Convoy South

As commodore in charge of a large troop convoy from Australia to America in 1942, John Mason Kemp, seen here in his third outing, must not only shepherd men and ships halfway around the world but also safeguard a mysterious canvas bag holding top-secret intelligence for the Pentagon. Kemp, in peacetime the skipper of a passenger liner, is also concerned about a son missing on duty in the Mediterranean. McCutchan provides a look at the concerns of a wide range of personnel aboard Kemp's tanker Coverdale , all of whom are galvanized into action when a Nazi raider and a U-boat pack appear. Kemp realizes there may be a high-level intelligence leak. The climax comes when a U-boat boarding party tries to get the canvas bag, but the phlegmatic Kemp, helped by the Coverdale 's doughty crew, prevails. (Dec.)