival tether; he extracts and knots it to the periscope to secure himself as the submarine completes its dive.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Wurrfler's conning tower/bridge is the immediate stage for the moral clash, the operational hub for dive procedures, and the physical arena where Indy struggles to reach refuge as the submarine submerges and isolates its personnel below.
The Bantu Wind's bow is the visible focus of the standoff—Katanga and his crew stand there as potential victims and symbols of defiance, drawing the attention and ire of Shliemann and the Nazi subs.
The aft main deck rail serves as Indy's first handhold when he drags himself onto the Wurrfler; it is a literal point of contact between sea and steel that prevents him from being swept away.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
The Nazis are the motivating political-military force: Shliemann's presence and his push to use torpedoes make clear the organization's ruthless intent and strategic willingness to use violence to secure assets or intimidate opponents.
The Crew of the Bantu Wind manifest as a civilian/pirate collective whose visible defiance triggers the standoff; their alignment with Katanga's leadership makes them the human stake in the Captain's moral decision.
The Wurrfler Crew represents professional naval execution: their adherence to the Captain's order and dive protocol enables the ship to withdraw rather than attack—an operational counterweight to Shliemann's aggression.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
No narrative connections mapped yet
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Key Dialogue
"THE WURRFLER'S CAPTAIN: "Colonel Shliemann, all torpedoes are loaded.""
"THE WURRFLER'S CAPTAIN: "I think not, Colonel. Nothing is to be gained. We are not at war.""
"SHLIEMANN: "... yet. Let the vermin live. We must be on our way.""