San Demetrio London (1943) - Talking Pictures TV - 15:30-17:30 Sat 27th Jun
Director
Charles Frend
Starring
Walter Fitzgerald
Mervyn Johns
Ralph Michael
Gordon Jackson
Robert Beatty
The film is a reconstruction of the WWII true story of the salvage of the British tanker, MV San Demetrio. Carrying a cargo of oil home from Galveston, Texas, she was abandoned by her crew after having been set on fire by shells from the German cruiser Admiral Scheer. Of the three lifeboats which escaped the damaged tanker, two were picked up by other ships. After drifting for three days, the occupants of the third, who included the chief engineer and the second officer, re-boarded the burning San Demetrio, extinguished the fires, and, having managed to restart the engines, returned to Britain, sailing into the Clyde ten days later.
One of my favourite "war" films. Although low on budget and short on stars, the film accurately portrays a remarkable survival story.