STORY OF D.E. 733: SHIP OF SHAME

Year Published: 1945

Description: (00:21) Navy servicemen prepare to dock the boat. (00:40) Two men have broken arms. (01:40) The commanding officer of destroyer escort 733, Lt. McGregor, talks with his superior officer. (02:20) He says there are no structural issues with the ship, even though it failed to evade an oncoming torpedo. (02:33) The captain says the issue wasn't the ship nor the crew but perhaps himself. (03:11) He was homesick, particularly for an American girl. (03:44) He opens a stud book with the number of a girl named "Betty." (04:44) Enlisted men relax onboard. (05:45) They play cards and talk about women. (06:31) They discuss ways to pick up women during their liberty periods on dry land. (06:39) "Careful, you can pick up something else, too," warns one sailor. (06:45) One sailor shows pills he claims prevent sexually transmitted diseases. (07:24) The medic makes a reference to the high number of sailors with "clap." (07:50) The sailors discuss the difference between gonorrhea and the common cold. (08:01) One sailor asks the doctor how to prevent STDs. (08:22) They discuss the men's "scores" from their last stop at port. (08:39) The doctor emphasizes that abstinence is the best strategy, and the second-best is using a condom. (10:02) Two officers talk about the prevalence of STDs at the port where the ship is about to land. (12:50) McGregor lectures the crew about venereal disease. (14:27) They ignore him, but two decide to get condoms from the medic. (16:08) They socialize with women. (17:07) A young sailor prepares to have intercourse but gets nervous and leaves. (18:08) He ends up at a bar next to a young woman who tries to pick him up. (21:39) At the roller rink, this sailor meets a pretty American girl named "Margaret." (23:06) They fall in love. (24:08) Back onboard, the sailors compare stories of the women they met. (00:07) The sailors keep watch. (00:35) Many sailors go to the doctor, and each is diagnosed with an STD. (02:50) The doctor asks them why they didn't use protection. (03:58) The healthy crew needs to pull multiple shifts because so many sailors are on sick leave due to STDs. (06:39) The young sailor, "Chicken," realizes he is infected but can't imagine how he contracted it from such a nice girl. (08:10) In the night, he wakes the doctor to seek help. (09:11) The doctor says through the Health Department's contact tracing program, the girl will be advised to seek medical care. (09:59) A woman from the Health Department tells Margaret she was exposed. (10:43) She cries and explains that she had been engaged to a guy, but they broke off the engagement over a year ago. (11:23) The doctor explains a woman can be a carrier and not know it. (12:25) He uses a diagram of female anatomy to explain how syphilis goes unnoticed. (13:51) The doctor says he will cure her and maintain her fertility because it was quickly diagnosed thanks to contact tracing. (14:49) The men on sick leave due to their STDs talk with each other. (15:52) The doctor tells a sailor the importance of early treatment for syphilis. (16:32) Another sailor is diagnosed with syphilis. (17:37) A different sailor insists he doesn't have syphilis, despite being sick. (18:49) A Japanese submarine approaches. (18:49) The sailor is tired as he keeps watch, his replacement on sick leave. (19:13) The lieutenant is chastised by his captain for the prevalence of venereal diseases. (20:05) The commanding officer is responsible for preventing STDs. (20:40) The captain explains that sailors are lonely for women; that is why "ship" is linguistically female. (21:04) An alarm sounds. (21:08) Men rush out of their bunks. (21:23) The sailors prepare for battle. (21:45) Even the sick sailors. (22:20) A torpedo is spotted. (22:27) A sick sailor struggles to fulfill his duties. (22:37) This leads to the torpedo striking the submarine. (23:09) Another sailor with an STD is unable to fight. (23:32) The narrator explains there was an "enemy" aboard the ship - venereal disease. (23:59) The healthy sailors did their job and struck the Japanese. (24:30) "Didn't you guys get out of the way [of the torpedo]?" asks a Navy man at the shore. (24:40) "Yes, we could have gotten out of the way, for we knew, we all knew," says the lieutenant. (24:49) "Our injuries came not from battle, not really." (25:07) Lt. McGregor finishes telling the story to his commanding officer. (25:13) The commanding officer acknowledges the shared responsibility for the prevalence of venereal diseases. (25:42) This frequent problem for the Navy must be addressed. (25:53) Paramount Pictures, Inc., 1945.

Complete Record: (00:21) Navy servicemen prepare to dock the boat. (00:40) Two men have broken arms. (01:40) The commanding officer of destroyer escort 733, Lt. McGregor, talks with his superior officer. (02:20) He says there are no structural issues with the ship, even though it failed to evade an oncoming torpedo. (02:33) The captain says the issue wasn't the ship nor the crew but perhaps himself. (03:11) He was homesick, particularly for an American girl. (03:44) He opens a stud book with the number of a girl named "Betty." (04:44) Enlisted men relax onboard. (05:45) They play cards and talk about women. (06:31) They discuss ways to pick up women during their liberty periods on dry land. (06:39) "Careful, you can pick up something else, too," warns one sailor. (06:45) One sailor shows pills he claims prevent sexually transmitted diseases. (07:24) The medic makes a reference to the high number of sailors with "clap." (07:50) The sailors discuss the difference between gonorrhea and the common cold. (08:01) One sailor asks the doctor how to prevent STDs. (08:22) They discuss the men's "scores" from their last stop at port. (08:39) The doctor emphasizes that abstinence is the best strategy, and the second-best is using a condom. (10:02) Two officers talk about the prevalence of STDs at the port where the ship is about to land. (12:50) McGregor lectures the crew about venereal disease. (14:27) They ignore him, but two decide to get condoms from the medic. (16:08) They socialize with women. (17:07) A young sailor prepares to have intercourse but gets nervous and leaves. (18:08) He ends up at a bar next to a young woman who tries to pick him up. (21:39) At the roller rink, this sailor meets a pretty American girl named "Margaret." (23:06) They fall in love. (24:08) Back onboard, the sailors compare stories of the women they met. (00:07) The sailors keep watch. (00:35) Many sailors go to the doctor, and each is diagnosed with an STD. (02:50) The doctor asks them why they didn't use protection. (03:58) The healthy crew needs to pull multiple shifts because so many sailors are on sick leave due to STDs. (06:39) The young sailor, "Chicken," realizes he is infected but can't imagine how he contracted it from such a nice girl. (08:10) In the night, he wakes the doctor to seek help. (09:11) The doctor says through the Health Department's contact tracing program, the girl will be advised to seek medical care. (09:59) A woman from the Health Department tells Margaret she was exposed. (10:43) She cries and explains that she had been engaged to a guy, but they broke off the engagement over a year ago. (11:23) The doctor explains a woman can be a carrier and not know it. (12:25) He uses a diagram of female anatomy to explain how syphilis goes unnoticed. (13:51) The doctor says he will cure her and maintain her fertility because it was quickly diagnosed thanks to contact tracing. (14:49) The men on sick leave due to their STDs talk with each other. (15:52) The doctor tells a sailor the importance of early treatment for syphilis. (16:32) Another sailor is diagnosed with syphilis. (17:37) A different sailor insists he doesn't have syphilis, despite being sick. (18:49) A Japanese submarine approaches. (18:49) The sailor is tired as he keeps watch, his replacement on sick leave. (19:13) The lieutenant is chastised by his captain for the prevalence of venereal diseases. (20:05) The commanding officer is responsible for preventing STDs. (20:40) The captain explains that sailors are lonely for women; that is why "ship" is linguistically female. (21:04) An alarm sounds. (21:08) Men rush out of their bunks. (21:23) The sailors prepare for battle. (21:45) Even the sick sailors. (22:20) A torpedo is spotted. (22:27) A sick sailor struggles to fulfill his duties. (22:37) This leads to the torpedo striking the submarine. (23:09) Another sailor with an STD is unable to fight. (23:32) The narrator explains there was an "enemy" aboard the ship - venereal disease. (23:59) The healthy sailors did their job and struck the Japanese. (24:30) "Didn't you guys get out of the way [of the torpedo]?" asks a Navy man at the shore. (24:40) "Yes, we could have gotten out of the way, for we knew, we all knew," says the lieutenant. (24:49) "Our injuries came not from battle, not really." (25:07) Lt. McGregor finishes telling the story to his commanding officer. (25:13) The commanding officer acknowledges the shared responsibility for the prevalence of venereal diseases. (25:42) This frequent problem for the Navy must be addressed. (25:53) Paramount Pictures, Inc., 1945.