第二次世界大戰期間，德國的Ｕ型潛艇橫行北大西洋，炸沉盟軍船隻逾千艘，威脅美國至英國的補給線。因為無法破解Ｕ型潛艇的通訊密碼，盟軍連連失利。美國海軍上尉泰萊率領下，強登一艘損壞的Ｕ型潛艇，奪取通訊密碼，並駕駛該潛艇，奮勇抵抗敵艦追剿，深水炸彈與魚雷交加，以寡敵眾，九死一生。

這是由真實事件改編的潛艇危機動作片，《轟天潛艦》故事是敘述俄國第一艘彈道導彈核潛艇K-19行經北大西洋進行大規模演習時，發現潛水艇裡的核子反應爐因為操作上的錯誤，造成非常嚴重的問題，而K-19對全艇士兵來說，就像一顆不定時的炸彈！ 這時奉命執行任務的新艦長維斯考夫(哈里遜福 飾)，卻和艦上的副艦長(里安納遜 飾)發生潛艇行動上的爭執，他們兩人對於潛艇如果繼續深潛可能造成的核爆危機有相當不同的看法，因為他們必須要面對許多問題，包括了潛艇具有威脅所有船員性命的可能性，同時如果發生核爆更可能造成美俄兩大世界強國一發不可收拾的戰爭，他們要如何化解這個牽一髮而動全身的危機？

Merchant Marine sailors Joe Rossi (Humphrey Bogart) and Steve Jarvis (Raymond Massey) are charged with getting a supply vessel to Russian allies as part of a sea convoy. When the group of ships comes under attack from a German U-boat, Rossi and Jarvis navigate through dangerous waters to evade Nazi naval forces. Though their mission across the Atlantic is extremely treacherous, they are motivated by the opportunity to strike back at the Germans, who sank one of their earlier ships.

The story of the breakout of the German battleship Bismarck—accompanied by the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen—during the early days of World War II. The Bismarck and her sister ship, Tirpitz, were the most powerful battleships in the European theater of World War II. The British Navy must find and destroy Bismarck before it can escape into the convoy lanes to inflict severe damage on the cargo shipping which was the lifeblood of the British Isles. With eight 15 inch guns, it was capable of destroying every ship in a convoy while remaining beyond the range of all Royal Navy warships.

During a whaling expedition in the late 1800's, the aging Captain Bering Joy (Lionel Barrymore) and his new first mate, Dan Lunceford (Richard Widmark) engage in a battle of wills concerning the education of the captain's struggling grandson.

Having taken the blame for an accident beyond his control, pilot Mike Hogan has been on administrative leave indefinitely; however when the airline is desperately short of staff, he is offered to be first officer and accepts, without enthusiasm, received with disdain by the well-connected commander. Surprisingly his come-back proves less then routine, as the captain gets knocked out and a collision as well as a murderer being transported by police require courageous action from Mike, his crew and several passengers, including soccer star Ty Conner.

For more than four centuries, young Portuguese fishermen have followed their fathers to the Grand Banks of Newfoundland and in recent years to Greenland’s banks to fish the cold waters for cod. Intrepid men, set off for the Banks on schooners under full sail, then adrift in a flat-bottomed dory, they bait the hundred of hooks of their long-line, oblivious to fog, rain and Arctic wind, they labour 18 hours a day and haul up cod by the score.