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Stand by for Action Page #9
trouble, Mr. Masterman.
can do for you, Mrs. Collins.
Why, you're doing everything.
I think you've been wonderful.
If we could only get you
aboard the Chattanooga.
She carries a doctor.
Are you scared?
Yes. I'm scared to death.
But I keep thinking of Steve.
My husband.
He's been scared lots of times,
but he keeps on fighting.
That's the least I can do.
Well, if it's any help, you've
got all hands aboard the Warren
fighting with you.
How can I lose?
Yes, sir?
Tell Lieutenant Dudley
I wish to see him.
- Aye aye, sir.
- Yes, sir?
Is there any word
from the Warren?
- No sir. - What's the
matter with Roberts?
Didn't you signal him
to keep us informed?
- Yes, sir.
- Well, signal him again.
Tell him I want to know
Aye aye, sir.
Well, Doctor? Well?
I have everything
organized, sir.
- Well in hand.
- Sit down.
After I ask the Warren
a few questions,
- I'll be able to advise.
- What kind of questions?
Well, I'll have to know the lady's age,
height, weight, and physical condition.
And I must know if this
is her first child
- and whether or... - The Warren makes a
simple request for some medical advice
and you answer with a demand for a
detailed history of the lady's life.
Well, how can I give intelligent instructions
if I don't know the case history?
another baby was born
on the Warren with the
assistance of a Carpenter's Mate
who didn't even know
the patient's name.
I remember now when the ship's cat
had kittens you lost your head.
That should've warned me.
As I reminded you, sir. I am a
naval surgeon aboard a war ship.
War ship or not, a woman is
having a baby over on the Warren,
and I am having a
nervous breakdown!
All right, Joe.
How is she?
Worse.
It's too bad.
After all, sir, Chip's is
only the ship's carpenter,
and this is a destroyer,
not a maternity hospital.
I'm sorry there isn't something
more we can do to help her.
There is something
you can do, sir.
Transfer her to the Chattanooga,
get her in the hands
of a real doctor.
That's the one thing
we can't do.
We'd have to bring the Warren
and the Chattanooga to a stop.
That would be inviting disaster.
I keep thinking of
that girl's husband,
inviting disaster every
time he flies his ship
off the deck of that carrier.
I'd hate to tell him that the Navy considers
saving the life of his wife and baby
- to great a risk. - Masterman,
he's doing a job. So are we.
Yeah, I know. Can't make
decisions based on sentiment...
Or humanity.
Yes?
From the Warren, sir.
"Report Mrs. Collin's condition
critical. Request instructions."
- Ah. - If she could only
be transferred here...
No, no, no, that's impossible. I cannot
jeopardize a 30 ship convoy and it's escort.
Well, in that case,
we may as well turn in.
- Must be almost dawn.
- Turn in?
Stone, have you
ever been a father?
- Why, no sir.
- Well, you should've been.
And perhaps you could've helped
her with this launching.
You talk about this baby
as though it were a ship.
Well, it's practically
the same procedure.
If a ship hangs on the ways,
you give her a start with a good
sound thump from an oak timber.
That's it. A thump!
- But I can't see that... - Did you know
that in the days of the sailing ships
in the British Navy, the sailor's wives
often went along on the old frigates
and when a woman couldn't bring
off a launching by herself,
with a salvo to Lord.
Oh, that old superstition.
Yes, I've heard those
yarns from old timers.
You mean some
old fogeys like me.
- Oh, no sir. - Do you presume
to call one of the oldest
naval traditions superstition?
Well sir, if you really
think it'd do any good.
Why don't you give the Warren
the order to fire a gun to Lord.
No, no. That'll reveal our
position to the enemy.
And the safety of the convoy
must come before one life.
Even a woman's.
- Yes.
Enemy aircraft sighted, sir!
Listen...
We've been hit!
Standby for action!
Did you hear that?
We're in action!
I gotta get to my station!
Steady, Johnson, steady.
Look sir,
the flagship's been hit.
Enemy aircraft headed
for convoy, sir.
Set fuses to three.
Range, 2-5-0-0.
Scale, 8-2.
- Fuse set!
- Set!
- On target!
- Rapid fire, commence firing!
Masterman's right on his target.
On target!
On target!
One for us!
Lindsay, right full rudder!
On target!
On target!
- They got him, sir!
- Nice shooting.
That's one clay pigeon that
won't shoot back at anybody!
The flagship's out
of control, sir!
Ludlow, what's the matter
with our aircraft lookout?
above the fog,
and when first sighted,
he was already diving.
- What's our damage? - We should
have a full report in a moment, sir.
reports our plane catapult disabled
and steering near
out of control, sir.
Do something, confounded!
Can't stay here all day
with my stern shut off.
That plane was launched
that's somewhere out here
in this blasted fog!
We're doing all we can, sir.
- Your coat, sir.
- Nice kettle of fish.
Hit in the tail with a sneak
punch by a slant-eyed Beelzebub.
Enemy battleship sighted, sir.
On the starboard bow.
Jap. Ishamoto Class.
- Ludlow, commence firing.
- Aye aye, sir.
A Jap battleship.
All my life I've been
praying for a crack
at one of those
pagoda masted buzzards.
And here I am winged
in the tail,
sailing in circles like
a blasted merry-go-round.
- Signal the convoy to scanner.
- Aye aye, sir.
Signal the Warren,
I'm out of control.
- Yes sir.
- Shot in the rear.
- Yes sir. - Don't put
that last in the message.
Oh no, sir.
Shot at us with
their first salvo!
Let them have it, Ludlow!
Radio from the Chattanooga.
She's out of control.
That puts it up to us.
Mr. Lindsay, I'm going ahead,
full speed.
Tell the engine room
to make smoke,
the Jap and the convoy.
- Aye aye, sir. - We reverse course
to the left standard rudder.
Left standard rudder, sir.
Look, sir! Through that
break in the fog!
The Warren's reversing her
course!
They've opened on the Warren
with a secondary battery!
Roberts is covering
with a smoke screen!
- Guns 1, 2, 4 commence firing!
- Guns 1, 2, 4 commence firing!
Duck!
Load!
Ready, one!
Four, ready!
- Send for me, sir?
- Yes, Masterman.
Here's my plan of attack.
The enemy's forced it's carrier
directly into the convoy.
Yes, sir.
In two minutes,
reverse our course again,
parallel to our smoke screen.
Then cut through and give her a surprise,
and give her every torpedo we've got!
She's a battleship, she'll
blast us out of the water!
- Almost certainly. - What
about the women and children?
This isn't only a destroyer,
it's a floating nursery.
I know... but in a
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"Stand by for Action" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 30 Aug. 2024. <https://www.scripts.com/script/stand_by_for_action_18743>.
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