Based on the true story of the 1940 rescue of the tanker MV San Demetrio by parts of her own crew after she had been set afire in the middle of the Atlantic by the German heavy cruiser Admiral Scheer and then had been abandoned. When one of the lifeboats drifted back to the burning tanker the day after, and found that she still hadn't exploded, they decided to board her and put out the fires. Eventually, they managed to start the engine again and decided to try to reach Britain against all odds.
- 7.0
- 1943
- Released
- 1h 37m
Walter Fitzgerald
Chief Engineer Charles Pollard - M.V. San Demetrio
Ralph Michael
2nd. Officer Hawkins - M.V. San Demetrio
Neville Mapp
3rd. Engineer Willey - M.V. San Demetrio
Frederick Piper
Boatswain W.E. Fletcher - M.V. San Demetrio
Gordon Jackson
Messboy John Jamieson - M.V. San Demetrio
Robert Beatty
'Yank' Preston - M.V. San Demetrio
Mervyn Johns
Greaser John Boyle - M.V. San Demetrio
James Donald
Gunnery Officer - H.M.S. Jervis Bay
Arthur Young
Captain George Waite - M.V. San DemetrioMichael Allen
Cadet Roy Housden - M.V. San DemetrioHerbert Cameron
Pumpman Davies
Charles Victor
Deckhand
James McKechnie
Deckhand
David Horne
Mr. Justice LangtonDuncan McIntyre
DeckhandJohn Owers
Lawrence O'Madden
James Sadler
Released
en
- #based on true story
Reviews
Ok, so much of this is clearly filmed in a great big water tank at Ealing studios against a filmed backdrop that all too often gives that game away, but there’s still the essence of a story of tenacity and courage that is well portrayed here as the oil tanker “San Demetrio” finds itself looking the wrong way down the barrel of the 11-inch guns of the Nazi battleship “Scheer”. Badly damaged and lef