spoiler alert true story of a shipwreck and due in the film to a wwii german naval mine and that have the ship the crescent star second mate executive officer alec holmes and tyrone power and take command after the fatality injure ship captain paul darrow laurence nismith and put him in charge of it survivor . under the most extreme and dangerous circumstance holmes gather the some 35 crescent star survivor in a lifeboat that can hold no more the 15 people . stick in the middle of the atlantic ocean some 1 and 500 mile from the near land and the african continent and holmes have to now choose those who can help make it to shore and those who be just dead weight and have to be throw overboard in order for the rest to survive . the movie have a very determined yet torture and guilt ridden holmes make the ultimate decision of life or death for those he be put in charge of on the overcrowded lifeboat . a decision that in the end he will have to stand trial for and possibly face the death penalty for premeditated murder . know what he have to do to save the few people on the lifeboat who could survive the long and dangerous and in the teeth of a powerful south atlantc ocean storm and trip to africa holmes do in fact accomplish his almost impossible mission . that even after he end up almost get kill by one of the lifeboat passenger who throw a knife in his chest . not reach the african coastline holmes and the survive passenger be rescue by a british freighter the british soldier just when holmes himself be about and in him feel that he become a burden to those on board and to throw himself overboard . spoilerswhat so sad and depress about the end be that none of the survivor with the exception of the ship nurse julie white and mai zettering and and one of it passengers edith middleton and moira lister and who husband be one of those who end up under the wave and be willing to vouch or stand up for the man who be most responsible in save their life represent alec holmes . base on the true story of the wreck of the william brown back in the spring 1841 abandon ship show u how people can in many case desert and leave hang the very person who not only save their life but risk their own life in do it . even for the self serve gutless and selfish reason that they can conjure up in their not too sharp as well non analytical mind . p. s in the sinking of the william brown the boat be sink by an iceberg not naval mine like in the movie base on it . also the william brown be not a luxury cruse ship like the crescent star be with it passenger not of the upper crust of society . but mostly poor and downtrodden irish emigrant try to find a new start in life in america . the only thing that match both the fictitious crescent star and real william brown be the name of both ship tragic hero alac holmes . who in real life be make a scapegoat for the maritime deserter and make to spend six month behind bar after be convict for involuntary manslaughter . that for holmes heroic part in save some 15 person who and if it wasn not for his brave and at the same time difficult action and would have end up at the bottom of the atlantic ocean .