Tethered to the Periscope
Plot Beats
The narrative micro-steps within this event
Indy emerges from the water and scrambles onto the submarine as it begins to submerge, narrowly avoiding being swept away.
Indy ties himself to the periscope as the submarine stabilizes its dive, securing his precarious position.
Who Was There
Characters present in this moment
Driven desperation layered with grim satisfaction when the dive halts; anxiety about drowning that sharpens into focused determination.
Indy erupts from the sea, drenched and hatless, claws onto the Wurrfler’s main deck, is swept by rising water, scrambles up the ladder to the turret and fastens himself to the periscope with his bullwhip to avoid being lost at sea.
- • Survive the submerging deck and avoid being swept into the sea.
- • Secure a covert position on the submarine to enable potential infiltration or travel aboard.
- • Any vessel associated with the Nazis may be his best route to stay close to the Ark's transit.
- • His physical resourcefulness and quick thinking can convert near-disaster into tactical advantage.
Impatient ambition; controlled satisfaction that he can continue the mission while leaving the enemy’s crew no excuse to escalate.
Shliemann remains on the bridge long enough to press the issue, then descends the hatch; his decision to withdraw initiates the sub's movement that creates the life-or-death environment Indy must survive.
- • Get the submarine underway and maintain control of the Ark's transport.
- • Avoid unnecessary delay or public incident that could derail the mission.
- • Speed and control matter more than symbolic violence at this moment.
- • Leaving potential obstacles alive is tactically acceptable when they can be managed later.
Stoic defiance; proud yet aware of the danger, projecting bravery for his crew.
Katanga stands tall and defiant on the Bantu Wind's rail, executes a salute toward the Wurrfler and is observed by the Captain; his stance provides the human counterpoint that the Captain honors before submerging.
- • Protect and represent his crew's defiance against the Nazi vessel.
- • Signal dignity and resistance even while outgunned.
- • Bravery and visible resistance matter morally and strategically.
- • Maintaining composure can influence the enemy's conduct.
Anxious vigilance; proud tension as they stand exposed but unflinching.
Katanga's crew line the Bantu Wind's bow as a visible, resolute presence; their posture and numbers create the diplomatic theater that leads the captain to honorably salute rather than strike.
- • Maintain a visible refusal to be intimidated by the U-boat.
- • Protect their captain and ship through unity and presence.
- • Collective defiance can deter unnecessary aggression.
- • Their display may appeal to basic codes of seafaring honor.
Principled restraint tinged with satisfaction; relieved at avoiding an unjustified attack yet focused on seamanship.
The Wurrfler’s Captain asserts naval restraint, refuses to fire, exchanges a salute with Katanga, then goes below and orders the hatch closed; his conduct directly triggers the dive that floods the deck Indy must fight.
- • Avoid an unprovoked torpedo strike and maintain professional naval conduct.
- • Execute the dive and departure of the submarine safely and correctly.
- • Military honor and rules of engagement override opportunistic violence.
- • Keeping a measured course preserves the crew and the mission’s integrity.
Focused compliance; minimal visible agitation as they execute orders and withdraw below decks.
The Captain's Aides stand with Shliemann and the Captain, then follow the Captain below, performing routine protocol; their withdrawal empties the bridge and leaves the deck unguarded as the sub begins to dive.
- • Carry out the captain's orders and prepare the vessel for submersion.
- • Maintain procedural discipline during a tense encounter.
- • Following the chain of command is the correct response in a naval standoff.
- • Operational protocol ensures crew safety and mission success.
Businesslike focus; calmly executing responsibilities under pressure.
The Radioman briefly speaks into his headset to relay orders or acknowledgements, then descends with the other aides; his communication marks the final procedural step before the dive begins.
- • Transmit and receive necessary communications to coordinate the dive.
- • Follow orders to maintain shipboard protocol and crew safety.
- • Clear communication prevents mistakes during critical maneuvers.
- • His role is to support command decisions, not to question them.
Procedural neutrality; carrying out fleet maneuvers without visible moral engagement in the standoff.
Other submarine crews begin to move their vessels away and submerge in the distance, executing coordinated withdrawal and removing overt naval support from the surface confrontation.
- • Withdraw in formation to preserve operational security.
- • Follow fleet orders to avoid escalation of the incident.
- • Coordinated movement minimizes exposure and risk.
- • Following the lead sub's decision is the safest course.
Objects Involved
Significant items in this scene
Indy's crumpled felt hat is explicitly lost to the sea as he pulls himself aboard; its loss signals personal cost and the permanent physical consequence of his desperate boarding.
The torpedoes are present as a latent threat: loaded in tubes and verbally noted by the Captain earlier, their presence frames the stakes and justifies the Captain's restraint; they are not fired but inform the scene's tension.
The heavy conning-tower hatch is pulled shut by the Captain after he departs, physically sealing the bridge from outside access and precipitating the sub's dive that floods the deck and forces Indy's fight for survival.
The aft main deck rail is the first obvious handhold Indy grasps upon emerging from the sea; it functions as the initial connection between the swimmer and the sub, enabling his subsequent scramble to the conning tower.
The Wurrfler's aftmast light provides a handhold when Indy slips; he momentarily grabs its base to prevent being swept away, turning a fixed deck fixture into a makeshift lifesaving grip.
The fixed metal ladder up the conning tower provides the physical route Indy uses to reach the turret and periscope; without it his climb in plunging water would be far more precarious.
The submarine's periscope functions as Indy's final anchor: only its top three feet remain above water, and Indy climbs and wraps his whip around it to secure himself. Narratively it converts a vehicle instrument into a personal lifeline and clandestine boarding point.
Indy's coiled bullwhip becomes an improvised lifeline: after clinging to the periscope he produces the whip and ties himself to the exposed top three feet, converting a personal tool into a critical survival tether and covert boarding device.
Location Details
Places and their significance in this event
The Wurrfler's conning tower and turret are the physical and symbolic stage for the event: officers withdraw below, the hatch closes, the tower floods as the sub dives, and Indy fights his way to the turret top where radio mast and periscope become his anchors.
The Bantu Wind's bow functions as the counterpart location where Katanga and his crew stand defiantly; it provides the visual provocation that the Wurrfler's captain acknowledges with a salute before withdrawing.
The Wurrfler's aft main deck rail is the first immediate handhold Indy seizes as he surges onto the sub, serving as the tenuous physical interface between the sea and the vessel that enables his survival scramble.
The sea is the antagonistic environment: it ejects Indy, threatens to reclaim him, forces every improvisation, and sets the physical crisis that turns a diplomatic scene into a survival tableau.
Organizations Involved
Institutional presence and influence
The Nazis are the institutional antagonist whose presence frames the stakes: their officers (Shliemann) press for action while the Wurrfler's captain resists, and the organization's mission creates the transport scenario Indy infiltrates by clinging to the periscope.
The Bantu Wind crew organization provides the visible, defiant civilian presence that catalyzes the Captain's respectful refusal to fire; their solidarity and Katanga's posture shape the diplomatic tenor of the encounter.
The Wurrfler Crew as an organization manifests operational discipline: they follow the captain's orders to decline firing, execute the dive, and man the vessel, creating the procedural environment that Indy must exploit to cling aboard unnoticed.
Narrative Connections
How this event relates to others in the story
No narrative connections mapped yet
This event is currently isolated in the narrative graph
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.""