Sea of Lost Ships

Valiant Coast Guardsman Barton Maclane gets killed heroically on ice patrol. His son grows up to be John Derek, with entrance to the Coast Guard Academy and a mutual yen for Wanda Hendrix. But his cruise after the first year shows that he isn't up to the job. So he enlists in an effort to prove himself.

It doesn't sound like a particularly original story arc, nor are there many surprises in the script. However, director Joseph Kane doesn't pull any punches in this story of redemption, there's a great supporting cast, with Walter Brennan and Richard Jaeckel, and it's good to see the Coast Guard get a rare huzzah for the service branch that never stops working, even if it's only in storms provided by the Lydecker brothers. It's not a great movie, but it's a solid B.

Purely American from this period, I watched it because it is directed by Jo Kane, the prolific Republic Pictures film maker whose main speciality was western and not war films. This one is a mix between war and adventure, and it is obvious that Republic corp; was less comfortable with war features than westerns. This one, as John H Auer's THUNDERBIRDS, also a war drama and a bit boring but, as this one, not charmless. From the 2020's it is old fashioned of course, and if you are interested in war patriotic films from this period, you'd better try a John Ford's film such as LONG GRAY LINE or MISTER ROBERTS; The main surprise for me was to see a young Richard Jaeckel.

John Derek will likely be remembered more for the vacuous performances of his (ex)wife Bo. Moreover, this film, if it crosses your screen during the late show, will not add to his fame. However, it not is not bad: Grad Matthews (Derek) is the son of a well-known Coast Guard captain, Jack (perennial villain, Barton MacLane in good guy role), who died a hero. He is raised by a curmudgeon but loving CPO, O'Malley (Walter Brennan) and his son, Hap (Richard Jaeckel) and wind up in the Coast Guard Academy. Grad gets kicked out while surrogate brother Hap graduates. Grad then enlists and redeems himself with great success in the Coast Guard. The film's female interest is provided by Wanda Hendrix and the story focuses on the US Coast Guard. There are some wonderful scenes shot aboard the USCG Eagle, the Coast Guard's midshipmen's training ship. The ship is gorgeous and incredibly beautiful under full sail-- the movie is worth seeing if no more than for those scenes of her underway. I recall this film well as it was the only one showing in the crew's quarters when I was on a midshipmen's cruise in 1955 and it was either watch it-- as it was being shown again and again, I saw it about 5 times, as I recall-- or get pressed into wiping bulkheads.

The films with John Derek are not many but they are always enjoyable for his very sensitive acting, usually in parts where he gets into trouble and has to work hard to get out of it, if he is not executed or dies on the way. This film is mainly interesting for its documentary parts. The film begins with the Titanic disaster and ends with another disaster of same kind, a Norwegian passenger ship running full speed into an iceberg and getting stuck there in the fog. John Derek is part of an Arctic Coast Guard patrol, founded after the Titanic disaster just for the purpose of avoiding further accidents of that kind, and there are amazing sequences of the rescue team at work. The story is very ordinary, but the Arctic scenery is well worth wasting a film on. Walter Brennan plays the adoptive father after John Derek lost his own father in a failed rescue operation. It's an adventure film based on reality.