my notes
White Squall movieby Ridley Scott in 1995. I saw the dvd at a thriftshop for $1 and watched it.
gotta say it has lines all through it that Q posted except "Watch The Water". It is a True Story movie shot on locations in the Carribean. IS GOOD.
Friday 5-5-1961 0943H. (!)
The adolescent training-school crew have tuned their radio in to the countdown of Alan Shepard launch in a Mercury rocket. In total there are 17 (!) souls on board. It is just 23 (!) days since the cosmonaut Gagarin had gone into outer space 12-04-1961. As Shepard's rocket fires up (first astronaut in outer space) a monster electrical storm moves in on The Albatross.
While the radios keep playing, the wind, rain, spray and waves are fire-hosing the decks and the crew -they're completely awash up to their waists (nb zero lifejackets or harness lines back then). The crew are suddenly facing a huge storm at sea and -critically- cannot climb rigging to reef the sails because of risk of electrocution by lightning which is all around. Time to panic perhaps. The Capt and trainee crew are rescuing a crew member washed overboard just as the white squall is spotted by the Capt - the squall can be seen by its effect on the water and is perhaps the length of a football field distant but closing fast. The Capt yells an order from midships to the trainee Helmsman to turn and spill the wind from the sails but he panics and does not carry out the order - he tries to run square (with the wind).
So this squall then smashes into the ship broadsides. The ship goes over as the squall passes through them and the masts and sails are laid over in the water.. The Capt orders to free the two lifeboats and abandon ship. While cutting free the lifeboats the ship's bell is also salvaged by the trainee Helmsman who had spent a load of his time polishing it. A trainee and the Captain's wife are trapped below deck and ultimately lost despite heroic action to try to free them.
Next, the Coast Guard Hearing. It is the emotional climax of the movie. The trainees are one with the Capt as he hands the Authorities his resignation/license. The WWG1WGA bell is rung by the Helmsman to rally the crew in the 'court'. All of them indicate they would happily return to sea with Capt in command given the chance and feel they can face any crisis as a team.
The credits mention that some crew served in SVN War and survived. In the earlier scenes establishing characters, about mid-April 1961, they are boarded by Cuban Coast Guard looking for Bay of Pigs involvement. One trainee's father is mega-rich mega-douche (billionaire) who attacks The Captain for sending his windowlicking psycho son home early.