Seven Waves Away

Seven Waves Away alternate U.S. titles Abandon Ship and Seven Days From Now is a 1957 British drama film starring Tyrone Power, Mai Zetterling, Lloyd Nolan, and Stephen Boyd. When his ship goes down, an officer has to make an agonizing decision on his overcrowded lifeboat.

The luxury liner SS Crescent Star sinks in seven minutes after striking a rogue mine in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, taking with her nearly all of the 1156 people on board. Twentyseven of the survivors converge on a single lifeboat designed to accommodate only nine. The dying captain passes command to executive officer Alec Holmes Tyrone Power. Holmes then learns from Sparks Clary John Stratton, the ships radio operator, that both transmitters were destroyed before a call for help could be sent. Holmes decides to try to reach the nearest land, Africa, 1500 miles away.With a major storm approaching, Frank Kelly Lloyd Nolan warns Holmes that the overloaded boat will be swamped unless some of the passengers are jettisoned. The mortally injured Kelly then sacrifices himself by jumping overboard. Holmes decides to get rid of the old and injured, over the shocked protests of his girlfriend, ships nurse Julie White Mai Zetterling. When he orders Will McKinley Stephen Boyd to dispose of an unconscious woman, McKinley obeys, then jumps in after her. One by one, Holmes sends others to certain death, until there areleft aboard. Edith Middleton Moira Lister observes that an atomic scientist, a brilliant playwright, and a famous former opera singer have been sacrificed to save two apemen, a racketeer, and a devout coward. Passenger Michael Faroni Eddie Byrne demands Holmes go back for the others. When Holmes refuses, Faroni seriously wounds him in the shoulder with a switchblade and is in turn shot dead with a flare gun. ........

Source: Wikipedia