The Most Famous Ships That Never Were The Most Famous Ships That Never Were Recently I participated in a discussion on famous fictional ships. Given enough space, it is an easy task to list all of the noteworthy fictional ships in history. But what if you were space-limited, or could only pick a fixed number -- ten or twelve? What would you pick? I finally generated my list of the ten most famous fictional ships, after considerable thought. It is a task that is harder than one might think -- try it yourself. The list that follows considers only ships appearing in novels -- no ships appearing in ancient works, poetry, plays, or movies. This eliminates such worthy contenders as the Argo, Mary Gloster, or HMS Pinafore, but it served as a necessary boundary to keep the list down to a reasonable size. Besides, how does one balance the merits of The Nancy Bell against the Pequod against the Pinafore? Also, real ships that were used in novels were not considered. HMS Centurion, USS Bon Homme Richard, and RMS Queen Mary appear in many outstanding novels, but they are not fictional ships.

Given these guidelines my top ten list (with my justification) includes: Pequod: Captain Ahab's whaler in the Herman Melville novel Moby Dick. C'mon folks. Is there a more famous nautical novel than Moby Dick? Think of how many English students have suffered through it, and how many nautical enthusiasts have enjoyed it. Nautilus: Not the REAL submarine -- Jules Verne's vessel from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. A classic SF tale that is also a sea story. Hispaniola: The ship used to seek Captain Flint's treasure in Robert Louis Stevenson's novel Treasure Island. Set in the golden age of buccaneering, this novel is surprisingly young -- it was written in 1883. While written for children, it is a delightful tale for kids of all ages. It is one of my favorites, and has spawned more movies, plays and second author sequels than any other nautical novel. Ghost: Wolf Larson's sealing schooner in Jack London's novel The Sea Wolf. Another classic tale of men against the sea, and perhaps London's finest nautical novel.

USS Caine: The four-piper destroyer converted to a minelayer in Herman Wouk's The Caine Mutiny. Wouk's classic tale of the importance of duty produced one of the most memorable ships in history, to say nothing of a great Bogart movie and other theatrical reinterpretations. HMS Compass Rose: WWII "Flower"-class corvette in Nicholas Monsarrat's novel The Cruel Sea. Even people that have read the novel are surprised when you remind them that the Compass Rose disappeared in the middle of the novel. Do you remember the name of the second corvette? USS Walrus: The US Navy submarine that nails "Bungo Pete," in Ned Beach's classic submarine novel Run Silent, Run Deep. Other submarine tales have been written before and since, but none as memorable. We're Here: The Gloucester schooner in Captains Courageous which recovers Harvey Cheyne from the ocean, and upon which he achieves manhood. Another "children's" novel that can be enjoyed by everyone. Also made into countless movies. My favorite is the one with Karl Mauldin as Disko Troop.

HMS Lydia: Horatio Hornblower's command in the first Hornblower novel that C.S. Forester wrote -- The Happy Return (or Beat to Quarters). This was the frigate in which Hornblower beats the two-decker Natividad -- twice. HMS Surprise: Jack Aubrey's favorite frigate, and star of several of Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series, both as a Royal Navy ship and a privateer. While there was a real HMS Surprise during the period, the real ship was a 36. Jack Aubrey's Surprise was a 28. What ships were culled from this list? Quite a few notable ships. The list below gives ships I considered for the Top Ten, but eventually rejected. Honorable Mentions: HMS Ulysses (HMS Ulysses), USS Reluctant (Mr.

Roberts), HMS Hyperion and HMS Phalarope (Bolitho series), HMS Calypso (Ramage series), HMS Indomitable and Rights of Man (Billy Budd), Dawn Treader (Voyage of the Dawn Treader), Arabella (Captain Blood stories), Polar Star (Arkady Renko novel), USS San Pablo (The Sand Pebbles). So what do you think? What would you include in a top ten list? What would you drop? Of course, if you want to do this task justice, you really need to do some research -- like reading all of the books just one more time . . . to make sure you have things right. Ah well, any sacrifice in the name of nautical books. Mark Lardas 22 Funny Boat Names Bringing you the Latest News, Entertainment and More 22 Funny Boat Names Which one is your favorite? Boat Names In Films.

903 – Iranian Kilo class submarine in Steel Sharks, 1996 USS Abraham Lincoln – frigate in Disney’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, 1954 Academic Vladislav Volkov – Russian research ship in Virus, 1999 Acheron – French Napoleonic frigate in Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, 2003 African Queen – The African Queen, 1951 with Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn Albatross – The Sea Hawk with Errol Flynn, 1940 Amindra – with shanghaied sailor from the Glencairn, torpedoed and sank in The Long Voyage Home, 1940 SS Andes – cruise ship in Let’s Go Native, 1930 SS Antonia Graza – derelict Italian luxury ocean liner in Ghost Ship Aquanaut 3 – experimental submarine, 30,000 Leagues Under the Sea, 2007 Arabella – Captain Blood with Errol Flynn, 1935 Argo – galley Jason and the Argonauts, Jason and the Argonauts Argonaut

ica – cruise ship Deep Rising USS Aspen – Full Fathom Five HMS Avenger – Billy Budd 1962 Batavia Queen – steamship Krakatoa, East of Java 1969 HMS Bedford – British Royal Navy Type 23-class frigate in Tomorrow Never Dies 1997 USS Bedford (DLG-113) – The Bedford Incident (also in book version) Belafonte – oceanographic research vessel, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou USS Belinda (APA-22) – Away All Boats, 1956 (Also appears in original novel) Benthic Explorer – offshore support ship – The Abyss 1989 Black Hawk – The Pirate of the Black Hawk (Il Pirata dello sparviero nero) 1958 Black Pearl (formerly HMS Wicked Wench) – slaver turned pirate ship Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Black Swan – The Black Swan 1942 Brandenburg – World War II German battleship in We Dive at Dawn 1943 SS Britannic – cruise ship in Juggernaut USS Caine – The Caine Mutiny (Also appears in written version) USS Charleston –

 On the Beach, 2000 HMS Chester – British Type 23 frigate in Tomorrow Never Dies 1997 USS Davies (SSN-???) – Los Angeles-class SSN in Crash Dive, 1996 HMS Devonshire – British Type 23 frigate sunk in Tomorrow Never Dies SS Chiku Shan – ferryboat – Blood Alley (1955) SS Claridon – ocean liner in The Last Voyage 1960 HMS Compass Rose – Second World War Flower-class corvette in The Cruel Sea, 1953 USS Copperfin – World War II sub Destination Tokyo, 1943 w/ Cary Grant SS Crescent Star, cruise ship that sinks in Seven Waves Away HMS Dauntless – Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Deep Quest – DSV in Raise the Titanic!

HMS Defiant – frigate in HMS Defiant, 1962 Disco Volante – motor yacht/hydrofoil in Thunderball 1965 USS Dragonfish – U.S. submarine in Battle of the Coral Sea 1959 Dulcibella – The Riddle of the Sands 1979 USS Echo – sailing ship from The Wackiest Ship in the Army, 1959 Edinburgh Trader – Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest Elizabeth Dane – The Fog Elsinore – The Mutiny of the Elsinore 1937 Empress – Chinese junk – Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End HMS Endeavour – Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End MS Ergenstrasse – The Sea Chase (1955) with John Wayne and Lana Turner, and Patriot Games (1992) with Harrison Ford.

Esther – sailing merchantman, Old Ironsides 1926 SS Essess – Hot Shots!, 1991 Flying Dutchman – Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest The Flying Wasp – Caddy Shack 1980 Geronimo – America’s Cup racing yacht, Wind 1992 Ghost – sealing schooner, The Sea Wolf 1941 Glencairn – freighter – The Long Voyage Home Gloria N – E la nave va…, Federico Fellini SS Goliath – ocean liner – Goliath Awaits – TV film 1981 Hahnchen Maru – cargo vessel modified to command ship – Contact, 1997 Hai Peng – Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End SS Happy Wanderer – cruise liner – Carry On Cruising USS Haynes (DE-181) – destroyer escort, The Enemy Below The Henrietta – paddle steamer – Around the World in 80 Days (1956 film) Immer Essen (“Always eating”) – cruise ship, Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid The Inferno – The Goonies HMS Interceptor – Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

 USS Intrepid – cruise ship in the film Intrepid JDS Isokaze – Aegis (Bôkoku no îgisu) 2005 Jenny – Forrest Gump Jenny – Tug boat in Beyond the Poseidon Adventure USS Kornblatt – Don’t Give Up The Ship, 1959, starred Jerry Lewis USS Lansing (SSN-795) – Los Angeles Class SSN (Depicted as an SSBN) in Danger Beneath The Sea, 2001 Liparus – Karl Stromberg’s submarine swallowing supertanker The Spy Who Loved Me 1977 USS Livingston – the fictional destroyer Mr Roberts is finally transferred to at the end of the movie SS Lorelei – An ocean liner in Ghost Ship Love Nest – A whaling ship in the 1923 Buster Keaton Movie The Love Nest HMS Lydia – Captain Horatio Hornblower 1951 Mary Deare – The Wreck of the Mary Deare, starring Gary Cooper and Charlton Heston, 1959 USS Mako – Fast Attack Submarine in Danger Beneath The Sea, 2001 SS Minnow Johnson – Civilian yacht, Rush Hour 2, 

2001 USS Montana – The Abyss, The Fifth Missile Morning Star —Cutthroat Island 1995 Nathan Ross – whaling ship, All the Brothers Were Valiant 1953 Nautilus – Captain Nemo’s 1860s submarine – 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea 1954, Captain Nemo and the Underwater City 1969, Mysterious Island, The Return of Captain Nemo 1978, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen 2003 HMS Nereid – Royal Navy submarine, Virus, 1980 Ning-Po Freighter owned by SPECTRE in You Only Live Twice USS Oakland (SSN-798) – Los Angeles Class SSN in Steel Sharks, 1996 Olive Branch – sailing merchantman, Captain Caution, 1940 Orca – Quint’s fishing boat, Jaws, 1975 Patna – tramp steamer in Lord Jim 1965 Pequod – whaleship, Moby Dick 1956, 1978, 1998 USS Pequod – American submarine, 

2010: Moby Dick, 2010 Poseidon – ocean liner/cruise ship, The Poseidon Adventure 1972, Beyond the Poseidon Adventure 1979, The Poseidon Adventure 2005, Poseidon 2006 USS Poseidon – USS Poseidon: Phantom Below 2005 The Princess – Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Q Boat – Q’s ‘fishing boat’ The World Is Not Enough 1999 “Proteus” – nuclear mini submarine from the 1966 film “Fantastic Voyage.”[1] Rachel – Moby-Dick, 1956, 1998 Rasputin – Ex-Soviet Submarine in Rapid Assault, 1997 Reaper- Dog’s ship in Cutthroat Island, 1995 Red Dragon – Civilian yacht, Rush Hour 2, 2001 Red Witch – Wake of the Red Witch with John Wayne, 1948 Red October — Hunt For Red October novel by Tom Clancy, 1984 and Hunt For Red October film with Sean Connery, 1990 USS Rel

uctant (AK-601) – World War II cargo ship in Mister Roberts (1955) and the 1984 television film (also appears in novel, play and TV series versions) U-571 appears in U-571 (film), coincidently same number as German submarine U-571 Rights-of-Man – Billy Budd, 1962 Rob Roy – commercial freighter, Windbag the Sailor, 1936 USS San Pablo – The Sand Pebbles, 1966 HMS Saltash Castle – Second World War frigate in The Cruel Sea, 1953 Saracen – yacht, Dead Calm USS Sarasota – Aircraft Carrier, Crash Dive, 1996 & Rapid Assault, 1997 USS Sawfish – On the Beach, 1959 USS Scotia – submarine, 30,000 Leagues Under the Sea, 2007 Sea Cliff – DSV in Raise the Titanic!

Sea Star – tug in Virus, 1999 HMS Sea Tiger – Second World War submarine, We Dive at Dawn, 1943 USS Sea Tiger – World War II submarine, Operation Petticoat 1959; also TV series 1977 SS Sea Witch – Action in the North Atlantic 1943 SSNR Seaview – Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea 1961 with Walter Pidgeon HMS Shag at Sea – yacht, Austin Powers in Goldmember 2002 HMS Sherwood – British cruiser, Carry on Admiral 1957 HMS Solent – British destroyer, Sink the Bismarck! 1960 IJN Shinaru – Japanese aircraft carrier, Torpedo Run 1958 Stealth Ship – media mogul Elliot Carver’s secret news creator in Tomorrow Never Dies. Is based on the real life Sea Shadow (IX-529) 1997 St. Georges – British spy ship trawler For Your Eyes Only 1981 USS Starfish – Hellcats of the Navy Starfish – DSV in Raise the Titanic!

USS Stingray – Balao-class submarine, Down Periscope, 1996 with Kelsey Grammer; no relation to the Salmon-class SS-186 USS Stingray HMS Surprise – Master and Commander the Far Side of the World USS Thunderfish – Operation Pacific, 1954 with John Wayne USS Tigerfish (SSN 509) – United States nuclear submarine from Ice Station Zebra. USS Tiger Shark – The Atomic Submarine SS Titanic II – cruise liner, Titanic II, 2010 HMS Torrin – In Which We Serve, 1942 Turtle – DSV in Raise the Titanic!

Ulysses – submarine, Atlantis: The Lost Empire SSN Ulysses (SSN-???) – Los Angeles-class in Crash Dive, 1996 USS Valhalla (SSN-905) – Los Angeles-class SSN in Rapid Assault, 1997 SS Venture – King Kong, 1933, 2005 HMS Venus – British frigate – Carry On Jack, 1962 HMS Viperess – British Victor-class destroyer – The Cruel Sea, 1953 HMS Victoria – British WWI ironclad, Britannic, 2000 The Wanderer – Captain Ron, 1992 with Martin Short and Kurt Russell We’re Here – Captains Courageous, 1937 with Spencer Tracy Wonkatania – Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (also appears in 2005 adaptation), based on the Cunard Line tradition of ending ships with an -ania (i.e., RMS Lusitania and RMS Aquitania) Yellow Submarine – The Beatles’ psychedelic submarine The Cruel Sea Reviews & Ratings - IMDb IMDb 28 December 2016 6:33

 PM, PST NEWS 64 out of 64 people found the following review useful: Superb unsentimental rendering of North Atlantic Action in W.w.II from New York, New York 20 June 2002 I first read this book when I was 14 (and had my father take it back from me when I had to ask "what's 'urinate' mean, dad?").

Monserrat is a master at the depiction of men at war - from his extraordinary technical knowledge to his ability to convey the fatigue, the cross feelings living in close quarters, the bitterness, the moments of triumph or relief. This film does Monserrat justice. This movie is the opposite of the "boys' own adventure" sorts of movies. There are no striking heroics - just the very real feeling of people performing onerous often dangerous duties as well as they're able - which is heroic itself. The movie does not skimp on the danger either - the shocking losses of ships in convoys that the corvette "protects", the extreme difficulty of finding and sinking U-boats, almost gives one the feeling, "what's the point of convoys?" (Imagine all surgeons operating with an average 3% survival rate - well, 3% recovery is better than none - but imagine the wear on the surgeons). The film is gritty, and just has the feel of the 1940s in its bones. The sounds, the movement, the look of cities and harbors, the clothes - it's as if one's uncles' tales have all come to life.

Jack Hawkins and Donald Sinden are wonderful - almost always (and necessarily in wartime) stiff upper lip. The movie's moral dramas (bearing upon decisions the captain must make) are wonderfully conceived and executed. This is truly a superb movie - a great credit to all who worked on it - a memorial to many. It's a completely different - and superior - genre to such movies as Pearl Harbor. I even prefer it to its natural rival, In Which We Serve - good though the latter is. Was the above review useful to you? 61 out of 62 people found the following review useful: Superb for 1950's Brit movie from Newport, RI USA 20 August 2004 Post British World War II movies helped sustain the ailing British Film industry in the 1950's. There were some truly awful movies made - probably so those who were really there could turn to their girls and say - "you know it wasn't really like that". The Cruel Sea is an exceptional exception. Firstly it is based on a superb book, secondly it is well cast with Jack Hawkins at the height of his powers playing Captain Ericsson and thirdly it is well abridged.

Getting a 500 page novel into 121 mins means that there will be cuts - but they are well done and the narrative thread of the book is not lost. There is also very little "messing with the story" so prevalent in Hollywood. The Royal Navy obviously thought the movie worth supporting and helped find a real Flower Class corvette. Of all 135 built - 22 had been sunk by the enemy, 13 lost in bad weather and the rest paid off after the war. "Compass Rose" sails across the screen - firing her weapons and throwing her depth charges (you want to see what REAL depth charges are like when they go off - watch this) in beautifully photographed black and white action sequences. Suspend your historical accuracy regarding true ship detail however - throughout the movie the Flower is in her 1945 paid off configuration with a lantern style radar that wasn't introduced till half way through the war and the continuity switches from moderate weather to flat calm at the flick of a scene as needed when the ship is making turns.

Still you want to see heavy weather - there is some real rough stuff with the corvette punching into it and some stock wartime footage very carefully grafted in to give the necessary verisimilitude. But the real narrative is how the specks of humanity are treated by the war and the cruel sea and it is amply conveyed in the morning after a torpedo'ing. Count how many are INCREDIBLY lucky to be found alive in rafts and remember how many were on the ship that was sunk in the night. It's a grim ratio and a vivid portrayal of the real cost of the Battle of the Atlantic. Young and upcoming Donald Sinden, Denholm Elliot and Virginia McKenna support this superb movie - it made Donald Sinden. I hope there is a DVD coming because the photography is clearly good enough to be shown at a higher resolution but this should not stop you watching this now. Was the above review useful to you? 63 out of 68 people found the following review useful: A well deserved salute to the Royal Navy's little ships from Liverpool England 24 July 2003 "The men are the heroes. The heroines are the ships.

The only villain is the sea, the cruel sea." A truthful statement made by that accomplished actor, the late Jack Hawkins, as Ericson a merchant navy captain in peacetime. But in the naval reserve and now appointed captain of His Majesty's Ship, COMPASS ROSE, a flower class corvette. In reality is was christened, H.M.S. COREOPSIS (K32). The first British maritime casualty in The Battle of the Atlantic was the Donaldson Line's ATHENIA, torpedoed and sunk by U-Boat-30, Lt Fritz Lemp commanding, less than 8 or 9 hours after Britain declared war, September 3rd 1939. The Atlantic battle was the longest fought campaign of the war. Only ending when what was left of the German U-Boat fleet surfaced, wherever they may be, to rendezvous and surrender to ships of the allied navies in May 1945. The story of this lone corvette then, displayed just a small but nevertheless vital role of the Royal Navy's "little ships", as they became known, that took part in this vast oceanic conflict.

Ericson develops a faintly worried facial expression camouflaged with a slight smile when he meets up with two of his recently commissioned "green" young officers, who have just reported aboard ship after only five weeks of training, as she lays at the fitting out dock and nearing completion for sea trials. Lockhart tells Ericson that his only nautical experience was sailing a 5 ton yawl on the Solent. Ferraby, the other officer had done one channel crossing to France on a ferry in peace time. Ericson's first lieutenant, known in naval terms as number one, is Bennett. An overbearing officer; the gold lace on his sleeve having gone to his head. To him it was authority, and let no one ever forget it! Bennett soon lands ashore in the naval hospital with a suspected ulcer. The first scenes of war at sea; and close up, are sobering and ugly. Shots of rescued survivors from sunken merchantmen. Cold wet and gasping for breath and trying to hang on to life. Coughing and throwing up oil, their lungs full of the smelly black slime. Some of the poor devils make it.

Others do not and are committed back to the deep cruel sea....And into the God's care. The hunt for U-Boats is well filmed. One boat? Maybe a wolf pack lurking out there with deadly intent. COMPASS ROSE manoeuvring, its asdic/sonar equipment working like a bloodhound's nose, sniffing for a kill. Ericson's stiff upper lip falters when he orders depth charges to be dropped among struggling survivors in the water when he suspects a U-boat lurking under them. Later, alcohol does not really help to salve his conscience. Another poignant scene is of Petty Officer Tallow on shore leave and heading for his sister's house accompanied by Petty Officer Watts. And only to find his sister's house demolished, and his sister killed during a night-time Luftwaffe blitz on Liverpool. It is the turn of COMPASS ROSE to become a victim of a U-Boat's torpedo. It strikes at night with surprising suddenness. Ten men out of the ship's company survive the ordeal on carley floats to be rescued. Ericson is appointed to command a new class of corvette named, SALTASH CASTLE, along with promotion to full commander.

The corvette is ordered to escort duty on the arctic run to Murmansk via the North Cape of Norway. Near the end Ericson can claim a second U-Boat sunk. In the closing scenes of the film with the war over, SALTASH CASTLE slowly slips by a group of surrendered U-Boats moored together, as she arrives at her anchorage. After anchoring, Ericson's call, "Finished with main engine," gives a nice ring to the final scenes in this film. There is an air of relaxation between Ericson and Lockhart as they reminisce on the ship's bridge. They talk of men who never made it through to the end. Morell, Ferraby, Tallow, Watts and the other crew members. A tiny fraction of the high cost who now lay in a vast watery grave along with other brave men and many fine ships. Documentary footage adds to the authentic feel of this film, coupled some of the time with a mournful musical soundtrack, which seems to add a depressing atmosphere to an often dangerous and angry looking ocean. Sailing in a Atlantic gale under wartime conditions, could sink to the level of waterlogged purgatory.

Eric Ambler did a admirable job of adapting Nicholas Monsarrat's fine novel for the screen. Director Charles Friend turned Ambler's work into the best film ever made about the Royal Navy in the Second World War. I sailed with a Merchant Navy skipper who commanded a Flower class corvette. He said that in stormy conditions they would indulge in some weird antics. "The Flower class corvettes," he said "would have pitched and rolled in a field of wet grass. Let alone a bloody great ocean!" Was the above review useful to you? 51 out of 52 people found the following review useful: Beautiful, thoughtful British film-making from the past. from Bozeman, Montana 26 October 1999 If my ship were going down, and I had that one last moment to grab a treasured something, my copy of the book, THE CRUEL SEA by Nicholas Monsarrat might well be what I choose. (That is supposing I already had my life vest on.) This book has affected my life deeply since I first came across it as a teenager. It is why I joined the US Navy.

(where I ironically ended up in the submarine service.) It formed an invaluable step in teaching me what `duty' meant, and `honor.' It is therefore a bit more difficult for me to judge this motion picture than most. Were it horrid, I should still love it, I suppose. Fortunately it is not horrid. `The Cruel Sea is in fact first rate. It is difficult to translate any full-length novel to the screen. There are too many `moments in time' to get them all in. So the adaptation of a novel by a screenwriter becomes a process of selection. Eric Ambler did his usual excellent job in writing this script, and if he left out some of the better bits, he also got the best bits in. Charles Frend directs it well within the style of the early 1950's. The special effects are above average for the time and not unacceptable by today's standards, although they are not spectacular. The film editing is clean and crisp with little to complain about. The musical score is not intrusive, but not up to the rest of the effort.

It would be ten years before the art of Movie Music caught up to the rest, and here the score is no worse any other film of 1953. It is however the acting that gives this movie the push to get it far above the rest. Jack Hawkins is marvelous in his understated competence as Captain Ericson, and the actors who play his officers (including a very young and very British Denholm Elliot) all turn in workman-like performances. It is however the overall excellence of the entire cast that is impressive. One of the major strengths of British films from the end of the Second World War through the 1970's was the incredibly fine ensemble casting that provided first-rate acting even in the smallest parts. Walter Fitzgerald in his 30 second role as the air raid warden shows true compassion when he says, `Yes, Mister Tallow, that was your house, wasn't it?' All of the vivid, bloody color that made `Platoon' and `Saving Private Ryan' the two best combat films ever made are absent here. This was a different type of warfare, the blood, all of the color washed away by the cruel sea. The Battle of the North Atlantic was a very British battle.

A five and a half year long stoic battle of endurance, of perseverance, of honor and duty. This is the side of the Second Word War that most lived, but few have ever been able to put into words. `The Cruel Sea' is much more than just a history lesson though. It is a very good movie, and it is a beautiful example of what British film could be in 1953. I highly recommend it. Was the above review useful to you? 36 out of 38 people found the following review useful: My father's experience in the Royal Navy from Portsmouth, England 25 December 2003 My father served in the Royal Navy for 42 years. He joined in 1914 and retired in 1956 and was in active service throughout both World Wars. He told me that the film 'The Cruel Sea' was the most realistic account of how it was during those terrible times. Was the above review useful to you?

29 out of 29 people found the following review useful: Torpedos off Starboard Bow from York, England 19 February 1999 Archetypal British WW2 fare which is very clearly a cut above the rest. Jack Hawkins steers HMS Compass Rose, a small escort ship, through the perils of convoy duty and the ever present risk of U-boats. Hawkins excels as the exhausted Captain in this no frills account of men battling against a constant and ruthless enemy - the sea. A melancholic soundtrack and the distinct lack of jingoism create a forlorn atmosphere as the ship's company endures periods of grinding boredom interrupted only by the sudden terror of U-boat attacks. In the tensest of scenes, during a rare heady pursuit, the radar gives Hawkins his firmest ever indication of an enemy submarine. "There are men in the water just there" he murmurs, realising that as Captain he is alone in making an agonising decision - whether to drop depth charges and risk killing a group of British survivors floating ahead of him.

The attack is pressed home, killing the defenceless men but failing to hit the U-boat, and leads to a moving scene where Hawkins' resolute professionalism crumbles in a brief but heartfelt show of drunken emotion. The trips to sea are punctuated by tableaux scenes on shore, where the tribulations of officers and crew are no less fraught with threats and worry. In a country under siege there can be no escape from air-raids or even an adulterous wife. "It's no-ones fault" says Hawkins "It's the war, the whole bloody war." A strong supporting cast, includes 'youngsters' Denholm Elliot, Donald Sinden and Stanley Baker. This is a film that succeeds in telling how dangerously close to the edge the British came during the Battle of the Atlantic and of the enormous impact it had on ordinary individuals. The closing scene leaves the audience with a real sense of how, after five long years of war, a nation was left exhausted and emotionally drained. Was the above review useful to you?

32 out of 35 people found the following review useful: Even war must bow to the primal force of the Cruel Sea from Adelaide, South Australia 15 May 2002 As a study of men thrown into unaccustomed roles, in a time of severe stress, The Cruel Sea has few peers. You live the lives with these men, you share their emotions, their fears, even their losses. The time of absolute despair still gives glimpses of the inner strength some men possess, and others lack, unwilling to be brave enough to face a future, in which they no longer see a role for themselves. This is a movie worthy of many screenings, and enjoyed for what it is, a movie that will challenge the viewer to not judge the characters, but to accept the times, circumstances, and locations were all extreme. The Cruel Sea is one of my favourite films Was the above review useful to you? 28 out of 29 people found the following review useful: The definitive naval war movie from Bracebridge Ont 19 August 2000 The Cruel Sea is a powerful film that puts you in the battle of the Atlantic.

The black and white photography unintentionally conveys the gritty reality of a grim war.(Somebody has said that World War II was a war fought in black and white.) And although the special effects are primitive by today's standards, they are still pretty impressive. The film is an prime example of the post war school of British cinema before it was subsumed by Hollywood. It is a fine film, a fine war film and a fine piece of accurate history. Was the above review useful to you?

26 out of 26 people found the following review useful: A Tribute to Tony Cox from London, England 4 February 2004 Tony Cox's review is one of the best I have ever read on Imdb and says it all with heartfelt passion, accurately describing the drama and characters motivations in this realistic film of anti U-boat sea warfare throughout WWII.I won't try to emulate his brilliant narrative but just add a few thoughts of my own.Jack Hawkins is always very watchable in any of his films as an actor and seems to inhabit the part of Ericsson, the skipper of "Compass Rose" and "Saltash Castle".He vividly portrays the professional and emotional sides of his character, especially when he utters "...its the war, the bloody war" with tear stained eyes.

One has to disabuse your mind of later Donald Sinden parts and his rather stagey voice and look dispassionatly at his early carrer as he portrays the new No.1 with an interest in learning first aid which inevitably comes in useful when tending the many merchant seaman they meet who have become torpedo victims.Can someone please tell me what "snorkers" are when applied to sausages, as I have never heard this expression, despite living in London all my life.Evidently Stanley Baker loves them!! This film effectively portrays the whole gamut of wartime emotions from the long Atlantic naval voyage boredom, short moments of high danger and excitement, guilt about not rescuing your own men who need help, sorrow at losing loved ones, training men on new sciences (asdic) and even romance (Viginia McKenna).At the end one feels as though you had actually been on the corvette yourself with the crew.One of the most realistic WWII dramas I have ever seen (and I have all the classics in my library).I rated it 8/10. Was the above review useful to you? 27 out of 28 people found the following review useful: Gritty war movie , minus the usual propaganda.

from Auckland, New Zealand 29 September 1999 Fine English war movie of life aboard a convoy escort ship during WWII. It's original B&W format only adds to the overall feel of the movie. Great no-nonsense performances from the cast. The movie is notable in that it is almost free of propaganda and instead concentrates on showing the crews life on board in a realistic way.Jack Hawkins turns in a fine performance. Was the above review useful to you? Page 1 of 6: HMS PINK - Yard No 318 - Flower Class Corvette - Royal Navy - Built - 1942 HMS PINK - Yard No 318 - Flower Class Corvette - Royal Navy - Built - 1942 HMS PINK - Yard No 318 - Flower Class Corvette - Royal Navy - Built - 1942 HMS PINK a "Flower Class" Corvette. 1 x 4-cycle triple-expansion steam engine, 2750 hp Armament 1 x BL 4 INCH Mk IX Gun two .50 inch (12.7 mm) twin machine guns,two .303 inch (7.7-mm) Lewis machine guns.

Two stern depth charge racks with 40 depth charges Total Constructive loss 27/06/1944, scrapped 1947 Content on will be added as and when available. The launch of HMS PINK at the Leith Shipyards of Henry Robb. This fine photograph shown above is one of HMS PINK at anchor. (The photo is from the collection of the Brewer family, whose father Geoff, served as a Mid-Shipman on HMS PINK) Operation Neptune 1944 June 6th, 1944: the largest fleet in history landed Eisenhower's Allied army on the beaches of Normandy against Erwin Rommel's Nazi German defenses. Almost seventy years on from D Day, the story of the greatest armada seen in world history is still not widely known. It has been celebrated in only two major books, both titled Operation Neptune; the first was published just after the war in 1946, the second in 1974, although reprinted in a new edition in 2008. Both were full of details, but lacked visual appeal.

With the forthcoming anniversary of D Day in 2014, the time is right for the story to be told again in the style of the Campaign series. Operation Neptune was the greatest naval operation ever undertaken, especially if looked at from the number of ships employed in the venture - over 7,000. This incredible enterprise is now completely overshadowed by the lan combat aspects of the invasion. When people think of D Day, they think primarily of troops storming the beaches and fighting their way inland. How these troops got to the beaches; how the seaward flanks of German defences were bombarded by accurate gunfire; how the fighting men were reinforced; how their casualties were evacuated back to England and how the later divisions were organised, transported and disembarked seems not to have been part of the public narrative of the invasion. It is now time that the work of planners, shipbuilders, logistic experts, and the men of the Royal and US Navies, and their allies, was shown to a modern audience. The planners of Operation Neptune were charged with returning Allied forces in strength to mainland Europe.

Whilst the land aspects of the operation were left to the generals, the admirals had to ponder how the troops and their equipment could be transferred safely from quiet harbours in Britain on to a very hostile shore. The task required of them was immense. They had to find enough suitable mutually supporting beaches and assemble sufficient shipping to transport troops across the Channel. They also had to organise protection for the ships on passage and the bombardment of enemy defences covering the landing places. Landing craft had to prepared and crews trained to deliver the troops on time, in place and in correct order, then to introduce follow-up troops to a tight timetable and evacuate the wounded. Even more ships had to be found to re-supply those troops ashore. Then, when the assault phase was over, the US and Royal navies had to continue to support the enlargement of the lodgement with large calibre guns whilst their engineers built new artificial harbours and performed a host of other unspecified objects too numerous to mention. Operation Neptune was absolutely immense in its scope. In addition to the naval aspects of the operation other great feats of engineering were also undertaken.

Artificial harbours, a 60 mile fuel pipe line under the ocean, artificial breakwaters and other engineering marvels made D-Day a supportable r Ships History Once a ship had been built and launched she then had to be out-fitted, and then complete sea trials before being handed over to her new owners,in the case of a ship for the Royal Navy this meant she also had to be commissioned as fit for purpose, once commissioned she was then considered ready for action and would take her place in the fleet. The Flower Class Corvette HMS PINK a sister ship to HMS LOTUS was one of the many gallant little fighting ships that were some what over shadowed by there larger more illustrious sister ships during the battle of the Atlantic, these little fighting ships were to help keep the United Kingdom in the war against the Nazi tyranny that was attempting to control the world at the time. The small Corvette based on a design that came from a Whale Catching ship not only had to contend with some of the fiercest weather and seas in the world but the ever present danger from U-Boats and from attack by long range German Luftwaffe planes sent out to find the convoys that the Corvettes were tasked with protecting.

HMS PINK was a "later type design" than the original Flowers a somewhat improved ship with her forecastle deck running aft to almost midships, this had the effect of more protection for the crew against the elements. Known as a Modified Flower ClassCorvette, she was on escort duty in the North Atlantic as soon as she was ready. She was the final "Flower Class Corvette" built at the Leith Shipyards of Henry Robb. Within a couple of months she was in the thick of the battle to keep the supply lines to Britain open, and on the 16th of Dec 1942 she was on hand to pick up 7 survivors from the Norwegian tanker Bello that was torpedoed and sunk in the North Atlantic by the German submarine U-610. Then while on escort duty to convoy ONS-5 with Lt. R. Atkinson, DSC, RNR in command. On May 4th, she had been detached from the convoy to become the only escort of four stragglers.

On May 5th, they were 80 miles behind the convoy, when at 1154 AM a positive ASDIC echo was heard (range 2,200 yards). Atkinson, in spite of being short of fuel, decided to attack. The ship run over the target, and dropped 10 depth charges. The second attack was a salvo of 24 HedgeHog projectiles from an estimated range of 250 yards. A thrid attack consisted in another salvo of 10 depth charges, set at 250 and 385 feet. A fourth followed, this time set at 350 and 550 feet. As three large bubbles were seen 500 feet astern, Pink fired again the HedgeHog, but the projectiles failed as they exploded in contact with the sea surface. Then she made the last attack, ten depth charges set at 350, 550 and 700 feet. Fifteen minutes later an explosion was heard, and Atkinson thought he han sunk the sub.

He was credited by the Admiralty with a "Probably Sunk", but in fact the target, that turned out to be U-358, although very severely damaged, the stricken sub managed to make it back to base. Meanwhile, another u-boat, U-584, sunk the American merchant West Madaket that was under HMS PINK's protection, so she had the sad task of picking up the survivors from the sunken vessel West Madaket. The small convoy of three cargo ships and HMS PINK then continued on there way to port. HMS PINK also took part in the invasion of Europe as an escort to the landings on the Normandy beaches, she was hit by a "Gnat" torpedo while covering the landing of troops and supplys for the invading armies. The torpedo was fired by U-988 (which was sunk itself 2 days later) she was towed back to Portsmouth but declared a constructive total loss and in 1947 she was scrapped.

We try here to give as full an account of her history as time and research permits, if you know of missing info or you have any photographs of her, then please get in touch and we shall update her story as we go along. From the Times newspaper May 3rd 2003 Triumph in the 'black pit' Chris Hulme salutes the North Atlantic convoy that changed the face of the Second World War APRIL 28, 1943. The convoy of 43 merchant steamers, their names painted out, had slogged through a week of appalling weather in the North Atlantic en route from Britain to Halifax, Nova Scotia. German U-boats had been mauling such convoys since the start of the Second World War in what became known as the Battle of the Atlantic, exacting a terrible price in human lives for the food, raw materials and military supplies that Britain needed if it was to keep fighting.

As Andrew Williams writes in his book The Battle of the Atlantic: âBy mid-December of 1942, there was only 300,000 tons of commercial fuel in the country and yet consumption was running at about 130,000 tons a month.â Some figures in the Admiralty were considering abandoning the convoy system â tantamount to an admission of naval defeat. Despite the heavy weather, Robert Atkinson, the 26-year-old captain of HMS Pink, one of five Royal Navy warships protecting the freighters, regarded the crossing as routine. He was already an Atlantic veteran, credited with the first night-time sinking of a U-boat. Six days into the North Atlantic, a coded signal from the Admiralty made it clear that convoy ONS-5 faced a greater peril than heavy weather. The largest-known fleet of U-boats was massing ahead and they were beyond air support. The fighting lasted a week, but instead of the slaughter the Germans had come to expect, the Royal Navy fought back, changing the course of the war.

ON APRIL 28, Atkinson and the other captains in ONS-5 received a one-word signal from Commander Peter Gretton, aboard the destroyer HMS Duncan, the largest warship. It said: âAnticipateâ. Atkinson, now 87, has vivid memories of what happened next. It was 5pm, already dark, cold winds buffeting the ship. He gathered his men on a lower deck. âThereâs going to be a hell of a battle tonight,â he told them. âIâm not sure how many of us will see daylight. I intend to see it if I can. Itâs up to us.â By midnight five U-boats were harassing the convoy. This moonlit engagement spilt over into the next day, and the next. âThe weather got worse and worse,â Graham Bence, Commander Grettonâs operations officer, recalls. âThe convoy had to heave to. You put the shipâs head into the wind and kept the screw turning. You were all but stationary.â On May 4 the skies cleared.

Ahead of ONS-5 at least 53 U-boats â the largest pack ever massed in one patrol area â were waiting in the âblack pitâ between Iceland and Greenland. In the afternoon, the first of the U-boats made contact, sinking two freighters. By midnight, another ship had gone. Five more merchant vessels were to follow in the night. Atkinson had been given the task of protecting four stragglers, struggling to keep up 80 miles behind the main convoy. They stayed clear of trouble until the following morning, May 5. Then HMS Pink picked up what Atkinson calls âa first-class asdic (sonar) contact â the clearest and sharpest I ever heardâ. Briefly, he agonised over whether to chase the U-boat or stay with his ships. âItâs a very human thing,â he says. âYou wanted to fight back, to get at them.â He opted to attack. âThe asdic operator was the key man,â he says.

âHe called continuously, âShip approaching, 1,500 yards. Sharp echo, ship turning to starboard. Ship stopped, sir. Ship turned away from us, got his wake.â We were persistent â we never let the submarine go. âAfter about the fifth depth-charge attack, huge quantities of oil came to the surface and we could hear him trying to blow his ballast tanks.â HMS Pink launched one more assault. âA most powerful explosion shook the ship, low in note, like a deep grunt.â It was not the hoped-for kill, but Pink was later credited with putting U-358 out of service. Their victory was not without cost, however. Just before they caught up with the stragglers, a huge column of smoke began to rise. One of the merchant ships, West Madaket, had been hit. âMy worst fears had been realised,â Atkinson says.

âBut any officer would have done the same faced with my choice.â Ahead, in the main part of the convoy, another four freighters had been picked off during the day and one submarine, U-638, destroyed. In thick fog, the unprecedented battle raged on into darkness. One Navy commander noted succinctly in his report: â23 ships in 10 columns . . . calm sea, heavy mist . . . at 00.41 the first of about 24 attempted attacks from every direction except ahead was detected and the battle continued without stopping until 06.20.â While this barrage of torpedoes, depth charges, attempted rammings and drastic manoeuvring raged, the convoy ploughed on. Four more U-boats were sunk and several others seriously damaged before May 6 dawned. As more Royal Navy ships joined the fight, the mass of U-boats disbanded and slipped away. The battle had been won.

HMS PINK at sea (photo credit unknown) qqqqqqqqq Tales from the Ship Here you will find the stories from the men and women who sailed on the ships, what was it really like to be working on a ship in a raging sea and in the pitch dark of night, the real stories some funny some sad, some good and some bad. Geoff Brewers story (Mid-Shipman) My knowledge of my father's war are rather limited as he didn't speak of it all that much but he did speak of trying to sink, or perhaps blow up mines by shooting at the horns and I think he said Pink claimed a U Boat during one crossing, although I don't think he was aboard at that time. That may have been just before he joined her. Geoff Brewer Mid-Shipman HMS PINK (Brewer Family collection) He served on three ships during the war. Pink was his first ship... as a 'mid' I think. I understand he did at least one trans Atlantic convoy in her and spoke of her being pretty uncomfortable in big seas. I believe he also served on at least one escort convoy to Russia after that, but possibly not aboard Pink.

I don't think Geoff was aboard Pink during the Normandy landings. At some point he served on two other ships: HMS Quality G62 and HMS Kempthorne G483. Mid-Shipman Geoff Brewer (Far right with side arm) at the surrender of some unknown German U-Boats. (Brewer family collection) Dedicated to all the brave men and women who sailed the vessels from the Leith Shipyards. Should you know of anyone who may have sailed on her, then please feel free to get in touch so that we can add the story here. Some more words on the part played by the gallant little fighting Corvettes, from Ahoy Mac's web blog. A brief comment on Anti- Submarine Warfare Ships. With its available speed, manoeuvreability, and armament, the Destroyer was generally accepted as the ultimate and most deadly anti-submarine warfare ship. The eventual successor, the Destroyer Escort was yet to enter the scene and the Battle of the Atlantic in any significant numbers.

The River Class Frigates were very good anti-submarine vessels, of 1370 tons, and a reasonable speed of 20 knots gave them every chance of dealing with any threat posed by the opposing German boats. The Black Swan Class Sloops of similar size and speed were also most useful ships in this fight to the death. However, the real surprise in this seemingly never ending fight to the finish that raged across the Atlantic from the start of WW2 up to the present time of reporting was, the slower, smaller, Flower Class Corvettes, their names all coined from WW1 Flower Class Sloops. This class of WW2 ships started to come down the slipways in 1939, designed as Minesweepers, and for anti-submarine work in the English Channel and North Sea, their immediate relative was a commercial whaler Southern Pride. The class was easy to construct, with a single screw, but above all they could be rolled out from non Naval Yards across the United Kingdom.

In all, some 221 Flower Class or Modified Flower Class Corvettes came off the slipways in UK and Canada, alas only one of this breed remains today, launched in 1941, HMCS SACKVILLE, now fully restored , is on display at Halifax in Nova Scotia, the port of departure for so many east bound convoys over 1939- 1945. These little ships, with a relatively short length of 205/208 feet, had a small turning circle, and eventually carried up to 50 depth charges, had a long range of 3,850 miles at 12 knots on only 213 tons of oil fuel, very economical. They proved to be great ships on the Atlantic run, although never designed to sail those perilous seas, they survived the worst weather that the Atlantic could throw at them, they were uncomfortable sea ships, but most of all, they were safe ships, and throughout all their ordeals on the North Atlantic run, not a single man was ever washed overboard from a Flower Class Corvette.

They took tons of ocean over their bows, they would "Roll on a damp grass!" but they always shook themselves clear and came up to plough on and on. The Cruel Sea. It was the Flower Class Corvette on which Nicolas Monsarrat based his famous novel The Cruel Sea, and his Compass Rose went on to dominate Naval fictional history. The Cruel Sea (Literature) - TV Tropes The Cruel Sea You need to login to do this. Get Known if you don't have an account Share The Cruel Sea is a novel about life on a Flower-class corvette in the Royal Navy in World War II , written by Nicholas Monsarrat. The main plot focuses on two Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Sub-Lieutenants, Lockhart and Ferraby, although the novel portrays point of view of a number of other crew members, including Commander Ericson, Lieutenant Morell, Chief Engine Room Artificer Watts and Petty Officer Tallow. The crew of the corvette HMS Compass Rose are subjected to all of the discomfort, boredom, and occasional horror of the Battle of the Atlantic.

The plot comes to a head when Compass Rose is torpedoed by a German U-boat, and the survivors are reassigned to the River-class frigate Saltash. They survive the war having sunk three U-boats in five years of nearly continuous combat. The novel was adapted into an Ealing Studios film in 1953, starring Jack Hawkins and Donald Sinden. This novel and film provides examples of: Attack Pattern Alpha : In the film, the crew refer to "pattern Baker " when adjusting the settings for the depth-charges during attacks on U-boats. Author Avatar : Lockhart in the book. Like him Montsarrat was a journalist-turned RNVR officer, who was also promoted to First Lieutenant. Artistic License ï¿½ Ships : Averted in the book, but zig-zagged in the film. The Compass Rose is portrayed by the Real Life Flower-class corvette HMS Coreopsis,note Slightly off because it's a later "long-forecastle" model from late in the war (we see a short-forecastle Flower briefly in the stock footage).

and the River-class Saltash is changed to the Castle-class Saltash Castle, as the film-makers couldn't get a hold of an actual River-class frigate. The German U-boats encountered in the film, however are played by a Royal Navy S-class submarine .note This is VERY noticeable, the deck gun being on the "sail" is a dead giveaway, as is the whole shape of the sail (British WWII subs are pretty unique in form). Brits with Battleships : Brits in corvettes, for the most part. Ensign Newbie : Ferraby and Lockhart. Lockhart gets better rather faster than Ferraby does. Drowning My Sorrows : Ericson does this to cope with the guilt of attacking a U-boat that was hiding under shipwrecked British sailors. Face Death with Dignity : In the book, played straight by Tallow, Tonbridge, Wainwright and Wells; averted by Watts, Gregg, and Carslake. Fluffy the Terrible : As the name says, the "Flower" class Corvettes were all named for kinds of flowers. It is specifically mentioned that the Navy had made sure "Pansy" was not on the list.

Foregone Conclusion : We are told on the first page that Compass Rose will sink and be replaced. Heterosexual Life-Partners : Ericson and Lockhart, to the extent that Lockhart passes up the chance of commanding his own corvette, in order to remain Ericson's second-in-command. Miles Gloriosus : First Lieutenant Bennett in the book. After doing little more than bullying his subordinates, and shirking as many duties as he can, he is invalided off Compass Rose with a duodenal ulcer (which is implied to be faked) A conversation with another Australian officer reveals that he went on a speaking tour of his home country where he claimed to have commanded the ship single handed after Ericson was injured in battle. The Neidermeyer : Bennett, a lazy bully. He bullies Ferraby in particular, because Bennett thinks it's fun. The Cruel Sea Audiobook | Nicholas Monsarrat | Audible.com What did you love best about The Cruel Sea? A geat story, authentic and one which really stays with you after you put the book down. The book is a memorial to the seamen of WW2 who died in the Atlantic. Who was your favorite character and why?

The captain of the Compas Rose, a character both believable and a typical Royal Navy captain. What does Simon Vance bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book? Vance certainly brings the characters to life. The book was published in 1951 and is still a great read. If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be? WW2 1939 to 1945 Any additional comments? The book is factual ( I am 93 and lived through those days so I can vouch for that. It stays with you and you begin comparing the present with those days of the Greatest Generation. Maybe I am getting too old!!!

Question: In which famous novel does the HMS Compass Rose sink?
Answer: The Cruel Sea