The Deep Six

Overview

Duty clashes with personal beliefs in the WWII drama The Deep Six. Alan Ladd portrays Alec Austin, a Quaker serving as a Naval gunnery officer, whose pacifism alienates his crew. When he refuses to engage an unidentified aircraft—later revealed to be friendly—doubts about his reliability surface. Seeking to earn their trust, Austin volunteers for a perilous mission to rescue American pilots stranded on a Japanese-held island. Joining him is William Bendix as Frenchy Shapiro, his critical Jewish petty officer. Meanwhile, Keenan Wynn's ambitious Lt. Commander Edge embodies the film’s antagonism towards those outside the traditional military mold.