World War II · Film · 1943
Action in the North Atlantic
After their tanker is torpedoed, the officers and crew of the US Merchant Marine go back to sea on a new Liberty ship in a convoy carrying war supplies to Murmansk.
Where it happened
Follow the story across 3 places.
Stop 1: North Atlantic
The tanker Northern Star is torpedoed, and her survivors spend eleven days adrift on a raft after the U-boat rams their lifeboat.
Stop 2: Arctic convoy route
Key location
When the convoy scatters under a wolfpack attack, the Seawitch hides at the edge of the ice and plays cat and mouse with a U-boat.
Stop 3: Murmansk
Battered by aircraft and short of men, the Liberty ship fights its way toward the Soviet port.
What really happened
Made in 1942 and 1943 with Humphrey Bogart and Raymond Massey, the film was a tribute to the merchant seamen who kept the Allies supplied, and it ends with words of gratitude from President Roosevelt. American shipyards built 2,710 mass-produced Liberty ships to replace the tonnage U-boats were sinking.
From 1941 Arctic convoys carried tanks, aircraft and supplies around northern Norway to Murmansk and Arkhangelsk, under attack from U-boats, aircraft and warships. The most notorious, PQ 17, was ordered to scatter in July 1942 and lost 24 of its 35 merchant ships. The Seawitch and her voyage are fictional.
Where to watch
Checking streaming services…
Full details
- Original title
- Action in the North Atlantic
- Directed by
- Lloyd Bacon
- Countries
- United States
- Languages
- English
- Released
- 1943
- Period
- –
- Theaters of war
- Atlantic & Arctic
- Themes
- Naval
- Combat
