‘Away All Boats’: The Pacific Was Their Proving Ground

NR | 1h 54m | Drama, War | 1956

After the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor (Dec. 7, 1941) thrust America into war, the Navy scrambled to turn rookies into warriors and fresh steel into fighting ships. “Away All Boats” (1956), capably directed by Joseph Pevney, captures this urgent transformation. The USS Belinda, an amphibious attack transport, is put into service by an untested crew.

Capt. Jebediah Hawks (Jeff Chandler) takes command with an iron will. He aims to whip the inexperienced crew into shape to prove the Belinda ready for the Pacific crucible. Among his officers is Lt. Dave MacDougall (George Nader). The former merchant marine captain gave up his rank for a lesser one in order to serve on a combat vessel. He soon finds more action than he bargained for.

From the assault on Makin atoll to the brutal final stretch at Okinawa, the Belinda and her numerous smaller landing craft deliver men amphibiously into the fire. The ship survives typhoons, enemy shore batteries, and the near-fatal blow of three kamikaze strikes. The crew is battle-forged by smoothing the rough edges between men, the tension between duty and doubt, and the unspoken brotherhood born in danger.

Based on the novel by Kenneth Dodson, who served aboard the USS Pierce, the attack transport that the Belinda is based on, the film brings authenticity to every detail. There’s little glamor, just the grinding journey of a ship and its men shaped by their experiences, one landing at a time.

The Ship Speaks and the Men Answer

MacDougall begins his journey with a quiet farewell to his wife and child. As he heads toward the looming silhouette of the USS Belinda, an old shipyard worker stops him with a few words while putting his ear up to the ship’s hull: “Yep, she’s still talking. Don’t laugh, boy. She was talking all the time we were building her. She’s still talkin’. Come here, listen to her.” It’s a passing comment to MacDougall, but it lingers.

With Hawks in command, a no-nonsense veteran of the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands (October 1942), the Belinda sets out. Hawks’s unforgiving style grates on the men but slowly begins to forge unity from the relative chaos. MacDougall slowly proves himself as a steadying force, earning Hawks’s trust from the first assault at Makin atoll through the island-hopping grind to Okinawa.

The film captures signal errors, quiet heroism, and even the tragic cost of a misidentified friendly plane. In the final act, three kamikaze planes tear into the Belinda. With Hawks wounded and the Belinda barely afloat, it’s up to the battered crew to rally, patch her hull, and carry on with their mission.

Not Just a War Story

More than the typical stern officers and rambunctious crew, “Away All Boats” steers into deeper waters. What unfolds is a hard-edged portrait of leadership and transformation under fire. Chandler gives the film its backbone as Hawks. He doesn’t chase sympathy; he commands with clipped words and quiet authority. He keeps the ship afloat by sometimes keeping people at a distance.

Nader’s MacDougall is the film’s quiet conscience. Now playing second fiddle, he’s frustrated but grounded. Although he sometimes chafes at Hawks’s methods, he never undercuts his superior.

The film refuses to glamorize. Between kamikaze strikes, beach landings under fire, and interpersonal conflicts, the Belinda becomes a floating pressure cooker. Even bit players, like the proud garbage man from Tennessee or the overbearing signal officer, serve as reminders that war isn’t just fought in battles, but in routines, attitudes, and bitter lessons.

The visual effects may be a bit dated by today’s standards, but the emotional beats hit the target. Beneath the naval jargon and steel hulls, there’s something human here: men reshaped by a shared burden and a captain who, for all his coldness, gave them exactly what they needed.

The crew in “Away All Boats” doesn’t salute blindly. They listen, like the old shipbuilder said, to what the ship has to say.

“Away All Boats” is available on Tubi TV and on DVD.

‘Away All Boats’
Director: Joseph Pevney
Starring: Jeff Chandler, George Nader, Lex Barker
Not Rated
Running time: 1 hour, 54 minutes
Release Date: Aug. 16, 1954
Rated: 3 1/2 stars out of 5

What arts and culture topics would you like us to cover? Please email ideas or feedback to features@epochtimes.nyc