This movie is essentially wartime propaganda, celebrating the accomplishments of an American Navy destroyer. The story traces the ship's construction, launch, and initial sea trials, centering on "Boley" (Edward G. Robinson), a veteran who served aboard a previous “USS John Paul Jones” and wants to be part of this new one. His ambition creates friction with "Donohue" (Glenn Ford), who is initially slated for the assignment but gets passed over, leading to animosity between them. Things become more complicated when "Donohue" begins a relationship with "Boley's" daughter, “Mary” (Marguerite Chapman). The film doesn’t spend nearly enough time at sea, where the ship experiences several difficulties and some of the crew begin to view "Boley" as bad luck. Predictably, this suspicion proves unfounded—the first thirty minutes are just a setup for what's coming: some exciting naval action involving their struggling vessel. I would have liked it more if it had been a straightforward adventure film, but ultimately, it doesn’t offer much substance. Ford is largely unremarkable in his role, and while Robinson brings a certain intensity to his character, the story gets bogged down by the poor direction and writing. It's just an average production.

Source on TMDB