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.
Unfortunately the movie Down to the Sea in Ships is not yet available on HBO Max.
| Directing | Henry Hathaway | Director |
| Writing | Sy Bartlett | Screenplay |
| Writing | Sy Bartlett | Story |
| Writing | John Lee Mahin | Screenplay |
| Sound | Alfred Newman | Music |
| Sound | Edward B. Powell | Orchestrator |
| Camera | Joseph MacDonald | Director of Photography |
| Art | Lyle R. Wheeler | Art Direction |
| Art | Ben Hayne | Art Direction |
| Art | Thomas Little | Set Decoration |
| Art | Walter M. Scott | Set Decoration |
| Editing | Dorothy Spencer | Editor |
| Costume & Make-Up | Charles LeMaire | Costume Supervisor |
| Costume & Make-Up | Ben Nye | Makeup Artist |
| Crew | Fred Sersen | Special Effects |
| Crew | Ray Kellogg | Special Effects |
| Sound | W. D. Flick | Sound |
| Sound | Roger Heman Sr. | Sound |
| Production | Louis D. Lighton | Producer |
