Lieutenant Commander Mike Dahlgren's (Bill Paxton's) final words before his death are when he yells to Lieutenant Tyler (Matthew McConaughey), "Andy! Take her down!" This is taken from a real incident in 1943, when the submarine U.S.S. Growler collided with a Japanese destroyer in a night battle. Both ships were badly damaged in the collision, and the Japanese immediately opened fire on the Growler at close range. The Growler's skipper, Commander Howard Gilmore, and three other men on the lookout platform were hit by machine gun fire. Gilmore was badly wounded, and the others were killed. Knowing that the Growler would be sunk if the Japanese brought their five-inch guns to bear, Gilmore yelled to his executive officer, "Take her down!" Gilmore drowned when the Growler submerged beneath him, but his sacrifice saved his submarine and the remainder of his crew. Howard Gilmore was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

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