 A review in "The New York Times" by Bosley Crowther found the early scenes in the film confusing, particularly the motivation of the characters played by Jeff Chandler (Captain Jebediah Hawks) and Lex Barker (Commander Quigley).He also found it an efficient service film in which “all the confusions are adjusted and everybody comes out a hero in the end”.NBC made a color documentary about the making of the film.