Rennie

Can anyone supply me with the following info on this excellent film.

Location of the port where the 'Compass Rose' sailed to complete sea trials.(Everyone was waving to everyone!!)

Name of British Navy ship which 'doubled' for the 'Compass Rose'.

DB7

Ex-HMS Coreopsis.

plasticjock

Brief history: Launched in 1940. Delivered to the Royal Hellenic Navy as RHS Kriezis in November 1943.
Action in the Atlantic, D-Day and Greek civil war. After D-Day left for the Mediteranean and Alexandria, Egypt in October 1944.
Returned to the Royal Navy in 1951.
Sold to T Young in 1952.
Scrapped in Sunderland 1958.

Steve Crook

The IMDb (not infallible but usually quite good) lists HMS Crocus. But a bit more research reveals that it was the Coreopsis in the film but that she was given the number K49 in the film which was the number of Crocus. The real number of the Coreopsis was K32. I'll correct the IMDb entry.

Steve

Steve Crook

PaPAS

Bob M.

Good thread this, but...
what about H.M.S. Amethist in The Yangtse Incident?I know this was filmed on the Orwell estuary near to the boys training establishment H.M.S.Ganges. I was at Ganges in 1970 and remember seeing photos of the main actors enjoying dinner in the Wardroom with the Captain.
William Hartnell made as good a Leading Seaman as he did Sergeant, don't you think?

"How about dat, a? How about dat?

DB7

I think that's because in the film the corvette carries the number K49. The fictional name I imagine would have come from the source novel?

Steve Crook

The IMDb says

• The real HMS Amethyst was used at the start of filming. A special effects explosion was made too big and blew a hole in the hull, flooding the engine room. Amethyst was sent to the breakers and HMS Magpie was used for the rest of the film.
• HMS Amethyst sustained more damage during filming than during the actual battle.

And yes, William Hartnell was a very good Leading Seaman. I also like him in The Bells Go Down (1943)

Steve

Steve Crook

PaPAS

Steve Crook

I think that's because in the film the corvette carries the number K49. The fictional name I imagine would have come from the source novel? [/quote]Yes, it was called the Compass Rose in the novel. ISTR there are some disparaging comments about the names of other "Flower class" corvettes and how lucky they were not to be serving in the Daisy or the Pansy :)

Steve

Steve Crook

PaPAS

MrDrakesDuck

I've always thought that film had the most realistic naval battle scenes of any film, the noise is thundering and it realy does look like the ship is being hit.

Seems it was!

"I thought I had to shoot Germans, not chew 'em"

Marky B

The real life Captain of the HMS Amethyst,Simon Kearns (as played by Richard Todd) later became Conservative MP for Hartlepool.
Ta Ta
Marky B thumbs_u

I am special. The heavens always open for me.

MrDrakesDuck

From hero to zero.

"I thought I had to shoot Germans, not chew 'em"

Bob M.

I do seem to remember reading somewhere that a con man managed to get on the production team of the Yangtse Incident as an advisor, but had never been anywhere near China, The Yangtse or even been in the Royal Navy. Anyone else know more?

"How about dat, a? How about dat?

Steve Crook

I always liked the battle effects in The Battle of the River Plate (and not just because it's by Powell and Pressburger). Like the regular "ding ding" signalling that the guns are ready, the deafening noise when your guns fire and the noise "like an express train" as the shells from the enemy come hurtling in. Also the amazing devastation a single hit can cause and the damage done by shrapnel.

They are also very good on the whole process of naval warfare but a lot of that is just due to them listening to their Naval advisors - the people who actually fought the battle.

Steve

Steve Crook

PaPAS

DaveB

Hmm. I've always thought "River Plate" studio-bound. The splashes caused by enemy shells landing near the ship look like a team of guys throwing buckets of water in the air.

Steve Crook

I can't deny it :)
Visually, all the battle scenes are in the studio.

When they borrowed the Mediterranean fleet of the Royal Navy and the USN Salem which played the part of the Graf Spee, it made for some very good long shots but they weren't allowed to get them to actually shoot at each other.

I did mean the overall feeling of being in a naval battle rather than the details of the shots.

But the guys in the studio do throw the buckets of water very well :)

Steve

Steve Crook

PaPAS