Mystery Submarine

Edward Judd - Lt. Cmdr. Tarlton
James Robertson Justice - RAdm. Rainbird
Laurence Payne - Lt. Seaton
Joachim Fuchsberger - Cmdr. Scheffler
Arthur O'Sullivan - Mike Fitzgerald
Albert Lieven - Capt. Neymarck
Robert Flemyng - Vice-Adm. Sir James Carver
Richard Carpenter - Lt. Haskins
Richard Thorp - Lt. Chatterton
Jeremy Hawk - Adm. Saintsbury
Robert Brown - Coxswain Drage
Frederick Jaeger - Lt. Hence
George Mikell - Lt. Remer
Peter Myers - Telegraphist Packshaw
Leslie Randall - Leading Seaman Donnithorne
Fulton Mackay - Leading Torpedoman McKerrow
Peter Stanwyck - Lt. Lyncker

A potentially interesting scenario becomes a routine wartime naval drama under the limp direction of C.M. Pennington-Richards. Based on the play by Jon Manchip White, and using actual archive wartime footage, Mystery Submarine boats a sturdy ensemble cast but it can’t be escaped that the film appears absurdly out of time.

When the crew of German U-Boat UI53 abandon their submarine due to a chlorine gas leak the British capture the vessel in the English Channel and hastily refit the boat at Portsmouth for a secret mission. Rear Admiral Rainbird (James Robertson Justice) assigns rule-book Commander Tarlton (Edward Judd) with the task of surreptitiously joining a German wolfpack and giving away the position from which they intend to attack a Atlantic convoy. After avoiding close-calls when contacting German HQ, avoiding a British Catalina anti-sub patrol and Irishman Mike Fitzgerald’s (Arthur O'Sullivan) constant engine woes, the crew finally surface amidst the wolfpack near the Azores

When U153 surfaces, Tarlton immediately radios the Admiralty with the enemy position but a German wireless operator intercepts the message and the German U-Boat commander sets off in hot pursuit of U153. After deftly avoiding the pursuing sub Tarlton appears to have a clear run home – until the Admiralty discover there is one frigate that cannot be contacted with news that U153 is a British doppelganger.