In Harm's Way 2018

As Captain Rockwell “Rock” Torrey (Torrey) navigates the tumultuous waters of his personal and professional life, he finds himself removed from command of his heavy cruiser, a victim of circumstance after boldly pursuing the enemy following the attack on Pearl Harbor. The incident leaves him reeling, much like his executive officer, Commander Paul Eddington (Eddington), who has resigned as a naval aviator and returned to the surface navy due to an unhappy marriage marked by infidelity and debauchery. Eddington’s wife, whose extramarital escapades had become the talk of Honolulu, met her untimely demise during the Pearl Harbor attack - a tragic event that drove him into a state of despair, culminating in a bar brawl, a stint in the brig, and exile to a land-based logistics command.

As Torrey recovers from his physical and emotional wounds, he finds solace in a romance with Lieutenant Maggie Haynes (Haynes), a divorced Navy Nurse Corps officer. She shares with him the news that their estranged son, Jeremiah, is now an ensign in the Naval Reserve, prompting Torrey to embark on a strained visit with his offspring. This encounter sets the stage for Torrey’s involvement in Operation Skyhook, a South Pacific island-hopping offensive under the command of Vice Admiral B.T. Broderick (Broderick), who is notorious for his cautious and micro-managing approach.

Torrey’s roommate, intelligence officer Egan Powell (Powell), provides him with valuable insights that lead him to surmise the true purpose of Skyhook: capturing the strategic island of Levu-Vana, whose central plain would make an ideal airfield for B-17 bomber squadrons. As Torrey processes this information, Maggie informs him that her unit is scheduled to deploy to the same region in preparation for the offensive. With his personal life and professional duties intertwined, Torrey must navigate the complexities of war and his own sense of duty as he prepares to face the challenges ahead.

As the sweltering summer of 1942 gives way to the promise of a new chapter in naval warfare, Rear Admiral Torrey (character A) takes the reins as tactical commander of Skyhook, an assignment that demands the same unwavering courage and chivalry he demonstrated as commanding officer of his cruiser. With characteristic foresight, he selects Paul Eddington as his Chief of Staff, much to the dismay of Broderick, whose ire is only further inflamed by Torrey’s swift and decisive plan to capture Gavabutu, a strategic island poised to serve as a staging base for the invasion of Levu-Vana. The Japanese, it seems, have already abandoned their garrisons on Gavabutu, rendering Torrey’s operation unexpectedly effortless. As he sets his sights on the next phase of the campaign, however, he finds himself stymied by General Douglas MacArthur’s concurrent and much larger operation in the Solomon Islands. The scarcity of reconnaissance aircraft and surface combatant forces proves particularly galling, with Torrey’s former command amounting to little more than a handful of cruisers and destroyers.

Meanwhile, Eddington’s fragile psyche teeters on the brink of collapse as he succumbs to an unrelenting darkness, ultimately leading him down a path of destruction that will have far-reaching consequences. In a desperate attempt to exorcise his demons, he brutally attacks navy nurse Annalee Dorne (character B), who is engaged to Torrey’s son. Consumed by the trauma of her ordeal and fearing she may be carrying Eddington’s child, Annalee takes her own life in a tragic act of desperation.

As the truth threatens to come to light, Eddington seizes control of a PBJ patrol bomber and embarks on a solo reconnaissance mission, piloting the aircraft with reckless abandon as he seeks to locate elements of the Japanese fleet. His ultimate sacrifice comes at a terrible cost, however, as his plane goes down in a blaze of glory, providing crucial warning of an impending attack centered around the behemoth super-battleship Yamato.

Despite this new and formidable threat, Torrey presses on with determination, mounting a full-scale invasion of Levu-Vana despite the daunting odds. Tragedy strikes when his son Jere is killed during a fateful PT boat action under the cover of darkness. The following morning brings a frenetic surface battle off the shores of Levu-Vana, as the Americans land their first blows and the Yamato unleashes devastating counterattacks that decimate much of the U.S. force. Severely wounded at the height of the chaos, Torrey is plucked from the jaws of defeat by his loyal flag lieutenant, William “Mac” McConnell, and transported to Pearl Harbor aboard a hospital ship under the devoted care of Maggie.

Expecting nothing but court-martial and ignominy, Torrey instead finds himself celebrated for his bravery in repelling the Japanese advance and clearing the way for his Marines to take Levu-Vana.