 An attempt to evacuate the wounded is only partially successful - the officers of the "Amethyst" become aware that two petty officers have been captured by the PLA and are being held at a nearby military hospital.Lieutenant Commander John Kerans (Richard Todd), a naval attaché in nearby Nanking, is ordered to go to the beleaguered ship and take command.Kerans decides to risk steaming down the Yangtze at night without a pilot or suitable charts.