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name='Caine']Are there many, if any, British films about the Merchant Navy mostly set aboard ship?
Cheers
Caine
There aren't many, I can't think of any non-military ones. There aren't many military ones either. Life in the Merchant Navy probably isn't considered to be glamorous enough to make films about it.
One of the most famous wartime films about the Merchant Navy is San Demetrio London (1943), and very good it is too. Based quite accurately on a true story about a tanker in a convoy that was attacked by the Admiral Scheer.
The only protection for the convoy was the lightly armed merchant cruiser, HMS Jervis Bay. When the Scheer was sighted the Jervis Bay steamed straight for her - of course the Jervis Bay was blown out of the water before they landed a shot. But the time they gained allowed the convoy to scatter and the Scheer could only attack a few of them. The Jervis Bay sank with the loss of 190 seamen, her captain was awarded a posthumous VC.
The Scheer attacked the San Demetrio and set her on fire so the crew abandoned her, taking to the lifeboats. The next morning, one of the lifeboats came upon the still burning San Demetrio. So they re-boarded her, put out the fires, got the engines working (after a limited fashion) and took her back to Britain.
As the party that re-boarded her didn't include the Captain, and they got her back to port without any assistance, they were awarded prize money
The judge at the hearing (in the film) summed up the events saying "It is right and proper, and a part of my duty which I shall gladly discharge, to recognise to the full the courage, devotion and sacrifice of each of these men. I should not like to leave this case without thanking everybody concerned for having given me the best working day of my life, in listening to the very modest recital of some gallant gentlemen concerning a memorable achievement."
There are hints or mentions of merchant ships in films about convoy escorts like The Cruel Sea. But there's not much filmed on board the merchantmen.
Pat Jackson's film Western Approaches (1944), filmed by Jack Cardiff was a wartime documentary, made under the auspices of the Crown Film Unit, made as a tribute to the Merchant Navy. During WWII they kept the lifeline to America and the Commonwealth open so that this little island could fight on. Even as late as 1943/4 when this was made the convoys still provided vital essential supplies as well as the materiel necessary to take the fight into Europe. This film dramatises the experiences of many merchant seamen.
There are also quite a few documentaries and newsreels that show what they did. Try to find one about Operation Pedestal, one of the most important convoys to get through to Malta. Especially for the tanker Ohio that was carrying the much needed aviation fuel and just about staggered into the Grand Harbour with her decks awash, supported by two destroyers, one lashed to each side like outriggers
The Royal Navy and the Merchant Navy fought the longest continuous campaign of any theatre of operations in WWII
Steve
