Tom Hanks is returning to the maritime genre with his new movie GREYHOUND about a WWII convoy of ships crossing the treacherous North Atlantic to help fight the war in Europe.
In the movie, Hanks plays the role of captain Ernest Krause in his first command of a Navy destroyer, leading a convoy of 37 Allied ships under hot pursuit by Nazi U-boats.
The screenplay is based on real events and was written by Hanks, who in recent years been featured in maritime-related projects such as “Captain Phillips”, the story of the Maersk Alabama hijacking by Somali pirates, and the lesser known short film “Boatlift, An Untold Tale of 9/11 Resilience.” In Boatlift, Hanks narrates the story of the evacuation of half a million people from Lower Manhattan by vessels following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center. (It’s a great watch if you haven’t seen it)
Check out the just-released trailer for GREYHOUND below:
During WWII, the U.S. Merchant Marine suffered the highest rate of casualties of any service during the War, primarily at the hands of German U-boats as they shuttled supplies and soldiers across the Atlantic. According to the U.S. Maritime Administration, more than 250,000 members of the American Merchant Marine served in the War with more than 6,700 lives lost, hundreds being detained as prisoners of war, and more than 800 U.S. merchant ships sunk or damaged.
Each year on May 22, the United States celebrates National Maritime Day in part to honor the American Merchant Marine and their vital role and sacrifice during WWII.
On March 3, Congress passed the “Merchant Mariners of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2020,” a bipartisan bill to award a Congressional Gold Medal to those surviving members of the American Merchant Marine who served during World War II.
GREYHOUND is based on the 1955 novel “The Good Shepherd” by C.S. Forester.
Needless to say, we’re looking forward to seeing this one.
Read Next: Merchant Marine for the Gold
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