Souls at Sea
The story is based on two distinct early 19th-century themes: the suppression of the Atlantic slave trade, and the often-tragic fate of people on ships lost at sea.
The first theme is examined through the efforts of abolitionists Michael "Nuggin" Taylor (Cooper) and Powdah (Raft) to end the slave trade. Although the United States prohibited the importation of slaves in 1808, slaves were still brought into the country illegally. Great Britain also prohibited the slave trade, putting the Royal Navy into action against slave traders, but even Britain had its supporters of the trade (here represented by Lieutenant Stanley Tarryton (Wilcoxon), as a British naval officer acting for the slave interests). The conflict between Taylor and Wilcoxon is complicated by Tarryton's sister Margaret (Dee) falling in love with Taylor.
The second theme appears when the Taylor-Wilcoxon conflict becomes entangled with the loss of the ship William Brown (named after an actual ship of the period with a similar fate; see below). The William Brown is accidentally set on fire by a little girl, and must be abandoned. The captain (Carey) is in injured, and although a passanger, Taylor takes over. Only one lifeboat is launched, which cannot carry all the survivors, many of whom are swimming in the ocean nearby. Taylor stops these desperate people from climbing into the lifeboat and swamping it, shooting some with a pistol. As as result, he is subsequently tried and convicted for murder; Barton Woodley (Zucco) explains his actions, thus resulting a new trial for Taylor. Margaret seeing Taylor in this new light, lets Michael know she still loves him.
The 1957 film Seven Waves Away (also known as Abandon Ship!) also dealt with the issue of the limits of lifeboat space and decisions of the first mate.
=== The real William Brown case ===
The William Brown hit an iceberg and sank on 19 April 1841, with loss of life. A seaman, one Alexander Holmes, acted similarly to Taylor in the movie. He was convicted of manslaughter, but sentenced only to a $20 fine and six months imprisonment.
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