You're in the Navy Now (1951) - full transcript

Come in.

- You sent for me, sir?
- Oh, yes, yes.

I've got to get over to the secretary's
office with these project reports, Tom.

Say, what is that one?
What is that?

That's the high-speed steam engine
for the sub chaser.

- I can read that.
- Yes, sir. The one will
make 'em 10 knots faster.

Ten knots? Te-
Oh, yes.

It wasn't, uh, speed that was the problem,
it was how to get enough water.

Yes. They developed a condenser
they think will take care of the problem.

- Well?
- Hmm? Oh.

Well, I've got a sub chaser, sir.
The PC-1168.



We pulled her engines and put in the
experimental job. We already have a crew-

Didn't I get a full report
on all that a week ago?

Yes, sir. I-I've been trying
to get a commanding officer for her.

What? For a P.C.?
Well, what's holding it up?

It's pretty tricky machinery.
I wanted a line officer with
some engineering experience.

Oh, yes. I'd like to get a line officer
with some experience too!

Who wouldn't?
It would be an easier war!

I know your problem, but the secretary
of the navy is interested in this.

So am I. Get a skipper aboard that P.C. If you
get one with engineering experience, fine.

If you can't-
Well, get a skipper. Now. Right now.

Uh, you better get down to Norfolk
and follow through on this, Tom.

Yes, sir.

Personnel.

Pretty slim pickings.



- Here. We'll have to try this one.
- Yes, sir.

Well, I guess this is it, Ellie.

- I wish you wouldn't-
- No tears this time.

- No?
- Uh-uh. I cried when you got your orders.

I practically flooded the station
when they sent you to New London.

And it was a bit damp when you got
transferred back to Washington.

I'm about cried out.

So, now that I get sea duty, what are you
gonna do? Salute and walk away?

Hardly.

I'm a little worried,
though, Johnny.

- Well, that's a help.
- No, really.

A man your age on one of
those little boats that-

- Ships.
- All right, ships.

And what's this about my age?
You sound as if I was 110.

I got through my indoctrination
all right, didn't I?

Three months in
a converted gymnasium.

You don't know any more about ships
than the man in the moon.

Well, let me worry about that.

- But there is something
I wish you would do, though.
- What?

Is there any way of you
getting out of the waves?

- Getting out? I just got in.
- I know you did.

But if I'm gonna be on a ship for months,
surrounded with nothing but uniforms, y-you-

Well, you like to think of your wife
in something a little-You know.

Johnny, after seven years.

Yes, after seven years.

I don't like you working
around that recruiting station either.

All those sailors.

Sailors? Me?

Johnny, you're jealous.

Well, why shouldn't I be?

Johnny, that's the nicest thing
you ever said to me.

- I'm looking for the PC-1168.
- You gotta have orders
to get on this dock, sir.

Well, all I have is a telegram,
extract order.

That'll be okay, sir.

Find your ship
right down there, sir.

All right, all right.
Let's break it up.!

Never mind tryin' to save water.
We got a whole ocean full. Now, get movin'!

Now we're gettin'
some real navy.

- Good morning.
- Lieutenant Harkness
reporting aboard, Boatswain.

Yes, sir. The deck officer
is in the ward room, sir.

Houlihan, get all
the Lieutenant's gear.

I'll have it stowed in your quarters, sir.
Right this way.

Your quarters, sir.

- What was you doin'? Brushin' away flies?
- Huh?

The salute! The salute!
You look like you had a busted arm!

- And that blouse!
- They told me I'd grow into it.
What do you want from me?

- When contact is made with a sub-Huh?
- Uh-huh.

Change course immediately
to head directly for the sound contact.

Look, we been all over that.

Can't you find something in there
about what to do when this thing blows up?

One of you gentlemen the exec?

- I'm the executive officer, sir.
- Lieutenant Harkness, reporting for duty.

L- I, uh, have a telegram
with an extract order.

Happy to see you aboard, Captain.
Barron's the name, sir. Bill Barron.

- Base operation said you'd
be aboard to take command.
- Take command?

- This is Mr. Barbo, your engineering officer.
- Hello.

- And, uh, Mr. Dorrance, supply officer.
- How are you, Captain?

- Only fair.
- Sir?

Nothing. Nothing at all.
Nice to know you.

- Your first command sir?
- Y-Yes. First command.

If you like, sir, I'll show you to your
quarters. Your orders are there, sir.

- Orders?
- Well, you just said you had
the telegraphic excerpt.

Right down this passageway, sir.

Your quarter's here, sir.

I, uh-I left the orders
right on the desk there.

W-We're sort of anxious
to find what this is all about.

- So am I.
- Sir?

I said, um-I said, "Thanks."

- Thank you very much.
- Oh, yes, sir.

Yeah? Ye-Come in.

Your gear, sir.
I brung it myself...

so's one of them jerks
wouldn't lose it.

- Thanks. Thanks, Boatswain.
- Name's Larrabee, sir.

- May I welcome you to the ship, sir?
- Well, thank you, Larrabee.

Uh, it seems like a nice ship.

- You never been on one
of these, have you, Captain?
- Why, no. No, I haven't.

I knew it. The minute I see ya
come down that gangplank, I knew it.

I suppose it was pretty obvious.

I never been on one, neither-18 years
in and nothin' smaller than a cruiser.

They took me off the Roanoke
to put me on this.

- Mm.
- You ever been on the Roanoke, sir?

- N-No. No, I haven't.
- A fine ship.

I thought we might have some
mutual acquaintances, sir.

Just between you and me, sir...

I don't think you're gonna like this.

Wait'll you see that thing
in the engine room.

Yeah?

I was gonna put in
for a transfer myself.

Now, don't get me wrong. It ain't I gotta
split quarters with the chief engineer...

or we got no regular
chief's mess, or nothin'.

With a war on, us regulars
gotta take what comes.

- But with a crew like this!
- Well, haven't they got any experience?

Experience? They're all civilians,
the whole gang of'em.

I know you noticed it when you came
aboard, sir, but that ain't the half of it.

A stupider lot of misfits,
untrained soda jerks, I never did see.

And I'm supposed to train 'em.

And that ain't all.

- More?
- More.

Beggin' your pardon, sir,
but your officers-

All 90-day wonders.

- Oh, no.
- Yup.

College kids. An advertising guy.

There ain't none of them got more
than two or three months experience.

- Well, they all seem to be pretty eager.
- Oh, they're eager all right.

That... exec officer. He likes to drive me
nuts with his practice drills all week.

Well, I suppose that's what
you've got to put up with with a war.

Like I said, I was gonna put in for a
transfer, but I never let the navy down yet.

- Well, look, uh, I wouldn't
tear up that transfer.
- Sir?

Not until we clear up
a little misunderstanding.

You see, I'm not regular navy.

Just another 90-day wonder.

- But-
- That? Annapolis?

Uh-uh. Rutgers,
an engineering school.

And to date, I haven't
had any sea duty.

But, they-They can't do that!

Can I get you an aspirin?

No, sir.

- Have I the captain's
permission to leave, sir?
- No.

Now, look. There's no sense
in gettin' started off this way, Larrabee.

- I'm gonna have to have
a lot of help, and l-

This door, sir.

Uh, there's an officer on the dock, sir.
He wants to see the captain.

- Are you the captain of this ship?
- Why-

- Well, are you or aren't you?
- Yes, sir.

Get it out of here. I've had a ship
standing by for an hour for this berth.

Sir, I'm under orders not to move this ship
until instructed by the port commander.

I'm the port commander,
and I'm ordering you to move this ship.

Yes, sir.

How long will it take
to be ready, Boatswain?

Well, if you're asking, Captain,
I'd say about six months.

But I'm not asking.
I'm tellin' you!

- You the watch officer, mister?
- Yes, sir.

Then, stand by to cast off. And send
the executive officer to the bridge.

Yes, sir.

But, sir, we can't just
take off without any-

You heard the order.
We're getting underway.

And if you're nervous about it...

you have my permission to conduct
abandon ship drill immediately after we do.

Yes, sir.

Man, I'm tellin' you. The way he chewed out
that boatswain was a work of art.

- Oh, he's real crusty.
- Yeah. He oughta love the way
you guys run this ship.

- Don't you think we oughta
tell him we're a little green?
- No, no, no, no.

- But I'm not a very good sailor.
- Look, if you tell him,
will it make you feel better?

Let him find out for himself.

Relax. You know where
Pinto Dock is?

Pinto, uh-
Yes, right across the bay, sir.

- Fine, that's where we're going.
- Aye, aye, sir.

On the bridge, there.!

- Can you get us out of here?
- Oh, I haven't had much experience.

- They can't shoot me for tryin'.
- Captain.!

- Don't be too sure.
- Captain.!

- Yes, sir.
- You've had 10 minutes, Captain.

Are you gonna move this ship outta here,
or am I gonna have to do it for you?

Moving out immediately, sir!

Sta-
Stand by to cast off!

Yes, sir.

Set to special sea detail!

Get on 'em lines!

Cast off the stern line!

Cast off the bowline!

Cast off the bowline.!

Cast off number two line!

Cast off number two line!

Go on. Come on.

- Starboard engine, one-third ahead.
- Yes, sir.

Hey, mister, give me one blast
on the ship's whistle.

- Get us out of here, quick.
- The engine won't turn over, sir.

- W-Well, find out why-
- Well?

Uh, the engine, sir.
It won't turn over.

- Why not, mister?
- Why, uh-

- Find out! Fast!
- Yes, sir.

What? Yeah, yeah. I heard you.

Well, the captain's coming down himself.
Maybe he can make some sense
out of this monster.

- What's happening here?
We've got to get moving.
- I wish I knew.

- Are you the chief?
- Yes, sir. Ryan, sir.

- What seems to be the trouble?
- You mean now, sir?

- Certainly, I mean now.
- Engines won't spin, sir.

They won't do anything
except make that racket.

- What's your pressure?
- 550, sir. Boiler temperature, 1400.

Throttle cracked to one-third ahead.
Nothin' happens, sir.

- Why not?
- I wouldn't know, sir.

- What do you mean?
You're the chief, aren't you?
- Yes, sir.

Sixteen years, sir.
All in diesel.

- This is steam. I ain't seen
a steam engine since-
- I know this is steam!

There's nothing very complicated
about a steam engine.

No, sir.
But this one ain't human.

Boiler.

Superheater.

- There's your main steam line
coming out there.
- Yes, sir.

Over there. Through there,
and into those turbines.

- What's this?
- Bypass valve, sir.

The manual says it must be open
when the boiler is fired.

That's a safety factor,
Captain. The book says-

You should have read further.
You've got your steam goin'
around in circles doing nothing!

Skipper, the safety factor!
That's live steam!

We've gotta
get this ship outta here!

Good-Cu-
To the left! Left! More!

Hey! No!

Over to starboard!
To starboard!

This is stupid! You could just as easy
tie them together.

- That ain't the navy way.
- The navy way.

That's all that boatswain
thinks of is the navy way.

Right after we run into that flattop
wasn't the time to get smart with him.

Ah, so we busted a couple of plates.
So what?

It's like dentin' a fender, ain't it?

Hey.! Hey.! You crazy swabbie.!
What are you tryin'to do?

- No wonder your-
- So what?

What are you tryin' to do?
Set fire to the ship?

Yeah. And what do you care?
You ain't on it!

You throw anymore cigarette butts
over the side, I'll tear you apart.

- You and who else, you schlub?
- Knock that off!

- Get back to work, sailors.
- Yes, sir.

Now what are we gettin'?
An admiral?

He's a commander.
Can't you see the three stripes?

Who counts?

Here's a report on
damage to the carrier.

- What about backing into the dock?
- I have it, Skipper.

Hey, Chuck.
This oughta interest you.

The navy medics are working
on a cure for seasickness.

- Yeah? W-What do they say?
- Nothin'. They're just workin'.

This keeps up,
I'll be lookin' for a cure myself.

- Well, you can always call the auto club.
- Very funny.

Particularly as I'm liable to be
spending the rest of my life in
the navy paying for this thing.

- Hey, maybe we'll all get relieved.
- I doubt it.

I'd just like to know
who the idiot was...

who made up the complement
of this ship.

I'm one of the idiots
who had something to do with it.

- What were you going to say, mister?
- Nothing, sir. Nothing.

You seemed pretty sure of yourself a minute
ago. You had something on your mind.

Well, sir, I've had no
practical experience in seamanship.

- Nor have my other officers.
- From what I hear, that's pretty obvious.

- Yes, sir. But to assign-
- You're officers, aren't you?

You've been through
indoctrination programs.

- Yes, sir.
- You all have a college education.

Well, the navy's given you stripes
and expects you to use them.

Your men are green, train 'em.
You don't know something, find out.

- Yes, sir.
- Trained men are scarce these days.

If they weren't,
it'd be an easier war.

- Now, is there anything else?
- No, sir.

All right, then.
Let's get down to cases.

Now, you've already been informed
that this vessel is a secret project.

Here's the reason why. These are
the working plans of this experiment.

You no doubt noticed
that your engines were a little unusual.

We sure did, uh, sir.

In case you haven't noticed...

the engine installed in this ship
is high-pressure, superheated steam.

It's not only an economical engine, but with
it, the naval architects expect this...

to be faster and more maneuverable
than any sub chaser afloat.

- Hey, that's terrific!
- What's terrific, mister?

Well, I mean,
inventing a steam engine for this thing.

Mister, for your information,
the steam engine was invented
in 1765 by Mr. James Watt.

With the exception that
we superheat the steam and
use triple-distilled water...

this is no different
from any other steam engine.

I imagine that Mr. Barron
was talking about the speed, sir.

- May I ask a question?
- Well?

Can a ship of this size
carry enough water to go anyplace?

- No, it can't.
- Good.

Well, I mean,
it seems kind of silly-

Mister, if it was silly,
the navy wouldn't be interested in it.

Water happens to be
the key to this problem.

- You better start learning now,
every drop of it's precious.
- Yes, sir.

Ship this size couldn't carry enough
water to run a half a day at speed.

That's why the naval architects
came up with this.

Now, it's a combined
evaporator-condenser unit.

It takes in the seawater,
evaporates the salt out, distills it...

and replaces it as fast
as it's lost in operation.

Except for fuel,
this is a self-sustaining unit.

- Well, that sounds as simple
as rollin' off a log!
- Well, it's not, mister.

For your information, the secretary
of the navy's interested in this.

Admiral Tennant's interested,
and I'm interested in it.

That's the reason why this ship
will start trial runs the minute
she's out of dry dock.

- We're behind schedule now.
- Yes, sir. When will you take over, sir?

Me? Command this? We-

Mister, the navy's interested in
several thousand projects beside this one.

- Anyway, you were particularly selected for it.
- Me, sir?

- Well, you hold an engineering
degree from Rutgers, don't you?
- Yes, sir, in hydroelectric-

That's how you got your rank.
You better use it.

But, sir, I got out of Rutgers
18 years ago.

In the meantime, you've completely forgotten
about the operation of steam engines?

- No, sir. I haven't.
- Well, then, you won't have
any trouble with this.

- I knew it. I knew it all the time.
- You knew what?

Well, sir, it is confined steam we're
working with. That's like liquid gunpowder.

Uh-huh. But in case you
hadn't heard, mister, there is a war on.

Steam is dangerous, so is gunpowder.
But not if you handle it correctly.

If you're that worried about it, you better
pay attention while we go through this.

But, sir, I haven't got
an engineering degree.

Then you better pay
very close attention.

Everything's
secured on deck, sir.

Well, cut her loose!

Check! Full speed ahead.

Give her everything you got.

All right. Okay,
it's your funeral.

Open 'em up.

She's cuttin' through this
like a bread knife!

- You really think it's going to work?
- Are you kidding, Skipper?

This is the most ter-

- What's the matter with you?
- They say it affects the inner ear.

A sense of balance or something.

We're doing 32 knots, sir.

Are we on land or water?

Hey, I hear something.

What?

- Don't you hear something funny?
- Funny?

Sounds hysterical to me.

- Little swell, huh?
- Four hours out, and you're an old salt.

- What are you eating?
- Salami. It's good.

- Salami? Don't let Mr. Dorrance see you.
- Ah, he's crazy.

That seasick stuff
is all in your head.

Hey, skipper! The pressure's gone down
and the heat's gone up!

- Hey!
- What's the matter?

I don't know.
I think I'm goin' blind.

It's the lights and that salami.

- Well, what's the matter with 'em?
- How should I know?

What am I? An electrician?
I got enough trouble bein' a helmsman.

- Chief, the water's carryin'
over to the generator!
- What do you want from me?

I knew it!

The boiler, sir!
Let's get out of here!

Larrabee! Larrabee!
Keep those men aboard!

Larrabee.!

There! Neat, huh? Now we get a couple
of cans of soup, and we're off.

- Is that liable to blow up too?
- I thought these were army jungle issue.

Well, look. It's here, ain't it?
It'll cook soup, won't it?

- Wonderful! Love it dearly.
- Soup.

- What's the matter?
- I don't know. I don't think
that soup's a good idea.

Well, I do. I'm starved!

On top of everything else,
we got a mess officer who gets seasick.

I can't understand what happened to that
water. Wasn't that condenser working?

I don't know. It was making
enough noise to be doing somethin'.

- Were you able to get a message out?
- No, sir.

Our signal's too weak with the hand
generator. Nobody's picking us up.

Great. No communications.

No power, no light.
What's the crew doing about food?

They're all right, sir.
I've got the cook making sandwiches.

- What about our drift?
- I put out a sea anchor, sir. It'll cut it down.

Cut it down?
So we pile up on the rocks slower?

Oh, no. We wouldn't run aground.

I checked.
The gulf stream's carrying us out.

- The gulf stream?
- Hey! There's submarines out there.

Lookout reports a ship, Captain.

What do you think she is, Larrabee?

It's an armed tanker, sir,
running for Newport News without convoy.

Think we can get a signal to her?

She'd never stop in these waters.
With all that gas, she'd be a sitting duck.

Well, maybe we can get her
to relay a message for us.

- We just can't sit here, drifting.
- We won't drift far.

Current out here in the stream's
only about 3 knots.

That's fine. We'll be
in Ireland in months.

Either that, or we'll be the first
sub chaser captured by a submarine.

We're not getting
captured by anybody.

- Come on, Tony.
- I better secure this Noah's ark for the night.

He's crazy. I bet if we got
a signal out to him, he'd give us a tow.

Yeah, and if not, we'll just sit here
and roll all night long.

I picked up a couple of signal lamps
in the signal corps the other day. Maybe-

- The signal corps? What a pack rat!
- I'm only tryin' to help.

- Hey, that's wonderful. Where are they?
- They're down here.

Either we're not putting out
enough power, or they're not listening.

I can't get a rise out of'em.

- Forget it.
- Hold, up, Lee. Let's give it one more try.

Relax. Relax, Tony.

All you'll get is a heart attack.
We'll have to wait for daybreak.

Come on. I want to post
an extra security lookout.

You don't need to. I won't sleep.

- You better hold the battery.
- Don't you think we ought
to tell the captain first?

Hold it. I'll have us under tow
before he knows it.

Hey! What's S.O.S.?

Dah-dah-dah, dit-dit-dit?
Or dit-dit-dit, dah-dah-dah?

Dah, dah, dah,
dit-dit-dit.

Okay.

On the bow.

- What's going on here?
- Oh, we were just
signaling the tanker, Captain.

Signaling? You idiot! Don't you know
there's a blackout on the whole coast?

Get down out of there.!

Wait a second, Skipper!
Look! They're answering!

- Well, what did you send 'em? A challenge?
- Watch it!

What are they sore at?

In case you hadn't heard,
that's an armed tanker.

- Fortunately, they're probably
scared to death of us.
- Why?

Ireland, here we come.

Sailing, sailing
Over the bounding main

Where many a stormy wind
shall blow

Till Jack comes home again

Sailing, sailing
Over the bounding main

Where many a stormy wind
shall blow

Till Jack comes home again

Sailing, sailing
Over the bounding main

Where many a stormy wind
shall blow

Till Jack comes home again

Sailing, sailing
Over the bounding main

Where many a stormy wind
shall blow

Till Jack comes home again

Close that port, will you?

- What's the latest from those comedians?
- Just a second, Skipper.

"Urgent. Would you prefer to wait
for darkness before proceeding up channel?"

Very funny. Tell them to-

Tell them no.
Where's the boatswain?

- That towline doesn't look so secure to me.
- He's locked in his quarters.

- He won't come out.
- He won't come out? What is this?

That's the Roanoke, Skipper.
It's his old ship.

Oh. Well-
I-I don't blame him.

I wonder if he's got room
down there for one more.

Come in.

- Skipper, Commander Reynolds
just came aboard.
- Reynolds?

- Where is he?
- He headed for the engine room,
and he didn't look very happy.

- Here you are, chief.
- Fire room log, sir.

Steam drum pressure, 580.
Superheated steam temperature, 1700.

Fuel oil pressure to burners, 25.
Fuel oil temperature to burners, 175.

Water, 170.
Well, that's normal.

Were these your readings
when she blew?

- Well, no, sir. That'd be
about 20 minutes before.
- Eh, I thought so.

The drum pressure went down to 480,
and the steam temperature up to 1,850.

1,850? Didn't you know if you ran
at that heat, somethin' had to go?

- Yes, sir.
- Why didn't you cut the burners?
You could be broken for this.

- Yes, sir.
- Then why didn't you lower the heat?

He didn't lower the heat
because I didn't tell him to, sir.

He was following my orders.

I believe it's customary for me
to answer questions pertaining
to the conduct of my ship.

You're quite right, Captain.
I'm sorry, Chief.

You understand that even though
this equipment is experimental...

- the navy could hold you responsible for it.
- Yes, sir.

They might have trouble proving
whether it was negligence or stupidity.

It was my understanding that
you had a more than rudimentary
knowledge of steam engineering.

- I have, sir.
- I'm delighted to hear it.

Because you'll have plenty
of opportunity to prove it.

There'll be another boiler placed in this
ship, and another series of tests scheduled.

There'll be no liberty
until a successful run is made.

You'll continue the tests
until they are a success.

From what I've seen,
that may be some time.

- I don't think so, sir.
- Ah, well. Good luck, mister.

I walked right
into that one, didn't I?

Just when I thought
we might get off of this time bomb.

- Do you think we can make it work, Chief?
- I don't know, sir.

- Well, we can try, can't we?
- Yes, sir.

Well, get at it. Come on, Tony.
Let's get this thing mapped out.

All right! Come on, you guys!
Let's clean up this mess!

The old gray mare

She ain't what she used to be

Ain't what she used to be

The old gray mare
She ain't what she used to be

Many long years ago

Hey!
Hey, sailor!

- Feed us more line!
- Yes, sir, Mr. Boatswain!

More line, fellas.
Move line.

Yes, sir, Mr. Boatswain.
Yes, sir. Anything you say, Mr. Boatswain.

Oh, don't forget.
Next time you go out, we got a date, deary!

Keep moving.! Keep working.!

"And did on the 17 th of May, willfully
attack Seaman Morse and Martell...

"Seaman Apprentice Evans,
and storekeeper Olson with his fists...

and with such violence as to place
Seaman Jennings in the ship's sick bay."

Wascylewski, what have you
got to say for yourself?

- Nothin', Captain.
- Nothing?

You beat up four men. You put one of'em
in sick bay, and you've got nothing to say?

They said I take a bath
in the distilled water.

I didn't take no bath in it.

I told 'em it 'vaporates.
They said it don't 'vaporate that fast.

I said it 'vaporate
that fast on this ship.

Now, look, Wascylewski. A lot of big brass
have said things like that to me.

And worse! But I didn't go out and take
on the whole navy yard, understand?

- Yes, sir.
- All right. I'll let you off with
10 hours extra duty this time.

But I hear of you evaporat-

If I hear of any more trouble on this-

- What are you talkin' about? Shut up, you!
- Hey! Cut it out!

Break it up!

Hey, break it up.!

Now, get to your quarters
and stay there till I send for you.

Go on!

Larrabee, come here, will you?

Yes, sir.

- All right. Wascylewski, you can go.
- Yes, sir.

- I want to talk to you, Chief.
- Yes, sir.

Will you shut the door?

Every time I turn around on this ship,
there's a fight.

And don't look so pious. I understand
you two have had a go at it yourselves.

Look, I want to know what to do
with this crew. What's the answer?

- Liberty. That's the answer, sir.
They got to have a liberty.
- That's right, sir.

They got to blow off some of their steam.
They've been on this can for two months.

You heard Commander Reynolds-
No liberty till we make a successful run.

Why, that could take four years.

There's guys in that shipyard makin'
a whole career out of fixin' this monster.

- But this is a secret project.
- Secret! Some secret.

The whole base lines up and cheers
every time we get towed in.

I-I know they need
a liberty, but l-

The only thing is for you to go
right to the base commander, sir.

If it's the ship's morale,
he's got to give it to ya, Captain.

Tell him you can't take the responsibility
for the efficiency of this crew-

Wait a minute. Wait a minute.
What did you two do, rehearse this?

- Oh, no, sir. Nothing like that.
- No, sir. I should say not.

Well, I'll-I'll think about it.

Unfortunately,
the ship's laundry's broken down...

along with the rest of the engine,
and I haven't even got a clean uniform...

to go up against
the base commander.

I thought about that, sir.
I-I-I put a couple of the boys to work-

Th-That could be your laundry now, sir.

Johnny.

- Oh, Johnny, it's so good to see you.
- Yeah? Who was that joker?

Who? Who, Bill?
Just one of the boys.

Johnny, you look wonderful. No.
No, you don't. You look a little worried.

Me, worried? What have I got
to be worried about? I'm as happy as a-

- You look worried.
- Well, I'm not!

- Eh, can we go inside?
- Sure.

Now, do you mind telling me
just what you're doing here?

What do you mean, what I'm doing?
I'm working.

Secretary to the captain.
How about that?

- Secretary to the captain?
- Mm-hmm.

Ellie, you don't know anything
about being a secretary.

- Now, what do you know about boats?
- Ships.

But never mind that.
Just h-h-how did you get this job?

- Actually, it was the biggest
stroke of luck ever.
- Yeah?

Mm-hmm. I came in
as a file clerk.

Then one day, Danny-
uh, that's Captain Eliot-

he needed somebody
in a conference in a hurry.

So, I went in, and here I am.

And the, uh, commission
went with it, huh?

- Just turned on the charm
and there you were.
- Mm-hmm.

Captain's secretary.
Oh, and lucky for you too.

I've seen Commander Reynolds's
report on your trial run.

You too?

That is supposed to be
a secret project.

- How do you know about it?
- Well, I'm the captain's secretary.

He's the base commander. Everything
goes through Captain Eliot's office...

after it goes through
Captain Eliot's secretary.

Okay. l-I give up.

Well, now, uh, do you think
I can see your boss?

- What for?
- Because.

I want to see him
about some liberty for my men.

From the reports I've seen,
you're the one that needs some time off.

- Now-Now, look,
I'm in trouble enough without-
- Trouble?

- Are you in trouble?
- No, I'm not, but-

- Look, if you're mad, and he's mad-
- I'm not mad!

All right, darling.
You're not. But he is.

Let me get him
in the mood first.

What do you have to do,
sit on his lap?

Uh-uh. Too fat.

I just chuck him under the chin.

Hm.

Now just remember,
it's their first liberty.

The minute they hit the ship,
I want you to hustle them below.

I don't want no hootin' and hollerin'
on the deck.

Mr. Dorrance will be on duty.

But I don't want you botherin' him
unless you really need him.

Well-Well, what's
the matter with you?

I don't know
anybody in this town.

Shore Patrol brings anybody in
and wants to make any trouble...

just call me before you do-

Wh-What-
What's in that?

Ice cream.

Ice cream!

It ain't even 9:00 yet, and that's
practically the last of them now...

comin' back with their tails
between their legs.

- Half the starboard watch
don't even want to go.
- This is a new kind of navy.

These men aren't your old-time sailors.
They got different backgrounds.

"New kind of navy." Beggin' your pardon,
sir, but they're men, ain't they?

The ordinary guy puts in two months on a ship,
he goes out and he... raises some sand.

But do these guys?

The rest of the base blows them
a bird about the Teakettle.

So what do they do? Choose 'em? Belt
somebody over the head with a beer bottle?

Nah, not these guys. They come running home
to Mama with writing paper and ice cream.

- Oh, now wait a second. You're not-
- Forget it, Bill.

The boatswain's right.
They look like Coxey's Army.

How come you didn't go ashore
with your watch, Larrabee?

Me? With the Roanoke in, sir?

Why, I wouldn't be able to-

- Well, uh, my back has been
a little off, sir, and l-
- Yeah.

Yeah.

What the heck?
Let me outside-

Let me-

Come one by one.
I'll take 'em all on.!

Ain't talkin' about
my ship that way.

I'll show 'em what a Teakettle is.
Crummy rotten-

There's your battleship, shorty.
Get goin'.

Don't you start makin' no cracks,
brighteyes, or I'll belt you too!

What'd you do it for, Norelli?
I told you there'd be trouble!

Well, they was such
a smart bunch of punks like-

Oh, let me alone! Let me alone!
I don't know why I did it.

- Well, come on.
- Get away!

I'm comin' aboard
this bucket by myself.

Come on.

There's a sailor.

"And has repeatedly failed
to complete its mission.

"Inefficiency and lack of morale
are contributing factors to these failures.

"They will no longer
be tolerated by this command.

"The PC-1168 is being readied
for another trial run.

"No excuses will be accepted for failure
to complete this run successfully.

"This communication will be read
to the officer complement of the PC-1168...

"and displayed prominently
for the enlisted men.

- W.R. Reynolds, Commander U.S.N."
- Oh, Reynolds. What's eatin' that guy?

He's just a pusher. The secretary
of the navy pushes the admiral.

- The admiral pushes Reynolds.
- Yeah, and he pushes us but-but good.

But what's he always
harpin' on morale for?

Because it's true!
We haven't got any.

We're the joke of the base.
And you can't take pride in a joke...

- no matter h-how funny it is.
- It's not our fault that...

that jigsaw puzzle
in the engine room won't work!

- They want it to work,
and they think if they put-
- Let's stop kidding ourselves.

It's up to us to make it work.
But we can't do it without a crew.

Post that on the board,
will you, Chuck?

Now that's gonna be
a great help to morale.

What else can we do?
We've had entertainment.

We run classes.
We-We-We had contests.

Yeah, that checker tournament.
That was a great idea.

What would you do,
run a burlesque show?

It'd be a better idea
than that mah-jongg contest.

Hey, let's drop it.

Say, w-would this
mean anything?

"Boxing. Base championship."
For the seamen's fund.

The base is giving a boxing benefit,
and they want entries from all the ships.

Hey, I'll go for that.

I was on the boxing squad at college.

- Who did you ever lick?
- Ho-ho-

- Well, I was ineligible, but... Well,
you're lucky. You're still ineligible.

- This is for enlisted men.
- Nobody on this ship...

can punch his way
out of a wet paper bag.

Out of 52 men aboard, there's gotta be
somebody knows how to defend-

- If there is, I don't know 'im.
- What about Norelli?

- No, no, he's too small.
- Hey, what about Wascylewski...

- the guy who took on the four
fellas in the engine room?
- Wascylews-

Why didn't I think-Hey, he oughta
be able to lick his weight in pig iron.

- You think the crew will
get behind something like this?
- If we don't force it on 'em...

- if we let 'em think it's their idea.
- Terrific.

- Wascylewski.
- I know he can punch,
but can he defend himself?

- Well, he's gotta.
- I'll do it. I'll teach him.

Oh, brother, what I'd give to-
Hey, I gotta a right cross-Bop!

Wait for the bell.

No. No.

Left. Left. Keep it up.
Lead with your left.

Y.M.C.A. boy. Them stand-up fighters
always gets murdered.

Look, Wascylewski-
Excuse me.

Look, Wascylewski, you gotta be shifty.
So you move, always move.

You give the guy
plenty of elbow and thumb.

All right. Go on. H-
Try to hit me. Come on.

No, you big idiot,
not like that!

You told me to hit ya, I hit ya.

You gotta throw the punch
straight like that.

Will you stop throwing the duke around
like a meat cleaver!

Hey, Bill, Norelli, you mind? Before
somebody gets killed. Come on. Come on.

All right, Wascylewski, let's start
with a few fundamentals, huh?

What do you say?
Let's get a little balance into it now.

Come on. Up on the balls of your feet. Get
your weight evenly distributed on both legs.

That's the boy. You feel it a little there?
The balance?

All right. Now, get your guard up.
Get that left foot out there.

Up on the balls of your feet.
That's the boy.

Get the left up. The right up.
Hold it right in close.

Head in. Chin down.
That's the boy.

And when you throw your left,
put your body into it.

Can you feel that now? Try that.
Come on. Come on. Let's see you try it.

Come on. Throw your body into it.
That's the boy.

That's the boy.
Throw it a little faster.

Make it count. Make it count.
That's the boy.

All right, Wascylewski,
a few lefts right in the glove.

That a boy. Harder.

That a boy.
Now let's try that right.

- Hard?
- How else?

Sit down, Norelli.
We'll learn something.

Keep the left up.
That's what it's for.

It's all right.
You'll get it.

A few more lefts.
That a boy.

Hey, that Tony's terrific.
He's really making a fighter out of him!

The crew seems to think so.

What about it, Boatswain?

They're gettin' all steamed up
about it, sir, no doubt about it.

You know, they think
he can win for 'em.

You know, I think so too.

- What about it, Bill?
- Huh?

- What about the fight?
- Oh.

I'm glad I was ineligible. Ooh.

Okay.
Watch your dukes, you guys.

- Lower away!
- See you do a job this time, Bessie.

Sir? Sir?

Sir, can l-
can I speak to you, sir?

- Go right ahead, Norelli. What-
- It's about Wascylewski, sir.

The boys are pretty
excited about him.

I don't know why. He's got
half of'em up in sick bay from
being used as sparring partners.

Oh, boy, hits like Louis.
I mean, don't the captain think so, sir?

- Looks like he could break a door
down without gloves, doesn't he?
- Yes, sir.

- Well?
- Well, uh, you see,
like I said before, sir...

the boys are pretty excited
about him.

They'd all like to get a little dough down-
make a bet, sir.

I thought this was for charity.

You know, sir.
Charity begins at home.

- Wascylewski is a shoo-in.
- I guess it's all right with me. Yeah.

But-But, sir,
that ain't exactly what I mean, sir.

The guys kinda figured
that you'd get the bet down for 'em.

- Me?
- You're the only one
who can get off the ship, sir.

- So?
- There's a yeoman in the signal
section there, name of Whitey.

- He's bookin' the fights.
- Uh-huh.

This guy wants to lay 7-5,
but don't let him get away with it.

Anytime it's play or pay,
it's at least 8-5.

- If you pull a little rank,
you might be able to get-
- Norelli...

just what makes you think
I'm gonna see this Whitey at all?

Oh, but, sir, this is
for the honor of the ship...

and we thought that you
and the other officers would wanna.

You ain't gonna let us down,
are ya, Skipper?

Well, as long as it's
just a matter of a few dollars.

Well, that's all. Just so's they can't say
the Teakettle is a piker.

Well, all right.

There's just short
of 18 yards here, sir.

- $1,800?
- Well, most of the guys got
allotments and bonds and stuff.

It's the best they could do, sir.
Thank you, sir.

Hey, Chief!

Mr. Harkness, sir.
Orders from the base.

- O-Oh, sailor.
- Yes, sir.

- Are you going back to the base?
- Yes, sir.

- You know a fella named Whitey?
- Whitey?

Yes, sir.
E-Everybody knows Whitey.

Uh-Well, give him this.

From the ship.
Uh-He'll understand.

Yes, sir.

- O-Oh, sailor?
- Yes, sir.

Tell 'im I said we want it 8-5,
and no monkey business.

Yes, sir.

Houlihan, you bet 30
at 8-5, right?

- That means you get 48.
- That's right.

- Lee, you bet six-
- Well, I see you're counting
your money, huh?

Yours too, Chief. Let's see.
You bet 50, huh? At 8-5 you oughta get-

Look, kid, before you run out of fingers,
I got a little news for ya.

- We run another trial on the 12th.
- Twelve, 13, who cares?

You don't care? It just happens to be
the day that Wascylewski fights.

Hey, if we run out of water again,
there ain't gonna be no fight.

Norelli, you mallet-head!

Wait a minute!
Wait a minute!

- Let me think.
- Great.

All right. Nobody takes a bath, see?

Nobody drinks no water,
and nobody brushes their teeth.

That ain't no good, Norelli. Look, if this
guy don't fight, we don't get no dough.

I lose too, don't I? Now let me think!

- You better do more than just think.
- All he wants to do is think.

Houlihan, you know
those big cases of water-

How much longer, Skipper?

Just 12 minutes more.

Hey, Chief, we're not gonna make it.
We're practically out of water now.

We're gonna make it!

- Hey, what's that?
- Hey, Chief, the steam's so hot...

it's knocked the bracing right out
of one of those connections!

- Well, wrap some waste around it
and turn the hose on it!
- Okay.

Hey, watch out for the steam!
It's hot enough to cut you in half.

Water! Water!

Water!

Water!

- Hey, Wascylewski!
- What?

You sure that's salt water?

Yeah.

Hey, Skipper! Skipper!

There's the channel marker.
We're in the channel.

That's it!

See if they've got anything left
in the engine room.

Tony? Tony? Skipper wants to know
if you got anything left.

I'll guarantee ya, I haven't.

Hey, Chief, he wants to know
if we got anything left.

Tell him to take her in in style.

Hey, Wassy, come on, boy.
Get in there and fight. Let's go.

Skipper, they got enough.

Cut her to half-speed
and take her home.

Aye, aye, sir.

Put her down to standard.

- Oh, no! Now what?
- Ah, it's another one of them bearings.

- I'll get it.
- Let it go! It don't mean nothin' now!

Aaah!

- Hey, Wascylewski!
- Wassy!

You all right?

Well, son, looks like you've got
about four broken ribs.

W-Well, can ya put more-
more tape on 'em or somethin', doc?

- I gotta fight tonight.
- Fight?

And shove one of
those ribs through a lung?

Look, son, you're going
to base hospital.

I'm-I'm-I'm sorry, Skipper.
I could've licked that guy too.

- I never should've went-
- Forget it.

It's not that important.
We'll catch him the next time, huh?

Say, doc, the boys
with the stretcher are here.

- Tell 'em to come in, will ya?
- Yes, sir. Corpsmen.

- Hey, Mr. Barbo.
- Yeah?

Hey, wh-why don't you take
Tommy Morse over there?

He was the best
of the sparring partners.

- Maybe he... Morse. That's a
terrific idea, Wascylewski.

- Yeah.
- Hey, fellas, do you mind?

Now, don't forget.
Y-You do that.

Corpsmen.

- Hey, Tony.
- Yes, sir.

- What about Morse? Can he fight?
- No, he'll get killed.

- What do you mean? He's not that bad.
- Oh, he'll get murdered.

But I guess
it's the only thing we can do.

Well, if he hasn't got a chance,
why-why bother?

Look, it's-
it's play or pay, Captain.

I think that we-the crew ought to
get some kind of show for their money.

Well, that way they'll lose
both their money and the fight.

- Well, the other guy
could always get a heart attack.
- Oh.

Skipper, the ship is cleared for liberty, sir,
and they want you over at the base right away.

Reynolds. Well, you-
you better try Morse.

This is one time
Reynolds can't get sore.

- How much do you want to bet on that?
- I'll take half that bet.

If the skipper ever finds out
we brung this water onboard-

He ain't gonna find out.
Now, hurry up!

- Hey, what's going on there?
- Come on! Come on!

Hey, what are you men
doing there?

- Good evening, sir.
- Hmm?

Oh, Harkness,
what are you doing here?

- Didn't you send for me, sir?
- I? Why, no.

I should've though.
We finally made it, huh?

Wonderful, Lieutenant.
Wonderful. I'm delighted.

- Yes, sir, but-
- No buts about it, Lieutenant.
You put the ship...

through her paces, and, frankly,
I never expected it-not this soon, that is.

- Eh, did you have any water left?
- That's what I wanted
to talk to you about, sir.

I want to talk to you, too, but I'm late
for a meeting now. Maybe later, huh?

Yes, sir. But you see-

- Why, Johnny, what a surprise.
- Uh-huh.

- How did you get here?
- I had an idea Commander Reynolds
wanted to see me.

- Oh.
- He didn't.

- You did. Why?
- Okay.

You're so smart.

I wanted to see you
so we could have dinner and celebrate.

- Celebrate?
- Yes, celebrate.

I knew if I didn't
get you off that ship...

you'd stay there
and invent a new law of physics.

- Ellie, uh, I don't feel like-
- You will.

- 'Cause I've got something to tell you.
- What?

First, take that
sour look off your face.

Stop acting like I was asking you
to spend the evening at Mother's.

Oh, I kind of like your mother.

How about me?

Oh, uh, Captain-
Captain Eliot, this is John.

Lieutenant Harkness,
he's my husband.

Well, I'm glad to hear that.

- Good evening, mister.
- Good evening, sir.

I compliment you on your choice
of a wife, sir. A highly efficient officer.

- Thank you, sir.
- So efficient, that I find
she needs no help from me...

in issuing orders
concerning my officers on shipboard.

- I'm sorry, sir.
- No, there's no need to be.

It's about time she was getting a rest
from this office.

If I were you,
I'd take her to dinner tonight.

- There's a dance at the officer's club.
- Oh, how nice.

- But, sir, the, uh, fights are tonight.
- Fights?

Harkness, have you ever
seen any amateur fights?

No, sir, I haven't. But there's-
there's a boy from our ship-

- Is he any good?
- Well, no.

Well, then don't be an idiot.
I have to go. I have to referee 'em.

- Ellie, you tell the duty yeoman, will you?
- Sure.

- Good night.
- Good night, Danny. And thanks.

Captain Eliot will be
at the auditorium, Benny.

I'll be home for a while,
then at the Officer's Club.

"Danny." Ain't that cute?

- Danny boy.
- Come on.

What are we going home for?
We'll be late for dinner as is.

- I want to change.
- Change? Into what?

Just change.

Take a shower, freshen up.

You know, change.

Oh.

You smell better than an engine room,
even in the uniform.

- Flatterer.
- You were gonna tell me something.

- What was it?
- Hmm? Oh, yes.

It's been a terrific evening so far.
This better not be a letdown.

Oh, no. This is wonderful.

- Admiral Tennant came down
from Washington this afternoon.
- Wonderful.

He came down to find out
about the Teakettle.

And when he heard about the trial,
he was delighted.

- Oh, fine. Wait till he finds out about-
- So delighted that...

he's bringing the trial board out personally
on Wednesday for the official sea trial.

- Official sea trial? Ellie-
- Shh, shh.

You aren't supposed to know about it
till tomorrow.

Look, there he is now.

- Admiral, this is my wife.
- How do you do?

- Who?
- Admiral Tennant. I met him this afternoon.

He's very nice. Come on.
I'll introduce you to him.

E-E-Ellie, uh, come here.

- What's the matter?
- We've got to get out of here quick.

Sir, there's a table over here.

Oh, that's the fight, sir. Must be some
sailor gettin' the whey beat out of him.

I can't imagine who.

- What would you like, Ellie?
- Oh, nothing, thanks.

Bring me a whiskey and soda.

I'm gonna need it.

Johnny, what is this?
You look like a frightened rabbit.

I'm frightened, all right.

Ellie, the Teakettle can't pass a test,
official sea or anything else.

- But you just ran one this afternoon.
- Oh, no, we didn't.

At least-At least
I don't think we did.

Look, so that we'd be back in time
for one of our boys to
be in those fights over there...

a- a couple of my sailors smuggled
extra distilled water aboard.

How much, I don't know.
Or-Or how much we used, I don't know.

Are you sure
there isn't a chance that-

Ellie, there's only
one thing I'm sure of.

You-You-You can't
do anything without a crew.

And a-And after tonight, the morale
of the Teakettle will be so low...

you won't be able to find it.

- We even had to put
a substitute in those fights.
- Johnny.

You're going to
have to run the trial.

I know it.

I guess we might as well face it.

None of us will get
sea duty after this.

- We'll be lucky if we-
- Sea duty?

Well, sure.

Did you-

l- l-I mean, Ellie-

- Thank you, sir.
- Thank you.

What is it, Ellie?

Well, I don't know.

You want sea duty,
don't you, Johnny?

What did you think would happen
if we passed the trials?

You're an engineer.
I thought maybe a desk job.

- You know, some other test project.
- Recruiting in lowa?

Ellie, l-I don't quite know why I should
want it either, why any of us should...

but you start something and you-

You understand it.
Don't you, Ellie?

I guess I should.
I'm-I'm old enough.

I guess I should have
known it all along.

Look, Ellie, there are about four million
wives of guys in the service...

in the same spot you're in.

I suppose so, Johnny,
but they're not real people to me.

They're-They're just
big fat numbers.

Like the income tax
or how many miles to the moon.

All I can think of is us.
That's all I want to think of.

You just go right on thinkin' that.

I like it.

The next contest,
the cruiser Boise and the PC-1168.

- Yeah, the Teakettle!
- You'll have to wait a minute,
she's being towed-

All right. All right.

- The contestants ready?
- Boise coming up, sir.

Hey, what's the matter?
Come on, you guys.

- Oh, he don't want to fight.
- It ain't that, sir.

L- I ain't never done
anything like this before.

I don't know what to do.
I don't feel good.

Morse, come on.
You're not gonna back out on us.

Y-You're not gonna let
the old Teakettle down, boy.

Morse, you're not afraid.

With a gun, no. With these, yes.

But, Morse, this-this is for
the Teakettle. D-Don't you think-

Attaboy! You think
you can make it, huh?

You think you want to
take a crack at it?

I think I'm gonna be sick, sir.

Skipper! Skipper!
Skip, we did it! We did it!

- Yea, the Teakettle.!
- Did what? The Teakettle did what?

- Won the fight!
- Champions of the base.

- Won the fight? You mean Morse-
- No, no, not Morse!

- Wascylewski!
- Wascylewski? What? What do you mean-

Yeah, that's me.
I fought under his name.

I know I shouldn't have done it.
Well, it was his bright idea.

I told 'em he was Polish,
couldn't talk any English.

- Ooh, what a fight.
- Hey, Skipper...

do you think that
they'll court-martial me for it?

I wouldn't have
done it except that-

Well, those guys haven't
had much to crow about for a long time.

Now, look. I only know one thing.
I know we got a crew.

Tony, if you didn't
have a split lip, I'd-I'd kiss you.

Ship's company all present
or accounted for, sir.

At ease.

Ship's company, at ease!

I've heard some scuttlebutt that you men
gambled on the fight the other night.

I couldn't believe that the crew
of the Teakettle would bet on a sure thing.

Well, I'm very pleased
to hear from the chief...

that the PC-1168...

made a sizable contribution
to the seamen's fund.

At, uh, 8-5, I think it
amounted to about $4,500.

Now I have something
more serious.

As you know by now...

extra distilled water
was added to the ship the other day.

I know why it was done.

But it made it impossible
to calculate...

whether we could have
made the run or not.

And because of that, I don't know
if we can make the run today or not!

But there is one thing
I do know...

that every single man
on this ship will be trying.

Attention on deck!

Psst. Hey. Psst.

Hey.

That captain.

Captain Eliot. What about him?

He's the one that refereed the fight.

Holy-Get below
and stay out of sight.

Maximum effort, Captain?

Maximum effort, sir.

- Still maximum effort, Captain?
- Maximum effort, sir.

- Come left 90 degrees, please.
- Come left 90 degrees, mister.

- Left full rudder, helmsman.
- Left full rudder, sir.

- Your gun crew at their station?
- Yes, sir.

- Still maximum effort, Captain?
- Maximum effort, sir.

Let me have
eight rounds, please.

Fire eight rounds
on the 40, mister.

Eight rounds.

- Are you prepared
to fire depth charges, Captain?
- Yes, sir.

Maximum speed, sir.

Well, fire
the starboard charge, please.

Yes, sir. Stand by to fire
the starboard depth charge.

Stand by to fire
the starboard depth charge.

- Well, go on. Fire it. What are ya-
- Fire.

- Fire.
- Fire.

What did we hit?

It's a depth charge. Sounds like-

Chief, water!

Hey, bring a stillson wrench
on the double!

Right here, sir.

Chief, brass is coming.

Somebody mind telling me
just what's going on here?

Remember, sir,
this is an experimental engine.

Yes, certainly I remember it.!

Some of the equipment is a bit
cranky, and the crew had to improvise.

Wartime conditions, sir.
Bearings aren't quite what they used to be.

Yeah, yeah, I can see that too.

Well, Wascy-
Wascylewski, was it?

No. Oh, yes. Yes, sir.
I'm-I'm-

- I see you have
quick promotions on this ship.
- Oh, yes. Yes, we-we do.

- Wartime conditions, I suppose.
- Yeah, sir. Yeah.

- Yes, well, I'm glad to see
you've learned to speak English.
- Yes, sir.

It's a little warm there, isn't it?

Y-Yes, sir. Warm.

- I never saw anything like it
my whole life.
- We keep it running, sir.

Yeah, yeah. So I see.

You can also hang by your belt
from a doorknob and kick
the transom over with your feet...

but I don't advise it, Chief.

Hey, Chief! Chief! Look at this!

Look.

Hey, Tony! Tony!

Barbo! Barbo!

Here they come.

- It's amazing. Simply amazing.
- Uh-

Who's in charge
of your deck crew, Captain?

- The boatswain, sir. Larrabee.
- Larrabee?

Well-
Is that you, George?

- Yes, sir.
- Well, I wouldn't have recognized you.

- I'm a little older, sir.
- Yeah.

Yeah, y-you're a little
more diplomatic too.

- I remember the time when you-
- That was your first command, sir.

Yeah, so it was.
That was a rough one.

I must have been pretty green.
Almost as green as that-Oh.

Well, you may resume
normal speed, Captain.

Yes, sir. Will you inform the watch
officer, Boatswain, normal speed?

- Yes, sir.
- Good to see you, George. Good to see you.

Thank you, sir.

Would the admiral
care for some refreshments, sir?

Yeah. Yeah, I would.
All right.

Okay, Mr. Barron,
you can cut her down.

Tony, you can cut her d-

What? Hey-Hey, Chuck.

- Chuck, what are you doing there?
- I want to see how my hors d'oeuvres went.

Hors d'oeuvres?
The throttles are frozen.

- Frozen?
- Yeah.

Th-The throttles are frozen?

B-B-Bill, l-look!

All right.

Break-Get-
Go get them.

- All right.
- Reach-

- Hey, take it up!
W-W-We've got an admiral aboard!

Hey! Hey!

Get up-

Heh!

Ohh!

Whoa! Oh, no!
Get the-

Ch-Ch-Chuck.! Ch-Ch-Chuck.!
- Ohh!

Chuck.! Hey.!

Hey!

The captain!

Your ship giving orders
in Morse code, Captain?

Just proceeding
up the channel, sir.

- Tomato juice cocktail?
- Yeah, yeah. Fine, fine.

Look! Look! Look!

Oh! Oh! Don't! Don't!

Our throttles are frozen.
Our throttles are fro-

A few drops
of "Worcester-shire," sir?

Yeah. Mm-hmm.

- Will you have one, Admiral?
- Yeah.

That's very good,
very good, Captain.

You raised the tomatoes
in your engine room, I presume.

Oh. Oh, yes.

- C-Could I speak to you, sir, for a moment?
- Right away.

Excuse me, Admiral.

- Th-F-F-Froz-
- Easy! Easy.

- Now, take it easy. Now, what is it?
- The-They're frozen.

- The throttles are frozen.
- Frozen?

- Hey, Skipper.
- Have 'em pull the burners!

- I told 'em to pull the burners.
- Tell them to disconnect the shaft!

- I told 'em-The bypass valve is frozen too.
- Frozen?

- Yes, sir.
- Tell 'em to unfreeze it!

- Aye, aye, sir.
- Keep her circlin'!

- We've got to get these engines stopped!
- Yes, sir. I'll try, sir.

- I'll hold them in there till we do.
- Yes, sir, Skipper.

Tony! Tony!

- Sir! Sir!
- Oh!

Hey! Crank her over!
Whistle-

Get there quick!
Oh!

- Quite a ground swell.
- Gr-

Now we're gettin'
too much steam!

Captain, what is this?

L- It's probably the heating system, sir.
Oh, it's awful hot in here.

I'll open the door.

Say!

- Captain, what is this?
- Ou-Our throttles are frozen, sir.

Throttles?

Listen. You get this ship out of here,
mister, before you wreck something!

Yes, sir.
I'll try to stop the engine, sir.

- Turn her to starboard!
- Yes, sir.

- Hard over to starboard!
- Yes, sir, hard.

Hard over to starboard!
Hard! Hard!

- There! Don't you see? Hard!
- Yes, sir.

Oh! Careful! The carriers!

The carrier.!

No! Go around!

- Gee whiz! Which way?
- Reverse! Go on! Reverse!

- Are they crazy down there on that thing?
- I don't know, sir.

But I could swear
that's Admiral Tennant on the bridge.

Ahoy down there.! The P. C...!

Admiral Tennant.!

What are you cookin'
down there, charlie?

Oh!

Here come the tickets to lowa.

Oh, you can't tell, Skipper.
Maybe it's just-

You don't suppose it's the navy "E"
for excellence, do you?

Base headquarters, sir.

"LieutenantJohn A. Harkness,
U.S.N.R., commanding PC-1168-

Directed to appear before a board of
inquiry at 1100 hours, room 206."

Well, it prolongs the agony,
but I guess the result's the same.

You don't suppose
that private laundry-

We'll have a uniform for you
in an hour, sir.

Thanks, Larrabee.

Sir, I'd like permission to
attend the board proceedings with you.

- You? Why?
- Well-

Me and Ryan and a couple
of the other guys talked it over.

You done everything you could.
I could testify to that.

And, besides,
I know the admiral since he was a pup.

- Maybe I could-
- The order says me alone.

But it's nice to know
I can speak for all of us.

And with the exception of
the two chief petty officers...

not one of the 76 officers and men
had any experience to
speak of until six months ago.

Just why they were
expected to run it, I don't know...

but I do feel they deserve
some consideration from this board.

I appreciate your defense
of your crew, mister.

However, no one's done
anything about them yet.

I suggest you contain yourself
till after you've heard the findings.

I'm sorry, sir. But my navy experience
is somewhat limi-

I appreciate that
you're not regular navy, mister.

Before I go into the findings,
I have something to tell you...

that as a reserve officer,
may interest you.

Just before this board was convened,
I received a message
from the secretary of the navy.

It concerned
the naval engagement...

which has going on for the past three days
at Midway Island in the Pacific.

The secretary reports
a clean sweep for us.

All in all, we probably had over 100,000
naval personnel involved.

- Do you know how many
were reservists, mister?
- No, sir.

About 95%.

Men like you, your officers and your crew.
That's what the navy's made up of, mister.

The army and the air force too.
Ordinary men that we get and try
to train as quickly as possible.

As you may have noticed,
our equipment is somewhat complicated.

We gear it to the training, the
experience of the men using it. You see?

L- I'm beginning to, sir.

We could have put a crew of experts
aboard your ship, Harkness...

but all that would have proved
was the experts could run it...

not you and your crew.

Now, as to the findings. I can hardly say
the trial run was a success.

Yet, in a way, it was.

We find that this engine is not
adaptable to vessels of the P.C. class-

A conclusion that you
may have reached yourself.

But the record of your trials
has convinced us...

that this engine can be used
efficiently and effectively...

- in another type of craft.
- What type, sir?

That's, uh, top secret.
We'll try and keep you off it, Harkness.

Now, for the efforts
that were put into these trials...

and for your crew's ability
to, uh, improvise-

The secretary of the navy has instructed me
to read them this letter of recommendation.

But under the circumstances...

I think perhaps they'd prefer to hear it
from their own skipper.

I believe that's in order.

Thank you, sir.

"To the officers
and men of the PC-1168...

"for services as set forth
in the following.

Commendation-"

Holy smoke! It's a diesel!

It's a diesel.! How about that?

- Stand by to cast off!
- Stand by to cast off!

- Hey! Don't forget,
Wascylewski, stay in shape!
- Yes, sir.

- What's he talkin' about?
- He's a character.

He's got me lined up to defend the base against
the Quantico Marines when we get back.

An interbase fight, that's terrific.
The Teakettle rides again.

Yeah, sensational.
You know who the marines got?

- Who?
- Barney Ross.

Cast off number two line.!

- Cast off the bowline!
- Cast off the bowline!

Let's get her!
All right, new boy, what's holdin' you?

- What's the rush?
- The rush is you're in the navy,
not in some pool room.

- Now, get on it before I belt you.
- Yes, sir.

All clear, Bos'.

All clear forward, sir.!

- All engines, one-third ahead!
- All engines,
one-third ahead, sir.

- All engines
answer one-third ahead, sir.

What are the orders, Skipper?

Assume position in task force
and report to the flagship.

Aye, aye, sir.