The Captain revokes shore leave after someone crushes a cigar in his beloved plant.
The Captain sinks a washtub planted by Pulver thinking it was a Japanese submarine.
Roberts finds Doc at the end of the sick call line, depressed because he feels unneeded. Roberts gets Pulver to fake an appendix attack. Doc examines Pulver and decides to operate. The crew is making book on the outcome while Roberts tries to convince Doc that a sedated Pulver was faking.
Roberts is stunned to find that a beautiful woman is part of the cargo he is suppose to load on board.
Congressman Cooper visits the Reluctant intending to make it a bond selling shrine in the U.S., due to the ""heroic"" exploits Pulver wrote about that were published in his hometown newspaper. The crew has coerced shipfitter Dumbrowski to supply beer through certain water lines, including the shower when Ensign Pulver is in it. Mr. Roberts convinces the congressman that a battle-damaged ship just returned from victory would be a better choice and then has to face the possible resentment of fellow officers and crew who were looking forward to going home.
The Captain is in an unusually good mood and is granting all sections liberty when they dock in Azalia. Pulver, Roberts and Doc discover Captain Morton is in love with a woman named Leona. Manion and Cookie trail the Captain intent on getting some blackmail pictures. When Morton calls on Leona she isn't home and then he sees her in a bar - with Roberts!
Pulver pretends his girlfriend is royalty in order to explain why she is on board the ship.
Captain Morton forces the crew to watch the same movie ""The Crawling Glob With the Bedroom Eyes"" every night even through musical with girls in bathing suits is available. Roberts intervenes unsuccessfully to have the musical shown until he learns it's the Captain's birthday. In an attempt to soften him up Roberts gets the crew to throw the Captain a party, complete with a fake gold watch from Pulver. Using the watch Roberts coerces the Captain into showing the musical and throwing the Glob movie out his porthole, where Pulver is waiting with a net. Which movie will they see?
Frustrated at not being able to get a transfer Roberts has been snapping at the men. Doc diagnoses it as an acute attack of self pity. The crew is preoccupied with finding a phonograph and needle to listen to recently received records from wives and girlfriends. The Captain refuses to let the records be played but Roberts distracts him with a jug of Pulver's intoxicating papaya juice.
Mr. Roberts orders a reduction gear installed for the Reluctant which will give it the speed it needs to allow it to join a convoy headed to combat. The new part causes some damage which at first is misinterpreted as being hit by the enemy. The gun crew directed by Ensign Pulver shoots down their radio tower while firing at a zero. This limits the Reluctant to receiving messages. Morton is ready to court martial Roberts until he hears a radio message that the Reluctant is presumed lost after taking a hit from a Japanese sub. The convoy was able to sink the sub and Morton and the Reluctant are considered heroes for leading it away from the convoy.
A Japanese pilot helps the crew when they get stuck in the middle of the ocean.
The Captain asks for Roberts' help in creating a cover story to cover-up the fact that the crew screwed up a mission.
Pulver writes his mother a letter describing Robert's desire to see action and the conditions aboard the reluctant asking her to help get Roberts transferred. Her Senate connections come through - with a transfer for Pulver. Rogers concocts a scheme and with the help of D'Angelo and Cookie to make Captain Morton think Pulver is indispensable. Morton rescinds Pulver's transfer and signs Robert's transfer request. Pulver's inability to handle cargo loading results in Robert's transfer being canceled and the Captain being knocked overboard.
Roberts's transfer finally comes through, but the Captain plans to block it.
The ship accidentally leaves port with a pregnant woman in the sickbay.
Captain Morton puts Doc and Roberts in charge of his ailing palm tree, an outstanding cargo achievement award from the Admiral. They discover Pulver has been feeding it hot creamed chipped beef. Seaman Insigna has received a Dear John letter from Alice, a red cross worker on Cocoa Island. In order to meet Alice's sexy co-worker Rosemary Pulver tells the Captain there is a plant doctor on Cocoa Island. Roberts goes along to talk to Alice concerning Insigna.
Roberts gets a transfer, but must stay when his replacement proves to be inept.
Captain Morton is visiting Admiral Wetherby. Mr. Roberts, Doc and most of the crew is on liberty, so that leaves Pulver in charge of the Reluctant. He gives medical supplies to a pretty lieutenant without permission. Roberts refuses to help him get them back until he finds out Pulver signed his name. They track the pretty lieutenant down but are not sure if she's trying to trap Tiki Sam or is working with him.
Pulver is tongue-tied around the woman he's infatuated with.
The Reluctant has orders to make contact and maintain good relations with the natives of Namu atoll whose young men were taken away by the Japanese. Captain Morton angrily orders them off the ship but then sends Roberts, Doc and Pulver to make amends. Doc and Roberts treat the Chief's stomach ailment with the last bottle of Captain Morton's medicine, which the Chief keeps. Pulver brought trinkets to trade with the natives and ends up engaged to eight girls.
New CWO Al Briggs is granted permission from Captain Morton to take over Roberts's and Pulver's cabin. Briggs uses secret information he knows about the Captain's past to implement poker, horse racing bets, shuffleboard and other activities on the Reluctant. When the Captain is taken ill Roberts and Pulver turn the tables, handing command of the ship over to Briggs while they enjoy the activities.
Doc must gain the favor of Beulah Cronk, the lady who owns an island on which the Navy wants to place observation posts.
The crews of the Reluctant and the AK-627 brawl during liberty and damage the Hula Haven to the amount of $680. Each crew has raised $200 so a boxing match is held to determine who pays the balance. Roberts saw new seaman Rodney Stone knock out three men during the brawl and picks him to be the Reluctant's representative in the match. Stone refuses to participate until Roberts gets the Captain to sign a paper recommending Stone for Officers Candidate School, which Stone dearly wants.
The ship must transfer three USO girls and the Captain orders them to stay out of sight. The Captain ends up in sick bay which leaves Mr. Roberts in charge. Ensign Pulver gets permission for the girls to do their act for the crew. Roberts spots the periscope of a two-man Japanese submarine that is watching the girls do their show and tells Pulver to ""keep those girls dancing"" until the patrol bomber he requested arrives.
While in port because the Captain needs his appendix removed the Port Commander decides the Reluctant cannot be idle that long and says if a mission comes up they will have to accept it and the Captain may be reassigned. Roberts comes up with a plan for Morton to keep his command while trying to patch things up with Nurse Ann Crothers who he unintentionally stood up the last time they had a date planned.
The crew returns to the island of Namu to take a survival test.
Roberts sees a girl pass by Doc's porthole. Then Ensign Pulver sees her in his locker. Doc diagnoses an hallucination as the crew is overdue for liberty but she turns out to be a real, live stowaway who wants to work her way to New Caledonia.
Seaman Herbert Miller's arrival is highly anticipated as he is the first Navy classified cook to serve aboard the Reluctant, except he can't cook. Miller has been reassigned so many times Roberts allows him to stay, thinking he, Pulver and Doc can help him learn to cook. Captain Morton invites Admiral Morrison over for a meal. Roberts, Pulver and Doc cook it, giving Miller the credit who is immediately transferred by the Admiral to his flag ship. D'Angelo tells Roberts that Miller learned to be a signalman on his own so they send a recipe with cooking details to Miller on the flagship. Harry and George, the crew of a Japanese two man submarine, intercept the recipe and think they have stumbled on to a new code. Roberts spots the sub periscope, flashes a new recipe ""Sukiyaki Underwater"" and Miller informs Admiral Morrison who requests a patrol bomber.
Roberts and Pulver are in Sydney, Australia to vie for a role in the new Alice Blue movie. D'Angelo, Manion and Reber try to give Roberts an inside track with some movie magazine information. Who will she pick?
A German spy who is a dead ringer for the Captain is planted on the ship.