Dull service comedy with the usual storyline of the lazy unit that has it all their own way until an uptight Captain wants to shut them down.
A minesweeper unit is on Boonzey Island near Portsmouth. Captain Povey has seen reports that there aren’t any mines in the area and goes out for an inspection tour. A couple crew members plant a phony mine named Bessy. They didn’t notice the real thing floating near by. The crew of the Compton minesweeper bring it aboard. Povey is nervous when they try to disarm it. Until they get a signal from the Chief they don’t know it’s for real. Povey doesn’t see the message and they toss it overboard and of course it explodes.
CPO Banyard runs a scam that doesn’t work and then tried plan B. Povey is on his way back so they fly a quarantine flag saying there’s been an outbreak of yellow fever. Povey doesn’t buy it and lands. One sailor pretends to drop dead and his body is thrown into the water. Povey leaves but the trick is discovered and now he’s really determined to make them redundant and transfer everybody to the Foreign Service.
Gaston Higgins owns a bar and likes to get drunk. When he does he rambles on about tossing the British off the island. The crew sends word that a revolution is brewing but Povey doesn’t buy that either and gives them three days to get off the island. The Admiralty believes the story because a Marine photographer has been sending back stories about the rebellion. Now Povey is in troubles with the British and French and told to sort it out or else.
Povey goes back to the island and a fake attack is launched on Gaston. The scam is revealed and he was caught up in it thinking it was for real. Now his career is on the line. It’s up to him how it all turns out.
The movie sinks into stupidity thinking it’s just being wacky. It’s based on a successful BBC radio series. The movie only used one radio cast member. Maybe the rest knew better.
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