In Harm's Way

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Liz Eddington, pie-eyed.

- Where?

- Over there.

Happy, baby?

I'm gonna put a stop to this.

- Paul Eddington can take care of her.

- No, he can't.

He's at sea on gunnery practice.

Please play something else.

- Thank heaven they stopped the music.

- Why did they stop?

- Come on, they've had their show.

- I don't wanna go.

- Come on.

- I don't want to!

It's a stuffy Navy joint.

Let's get outta here.

- We should take her home.

- Mac...

- One last dance.

- We can't let her...

She's with that officer.

What about her husband

out there doing his duty?

Eddington knows about Liz.

If he wants to put up with it,

that's his business.

- I love you.

- What?

- I just said, "I love you. "

- Why?

Never mind.

If you've cooled down now,

I think we can go.

I'm not sure I want to go now.

You've got the duty in the morning, early.

- Lieutenant J G McConnel.

- Yes, ma'am?

You've got to play

captain of your ship at 6 a. m.

Liz!

Come on in. It's great!

Come on!

I'm awake, Leary.

Tell the exec to join me

in my sea cabin for breakfast.

Leary?

Oh.

- Well, then, bacon and eggs for me.

- Aye, aye, sir.

Eddington!

Paul, wake up.

In case it slipped your mind,

it's gunnery stations at 0830.

So why don't you write me up?

Because your record already looks like

a bunch of pig tracks.

One more scratch on it

and your career in the Navy is ended.

That's how it should be,

I should be scrapped.

I'm obsolescing like this old

straw-bottomed cruiser of ours.

We both know what's eating you, Paul.

You can't wash it out with booze.

- What would you know about it?

- I tried it one time.

You? The Rock of Ages?

I don't believe it.

You're forcing me to throw

my weight at you. Fish or cut bait.

Get on your feet or take your troubles

elsewhere. I got a ship to run.

I'll put in for a transfer.

You've had one transfer already,

out of naval aviation.

- Might not get another chance.

- I don't give a damn.

Well, that isn't what I wanted

to hear you say.

I'm sorry, Rock.

OK.

If you can hold a razor, you might shave

before you come topside.

Aye, aye, Father Torrey.

You bum!

- Cut that out.

- Take me home!

Come on, I need a bath.

Good morning, sir.

If the captain were aboard,

would you dress that way?

I suspect not, sir.

Put on your uniform.

You make us look like pirates.

Aye, aye, Mr McConnel.

All right, 15-2, 15-4...

Double run of 8 for 12, your crib.

- Anything interesting?

- I got a run of three.

- The carriers pulled out Friday.

- For where?

South. Lahaina Roads, maybe.

I got that Hawaiian Sea Frontier

dispatch decoded.

Give it to our captain,

Lieutenant J G McConnel.

- More fun and games?

- No.

Destroyer Ward dropped depth charges

on a submarine contact

inside the defensive sea area.

Some poor Joe's got it in the wringer.

Attacking one of our own subs...

Commence evasive zigzag pattern,

Commander.

- Set extra lookouts.

- Aye, aye, sir.

- Morning, Captain.

- Morning. How are you this fine day?

Splendid, thank you, sir.

What's the alert?

Ward dropped depth charges

on what they think is a sub,

15 miles away, near the sea buoy.

Another poor whale lost its blubber.

Sir, are we just looking for subs

or planes, too?

Anything, son.

There's a formation of planes

north of the island, sir.

The pilots are up early

for squadron exercises.

Strange place to rendezvous.

Why aren't they over Diamond Head?

There's a formation

off Diamond Head, too.

I don't like it, Paul.

Sound General Quarters.

- Make it no drill.

- Yes, sir.

This is not a drill.

General Quarters.

All hands man your battle stations.

On deck.

Attention to colours.

Bridge. Aye, aye.

Mr McConnel?

- McConnel.

- We're getting some funny signals.

It sounds like plane-to-plane chatter,

in Japanese.

- Japs!

- What?

Japs!

My God, they're Japs! Come on!

Emergency sortie signal

from the yard tower.

Engine room? Light off all four boilers.

Make preparations for getting underway.

- Report readiness status in five minutes.

- Cut in all burners.

Disengage checking gear.

Open guarding valves.

Flip the electric rolls.

General Quarters!

Man your battle stations!

- Quoddy.

- Aye, sir.

- Can you take us out?

- You call it, Mr McConnel.

- Wait for the captain.

- Screw the captain.

- Ring up turns for 20 knots.

- Aye, aye, sir.

- 20 knots through the harbour?

- You heard.

Take her away. She's got enough

to move now, building fast.

Quoddy, right 10 degrees rudder.

Steady up on 1-2-0.

- It's Captain Harding, sir, and the exec.

- Slow down!

How can we stop?

It'll take 20 minutes at this speed.

Does anybody here

see anything back there?

Let us board! Stop!

If they does, I'll guarantee

they'll never see nothin' again!

Let her rip, Mac!

Advise me of any further messages.

How many ships answered

the emergency sortie signal?

Destroyer Cassiday's moving, sir.

The Harkness, Ballard,

cruisers Greely and Jackson...

The battleships, man!

None, sir.

- Out of nine battleships?

- None, sir.

Lookout reports tin-can breaking out, sir.

Paul, signal all ships coming out

to form up with us.

Aye, aye, sir.

- That can't be all.

- That's all Captain Torrey reports, sir.

Three light cruisers, eight destroyers

and Captain Torrey's heavy cruiser.

- None is equipped with radar.

- 12 bat-blind ships.

Well, gentlemen. Your opinions.

We must position them

to repel an invasion.

- You mean wait, Admiral Broderick.

- We have no choice. Wait.

Seek out and destroy, if at all possible.

What can 12 ships do

against the Jap task force?

It would be a futile gesture.

It could give us time

to bring our carriers within range.

What if Torrey can't contact the Japs?

Suppose they slip by him?

He has no radar, one scout plane.

The risk is too great,

leaving our shores unprotected.

- I repeat, sir. We must wait.

- Thank you, Admiral Broderick.

Order Captain Torrey to assume

command of his task group

and seek out and engage

the enemy if possible.

- All your personal problems resolved?

- Let's say they're cut down a size.

Dispatch has come in

from Fleet Operations, sir.

- Burke?

- From CinCPac.

"Japanese believed retiring for refuelling.

"Proceed to latitude 18 north,

longitude 162 west.

"Seek out and engage the enemy.

Godspeed. "

- Well!

- Well!

Have all ships report

useable fuel aboard.

Break radio silence. Ask CinCPac

for a tanker rendezvous at first light.

- After you figure our projected position.

- Aye, aye, sir.

We'll play hell

getting a tanker out of Pearl.

If we don't, we'll be sucking air

instead of oil by midnight tomorrow.

Sir, the starboard lookout

has a ship on the bow.

A tanker, he thinks, sir.

She's riding high. She's empty.

She's going home,

if a sub doesn't get her.

At this rate, we'll have to head home

inside 10 hours.

We could reduce speed to save fuel.

Crawl at 10 knots?

We'd never find any Japs.

- If we stopped zigzagging...

- That'd be an invitation to enemy subs.

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