HELENA — While Montana may be a landlocked state, it is the inspiration behind the name of not one but two United States Navy vessels, and a documentary set to be released on Monday shows the power of not only the ships but also the people who operate them.
"Here is this nuclear fast attack submarine, this incredible war weapon machine, and it's covered with murals of Glacier Park, and it has Charlie Russell paintings on the wall. I thought, 'Now this is something,'" said Craig Wirth.
He is the producer and narrator of Montana, Montana, Glory of the Seas.
Wirth was contacted by the USS Montana Committee about creating the USS Montana that was christened in 2020.
He got access to the submarine while it was in the shipbuilding area during its commissioning.
He said, "You talk about sonar; they can pick up things like the sounds of shrimp walking across the ocean floor. Now that's a heck of a microphone."
The documentary also looks at the first USS Montana, a naval armored cruiser commissioned in 1908.
"They sent the finest of the finery from Helena, Great Falls, Butte, and Missoula to christen this with Minnie Conrad in her giant hat with about two dozen roses and a bottle of champagne," said Wirth.
The second USS Montana may also be a warship, but it is not decorated like one.
Wirth says the mess hall is called the Big Sky Saloon, its tables are either Cats or Griz-themed, the ship bell is made from Montana metals, and there is a peace pipe presented by Indigenous Montanans at the front of the submarine.
Wirth said, "The USS Montana committee was able to convince the navy, able to convince all forces that wouldn't this be a great idea to have a little bit of Montana two [to] three hundred feet below the surface."
The committee has brought some of the ship's sailors to the Treasure State to experience what the real Montana is like outside their nearly 400-foot-long version.
"This is really something that a state would adopt an entire crew of a submarine that's named after it and not only decorate the submarine that way, but to bring the people to Montana," said Wirth.
He says that while the ship is a large part of his documentary, the people who staff it make it what it is.
Wirth said, "These are folks who will be under the water for 90 days – as much as six months. They will be involved in a situation where there is no night and day."
The film will debut at the Myrna Loy on Monday evening at 6:00 PM.
Then, it will be televised on Scripps MTN CBS stations at 6:00 PM the following Saturday.
