The Real Story Behind Greyhound

Tom Hanks’s Tribute to the Battle of the Atlantic

Tom Hanks - Greyhound

Greyhound, the 2020 World War II naval thriller written by and starring Tom Hanks, is not based on a single true story—but it draws deeply from the real and harrowing experience of Allied naval convoys during the Battle of the Atlantic. Released on Apple TV+ and adapted from C.S. Forester’s 1955 novel The Good Shepherd, the film immerses viewers in a high-stakes, tension-filled voyage through the most dangerous stretch of ocean in the world, where German U-boats hunted Allied supply ships with deadly precision.

At the center of the film is Commander Ernest Krause, a fictional U.S. Navy officer making his first crossing as convoy leader aboard the fictional destroyer USS Keeling, call sign “Greyhound.” Though Krause is not a real historical figure, his character reflects the real-life burdens carried by destroyer captains during the war—men who operated under crushing pressure, severe fatigue, and unrelenting moral responsibility for the lives under their protection. Krause’s portrayal as deeply religious, methodical, and self-sacrificing is consistent with the wartime ethos of many commanders who saw convoy escort duty not as glory, but as duty.

The Black Pit

The setting of Greyhound—48 hours in the so-called “Black Pit”—is historically accurate. This portion of the North Atlantic was too far from Allied airfields for aircraft to provide cover, leaving convoys highly vulnerable to German U-boat wolfpacks. These submarines, often operating in coordinated formations, would ambush Allied shipping lanes, typically striking under cover of night. In reality, the threat was existential: Britain relied heavily on American and Canadian supplies. If the convoys failed, so too would the British war effort.

USS Kidd

In terms of naval tactics, Greyhound is one of the most accurate portrayals ever to reach the screen. From zig-zag patterns and sonar detection to the use of depth charges and radio silence protocols, the film painstakingly recreates the procedural rigor of mid-Atlantic convoy escort. The fictional USS Keeling was modeled after real Fletcher-class destroyers, such as the USS Kidd and USS Borie. The ship’s layout, watch rotations, and command structure are based on actual period practices. Even details like the burial at sea, performed with shell casings sewn into the canvas to weigh the body, are handled with reverence and precision.

USS Borie

Some aspects of the enemy portrayal are also rooted in historical fact. The film features German U-boats sending taunting radio transmissions to the Allied ship, a tactic rarely used but not entirely unheard of. More commonly, U-boats maintained radio silence to avoid detection, but psychological warfare did occur. In Greyhound, these radio taunts serve a narrative purpose: heightening the sense of isolation and the shadowy presence of an unseen foe. They also echo the terrifying power imbalance convoy commanders often felt, knowing their enemies were nearby but invisible.

While Greyhound is not a dramatization of a specific historical convoy, its events mirror many real-life battles fought in the Atlantic theater. Convoy HX-229 and SC-122, both attacked in March 1943 by over 40 U-boats, resulted in dozens of Allied ships lost and represent the kind of chaos Krause confronts in the film. Conversely, Convoy ONS-5 in May 1943—where Allied escorts destroyed seven U-boats—illustrates the tide turning, as better coordination, radar, and escort carriers began to blunt the German submarine threat. These battles inform the tone and pacing of Greyhound’s fictional conflict, grounding it in historical plausibility.

The author of Horatio Hornblower

The source novel, The Good Shepherd, was written by C.S. Forester, renowned for his Horatio Hornblower naval series, and is recognized for its realism and depth of psychological focus. Forester conducted thorough research and received praise from naval veterans for his accurate depiction of the fatigue, prayer, and decision-making of command at sea. Tom Hanks, in adapting the book, chose to retain its spare and procedural style, focusing tightly on the mechanics of convoy duty rather than injecting melodrama or personal subplots. The result is a film that plays more like a real-time simulation of wartime command stress than a traditional Hollywood epic.

Some artistic license is taken, such as the 48-hour time frame compressing what would typically be a week-long crossing; the convoy is depicted with minimal escort support to increase drama; and the enemy is given a villainous voice for narrative clarity. But none of these choices violates the spirit of the history. If anything, they serve to highlight the crushing responsibility, isolation, and ceaseless tension faced by commanders like Krause in real life.

In the final assessment, Greyhound may be a fictional character. Still, it is a remarkably faithful portrait of a very real kind of war—one fought not in broad invasions or iconic land battles, but in freezing seas, through static-laced radios, and by exhausted men scanning black waves for a periscope’s glint. It is a tribute not only to the destroyer crews who protected the convoys, but also to the merchant sailors whose ships kept Britain alive.

With a sequel now confirmed—once again written by Hanks and slated to begin filming in Sydney in 2026—the story of Commander Krause will continue, likely shifting from the Atlantic to the Pacific theater. If the original film is any indication, the sequel will maintain the same quiet reverence for the men who served at sea—and continue to shine a spotlight on one of World War II’s most perilous and underappreciated fronts.