Away All Boats

Lines are visible towing models of Japanese planes several times during the final battle sequences.

When the boat rocks back and forth when the officer explains why the floors in the mess hall are waxed, there is an external shot that shows the boat and the ocean, the horizon moves with the boat.

Commander Quigley is given command of the APA Peacock.

There was no USS Peacock during World War II.

Just before the crew begins to seal the hatch to make an air bubble, light can be seen reflecting off the water deep in the hold.

For this to happen there would have to be an above water opening in the side of the ship, which would make an air bubble impossible.

However, the hold is obviously a stage setting with lights above the water to make it visible.

At the opening scene this movie feels like a wartime morale flick but it quickly moves past that. I like that it gives us a story that is seldom told, namely that of a heavy troop landing ship.

I first saw "Away All Boats" during the 1950's when I was about 10 years old.It had similarities with one of my all-time favourites, "Mister Roberts", which was released about the same time.

Such an incredible collections of great actors would make even a poor script into a great film. But these extraordinary performers have a strong and moving script with a good director and together they create a powerful depiction of the courage and skill needed to overcome the horrors of war.

The ship that served as the "Belinda" in the movie was a sister ship to the one I served on in the Pacific Amphibious Force in the 1960s. She is a World War II Victory Class Attack Transport who main battery, as the Captain said, are her boats (we carried 26).

Away All Boats is directed by Joseph Pevney and adapted to screenplay by Ted Sherdeman from the novel written by Kenneth M. Dodson.

Away All Boats is a nice war picture about the captain and crew of a Navy transport ship in World War II. Jeff Chandler is all navy and the total professional as he takes command of the USS Belinda and whips the crew and the ship into professional fighting trim.

It's the story of the USS Belinda, an attack transport, whose mission is to take Marines and soldiers to the beaches of the Pacific and land them, usually under fire. And it's not badly done.

This ought to be the optimal navy epic narrative, although it seems rather insignificant at first, but gradually you get to know the captain and his very special relationship with his ship, which also brings you in close touch with the main characters of the crew. The adventure seems harmless enough as very little happens through most part of the film, but then there are kamikadzes that completely change the character of the game into something very sinister.

AWAY ALL BOATS – 1956This is one of the better WW2 films about the unglamourous part played by the US Navy attack transport craft. These were the ships that moved the troops up to the landing beaches, then launched the landing craft that carried troops to said beach.