Shipyard welder Steve Boleslavski (Edward G. Robinson) re-enlists in the Navy for a chance to serve on the S.S. John Paul Jones, a World War II destroyer he helped build. When a political strike enables Boleslavski to replace Mickey Donohue (Glenn Ford) as the ship's petty officer, his taskmaster-like ways earn him the hatred of everyone on board. Then the ship's crew is pitted in a fierce battle against the Japanese, and the hard-nosed Boleslavski finally gets the respect he deserves.
