The Baby and the Battleship

A group of Royal Navy sailors on leave travels to Naples to visit an old friend, a baker who has twelve daughters and an infant son. The visit introduces the family and the bond that will matter for the baby’s fate. To allow one sailor to take the eldest daughter out that night, they decide the baby must accompany them to an outdoor dance.

Two sailors from another ship provoke Puncher Roberts, triggering a fight that draws in the local crowd. Knocker is dancing with the eldest sister when the clash escalates, and he and the sister retreat as police arrive. In the confusion, the infant is left alone in the town square.

Puncher regains consciousness to discover the square is emptied except for the baby. Unable to locate his ally Knocker or the baby's adult sister, he smuggles the infant aboard the sailors’ ship and leaves a chalk message on the wharfside saying 'Number 13' is onboard. He persuades his fellow sailors to help care for the child while keeping him hidden from their superiors.

The sailors hide the baby and perform duties alongside Allied navies off the coast of Italy. The infant’s presence complicates discipline and forces the crew to balance their official duties with looking after the child. The operation continues with the baby safely onboard, unseen by most of the officers.

Knocker tries to enlist the support of a senior shore-based officer to recover the baby, but the ship’s radio silence leaves him with little recourse. He has to navigate the situation with limited communication and permission. The lack of outside help heightens the tension aboard and on the shore.

The baker’s extended family grows anxious as news of the baby’s return remains delayed. Knocker’s onshore connection offers little solace, and the waiting adds strain to the close-knit seaside community. The absence of the infant weighs on everyone involved.

During a tense training exercise, the Captain finds a way to use the baby’s presence to avoid an embarrassing loss. The child’s continued presence becomes a catalyst that prevents higher-ups from pushing the ship to surrender. The moment shifts the outcome of the exercise and salvages the ship’s reputation.

As the exercise concludes, the ship sails back toward port with the infant still on board. The crew prepares for a reunion with the baby’s father and the baker’s family, anticipating the moment of peace after weeks of worry. The home front and the sea crew begin to align again.

The entire baker family is invited to meet the sailors who sheltered the infant. The on-board reunion brings relief and joy as bonds formed at sea translate into a lasting connection with home. The baby is finally shown as part of the ship’s mixed family.

With the baby safe and the family united on the ship, the crew resumes duty while cherishing the new ties forged in the midst of danger. The Captain’s ruse is remembered as a turning point that kept the ship from surrendering and secured a happy ending. The journey from Naples to the port’s gates closes on a note of unexpected unity.