What happens
Lieutenant Commander James G. Harland commands HMS Marne, a British gunboat on a supply mission up the Ming-Kiang River in June 1949. Chinese Communist artillery fires on the ship despite promised safe passage, killing and wounding much of the crew and leaving her grounded. Lieutenant Bennett Moore, wounded but still standing, takes charge with Lieutenant Hugh Fraser, and Harland's men work to repair communications, lighten the bow and survive while cut off. Later Harland meets Major Kung, who demands that the British admit guilt before any safe passage is granted. This episode of Suspense, starring Ray Milland, aired on October 22, 1951.
The HMS Marne on the Ming-Kiang River in China, 1949
Characters: Lieutenant Commander James G. Harland, Lieutenant Bennett Moore, Lieutenant Hugh Fraser, Lieutenant Lamb, Lieutenant Alden, Nisbet, Major Kung
Listen for: Harland's order to slip anchor and run the river, and the tense exchange of fire at the forts
Written from the episode itself; it never gives away the ending. Every recording is remastered for the stream: cleaned of rumble, hiss and mains hum (and the old TV whine where we found it), then levelled in two passes to steady broadcast loudness, so one show is never quieter than the next.