The Second World War at Sea: Dunkirk, the Atlantic and the Mediterranean
From the Little Ships of Dunkirk to the U-boats of the Atlantic, the war at sea gave cinema some of its greatest vessels. Many of these films were shot aboard real warships of the Royal Navy, the Kriegsmarine and the Regia Marina, and several of those ships survive as museums today.
This chapter of Ships on Screen holds 92 ships and boats. For each one you will find the film or the book, the year, who was in it, what the ship does in the story, and the scene we would bring to life. See all 1,404 ships on one page.
Marea can build every one of these ships as a scale model, with the maximum detail the scale permits, finished to be inspected. But we don’t stop at the ship. We bring the scene with it: a few hand painted figurines on deck, caught in the one moment you remember. It isn’t a diorama. It’s the ship, with its story on board.
This database was put together by Ai Refloat™, Marea’s own artificial intelligence. Ai Refloat is still young & like any teenager, it can be a little volatile and unpredictable at times, but above all, it is learning fast. So this list may well contain mistakes and we welcome the input of everyone who knows these films, books and ships better than we do: listening, correcting and learning is one of the many ways we work towards perfection in this craft.
Have you spotted a mistake? Tell us which film, series, book, cartoon or boat, and we will amend it accordingly. Tell us here
The ships
Second World War at Sea · Battle of the Atlantic
SS Seawitch Fictional
Action in the North Atlantic (1943)
Directed by Lloyd Bacon
Starring Humphrey Bogart, Raymond Massey
After their tanker Northern Star is sunk, Rossi and Captain Jarvis join a new Liberty ship on a Murmansk convoy, fighting U-boats and the Luftwaffe.
The Marea scene Bogart at the wheel of the Liberty ship as a U-boat surfaces in the fog.
On set Built entirely on Warner Bros. sound stages, with the ship sets split across two stages.
Second World War at Sea · Battle of the Atlantic
HMCS Donnacona Fictional
Corvette K-225 (1943)
Directed by Richard Rosson
Starring Randolph Scott, James Brown, Ella Raines, Barry Fitzgerald
A Canadian officer who lost his first ship to a U-boat takes a new corvette on a convoy to Britain and sinks the U-boat that killed his men.
The Marea scene The corvette's crew at the depth charge rails in a heavy Atlantic sea.
On set Filmed with the real HMCS Kitchener (K225), a convoy escort veteran.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Battle of the Atlantic
USS Corsair Fictional
Crash Dive (1943)
Directed by Archie Mayo
Starring Tyrone Power, Anne Baxter, Dana Andrews
A PT boat officer transfers to a submarine and falls for his captain's fiancée; the submarine raids a German base in the North Atlantic.
The Marea scene The submarine surfacing to shell a disguised German Q-ship.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Second World War at Sea · Battle of the Atlantic
Lifeboat of the torpedoed freighter Fictional
Lifeboat (1944)
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Starring Tallulah Bankhead, William Bendix, Walter Slezak, John Hodiak
Survivors of a freighter and the U-boat that sank her share one lifeboat in the Atlantic, with the German captain secretly steering them towards a supply ship.
The Marea scene Nine survivors crowded in the lifeboat, the German captain at the oars.
On set Four lifeboats built at the 20th Century Fox studio, one used in the studio tank.
Photo: Brosen, CC BY 2.5
Second World War at Sea · Battle of the Atlantic
Daniel Webster Fictional
Sealed Cargo (1951)
Directed by Alfred L. Werker
Starring Dana Andrews, Carla Balenda, Claude Rains
A New England fishing skipper sails his schooner into the Newfoundland fog and comes across a derelict square rigger. The derelict turns out to be a disguised supply ship for German U-boats.
The Marea scene The fishermen boarding the silent derelict in the fog.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Battle of the Atlantic
Ergenstrasse Fictional
The Sea Chase (1955)
Directed by John Farrow
Starring John Wayne, Lana Turner, David Farrar, Tab Hunter
At the outbreak of war a German captain slips his old freighter out of Sydney and tries to reach Germany across two oceans, pursued by his British friend in a warship.
The Marea scene The rusty Ergenstrasse burning spars and furniture to keep steam up in the North Atlantic.
On set HMCS New Glasgow stood in for the pursuing Australian warship HMAS Rockhampton.
Second World War at Sea · Battle of the Atlantic
USS Haynes (DE-181) Fictional
The Enemy Below (1957)
Directed by Dick Powell
Starring Robert Mitchum, Curd Jürgens
Captain Murrell's destroyer escort plays a long game of cat and mouse with a U-boat in the South Atlantic, a duel of wits between two respectful commanders.
The Marea scene Mitchum on the bridge as depth charges erupt astern of the destroyer escort.
On set Played by USS Whitehurst (DE-634), lent by the US Navy at Pearl Harbor.
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
Second World War at Sea · Battle of the Atlantic
Von Stolberg's U-boat Fictional
The Enemy Below (1957)
Directed by Dick Powell
Starring Robert Mitchum, Curd Jürgens
The German captain, weary of the war, tries to outwit the escort to reach a rendezvous with a raider. Both ships are lost at the end.
The Marea scene The U-boat crew below decks singing as depth charges shake the hull.
On set Studio sets and miniatures.
Second World War at Sea · Battle of the Atlantic
German raider Atlantis Real ship
Under Ten Flags (1960)
Directed by Duilio Coletti
Starring Van Heflin, Charles Laughton, Mylène Demongeot, John Ericson
Captain Rogge's disguised raider changes identities to sink Allied merchant ships while the Admiralty tries to track her down.
The Marea scene The raider's crew dropping false bulwarks to reveal her guns before a surprised freighter.
Photo: S.W.Roskill, Public domain
Second World War at Sea · Battle of the Atlantic
Ingo Fictional
Morituri (1965)
Directed by Bernhard Wicki
Starring Marlon Brando, Yul Brynner, Janet Margolin, Trevor Howard
A pacifist engineer is blackmailed into sailing on a German blockade runner carrying rubber from Japan and disabling her scuttling charges so the Allies can capture her.
The Marea scene Brando creeping through the Ingo's hold to disarm the scuttling charges.
On set Filmed mostly aboard the freighter Blue Dolphin, a repurposed wartime German freighter.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Battle of the Atlantic
U-boat on the Orinoco Fictional
Murphy's War (1971)
Directed by Peter Yates
Starring Peter O'Toole, Siân Phillips, Philippe Noiret, Horst Janson
After a U-boat sinks his ship Mount Kyle and machine guns the survivors, Irish mechanic Murphy wages a one man war against it on the Orinoco in Venezuela.
The Marea scene The U-boat hiding under the jungle canopy of a river channel.
On set Played by the Venezuelan Navy submarine ARV Carite (ex USS Tilefish).
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Second World War at Sea · Battle of the Atlantic
Grumman Duck seaplane and river crane barge Fictional
Murphy's War (1971)
Directed by Peter Yates
Starring Peter O'Toole, Siân Phillips, Philippe Noiret
Murphy repairs a Grumman Duck floatplane to bomb the U-boat and finally attacks it with an old river crane barge.
The Marea scene Murphy's floatplane skimming over the river to drop a Molotov bomb on the U-boat.
On set A restored Grumman Duck flown by Frank Tallman, now at the National Museum of the United States Air Force; a former tank landing craft served as the crane.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Battle of the Atlantic
U-96 Real ship
Das Boot (1981)
Directed by Wolfgang Petersen
Starring Jürgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer, Klaus Wennemann
A U-boat patrol in 1941 seen through a war correspondent's eyes: storms, depth charge attacks, an attempt to run the Strait of Gibraltar and a descent to the seabed.
The Marea scene Der Alte on the open conning tower in a gale, soaked by green water.
On set Two full size mock ups (one exterior at La Rochelle, later borrowed for Raiders of the Lost Ark) and a gimballed interior at Bavaria Film Studios, Munich, plus a half size model.
Photo: Andrey Belenko, CC BY 2.0
Second World War at Sea · Battle of the Atlantic
SS Weser Real ship
Das Boot (1981)
Directed by Wolfgang Petersen
Starring Jürgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer, Klaus Wennemann, Hubertus Bengsch
A German merchant ship interned in neutral Vigo, Spain, which secretly resupplies U-boats. U-96's scruffy crew attend a formal dinner with the ship's officers before sailing for the Mediterranean.
The Marea scene The bearded U-boat officers in stained uniforms at a white linen dinner table in the brightly lit merchant ship.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Battle of the Atlantic
USS S-33 Real ship
U-571 (2000)
Directed by Jonathan Mostow
Starring Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton, Harvey Keitel, Jon Bon Jovi
An old American submarine, disguised as a German resupply boat, is sent to capture an Enigma machine from a crippled U-boat. The real S-33 served only in the Pacific.
The Marea scene Sailors paddling rubber boats from S-33 to the crippled U-boat in rough seas.
On set A non diving replica built in Malta, displayed in Grand Harbour, Valletta and later reused for Das Boot (2018).
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Second World War at Sea · Battle of the Atlantic
U-571 Real ship
U-571 (2000)
Directed by Jonathan Mostow
Starring Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton, Harvey Keitel, Jon Bon Jovi
After their own submarine is sunk, the Americans must sail the captured U-boat home under attack from a German destroyer. Fiction: the real U-571 was never captured.
The Marea scene The Americans firing U-571's last torpedo at the pursuing destroyer.
On set Built for the production in Malta and Cinecittà; the real U-571 was sunk west of Ireland in 1944.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Battle of the Atlantic
Chelsea Fictional
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Directed by David Fincher
Starring Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Jared Harris, Tilda Swinton
Benjamin works on Captain Mike's tugboat, which is pressed into naval service when America enters the war. The Chelsea finds and rams a German U-boat after a sinking, and Captain Mike is killed.
The Marea scene The little Chelsea charging at full speed towards the surfaced U-boat as its deck gun fires.
On set Fictional name; real tug and visual effects.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Battle of the Atlantic
USS Keeling (DD-548) "Greyhound" Fictional
Greyhound (2020)
Directed by Aaron Schneider
Starring Tom Hanks, Stephen Graham, Rob Morgan, Elisabeth Shue
Commander Krause, on his first command, leads the escort group of a convoy through the Black Pit of the mid Atlantic, beyond air cover, for fifty hours of U-boat attacks.
The Marea scene Krause on the open bridge wing in the North Atlantic spray as Greyhound swings to ram.
On set Filmed aboard USS Kidd (DD-661), a museum ship at Baton Rouge, Louisiana; pre production photography aboard HMCS Montréal.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Second World War at Sea · Battle of the Atlantic
Escorts Harry, Dicky and Eagle Fictional
Greyhound (2020)
Directed by Aaron Schneider
Starring Tom Hanks, Stephen Graham, Rob Morgan, Elisabeth Shue
The other escorts, HMS James (Harry), HMCS Dodge (Dicky) and ORP Viktor (Eagle), fight alongside Greyhound under Krause's command.
The Marea scene Two escorts crossing close astern in heavy seas while chasing a contact.
On set Fictional ships created with visual effects.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Battle of the Atlantic
U-boat "Grey Wolf" Fictional
Greyhound (2020)
Directed by Aaron Schneider
Starring Tom Hanks, Stephen Graham, Rob Morgan, Elisabeth Shue
The lead U-boat of the wolfpack taunts the escorts over the radio and duels with Greyhound.
The Marea scene The U-boat surfacing close aboard while Greyhound's guns cannot depress far enough to hit it.
On set Visual effects.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · D-Day and amphibious landings
Bombardment cruisers and landing craft Real ship
The Longest Day (1962)
Directed by Ken Annakin, Andrew Marton, Bernhard Wicki
Starring John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, Sean Connery, Richard Burton
The invasion fleet appears off Normandy, bombards the defences and lands the troops on the beaches.
The Marea scene German officer at his bunker slit seeing the whole invasion fleet on the horizon at dawn.
On set The US Sixth Fleet lent USS Springfield (CL-66) and USS Little Rock (CL-92), now a museum ship in Buffalo, plus landing ships filmed off Corsica.
Photo: U.S. Navy, Public domain
Second World War at Sea · D-Day and amphibious landings
Landing craft on D-Day Real ship
Overlord (1975)
Directed by Stuart Cooper
Starring Brian Stirner, Davyd Harries
The film opens and closes inside a landing craft full of young soldiers heading for Sword Beach, where Tom is killed.
The Marea scene Young soldiers packed in a landing craft ploughing towards the Normandy shore.
On set About 70 per cent newly shot footage intercut with Imperial War Museum archive film.
Second World War at Sea · D-Day and amphibious landings
Higgins boats (LCVP) Real ship
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Starring Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Edward Burns, Tom Sizemore
Captain Miller's Rangers approach Omaha Beach in landing craft and the ramps drop into machine gun fire, opening the film's famous landing sequence.
The Marea scene Seasick soldiers crouched in a Higgins boat as the ramp starts to fall.
On set Two genuine wartime Higgins boats plus 1950s craft from California, Donegal and Southampton; filmed at Curracloe Beach, County Wexford, Ireland.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Second World War at Sea · Dunkirk and the Little Ships (1940)
Starling Fictional
Mrs. Miniver (1942)
Directed by William Wyler
Starring Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, Teresa Wright, May Whitty
Clem Miniver volunteers his motorboat Starling with other boat owners to help in the Dunkirk evacuation. His return, exhausted, after days ferrying troops is a key moment of the film.
The Marea scene Clem steering the Starling out of the river in a line of small boats heading for France.
Second World War at Sea · Dunkirk and the Little Ships (1940)
Vanity and Heron Fictional
Dunkirk (1958)
Directed by Leslie Norman
Starring John Mills, Richard Attenborough, Bernard Lee
Journalist Charles Foreman takes his motorboat Vanity to Dunkirk, where she is destroyed by bombing. Garage owner John Holden reluctantly sails his boat Heron with his young apprentice and, despite engine failures, brings soldiers home after a destroyer finds them drifting.
The Marea scene Holden's small Heron packed with exhausted soldiers, drifting towards Calais until a destroyer looms up.
On set Stock footage from The Cruel Sea was used for a destroyer sinking at the mole.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Dunkirk and the Little Ships (1940)
The Nancy Starling Fictional
Their Finest (2016)
Directed by Lone Scherfig
Starring Gemma Arterton, Sam Claflin, Bill Nighy
The Ministry of Information propaganda film being made in the story is about twin sisters who take their father's boat to Dunkirk. The boat gives the film within the film its title.
The Marea scene The twin sisters at the helm of their father's boat, filmed on a beach standing in for Dunkirk.
On set Freshwater West beach in Pembrokeshire stood in for Dunkirk.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Dunkirk and the Little Ships (1940)
Moonstone Fictional
Dunkirk (2017)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Starring Fionn Whitehead, Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh, Mark Rylance
Mr Dawson, his son and a local boy take their family motor yacht across the Channel when the Admiralty requisitions private boats. On the way they pick up a shell shocked soldier from a wreck and then rescue downed airmen and soldiers off Dunkirk.
The Marea scene Mr Dawson at the wheel of Moonstone, her deck crammed with rescued soldiers as a Spitfire passes overhead.
On set A real 1930s motor yacht; her most crowded scenes, with up to sixty people aboard a boat designed for fewer than ten, were shot on the IJsselmeer in the Netherlands.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Dunkirk and the Little Ships (1940)
The Little Ships of Dunkirk Real ship
Dunkirk (2017)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Starring Fionn Whitehead, Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh, Mark Rylance
The civilian flotilla arrives off the beaches in the film's climax to lift the stranded army. The production gathered genuine veterans of Operation Dynamo for these scenes.
The Marea scene Commander Bolton on the mole watching the civilian boats appear over the horizon.
On set Twenty actual Little Ships of Dunkirk, piloted by their owners, took part in filming.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Dunkirk and the Little Ships (1940)
British destroyer (played by Maillé-Brézé) Fictional
Dunkirk (2017)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Starring Fionn Whitehead, Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh, Mark Rylance
Stands in for the Royal Navy destroyers that loaded troops at the East Mole. Soldiers board her and are caught below decks when she is torpedoed and sinks.
The Marea scene Soldiers scrambling up the destroyer's side from the mole as Stukas dive.
On set French Navy destroyer Maillé-Brézé (T 47 class, 1950s), now a museum ship at Nantes, disguised as a British destroyer because no wartime British destroyer with working engines survives.
Second World War at Sea · Dunkirk and the Little Ships (1940)
Hospital ship (played by MS Rogaland) Fictional
Dunkirk (2017)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Starring Fionn Whitehead, Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh, Mark Rylance
A hospital ship loading wounded at the mole is bombed and sinks early in the film, throwing Tommy and his companions back into the water.
The Marea scene Stretchers being carried up the gangway moments before the bombs strike.
On set Norwegian coaster Rogaland, a Second World War veteran, portrayed the hospital ship.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Dunkirk and the Little Ships (1940)
HMS Britomart and other minesweepers (played by HNLMS Naaldwijk, HNLMS Sittard) Real ship
Dunkirk (2017)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Starring Fionn Whitehead, Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh, Mark Rylance
Dutch minesweepers of the 1950s portray British minesweepers and destroyers that ferry troops away from the mole.
The Marea scene Troops lining the rails of a grey minesweeper pulling away from the burning harbour.
On set HNLMS Naaldwijk played HMS Britomart; HNLMS Sittard played HMS Havant and HMS Jaguar; the armed pilot vessel MLV Castor played HMS Basilisk.
Second World War at Sea · Dunkirk and the Little Ships (1940)
MTB 102 Real ship
Dunkirk (2017)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Starring Fionn Whitehead, Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh, Mark Rylance
The veteran motor torpedo boat appears in the evacuation sequences. The real MTB 102 took part in Operation Dynamo in 1940.
The Marea scene MTB 102 cutting through the swell off the beaches at speed.
On set The real MTB 102 (1937), preserved and still operational in Britain.
Photo: Mark, CC BY-SA 2.0
Second World War at Sea · French, Dutch and other European
Dutch submarines in the occupied yard Fictional
The Silver Fleet (1943)
Directed by Vernon Sewell and Gordon Wellesley
Starring Ralph Richardson, Googie Withers, Esmond Knight
A Dutch shipyard engineer secretly sabotages the Nazis, helping engineers hijack one submarine to England and blowing up another with German officials aboard.
The Marea scene The new submarine sliding out of the yard on her maiden voyage with the Nazi officials aboard.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · French, Dutch and other European
U-boat escaping to South America Fictional
Les Maudits (The Damned) (1947)
Directed by René Clément
Starring Marcel Dalio, Henri Vidal, Florence Marly, Fosco Giachetti
At the end of the war Nazis and sympathisers flee Oslo in a U-boat bound for South America with a kidnapped French doctor, and the crew slowly disintegrates.
The Marea scene The long tracking shot down the length of the U-boat's interior.
On set Sets at Victorine Studios, Nice, and locations near Toulon.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Germany
U-47 Real ship
U 47 Kapitänleutnant Prien (1958)
Directed by Harald Reinl
Starring Dieter Eppler, Sabine Sesselmann
The career of Günther Prien, whose U-47 slipped into Scapa Flow and sank HMS Royal Oak at anchor in 1939.
The Marea scene U-47 creeping on the surface into Scapa Flow past the blockships at night.
On set Played by the Spanish submarine G-7, formerly the German U-573.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Germany
Wilhelm Gustloff Real ship
Nacht fiel über Gotenhafen (1960)
Directed by Frank Wisbar
An earlier German film about the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff.
The Marea scene The liner leaving Gotenhafen in the snow with refugees on every deck.
Second World War at Sea · Germany
U-234 Real ship
Das letzte U-Boot (The Last U-Boat) (1993)
Directed by Frank Beyer
Starring Ulrich Mühe, Ulrich Tukur, Kaoru Kobayashi
A television film inspired by U-234's voyage towards Japan with secret cargo in the last days of the war.
The Marea scene Japanese officers and German crew facing each other in the cramped control room as Germany surrenders.
Second World War at Sea · Germany
Wilhelm Gustloff Real ship
Die Gustloff (2008)
Created by Joseph Vilsmaier
Starring Kai Wiesinger, Heiner Lauterbach, Michael Mendl
A two part television drama about the evacuation of refugees from Gotenhafen in January 1945 and the sinking of the overcrowded liner by the Soviet submarine S-13, the deadliest sinking in history.
The Marea scene Refugees crowding the icy boat deck as the torpedoes strike at night.
On set Filmed in Stralsund harbour with sinking scenes in the Malta water tanks and CGI for the ship at sea.
Second World War at Sea · Germany
RMS Laconia and U-156 Real ship
The Sinking of the Laconia (2011)
Created by Uwe Janson
Starring Andrew Buchan, Ken Duken, Franka Potente, Brian Cox
U-156 sinks the troopship Laconia off West Africa in 1942, then surfaces to rescue survivors and tows lifeboats under a Red Cross flag until attacked by an American aircraft.
The Marea scene Survivors crowded on U-156's deck and lifeboats in tow, a Red Cross flag spread over the gun.
Second World War at Sea · Germany
U-612 Real ship
Das Boot (2018)
Created by Bavaria Fiction for Sky (director Andreas Prochaska)
Starring Rick Okon, Vicky Krieps, Tom Wlaschiha, Vincent Kartheiser
A sequel series in which young captain Klaus Hoffmann takes U-612, with a scorpion emblem on her tower, into the Atlantic while the resistance plays out in La Rochelle.
The Marea scene U-612 leaving the La Rochelle pens at dusk with the crew on the casing.
On set A 45 metre moving interior set at Barrandov Studios, Prague, and the non diving replica built in Malta for U-571.
Photo: Darkone, CC BY-SA 2.0
Second World War at Sea · Home front and comedy
SS Cabinet Minister Fictional
Whisky Galore! (1949)
Directed by Alexander Mackendrick
Starring Basil Radford, Joan Greenwood, James Robertson Justice, Gordon Jackson
On a wartime Hebridean island that has run out of whisky, a cargo ship carrying 50,000 cases runs aground in the fog. The islanders salvage the whisky before the English Home Guard captain and the customs men can stop them.
The Marea scene Islanders rowing out through the fog to the stranded Cabinet Minister and lowering crates into their boats.
On set Based on the real SS Politician, wrecked off Eriskay in 1941; the film used sets and locations on Barra rather than a ship.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Home front and comedy
USS Kornblatt Fictional
Don't Give Up the Ship (1959)
Directed by Norman Taurog
Starring Jerry Lewis, Dina Merrill, Mickey Shaughnessy
Jerry Lewis plays a former wartime officer summoned before Congress to explain how he lost a whole destroyer escort. The search for the missing ship drives the comedy.
The Marea scene Jerry Lewis in a diving suit searching the sea floor for his lost ship.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Home front and comedy
USS Echo Fictional
The Wackiest Ship in the Army (1960)
Directed by Richard Murphy
Starring Jack Lemmon, Ricky Nelson, John Lund
A yachtsman turned naval officer is given command of a decrepit sailing schooner and a crew who cannot sail. Disguised as a neutral trader, she slips a coastwatcher behind Japanese lines.
The Marea scene Jack Lemmon at the wheel of the Echo as the green crew wrestle with the sails.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Second World War at Sea · Indian Ocean
Ehrenfels Real ship
The Sea Wolves (1980)
Directed by Andrew V. McLaglen
Starring Gregory Peck, Roger Moore, David Niven, Trevor Howard
A German merchant ship interned in neutral Goa that secretly radios Allied shipping movements to U-boats. Elderly members of the Calcutta Light Horse volunteer to sail to Goa and sink her.
The Marea scene The old soldiers climbing aboard the Ehrenfels at night with limpet mines.
On set The real Ehrenfels was scuttled at Mormugao in March 1943 during Operation Creek; the film was shot on location in Goa.
Second World War at Sea · Indian Ocean
Calcutta Light Horse barge Real ship
The Sea Wolves (1980)
Directed by Andrew V. McLaglen
Starring Gregory Peck, Roger Moore, David Niven, Trevor Howard
The raiding party travels round India to Goa in a decrepit and barely seaworthy barge. From it they board the German ships in the harbour.
The Marea scene The ageing Light Horse volunteers crowded on the rusty barge as it creeps into Mormugao harbour.
Second World War at Sea · Italy
Submarine A103 Fictional
Uomini sul fondo (Men on the Sea Floor) (1941)
Directed by Francesco De Robertis
Starring real submarine crews (non actors)
During training the submarine collides with a steamer and sinks. The captain and seven men stay aboard to refloat her, and a sailor gives his life to open a valve.
The Marea scene Divers working on the sunken hull while the trapped men wait in the dark.
Second World War at Sea · Italy
Human torpedoes (maiali) at Alexandria Real ship
I sette dell'Orsa maggiore (Hell Raiders of the Deep) (1953)
Directed by Duilio Coletti
Starring Pierre Cressoy, Eleonora Rossi Drago, Paolo Panelli, Paul Müller
Italian frogmen ride human torpedoes into Alexandria harbour in 1941 to attack British battleships. Real Decima MAS veterans such as Luigi Ferraro appear.
The Marea scene Two frogmen astride a human torpedo gliding under the hull of a battleship.
On set Real Decima MAS members took part as supporting actors.
Second World War at Sea · Italy
Italian submarine (unnamed) Fictional
La grande speranza (Submarine Attack) (1954)
Directed by Duilio Coletti
Starring Lois Maxwell, Renato Baldini, Earl Cameron, Folco Lulli
An Italian submarine sinks merchant ships in the Atlantic, then rescues the survivors, carrying 24 Danish seamen on her casing towards the Azores at great risk.
The Marea scene Shipwrecked sailors crowded on the submarine's deck as she runs on the surface.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Italy
Explosive motor boats (MTM) at Souda Bay Real ship
Siluri umani (Human Torpedoes) (1954)
Directed by Antonio Leonviola (and Carlo Lizzani, uncredited)
Starring Raf Vallone, Franco Fabrizi, Ettore Manni, Christian Marquand
Italian volunteers train on explosive speedboats and attack British ships in Souda Bay, Crete, in 1941, hitting the cruiser HMS York and a tanker.
The Marea scene A pilot jumping clear of his speedboat as it races at the cruiser at night.
Second World War at Sea · Italy
Olterra Real ship
The Silent Enemy (1958)
Directed by William Fairchild
Starring Laurence Harvey, Dawn Addams, Michael Craig, Sid James
Royal Navy diver Lionel Crabb fights Italian frogmen at Gibraltar and discovers that they operate from the interned ship Olterra through an underwater door.
The Marea scene Crabb underwater discovering the hidden door in the Olterra's hull.
Photo: Reynold Brown, Public domain
Second World War at Sea · Italy
HMS Valiant and the human torpedoes Real ship
The Valiant (1962)
Directed by Roy Ward Baker
Starring John Mills, Ettore Manni
Two captured Italian frogmen are held aboard HMS Valiant at Alexandria after planting a charge under her, and her captain tries to learn where it is before it explodes.
The Marea scene Captain Morgan interrogating the Italian frogman deep in the battleship's hull as the clock runs down.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Second World War at Sea · Italy
Comandante Cappellini Real ship
Comandante (2023)
Directed by Edoardo De Angelis
Starring Pierfrancesco Favino
Commander Salvatore Todaro sinks the Belgian steamer Kabalo in October 1940, then rescues her 26 survivors against orders and sails on the surface for days to land them safely.
The Marea scene Belgian survivors packed on the Cappellini's deck under Todaro's watch on the open Atlantic.
Photo: Unknown, Public domain
Second World War at Sea · Mediterranean raids
HMS Seraph Real ship
The Man Who Never Was (1956)
Directed by Ronald Neame
Starring Clifton Webb, Gloria Grahame, Stephen Boyd
The submarine carries the body of the invented Major Martin and releases it off Huelva, Spain, to deceive the Germans before Sicily (Operation Mincemeat).
The Marea scene Officers on Seraph's casing at night lowering the canister into the sea off Spain.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Second World War at Sea · Mediterranean raids
Motor torpedo boats and captured E-boat Fictional
Hell Boats (1970)
Directed by Paul Wendkos
Starring James Franciscus, Elizabeth Shepherd, Ronald Allen
An American officer commanding British MTBs at Malta rebuilds three boats from wrecks and, using a captured E-boat, raids a German base in Sicily.
The Marea scene The captured E-boat leading the MTBs into the enemy harbour at night.
Photo: Mark, CC BY-SA 2.0
Second World War at Sea · Mediterranean raids
HMS Seraph Real ship
Operation Mincemeat (2021)
Directed by John Madden
Starring Colin Firth, Matthew Macfadyen, Kelly Macdonald, Johnny Flynn
The submarine drops the corpse in the Gulf of Cádiz, where it is found by fishermen from Huelva.
The Marea scene The submarine crew committing the body to the sea off the Spanish coast at dawn.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Second World War at Sea · Norway and the resistance
SF Hydro Real ship
The Heroes of Telemark (1965)
Directed by Anthony Mann
Starring Kirk Douglas, Richard Harris, Ulla Jacobsson
Norwegian saboteurs sink the ferry carrying Germany's heavy water across Lake Tinn. In the film the hero organises a lifejacket drill so the children aboard survive.
The Marea scene The ferry settling by the bow on the icy lake as passengers jump clear.
On set Played by the sister ferry SF Ammonia; the Channel Islands steamer TSS Roebuck played the hijacked coastal steamer in Dorset.
Second World War at Sea · Norway and the resistance
Cargo ship Donau Real ship
Max Manus (2008)
Directed by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg
Starring Aksel Hennie, Agnes Kittelsen, Nicolai Cleve Broch, Ken Duken
The resistance fighter Max Manus and Roy Nielsen plant limpet mines on the ship in Oslo in January 1945, and she sinks the next day.
The Marea scene Two saboteurs in a rowing boat fixing limpet mines to the Donau's hull at night.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Norway and the resistance
SF Hydro Real ship
The Heavy Water War (Kampen om tungtvannet) (2015)
Created by Per-Olav Sørensen
Starring Espen Klouman Høiner, Christoph Bach, Anna Friel, Pip Torrens
The final episode shows the Gunnerside team ordered to sink the ferry carrying the heavy water stocks from Rjukan.
The Marea scene A saboteur planting the charge in the ferry's bilge by lamplight.
Second World War at Sea · Norway and the resistance
Fishing boat Brattholm Real ship
The 12th Man (Den 12. mann) (2017)
Directed by Harald Zwart
Starring Thomas Gullestad, Jonathan Rhys Meyers
Twelve commandos sail from Shetland to northern Norway on Operation Martin; the boat is discovered and blown up, and only Jan Baalsrud escapes.
The Marea scene The commandos on the fishing boat's deck as a German ship closes in the fjord.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Norway and the resistance
German and British destroyers at Narvik Real ship
Narvik (2022)
Directed by Erik Skjoldbjærg
Starring Kristine Hartgen, Carl Martin Eggesbø, Henrik Mestad
The Royal Navy enters Narvik harbour and sinks the German destroyers that landed the invasion force in April 1940.
The Marea scene Burning German destroyers in the harbour below the snowy mountains.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Royal Navy and Merchant Navy (British films)
HMS Apollo and the Deutschland Fictional
Convoy (1940)
Directed by Pen Tennyson
Starring Clive Brook, John Clements, Edward Chapman, Judy Campbell
Captain Armstrong's cruiser Apollo escorts a North Sea convoy and must hold off the German pocket battleship Deutschland until help arrives.
The Marea scene The cruiser turning broadside to the pocket battleship to shield the merchant ships.
On set HMS Apollo is fictional; the enemy is the real Deutschland (renamed Lützow in 1940).
Second World War at Sea · Royal Navy and Merchant Navy (British films)
HMS Invincible (fictional carrier) Fictional
Ships with Wings (1941)
Directed by Sergei Nolbandov
Starring John Clements, Leslie Banks, Jane Baxter, Ann Todd
A disgraced Fleet Air Arm pilot redeems himself in operations off Greece flying from the carrier.
The Marea scene Swordfish biplanes ranged on the flight deck ready for launch.
On set Filmed aboard HMS Ark Royal, which was sunk in November 1941 shortly after filming.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Second World War at Sea · Royal Navy and Merchant Navy (British films)
HMS Torrin Fictional
In Which We Serve (1942)
Directed by Noël Coward and David Lean
Starring Noël Coward, John Mills, Bernard Miles, Celia Johnson
The story of a destroyer from her commissioning in 1939 to her sinking off Crete, told through the memories of survivors clinging to a Carley float. Based on Lord Mountbatten's HMS Kelly.
The Marea scene Captain Kinross and his men clinging to a Carley float under strafing fire as the Torrin goes down.
On set Based on HMS Kelly; exteriors used the Australian destroyer HMAS Nepal, interiors were built at Denham Studios.
Second World War at Sea · Royal Navy and Merchant Navy (British films)
San Demetrio Real ship
San Demetrio London (1943)
Directed by Charles Frend (completed by Robert Hamer)
Starring Arthur Young, Walter Fitzgerald, Ralph Michael, Gordon Jackson
The true story of the tanker set ablaze by the Admiral Scheer in 1940 and abandoned. Survivors in a lifeboat reboard the burning ship days later, put out the fires and sail her home to the Clyde.
The Marea scene The lifeboat crew climbing back up the side of the still burning tanker.
On set Studio production with a scale model now displayed at the Imperial War Museum, London; the real San Demetrio was sunk in 1942.
Second World War at Sea · Royal Navy and Merchant Navy (British films)
HMS Sea Tiger (P61) Fictional
We Dive at Dawn (1943)
Directed by Anthony Asquith
Starring John Mills, Eric Portman
The submarine is sent into the Baltic to sink the new German battleship Brandenburg before she clears the Kiel Canal. Low on fuel after the attack, the crew must raid a Danish island port to get home.
The Marea scene Sea Tiger surfacing in the Baltic as her crew man the deck gun.
On set Exteriors used submarines P614 and P615 (Turkish order requisitioned by the Royal Navy); HMS Safari also appears.
Second World War at Sea · Royal Navy and Merchant Navy (British films)
HMS Trojan Fictional
Morning Departure (1950)
Directed by Roy Ward Baker
Starring John Mills, Richard Attenborough, Nigel Patrick
Set just after the war, the submarine strikes a leftover magnetic mine and sinks, leaving twelve men trapped with too few escape sets. Released as HMS Truculent was lost, it was dedicated to the Royal Navy.
The Marea scene Captain Armstrong dealing cards to decide who escapes first.
On set Exteriors used the submarine HMS Tiptoe.
Second World War at Sea · Royal Navy and Merchant Navy (British films)
HMS Ballantrae Fictional
Gift Horse (1952)
Directed by Compton Bennett
Starring Trevor Howard, Richard Attenborough, Sonny Tufts, James Donald
An old American destroyer from the destroyers for bases deal becomes an unlucky ship until her crew are chosen for Operation Boadicea, ramming the dock gate of a French port. The story is based on HMS Campbeltown at St Nazaire.
The Marea scene Ballantrae, disguised as a German torpedo boat, ramming the lock gate under searchlights.
On set Played by HMS Leamington (ex USS Twiggs), her four funnels reduced to two for the raid scenes.
Photo: Herbert Mason, Public domain
Second World War at Sea · Royal Navy and Merchant Navy (British films)
HMS Amesbury and the raider Essen Fictional
Sailor of the King (1953)
Directed by Roy Boulting
Starring Jeffrey Hunter, Michael Rennie, Wendy Hiller
A young signalman, the unknown son of a Royal Navy captain, holds up a German raider single handed from a remote island until the Royal Navy can catch her. Based on C. S. Forester's Brown on Resolution.
The Marea scene Signalman Brown with his rifle on the rocks above the anchored raider.
On set HMS Cleopatra played both Amesbury and Stratford; the minelayer HMS Manxman was disguised as the raider Essen; HMS Glasgow also appeared; filmed at Malta.
Second World War at Sea · Royal Navy and Merchant Navy (British films)
HMS Compass Rose Fictional
The Cruel Sea (1953)
Directed by Charles Frend
Starring Jack Hawkins, Donald Sinden, Denholm Elliott, Stanley Baker
Lieutenant Commander Ericson's small corvette escorts Atlantic convoys through storms and U-boat attacks. Her loss and the hours in the water that follow are the emotional centre of the story.
The Marea scene Ericson on the open bridge of Compass Rose as green seas break over the bow.
On set Played by HMS Coreopsis (K32), a Flower-class corvette brought from Malta; filmed at Plymouth, the Channel and the Portland Race.
Second World War at Sea · Royal Navy and Merchant Navy (British films)
HMS Saltash Castle Fictional
The Cruel Sea (1953)
Directed by Charles Frend
Starring Jack Hawkins, Donald Sinden, Denholm Elliott, Stanley Baker
Ericson and Lockhart's second command, in which they continue the convoy war and finally sink a U-boat.
The Marea scene Saltash Castle firing depth charges astern as the U-boat breaks surface.
On set Played by HMS Portchester Castle, a Castle-class corvette held in reserve for the filming.
Second World War at Sea · Royal Navy and Merchant Navy (British films)
RAF Launch 2561 Fictional
The Sea Shall Not Have Them (1954)
Directed by Lewis Gilbert
Starring Michael Redgrave, Dirk Bogarde, Anthony Steel
An RAF air sea rescue launch battles bad weather, mechanical trouble and a galley fire to find a ditched aircrew in the North Sea, one of whom carries secret papers on the V weapons.
The Marea scene The launch crashing through heavy seas as the crew scan the horizon for the dinghy.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Royal Navy and Merchant Navy (British films)
X-craft and Chariots Real ship
Above Us the Waves (1955)
Directed by Ralph Thomas
Starring John Mills, John Gregson, Donald Sinden
Commander Fraser develops Chariot human torpedoes and then X-craft midget submarines to attack the battleship Tirpitz in her Norwegian fjord.
The Marea scene An X-craft slipping under the anti torpedo nets beneath the looming hull of the Tirpitz.
On set Some original war equipment was used; Donald Cameron VC, commander of X6, advised. The real XE8 survives at Chatham.
Photo: Geni, CC BY-SA 4.0
Second World War at Sea · Royal Navy and Merchant Navy (British films)
Cockle canoes and HMS Tuna Real ship
The Cockleshell Heroes (1955)
Directed by José Ferrer
Starring José Ferrer, Trevor Howard, Anthony Newley, David Lodge
Royal Marines train in two man canoes and are launched from a submarine to paddle up the Gironde and mine German ships in Bordeaux, a heavily fictionalised version of Operation Frankton.
The Marea scene Two marines in a canvas canoe paddling past a moored German freighter at night.
On set The real raid used Cockle Mark II canoes launched from HMS Tuna; Major Hasler advised before withdrawing.
Second World War at Sea · Royal Navy and Merchant Navy (British films)
MGB 1087 Fictional
The Ship That Died of Shame (1955)
Directed by Basil Dearden
Starring Richard Attenborough, George Baker, Bill Owen, Virginia McKenna
A motor gun boat serves gallantly in the war, then her old crew buy her and turn to smuggling. The boat seems to rebel against her dishonourable use until she is wrecked.
The Marea scene MGB 1087 roaring through the Channel at night with her guns manned.
Second World War at Sea · Royal Navy and Merchant Navy (British films)
HMS Amethyst Real ship
Yangtse Incident: The Story of H.M.S. Amethyst (1957)
Directed by Michael Anderson
Starring Richard Todd, William Hartnell, Akim Tamiroff
The sloop is trapped on the Yangtze by Communist Chinese guns and escapes downriver at night.
The Marea scene Amethyst running the gauntlet down the river at night, blacked out, under fire from shore batteries.
On set HMS Amethyst played herself (and nearly sank during explosions); HMS Magpie stood in for underway and gunfire shots and HMS Teazer played Consort and Concord; filmed on the Orwell and Stour, Suffolk.
Second World War at Sea · Royal Navy and Merchant Navy (British films)
Rescue tug W88 Fictional
The Key (1958)
Directed by Carol Reed
Starring William Holden, Sophia Loren, Trevor Howard
Rescue tug crews go out unarmed to tow in torpedoed ships in the Western Approaches, and captains pass on a key to the flat of the same woman.
The Marea scene The small tug alongside a burning merchant ship as a U-boat surfaces nearby.
On set Filmed aboard HMS Restive (W39), an Assurance-class Admiralty tug.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Royal Navy and Merchant Navy (British films)
Raid ship for Operation Mad Dog Fictional
Attack on the Iron Coast (1968)
Directed by Paul Wendkos
Starring Lloyd Bridges, Andrew Keir, Sue Lloyd, Mark Eden
Commandos and the Royal Navy plan to ram an explosive laden vessel into the gate of a dry dock in occupied France, a raid modelled on St Nazaire.
The Marea scene The explosive laden ship charging towards the dock gate as shore batteries open fire.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Sink the Bismarck! (1941 pursuit)
Bismarck Real ship
Sink the Bismarck! (1960)
Directed by Lewis Gilbert
Starring Kenneth More, Dana Wynter
The German battleship breaks out into the Atlantic, sinks HMS Hood and is hunted down by the Home Fleet, finally crippled by a torpedo hit on her rudder and sunk.
The Marea scene Bismarck ablaze and listing under the guns of Rodney and King George V.
On set Studio tank miniature; HMS Vanguard provided turret and deck scenes, and a Dido-class cruiser stood in for Bismarck's final scenes.
Second World War at Sea · Sink the Bismarck! (1941 pursuit)
HMS Hood Real ship
Sink the Bismarck! (1960)
Directed by Lewis Gilbert
Starring Kenneth More, Dana Wynter
The pride of the Royal Navy engages Bismarck in the Denmark Strait and blows up within minutes, leaving three survivors.
The Marea scene Hood's magazine exploding in a column of smoke in the Denmark Strait.
On set Miniature in the studio tank, with HMS Vanguard used for scenes on board.
Second World War at Sea · Sink the Bismarck! (1941 pursuit)
HMS Prince of Wales, King George V and Rodney Real ship
Sink the Bismarck! (1960)
Directed by Lewis Gilbert
Starring Kenneth More, Dana Wynter
Prince of Wales fights alongside Hood and is damaged. King George V and Rodney catch the crippled Bismarck and destroy her in the final action.
The Marea scene King George V's 14 inch turrets training round for the final broadside.
On set Miniatures, with HMS Vanguard's 15 inch turrets and decks used for close shots.
Photo: USN, Public domain
Second World War at Sea · Sink the Bismarck! (1941 pursuit)
HMS Ark Royal Real ship
Sink the Bismarck! (1960)
Directed by Lewis Gilbert
Starring Kenneth More, Dana Wynter
Swordfish torpedo bombers from Ark Royal attack Bismarck in bad weather and jam her rudder, sealing her fate.
The Marea scene A Swordfish lifting off the pitching deck of Ark Royal into rain and low cloud.
On set HMS Victorious represented Ark Royal; flying scenes used HMS Centaur with restored Fairey Swordfish. HMS Belfast played several British cruisers.
Photo: US Navy, Public domain
Second World War at Sea · Submarines
U-37 Fictional
49th Parallel (1941)
Directed by Michael Powell
Starring Eric Portman, Laurence Olivier, Leslie Howard, Raymond Massey
A German U-boat is sunk in Hudson Bay by Canadian aircraft, leaving a landing party of six Nazis stranded in Canada. They try to cross the country to the neutral United States.
The Marea scene The U-boat blowing up in Hudson Bay as the landing party watch from the shore.
On set Filmed with a submarine mock up in Canada.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Submarines
USS Nautilus and USS Argonaut Real ship
Gung Ho! (1943)
Directed by Ray Enright
Starring Randolph Scott, Noah Beery Jr., Robert Mitchum
The film dramatises the 1942 Makin Island raid by Carlson's Raiders, who were carried to the island by two large US submarines. The raiders launch in rubber boats from the submarines' decks.
The Marea scene Marines paddling rubber boats away from the dark hulls of the two submarines towards Makin.
Photo: USN, Public domain
Second World War at Sea · Submarines
USS Dragonfish Fictional
Battle of the Coral Sea (1959)
Directed by Paul Wendkos
Starring Cliff Robertson, Gia Scala, Teru Shimada
A US submarine on a reconnaissance mission before the Battle of the Coral Sea is captured by the Japanese. Her captain escapes with vital information about the enemy fleet.
The Marea scene The submarine on the surface surrounded by Japanese patrol boats as her crew are taken prisoner.
On set Fictional boat.
Photo: Wikipedia
Second World War at Sea · Submarines
USS Tiger Shark Fictional
Below (2002)
Directed by David Twohy
Starring Matthew Davis, Bruce Greenwood, Olivia Williams, Holt McCallany
A US submarine on patrol in 1943 picks up survivors of a sunken hospital ship, including a woman. Strange events aboard suggest the boat is haunted by what happened to her previous captain.
The Marea scene Crew huddled in the red lit control room listening to a gramophone playing somewhere in the silent boat.
On set Fictional boat; sets and models.
Second World War at Sea · The Battle of the River Plate (1939)
Admiral Graf Spee Real ship
The Battle of the River Plate (1956)
Directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
Starring Peter Finch, Anthony Quayle, John Gregson, Bernard Lee
Captain Langsdorff's commerce raider takes British merchant crews prisoner, is brought to battle by three British cruisers and retreats to Montevideo, where she is scuttled.
The Marea scene Graf Spee blowing up in the estuary off Montevideo as crowds watch from the shore.
On set Played by the American heavy cruiser USS Salem, now a museum ship at Quincy, Massachusetts.
Photo: Unknown, CC BY-SA 3.0 de
Second World War at Sea · The Battle of the River Plate (1939)
HMS Ajax Real ship
The Battle of the River Plate (1956)
Directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
Starring Peter Finch, Anthony Quayle, John Gregson, Bernard Lee
Commodore Harwood's flagship leads the hunting group and fights Graf Spee off the River Plate.
The Marea scene Harwood on Ajax's bridge as the cruisers split to engage from two sides.
On set Played by HMS Sheffield.
Second World War at Sea · The Battle of the River Plate (1939)
HMNZS Achilles Real ship
The Battle of the River Plate (1956)
Directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
Starring Peter Finch, Anthony Quayle, John Gregson, Bernard Lee
The New Zealand cruiser fights alongside Ajax. She played herself in the film, then serving in the Indian Navy.
The Marea scene Achilles racing in at full speed, guns firing, with New Zealanders cheering.
On set Achilles herself, then INS Delhi of the Indian Navy.
Second World War at Sea · The Battle of the River Plate (1939)
HMS Exeter Real ship
The Battle of the River Plate (1956)
Directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
Starring Peter Finch, Anthony Quayle, John Gregson, Bernard Lee
Captain Bell's heavy cruiser takes the brunt of Graf Spee's fire and is badly damaged but keeps fighting.
The Marea scene Exeter's shattered bridge and a single turret still firing through the smoke.
On set Played by HMS Jamaica; HMS Cumberland appears as herself early on.
Photo: Tomlin, H W (Lt), Royal Navy official photographer, Public domain
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