The Sinking of the Laconia (2010) s01e02 Episode Script
Episode 2
You are now free to board the Laconia.
This ship was created for the rich, the idle, pink gins, and sunsets over Sorrento.
And so was I! Oh, I cried! For attention, mainly.
I was just never there to hear you, darling.
TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN: This was sent a few moments ago.
What kind of a world is it when German bombers can come blindly in the night and murder innocent families? Not the kind of world I wish to live in.
Munich, June 1942.
A holiday snapshot? Perhaps? Who has holidays in Germany these days, Hilda? Keep calm, everyone.
Stop being a bloody hero.
TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN: Help me! Help me! If any ship will assist the shipwrecked Laconia crew .
.
I will not attack her.
I will not attack her.
This programme contains some strong language.
FILM PROJECTOR WHIRRS Both sides drop bombs and fire torpedoes, madam.
War, not peace, has been declared.
Before you saw us on the horizon and trailed us into the sunset, the Laconia was carrying 2,500 souls, Commander.
Maybe half of those, of whatever nationality, survived your arrival.
You have, what, 200 people on board? And maybe the same again in the lifeboats.
But there are still 700, 800 people out there drifting desperately further and further away.
They will never see land again.
You are responsible for that, Commander.
How very strange that many of the English we have rescued have thanked my crew and myself.
What is so special about you, madam? Nothing.
Nothing at all.
WHISPERED: PHONE RINGS PHONE RINGS AGAIN Whomsoever you are, it's Sunday morning and I'm very tired.
What? What? What? Do the Americans know? No, no, no, no.
Lincoln Lincoln, just send a car! Oh, fuck! I don't know.
A charming invitation from a German U-boat commander.
If I was still at school, I'd say it was a prank.
Someone trying to get you in trouble with the headmaster.
Or in this case, Captain Hathaway.
Sir.
Do you think any of this could possibly be true? I mean it's a Sunday morning, for God's sake.
Oh, yes, yes.
Some of it at least.
There is a former passenger liner, the Laconia.
And she has gone missing.
Carrying mainly Italian prisoners of war.
Does the Vatican know? Where was it again? Right out there, sir.
Days away.
Well, that stinks.
First of all, this has all the aroma of a trap.
A ruse de guerre.
When our rescue ship gets there, it's "Well, I never, lo and behold", a whole wolf pack of U-boats waiting to welcome us.
But what if it isn't a trap, sir? Ah, but there you have it, young man, there you have it.
I mean, let us consider for the moment that it isn't a trap, that it is a genuine, albeit highly unlikely, act of complete humanity.
Now if we reject that plea, well, then we can be accused of the same barbaric lack of humanity that we accuse the Germans of at every opportunity.
So, we must Well, it's imperative for the war effort that we do absolutely nothing.
And, naturally, to inform the Americans on Ascension Island that one of our ships is missing.
Gone.
Just gone.
Nothing more.
Let the Americans get excited.
Sir, what about the German U-boat? I would keep that to ourselves for now, Lincoln.
TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN: FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING HE SPEAKS IN GERMAN Ladies and gentlemen, we are about to undertake a full emergency dive.
'This is simply for the safety of everyone.
' All gangways must be cleared and you should not panic.
This is normal procedure upon a U-boat.
That is all.
BELL RINGS Ah! Be brave.
I think I'm going to be sick.
Be a dear and point him over there, would you? Come on, come on.
Come on, everyone.
Come on, come on, up, up, up.
CREAKING CREAKING CONTINUES CREAKING That is good, isn't it? Yes, it's very good! THEY CHEER As you can see sir, I thought perhaps it would be more appropriate if we worded it No, no, no, no.
It reads well.
Polite request, our good friends and allies, the Americans, on Ascension Island, to go and search for our missing troop carrier, the Laconia.
I mean it's fine.
Fine, fine.
Any idea what the Americans might do, Lincoln? Well, won't they do as we've asked of them, sir? As allies.
They might do.
Might want to show us what they can do.
Only if they want to.
But then again, they might not want to.
Might want to keep their hush-hush base hidden away for far more important missions.
Captain Hathaway, sir, are you? You're certain we shouldn't tell them about the German submarine? No, good God, no.
None of that love and friendship nonsense with the enemy.
I mean, hiding to nothing, there.
Yes, let's get our priorities right, Lincoln.
Make sure that this shit cart does not arrive at our door.
Carry on.
Buck Bannister on the ball.
He needs one, he needs two.
He glides.
He takes North Africa, he takes the Suez Canal.
Yay, on and on he goes.
He takes France he takes somewhere else in Europe.
Fuck me, Nazi Germany approaches and oh, yeah! Buck Bannister wins the war.
No-one else involved, read all about it! Any obituaries in there for smart-arse navigators, Perlman? There will be.
Hey come on, guys.
We got to be a team.
Urgent dispatch from British Naval Command, sir.
Let's hope we're getting a little action round here.
All we're looking for is the remnants of some ship called the Laconia.
There will be women and children.
Consider it practise for the real thing? They'll need all the practise they can get where they're going.
OK, boys.
Cleared for take off tomorrow morning 0700 hours.
Search and find.
Now you can all end up being heroes on your very first mission.
Wouldn't that be something, considering you've hardly set foot out of Tennessee or Texas before flying school.
I'm from New York City actually, Captain.
I knew there was something about you I didn't like, Perlman.
I like you, Perlman.
0700 hours.
Good luck.
We're all in this together.
Woo! Ah, ah, ah! Come on! Come on! Oh, fuck a duck.
Oh, God, see the guns! We're all dead! They're unmanned.
Now, don't tell them anything.
Don't say a word.
Hey, hey! Sit down! Over here! Just crew and passengers.
Women and Italians.
Your pals, the Italians.
We saved a lot of them.
Oh, great, courage under fire.
What are you going to tell them next? You're an Irish citizen?! Too fucking right I am, pal.
Ireland's neutral.
It's not my fucking war! Right, right! When they pull up alongside us I want some order, some dignity from everyone, all right? Women first and then the rest of us, whatever nationality we are.
No! These are my lucky trousers! Now then, sir, you're all right.
You're all right.
Watch your foot there.
That's it.
Put your foot there.
Are you all right there, sir? Mortimer.
I can't begin to tell you how No, it's my fault, Hilda.
I thought you were an honest woman.
I'm, I'm so sorry that What is the German for truth? What is the German for deception or betrayal? What rank of Officer would you be, sir? How did you know? I think it was demeanour rather than dress.
Well, in answer to your question, not very high ranking.
Oh, now, you do disappoint us.
Junior Third Officer, Merchant Navy, Thomas Mortimer.
There's hot coffee and soup, Mortimer, and a change of clothing.
But low rank, as you claim to be, it does seem that you are the only officer on board from the Laconia and consequently I'm afraid that you should consider yourself a prisoner of war and I have some questions.
Regarding? The Allied treatment of the Italians under your command and care.
My command, my care? There are witnesses.
Oh, for Christ's sake, bring all the witnesses you can find.
Do you know the only person I wanted to hit on board the Laconia was a fucking Englishman.
So go on, bring who you may.
Bring me your witness.
Yes, I'm German.
I'm sorry, Captain.
But not this man, not Mortimer.
This man did the best he could.
I want to thank you.
Mr Mortimer, please.
Go on.
Anthony, and I'm nearly seven.
Vergiss.
Vergiss.
Nicht.
Nicht.
Very good.
Very good, Anthony.
Very good.
So, now Well, Mortimer, what a fine fellow you seem to be.
I was only, er Doing the decent thing.
You can extend that splendid philosophy further by providing a list by night-fall of all Allied survivors on board and in the lifeboats.
I will gladly do that, sir, but I won't give you the rank of any serviceman, only their name and number.
I'm not asking I'm telling you, to do that.
That is not what I want at all.
I want to send the names to the International Red Cross in Geneva so that they can inform their relatives.
Names, nationality and age.
Nothing more.
I would have thought that was right and proper, the "decent thing", wouldn't you? As it happens, I have no political role or actually, interest.
I have been a sailor since long before 1933.
My only concern is the safeguard of my nation and the safety of those under my command.
They've even got English tobacco.
Where did you get that? From the beaches of Dunkirk.
When you all ran away.
IMITATES A CHICKEN Do you fancy a rematch, pal? Right now? OK, men? Hello, sir.
You made it, sir, great, fantastic! OK, men, nationality, profession, name and age.
That's all.
British.
Trimmer.
Billy Hardacre, 29.
William Williams.
Er, Army corporal.
Erm CLEARS THROA 17, sir.
I lied about my age.
You fucking idiot! Snow White, sir.
This is for the Red Cross, McDermott, so that your family will know where you are.
Snow White.
Cartoon character.
Vincenzo di Giovanni.
Italian.
Survivor.
British citizen, naturally.
Ladyin waiting.
And you can torture me until you can take no more to within an inch of your young life, Mortimer, but I will never reveal my age, sir.
That's fine, Mrs Fullwood.
I've seen your passport.
Nationality, madam? I'm very, very sorry Mortimer.
Nationality, madam? My mother is was British, my father German.
I got to know the country lanes of Oxfordshire very well during the summers of most years.
My mother, my brother and I while in Germany, we lived a sheltered life, on the sunlit side of the mountain.
And what brought you down those sunlit mountain slopes? The sun stopped shining.
My brother saw the change in the weather long before I did.
The dream had become a nightmare.
His wife listened to his nightmares, night after night and she began to share them too.
Then they talked to their friends and family and wondered what to do.
What did you say when they came to you? That whatever they were going to do, it would be too dangerous.
They, they had too much to lose.
Their first child was a new born and Ella? Ella I had hoped that they would listen to me.
That they would keep their beliefs to themselves.
But do you know what they did, Mortimer? Why they were arrested? They scattered pamphlets and painted slogans on a wall.
That was all.
They died for that.
You know all this, you could have told me.
You could have trusted me.
It's very hard, once you've closed the door to open it again.
To anyone.
Particularly when you've thrown away the key.
So, I've no family for the Red Cross to inform, Mortimer.
Neither have I.
Don't you all forget to come back home now.
Let's saddle up.
Yippee-aye-eh, boys! Boys, just boys.
Well, almost boys.
Boys armed with bombs and depth charges.
How old are you, Captain? 24.
But hey, I've been around.
Good, good.
Just go over there.
Name? Bates, Henry.
There's food and water at the back.
Are there, would there be any more women, girls, on the boat? No, Mrs Fullwood.
Are you Sarah's always late for everything.
Likes to make a grand entrance.
No? No, no I'm sorry.
Anthony! Charlotte! Well It's me! Where's Mother? I have some very bad news about Mother.
I think we have lost your mother.
Lost? But she was very brave.
She We, we searched all over the ship looking for you.
She only cared about you, the both of you.
She stayed looking for you until the very end.
I saw her.
I want my mother.
I want my mother.
Anthony, Anthony Listen you and your sister, you will always remember your mother.
She will always be your mother.
That cannot change, Anthony.
It will never change.
And your father's right .
.
your mother did love you very much.
Nothing could be more certain.
Because she was your mother.
And your mother would want you to be a bigchap.
Perhaps our mother will be on another submarine.
Perhaps she will.
And my daughter will too.
Father! Father! Yes, yes, my boy? Herr, Kapitaen.
Italians, in line.
Ready to transfer Italians only.
All British, stay here.
Well, then.
Vera Lynn.
Hah! We'll we'll meet again, yeah? Yeah.
Once this is over.
Do you think? Well, it can't go on forever.
That's what they said about the Hundred Years War.
Do you think they were counting at the time? Look.
.
what do you say where you come from is LIVERPUDLIAN ACCENT .
.
look? Look.
Look? Look, after yourself.
And be good.
Yeah.
You too.
What? What exactly does "search and find" mean? Does that mean if we find them, we can bomb 'em? I've never bombed nothing before, nothin' real.
There's a school of whales down to the left, you can take a pop at them if you like.
Yeah, can I? Fuck's sake.
Search and find.
That's all.
For now.
I mean, it only really hurts when I break wind, but I've got this sort of constant I don't know what it is, but I definitely need to see a doctor.
If you pass me the telephone, Townes, I shall contact the nearest hospital forthwith.
Hang on.
Look! That's a flashing light.
I-Z-Z-A R-D O-F-O-Z.
Izzard Of Oz? We've found a picture house.
I don't care what it is, we're going there.
Perfect, thank you very much.
And if I could introduce my good friend, Harry Townes.
Sadly I must inform you that he is incurable.
Er wollte noch jemanden vorstellen der ist unheilbar krank.
I erm, I have a lump under my arm.
Er just, just there.
Just there.
I suspect that I know what it is already, but if you could confirm it for me, I'd be very grateful.
Ob du es dir mal angucken kannst.
Was fuer nen Scheiss soll ich mir da denn angucken? Well, the exact translation, is, sir, "How would I know? I'm only a fucking wireless operator!" Oh, he's just trying to spare my feelings.
Ah, it's hard, you know, sir, knowing that you're living on borrowed time.
Ah, ah, Harry.
Ah, sir.
Sir, it's really good to see you, sir.
You too, Townes.
Mr Coutts? Name, profession, nationality and age, please.
24, gentleman farmer.
And my nationality is Scottish, Mr Mortimer.
Put that down, if you would.
Right.
Come along, Mr Townes.
I'm not very well, sir.
But I'll be here if you want me.
All right, Townes.
Good to see you.
And you too.
Townes? Is he all right? Army Captain Benjamin Coutts, sir, Surrey and Sussex Yeomanry, reporting for duty.
Acting Leading Seaman, Harry Joseph Townes.
Deckhand.
At your service.
And how are you, Army Captain Benjamin Coutts? That's quite a nasty one you caught there.
I'm absolutely fine and dandy, sir.
And I would just like to say, while not wanting to flatter anyone, least of all the sworn enemy, I cannot thank yourself and your crew enough.
That's very kind.
In fact, I was only saying to Townes here that it is very reminiscent of the legendary truce between the Tommies and the Hun in the trenches during the Great War.
As it happens, we were just talking If truth be told, sir, if you don't mind me interrupting, I consider this to be a far greater deed, a true act of humanity.
As long as you understand, Captain Coutts, that it is temporary Oh, I do, sir and may I also say I hate to interrupt you when you're interrupting me, Captain.
I'm sorry sir.
I do rather charge in blindly, hence the nose, actually.
But do carry on, sir.
This lull in combat can only be purely temporary.
Help is on its way and when it arrives, you will go and so will we.
To fight another day.
Well WE will, Captain Coutts.
Whoever you are, I don't want anything, thank you, least of all, tea and sympathy.
I'm afraid I have no tea.
What a pity.
If I had the choice, I really would have preferred the tea.
I know you're very worried about your daughter.
That is none of your business.
Look, I know you mean well and all that.
I know that actually you really are a good woman and I most certainly, definitely am not, but please, do you not think it is possible that I might grieve alone? No? Oh.
Look at me.
Here I stand before you.
Came from nothing and now .
.
nothing is left.
Lost my husband to Rommel's forces in the spring, lost my daughter to torpedoes in this empty sea - events I am really desperately trying, furiously not to think about.
But my life has gone from being a ball to bloody bedlam and to use some of my late husbands favourite words, "utterly useless bollocks".
If only .
.
if only I could have my daughter back, I would But when you find her, you will make up for I've lost her.
And tell me, what am I expected to do with my life now that was so different from before? Go on, answer me.
Tell me.
Start again, shall I? Have more children? Be better this time? Too late, too late.
The best news of all is we plan to rendezvous with a French vessel, the Gloire.
She's on her way to pick you up and transport you to safety.
If you could tell Fiedler an deck.
Platz da! Platz da! (Get out of the way!) It's a goddamn submarine! British? German? A what? What are they doing down there? Harrower, confirm visual on submarine.
What's that they're flashin'? Come on, do none of you know Morse code? Has anyone got the silhouette book? Yeah, I got the book.
What does it say? It's all kind of like pictures.
Yeah, right.
Thanks.
Look, they're still flashing.
Here it is.
It's German, right? Type 9A, B.
What's it doing with lifeboats? Maybe they keep them for emergencies.
It's a U-Boat, the enemy, bombing practice.
You can't bomb something with a Red Cross flag on it.
What fucking Red Cross flag?! I can't see no Red Cross flag from where I'm sitting.
They want to know what action we should take, sir.
Either we order the B24 back to base, or we order it to attack.
But what about the Red Cross, the lifeboats? Our directive is to destroy enemy submarines and protect Allied vessels in the vicinity.
And that, Captain, that is a U-Boat.
Red Crosses, lifeboats or not.
Harrower, sink the sub.
Fire at them! Fucking fire at them! Fire at the fuckers! Go on! Cut the tow ropes! Don't sing "Rock A Bye Baby".
Zivilisten von deck! Clear the deck! Jesus Christ, how did I do that? Direct hit! Direct fucking hit! If we swing back, we can still machine gun them, you know.
No.
Low on fuel.
And, mission accomplished.
Jawohl, Herr Kapitaen.
Weber! Ja? Herr Kapitaen.
You have to go.
I know.
You can be with your children.
No, thank you.
I don't want them to see me when I I'm going to die.
I know.
Try and hold your position.
There's a French ship on the way.
Just hold position.
Where's Daddy? Is he coming? Next boat.
Daddy! Daddy! We have to go.
I'm ready.
I think not.
Think again.
I just wanted See you.
I don't really like goodbyes.
See you.
You should have kissed her.
Nationality, name and age? British.
Hilda Smith.
28.
But I must tell you, Hilda Smith, that we are still 644 nautical miles from the coast of West Africa.
You're a long way from home.
And survival in the lifeboat is uncertain.
Good luck.
And happiness elsewhere.
We like you so much, Mortimer, we've decided to keep you.
The rescue's over, Mortimer.
But you remain.
May I remind you that you are a prisoner of war.
Although the conditions and the freedom you have experienced will remain the same during your time with us.
But the fact remains that everything that's been done for us over the last few days has been done for our benefit.
The enemy has helped us.
And if the Captain of the U-Boat said that the French are coming, then we should wait.
Yeah, he was a really great bloke, that Captain.
And the crew, I mean, they were great with us, weren't they? Isn't it just a pity that the bastards torpedoed us in the first place? Don't think we need to take a vote though, do we? We're staying.
Ah! You slept well.
It's a shame you missed the meeting though.
A little debate, as it were.
Yeah, but we didn't have a vote! It was decided, due east.
Africa.
Any sailor'll tell you, you can't miss it.
Kind of gets in the way of going anywhere else.
Not to mention all the passing traffic.
Do you know what you're doing? No, he doesn't.
Well, of course I don't.
But you lot do.
Oh, you think so? I trained as an army cook.
Great, you can be in charge of the catering then.
HE COUGHS GRAMOPHONE PLAYS CLASSICAL MUSIC And my taste in music? I'm not really, er I don't really know my classical music.
That's Rostau's, the chief engineer.
I sometimes let him play it.
But jazz is not music, Mortimer, just like Picasso's not art.
And yes, I am turning into my father.
May I? Yeah.
Fiedler? GRAMOPHONE PLAYS TAKE THE A TRAIN by DUKE ELLINGTON It reminds you? Yes.
CLEARS THROAT LOUDLY THEY LAUGH Hopp, hopp, haende aus dem arsch.
Los gehts jetzt hier.
Erm, I would hold my dream tea party in a tree house and I would invite my mam and my little sister and, er, last but not least, I would naturally like to invite my girlfriend.
The girlfriend I'm going to have when I get home.
And when I get a bit older, I'm going to grow a moustache.
I'll drink to that.
Don't do that.
You will die.
And you'll go mad before you die.
People have told me they've had to resort to this in similar circumstances.
What kind of people told you that? Survivors.
Go on Where would you meet and who would you invite? The Midland Hotel in Manchester.
It's dead posh.
And I would invite, Vivien Leigh, Ivor Novello, if there's a piano in the room.
Winston Churchill, I suppose.
Harry Houdini, alive if possible.
And Buster Keaton, to make us all laugh.
And what would you say to them? Just, "Hi-ya.
" The sunlit side of the mountain.
Peacetime.
A big lovely fella from the Highlands, who I have never met.
Three boys with ridiculous names.
My brother's wife and their daughter.
Alive, if possible.
And finally, Junior Third Officer Thomas Mortimer .
.
who showed me how to forgive and yet never forget.
But most importantly, Kapitanleutnaet Werner Hartenstein, whose first instinct was for humanity.
And I would say, "Thank you.
" One day, we'll all drink to that.
I think someone else has gone.
'Tears are round, the sea is deep, 'roll them overboard and sleep.
' Hey! Hey! Told ya, you're not getting rid of me that easily.
Wow! "Told ya.
" "Told ya.
" Why should I have been chosen to survive? But I did.
Yeah.
And so many did not.
ButI will tell their stories to anyone who will hear it.
There's still lots of lifeboats, you know, in the sea.
Mother couldn't swim.
I know.
Once upon a time .
.
when dreams were possible .
.
and wishes could help Mother? Mother! SHE SOBS My Bonnie lies over the ocean My Bonnie lies over the sea My Bonnie lies over the ocean Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me Bring back, bring SOBBING AND GASPING A MAN ROARS Huh? You want it? You want it? You want it? I told ya, I told ya! You want it? You want it? You want it? Fuck you.
Huh? Huh? HE SPLASHES AND GASPS SPLASHING SLOWS AND CEASES We're going to live, Hilda.
We're going to live.
HE SPEAKS IN GERMAN A few days ago, I was going to leave you all to sink or swim.
Perhaps I should have done.
But, you couldn't.
No, I couldn't.
Just like you couldn't when I was in danger.
Strangers, how strange.
And friends? And yet, perhaps, it's hopeful for when peace comes.
Not victory? Peace.
I wasn't expecting this.
Neither was I.
We may meet again in better times.
Yes.
This ship was created for the rich, the idle, pink gins, and sunsets over Sorrento.
And so was I! Oh, I cried! For attention, mainly.
I was just never there to hear you, darling.
TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN: This was sent a few moments ago.
What kind of a world is it when German bombers can come blindly in the night and murder innocent families? Not the kind of world I wish to live in.
Munich, June 1942.
A holiday snapshot? Perhaps? Who has holidays in Germany these days, Hilda? Keep calm, everyone.
Stop being a bloody hero.
TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN: Help me! Help me! If any ship will assist the shipwrecked Laconia crew .
.
I will not attack her.
I will not attack her.
This programme contains some strong language.
FILM PROJECTOR WHIRRS Both sides drop bombs and fire torpedoes, madam.
War, not peace, has been declared.
Before you saw us on the horizon and trailed us into the sunset, the Laconia was carrying 2,500 souls, Commander.
Maybe half of those, of whatever nationality, survived your arrival.
You have, what, 200 people on board? And maybe the same again in the lifeboats.
But there are still 700, 800 people out there drifting desperately further and further away.
They will never see land again.
You are responsible for that, Commander.
How very strange that many of the English we have rescued have thanked my crew and myself.
What is so special about you, madam? Nothing.
Nothing at all.
WHISPERED: PHONE RINGS PHONE RINGS AGAIN Whomsoever you are, it's Sunday morning and I'm very tired.
What? What? What? Do the Americans know? No, no, no, no.
Lincoln Lincoln, just send a car! Oh, fuck! I don't know.
A charming invitation from a German U-boat commander.
If I was still at school, I'd say it was a prank.
Someone trying to get you in trouble with the headmaster.
Or in this case, Captain Hathaway.
Sir.
Do you think any of this could possibly be true? I mean it's a Sunday morning, for God's sake.
Oh, yes, yes.
Some of it at least.
There is a former passenger liner, the Laconia.
And she has gone missing.
Carrying mainly Italian prisoners of war.
Does the Vatican know? Where was it again? Right out there, sir.
Days away.
Well, that stinks.
First of all, this has all the aroma of a trap.
A ruse de guerre.
When our rescue ship gets there, it's "Well, I never, lo and behold", a whole wolf pack of U-boats waiting to welcome us.
But what if it isn't a trap, sir? Ah, but there you have it, young man, there you have it.
I mean, let us consider for the moment that it isn't a trap, that it is a genuine, albeit highly unlikely, act of complete humanity.
Now if we reject that plea, well, then we can be accused of the same barbaric lack of humanity that we accuse the Germans of at every opportunity.
So, we must Well, it's imperative for the war effort that we do absolutely nothing.
And, naturally, to inform the Americans on Ascension Island that one of our ships is missing.
Gone.
Just gone.
Nothing more.
Let the Americans get excited.
Sir, what about the German U-boat? I would keep that to ourselves for now, Lincoln.
TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN: FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING HE SPEAKS IN GERMAN Ladies and gentlemen, we are about to undertake a full emergency dive.
'This is simply for the safety of everyone.
' All gangways must be cleared and you should not panic.
This is normal procedure upon a U-boat.
That is all.
BELL RINGS Ah! Be brave.
I think I'm going to be sick.
Be a dear and point him over there, would you? Come on, come on.
Come on, everyone.
Come on, come on, up, up, up.
CREAKING CREAKING CONTINUES CREAKING That is good, isn't it? Yes, it's very good! THEY CHEER As you can see sir, I thought perhaps it would be more appropriate if we worded it No, no, no, no.
It reads well.
Polite request, our good friends and allies, the Americans, on Ascension Island, to go and search for our missing troop carrier, the Laconia.
I mean it's fine.
Fine, fine.
Any idea what the Americans might do, Lincoln? Well, won't they do as we've asked of them, sir? As allies.
They might do.
Might want to show us what they can do.
Only if they want to.
But then again, they might not want to.
Might want to keep their hush-hush base hidden away for far more important missions.
Captain Hathaway, sir, are you? You're certain we shouldn't tell them about the German submarine? No, good God, no.
None of that love and friendship nonsense with the enemy.
I mean, hiding to nothing, there.
Yes, let's get our priorities right, Lincoln.
Make sure that this shit cart does not arrive at our door.
Carry on.
Buck Bannister on the ball.
He needs one, he needs two.
He glides.
He takes North Africa, he takes the Suez Canal.
Yay, on and on he goes.
He takes France he takes somewhere else in Europe.
Fuck me, Nazi Germany approaches and oh, yeah! Buck Bannister wins the war.
No-one else involved, read all about it! Any obituaries in there for smart-arse navigators, Perlman? There will be.
Hey come on, guys.
We got to be a team.
Urgent dispatch from British Naval Command, sir.
Let's hope we're getting a little action round here.
All we're looking for is the remnants of some ship called the Laconia.
There will be women and children.
Consider it practise for the real thing? They'll need all the practise they can get where they're going.
OK, boys.
Cleared for take off tomorrow morning 0700 hours.
Search and find.
Now you can all end up being heroes on your very first mission.
Wouldn't that be something, considering you've hardly set foot out of Tennessee or Texas before flying school.
I'm from New York City actually, Captain.
I knew there was something about you I didn't like, Perlman.
I like you, Perlman.
0700 hours.
Good luck.
We're all in this together.
Woo! Ah, ah, ah! Come on! Come on! Oh, fuck a duck.
Oh, God, see the guns! We're all dead! They're unmanned.
Now, don't tell them anything.
Don't say a word.
Hey, hey! Sit down! Over here! Just crew and passengers.
Women and Italians.
Your pals, the Italians.
We saved a lot of them.
Oh, great, courage under fire.
What are you going to tell them next? You're an Irish citizen?! Too fucking right I am, pal.
Ireland's neutral.
It's not my fucking war! Right, right! When they pull up alongside us I want some order, some dignity from everyone, all right? Women first and then the rest of us, whatever nationality we are.
No! These are my lucky trousers! Now then, sir, you're all right.
You're all right.
Watch your foot there.
That's it.
Put your foot there.
Are you all right there, sir? Mortimer.
I can't begin to tell you how No, it's my fault, Hilda.
I thought you were an honest woman.
I'm, I'm so sorry that What is the German for truth? What is the German for deception or betrayal? What rank of Officer would you be, sir? How did you know? I think it was demeanour rather than dress.
Well, in answer to your question, not very high ranking.
Oh, now, you do disappoint us.
Junior Third Officer, Merchant Navy, Thomas Mortimer.
There's hot coffee and soup, Mortimer, and a change of clothing.
But low rank, as you claim to be, it does seem that you are the only officer on board from the Laconia and consequently I'm afraid that you should consider yourself a prisoner of war and I have some questions.
Regarding? The Allied treatment of the Italians under your command and care.
My command, my care? There are witnesses.
Oh, for Christ's sake, bring all the witnesses you can find.
Do you know the only person I wanted to hit on board the Laconia was a fucking Englishman.
So go on, bring who you may.
Bring me your witness.
Yes, I'm German.
I'm sorry, Captain.
But not this man, not Mortimer.
This man did the best he could.
I want to thank you.
Mr Mortimer, please.
Go on.
Anthony, and I'm nearly seven.
Vergiss.
Vergiss.
Nicht.
Nicht.
Very good.
Very good, Anthony.
Very good.
So, now Well, Mortimer, what a fine fellow you seem to be.
I was only, er Doing the decent thing.
You can extend that splendid philosophy further by providing a list by night-fall of all Allied survivors on board and in the lifeboats.
I will gladly do that, sir, but I won't give you the rank of any serviceman, only their name and number.
I'm not asking I'm telling you, to do that.
That is not what I want at all.
I want to send the names to the International Red Cross in Geneva so that they can inform their relatives.
Names, nationality and age.
Nothing more.
I would have thought that was right and proper, the "decent thing", wouldn't you? As it happens, I have no political role or actually, interest.
I have been a sailor since long before 1933.
My only concern is the safeguard of my nation and the safety of those under my command.
They've even got English tobacco.
Where did you get that? From the beaches of Dunkirk.
When you all ran away.
IMITATES A CHICKEN Do you fancy a rematch, pal? Right now? OK, men? Hello, sir.
You made it, sir, great, fantastic! OK, men, nationality, profession, name and age.
That's all.
British.
Trimmer.
Billy Hardacre, 29.
William Williams.
Er, Army corporal.
Erm CLEARS THROA 17, sir.
I lied about my age.
You fucking idiot! Snow White, sir.
This is for the Red Cross, McDermott, so that your family will know where you are.
Snow White.
Cartoon character.
Vincenzo di Giovanni.
Italian.
Survivor.
British citizen, naturally.
Ladyin waiting.
And you can torture me until you can take no more to within an inch of your young life, Mortimer, but I will never reveal my age, sir.
That's fine, Mrs Fullwood.
I've seen your passport.
Nationality, madam? I'm very, very sorry Mortimer.
Nationality, madam? My mother is was British, my father German.
I got to know the country lanes of Oxfordshire very well during the summers of most years.
My mother, my brother and I while in Germany, we lived a sheltered life, on the sunlit side of the mountain.
And what brought you down those sunlit mountain slopes? The sun stopped shining.
My brother saw the change in the weather long before I did.
The dream had become a nightmare.
His wife listened to his nightmares, night after night and she began to share them too.
Then they talked to their friends and family and wondered what to do.
What did you say when they came to you? That whatever they were going to do, it would be too dangerous.
They, they had too much to lose.
Their first child was a new born and Ella? Ella I had hoped that they would listen to me.
That they would keep their beliefs to themselves.
But do you know what they did, Mortimer? Why they were arrested? They scattered pamphlets and painted slogans on a wall.
That was all.
They died for that.
You know all this, you could have told me.
You could have trusted me.
It's very hard, once you've closed the door to open it again.
To anyone.
Particularly when you've thrown away the key.
So, I've no family for the Red Cross to inform, Mortimer.
Neither have I.
Don't you all forget to come back home now.
Let's saddle up.
Yippee-aye-eh, boys! Boys, just boys.
Well, almost boys.
Boys armed with bombs and depth charges.
How old are you, Captain? 24.
But hey, I've been around.
Good, good.
Just go over there.
Name? Bates, Henry.
There's food and water at the back.
Are there, would there be any more women, girls, on the boat? No, Mrs Fullwood.
Are you Sarah's always late for everything.
Likes to make a grand entrance.
No? No, no I'm sorry.
Anthony! Charlotte! Well It's me! Where's Mother? I have some very bad news about Mother.
I think we have lost your mother.
Lost? But she was very brave.
She We, we searched all over the ship looking for you.
She only cared about you, the both of you.
She stayed looking for you until the very end.
I saw her.
I want my mother.
I want my mother.
Anthony, Anthony Listen you and your sister, you will always remember your mother.
She will always be your mother.
That cannot change, Anthony.
It will never change.
And your father's right .
.
your mother did love you very much.
Nothing could be more certain.
Because she was your mother.
And your mother would want you to be a bigchap.
Perhaps our mother will be on another submarine.
Perhaps she will.
And my daughter will too.
Father! Father! Yes, yes, my boy? Herr, Kapitaen.
Italians, in line.
Ready to transfer Italians only.
All British, stay here.
Well, then.
Vera Lynn.
Hah! We'll we'll meet again, yeah? Yeah.
Once this is over.
Do you think? Well, it can't go on forever.
That's what they said about the Hundred Years War.
Do you think they were counting at the time? Look.
.
what do you say where you come from is LIVERPUDLIAN ACCENT .
.
look? Look.
Look? Look, after yourself.
And be good.
Yeah.
You too.
What? What exactly does "search and find" mean? Does that mean if we find them, we can bomb 'em? I've never bombed nothing before, nothin' real.
There's a school of whales down to the left, you can take a pop at them if you like.
Yeah, can I? Fuck's sake.
Search and find.
That's all.
For now.
I mean, it only really hurts when I break wind, but I've got this sort of constant I don't know what it is, but I definitely need to see a doctor.
If you pass me the telephone, Townes, I shall contact the nearest hospital forthwith.
Hang on.
Look! That's a flashing light.
I-Z-Z-A R-D O-F-O-Z.
Izzard Of Oz? We've found a picture house.
I don't care what it is, we're going there.
Perfect, thank you very much.
And if I could introduce my good friend, Harry Townes.
Sadly I must inform you that he is incurable.
Er wollte noch jemanden vorstellen der ist unheilbar krank.
I erm, I have a lump under my arm.
Er just, just there.
Just there.
I suspect that I know what it is already, but if you could confirm it for me, I'd be very grateful.
Ob du es dir mal angucken kannst.
Was fuer nen Scheiss soll ich mir da denn angucken? Well, the exact translation, is, sir, "How would I know? I'm only a fucking wireless operator!" Oh, he's just trying to spare my feelings.
Ah, it's hard, you know, sir, knowing that you're living on borrowed time.
Ah, ah, Harry.
Ah, sir.
Sir, it's really good to see you, sir.
You too, Townes.
Mr Coutts? Name, profession, nationality and age, please.
24, gentleman farmer.
And my nationality is Scottish, Mr Mortimer.
Put that down, if you would.
Right.
Come along, Mr Townes.
I'm not very well, sir.
But I'll be here if you want me.
All right, Townes.
Good to see you.
And you too.
Townes? Is he all right? Army Captain Benjamin Coutts, sir, Surrey and Sussex Yeomanry, reporting for duty.
Acting Leading Seaman, Harry Joseph Townes.
Deckhand.
At your service.
And how are you, Army Captain Benjamin Coutts? That's quite a nasty one you caught there.
I'm absolutely fine and dandy, sir.
And I would just like to say, while not wanting to flatter anyone, least of all the sworn enemy, I cannot thank yourself and your crew enough.
That's very kind.
In fact, I was only saying to Townes here that it is very reminiscent of the legendary truce between the Tommies and the Hun in the trenches during the Great War.
As it happens, we were just talking If truth be told, sir, if you don't mind me interrupting, I consider this to be a far greater deed, a true act of humanity.
As long as you understand, Captain Coutts, that it is temporary Oh, I do, sir and may I also say I hate to interrupt you when you're interrupting me, Captain.
I'm sorry sir.
I do rather charge in blindly, hence the nose, actually.
But do carry on, sir.
This lull in combat can only be purely temporary.
Help is on its way and when it arrives, you will go and so will we.
To fight another day.
Well WE will, Captain Coutts.
Whoever you are, I don't want anything, thank you, least of all, tea and sympathy.
I'm afraid I have no tea.
What a pity.
If I had the choice, I really would have preferred the tea.
I know you're very worried about your daughter.
That is none of your business.
Look, I know you mean well and all that.
I know that actually you really are a good woman and I most certainly, definitely am not, but please, do you not think it is possible that I might grieve alone? No? Oh.
Look at me.
Here I stand before you.
Came from nothing and now .
.
nothing is left.
Lost my husband to Rommel's forces in the spring, lost my daughter to torpedoes in this empty sea - events I am really desperately trying, furiously not to think about.
But my life has gone from being a ball to bloody bedlam and to use some of my late husbands favourite words, "utterly useless bollocks".
If only .
.
if only I could have my daughter back, I would But when you find her, you will make up for I've lost her.
And tell me, what am I expected to do with my life now that was so different from before? Go on, answer me.
Tell me.
Start again, shall I? Have more children? Be better this time? Too late, too late.
The best news of all is we plan to rendezvous with a French vessel, the Gloire.
She's on her way to pick you up and transport you to safety.
If you could tell Fiedler an deck.
Platz da! Platz da! (Get out of the way!) It's a goddamn submarine! British? German? A what? What are they doing down there? Harrower, confirm visual on submarine.
What's that they're flashin'? Come on, do none of you know Morse code? Has anyone got the silhouette book? Yeah, I got the book.
What does it say? It's all kind of like pictures.
Yeah, right.
Thanks.
Look, they're still flashing.
Here it is.
It's German, right? Type 9A, B.
What's it doing with lifeboats? Maybe they keep them for emergencies.
It's a U-Boat, the enemy, bombing practice.
You can't bomb something with a Red Cross flag on it.
What fucking Red Cross flag?! I can't see no Red Cross flag from where I'm sitting.
They want to know what action we should take, sir.
Either we order the B24 back to base, or we order it to attack.
But what about the Red Cross, the lifeboats? Our directive is to destroy enemy submarines and protect Allied vessels in the vicinity.
And that, Captain, that is a U-Boat.
Red Crosses, lifeboats or not.
Harrower, sink the sub.
Fire at them! Fucking fire at them! Fire at the fuckers! Go on! Cut the tow ropes! Don't sing "Rock A Bye Baby".
Zivilisten von deck! Clear the deck! Jesus Christ, how did I do that? Direct hit! Direct fucking hit! If we swing back, we can still machine gun them, you know.
No.
Low on fuel.
And, mission accomplished.
Jawohl, Herr Kapitaen.
Weber! Ja? Herr Kapitaen.
You have to go.
I know.
You can be with your children.
No, thank you.
I don't want them to see me when I I'm going to die.
I know.
Try and hold your position.
There's a French ship on the way.
Just hold position.
Where's Daddy? Is he coming? Next boat.
Daddy! Daddy! We have to go.
I'm ready.
I think not.
Think again.
I just wanted See you.
I don't really like goodbyes.
See you.
You should have kissed her.
Nationality, name and age? British.
Hilda Smith.
28.
But I must tell you, Hilda Smith, that we are still 644 nautical miles from the coast of West Africa.
You're a long way from home.
And survival in the lifeboat is uncertain.
Good luck.
And happiness elsewhere.
We like you so much, Mortimer, we've decided to keep you.
The rescue's over, Mortimer.
But you remain.
May I remind you that you are a prisoner of war.
Although the conditions and the freedom you have experienced will remain the same during your time with us.
But the fact remains that everything that's been done for us over the last few days has been done for our benefit.
The enemy has helped us.
And if the Captain of the U-Boat said that the French are coming, then we should wait.
Yeah, he was a really great bloke, that Captain.
And the crew, I mean, they were great with us, weren't they? Isn't it just a pity that the bastards torpedoed us in the first place? Don't think we need to take a vote though, do we? We're staying.
Ah! You slept well.
It's a shame you missed the meeting though.
A little debate, as it were.
Yeah, but we didn't have a vote! It was decided, due east.
Africa.
Any sailor'll tell you, you can't miss it.
Kind of gets in the way of going anywhere else.
Not to mention all the passing traffic.
Do you know what you're doing? No, he doesn't.
Well, of course I don't.
But you lot do.
Oh, you think so? I trained as an army cook.
Great, you can be in charge of the catering then.
HE COUGHS GRAMOPHONE PLAYS CLASSICAL MUSIC And my taste in music? I'm not really, er I don't really know my classical music.
That's Rostau's, the chief engineer.
I sometimes let him play it.
But jazz is not music, Mortimer, just like Picasso's not art.
And yes, I am turning into my father.
May I? Yeah.
Fiedler? GRAMOPHONE PLAYS TAKE THE A TRAIN by DUKE ELLINGTON It reminds you? Yes.
CLEARS THROAT LOUDLY THEY LAUGH Hopp, hopp, haende aus dem arsch.
Los gehts jetzt hier.
Erm, I would hold my dream tea party in a tree house and I would invite my mam and my little sister and, er, last but not least, I would naturally like to invite my girlfriend.
The girlfriend I'm going to have when I get home.
And when I get a bit older, I'm going to grow a moustache.
I'll drink to that.
Don't do that.
You will die.
And you'll go mad before you die.
People have told me they've had to resort to this in similar circumstances.
What kind of people told you that? Survivors.
Go on Where would you meet and who would you invite? The Midland Hotel in Manchester.
It's dead posh.
And I would invite, Vivien Leigh, Ivor Novello, if there's a piano in the room.
Winston Churchill, I suppose.
Harry Houdini, alive if possible.
And Buster Keaton, to make us all laugh.
And what would you say to them? Just, "Hi-ya.
" The sunlit side of the mountain.
Peacetime.
A big lovely fella from the Highlands, who I have never met.
Three boys with ridiculous names.
My brother's wife and their daughter.
Alive, if possible.
And finally, Junior Third Officer Thomas Mortimer .
.
who showed me how to forgive and yet never forget.
But most importantly, Kapitanleutnaet Werner Hartenstein, whose first instinct was for humanity.
And I would say, "Thank you.
" One day, we'll all drink to that.
I think someone else has gone.
'Tears are round, the sea is deep, 'roll them overboard and sleep.
' Hey! Hey! Told ya, you're not getting rid of me that easily.
Wow! "Told ya.
" "Told ya.
" Why should I have been chosen to survive? But I did.
Yeah.
And so many did not.
ButI will tell their stories to anyone who will hear it.
There's still lots of lifeboats, you know, in the sea.
Mother couldn't swim.
I know.
Once upon a time .
.
when dreams were possible .
.
and wishes could help Mother? Mother! SHE SOBS My Bonnie lies over the ocean My Bonnie lies over the sea My Bonnie lies over the ocean Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me Bring back, bring SOBBING AND GASPING A MAN ROARS Huh? You want it? You want it? You want it? I told ya, I told ya! You want it? You want it? You want it? Fuck you.
Huh? Huh? HE SPLASHES AND GASPS SPLASHING SLOWS AND CEASES We're going to live, Hilda.
We're going to live.
HE SPEAKS IN GERMAN A few days ago, I was going to leave you all to sink or swim.
Perhaps I should have done.
But, you couldn't.
No, I couldn't.
Just like you couldn't when I was in danger.
Strangers, how strange.
And friends? And yet, perhaps, it's hopeful for when peace comes.
Not victory? Peace.
I wasn't expecting this.
Neither was I.
We may meet again in better times.
Yes.