The Sea Chase

Captain Karl Ehrlich commands the aging Ergenstrasse and is docked in Sydney as World War II looms. He reconnects with his old ally Jeff Napier and Napier's German fiancée Elsa, setting up fragile loyalties aboard. Ehrlich contemplates leaving port to avoid internment while tensions of duty and personal history simmer.

The Ergenstrasse slips out of Sydney Harbor under cover of night and thick fog. Ehrlich discovers that the Abwehr agent he is charged with transporting is Elsa, who has already seduced Napier to gain military information. Elsa meets Ehrlich's accusation with icy indifference, deepening the ship's moral ambiguities.

Kirchner, Ehrlich's pro-Nazi chief officer, presses on Elsa's affections and uses his position to push his own agenda. Ehrlich intervenes, thwarting Kirchner's overtures toward Elsa and signaling the ship's inner power struggle. The confrontation foreshadows a coming clash of loyalties.

Running low on coal and time, the Ergenstrasse is chased across the Pacific by Napier. They stop briefly at an unmanned rescue station on Auckland Island to resupply. Kirchner murders three marooned fishermen and seizes most of their supplies; Napier discovers the bodies and vows to bring Ehrlich to justice.

To secure fuel, Ehrlich drives fishermen to harvest timber on Pom Pom Galli. He forces Kirchner to sign a record of his crimes in the ship's log and then knocks him to the deck, exposing a brutal side beneath his humane leadership. Elsa observes and starts to reevaluate whom she can trust.

Napier learns Ehrlich will likely be at Pom Pom Galli, but the Ergenstrasse slips past and heads toward Valparaíso in neutral Chile. In port, Napier confronts Ehrlich about the fishermen killings, accusing him of murder and cowardice; Ehrlich counters with the log as proof. Elsa, moved by Ehrlich's conduct, distances herself from Kirchner and professes her love for him.

Fortune shifts when Rockhampton is diverted to Montevideo to support cruisers facing Graf Spee, freeing Napier to pursue Ehrlich more aggressively. Napier plans a transfer to British patrols and even flies to England while the Ergenstrasse receives fresh coal and lifeboats for the final leg.

For political reasons, a Lord Haw-Haw broadcast discloses the Ergenstrasse's position near Norway, exposing the ship to the Royal Navy. Napier accelerates the chase as the North Sea closes in. Ehrlich and Elsa brace for the inevitable clash as the end of the voyage approaches.

Napier's corvette closes in and sinks the Ergenstrasse in a brutal final battle in the North Sea. Ehrlich orders an orderly evacuation and saves the ship's log. Elsa stays aboard with Ehrlich as Kirchner remains on deck, the two men squaring off in a one-sided fight.

The ship's log shows Kirchner was the killer of the fishermen, sealing Napier's justification for pursuit. The Ergenstrasse is bombarded and sinks, and the fates of Ehrlich and Elsa remain uncertain. The log's preservation provides closure for Napier's pursuit, albeit at a great human cost.