NEW YORK (CNS) — Here’s a stirring remembrance of extraordinary courage at sea guaranteed to bring the proverbial lump to the throat. "The Four Chaplains: Courage at Sea" tells the story of how four men of faith — a Catholic priest, a rabbi and two Protestant ministers — selflessly gave their lives when the USS Dorchester was ambushed by a German U-boat in the early days of World War II.

Airing on Wednesday, Nov. 10, from 10-11 p.m. EST on the Hallmark Channel, James Moll’s documentary, which includes interviews with survivors and present-day chaplains, vividly shows the power of faith in action. In 1943, the Dorchester — a converted Hudson River cruise boat, originally meant to hold fewer than 400 — set sail for Europe, jampacked with 900 men. On board were these four men of God: the Rev. George Fox, a Methodist minister; Rabbi Alexander Goode; the Rev. Clark Poling, a Dutch Reformed minister; and Father John Washington, a Catholic priest.

During the days before a deadly torpedo would strike the ship, the four chaplains were inspirational embodiments of good fellowship, much to the surprise of many of the men who, until then, had narrow ideas about religion, since in some cases they had not had any interaction with those of other faiths.

When, on the fateful night of Feb. 3, disaster struck, the chaplains had just put on a little musical show for the men. Later, as the men were sleeping — many of them without their life preservers or gear, though they had been advised to be always at the ready — the boat was suddenly rocked as a torpedo ripped into the ship’s hull, and the men went scrambling for their lives, many barely dressed.

The chaplains directed many of the frightened men to safety, and finally gave their life preservers to men who needed them, knowing full well that in doing so they’d never survive in the frigid ice-filled waters off the coast of Greenland. (Most of the lifeboats were frozen to their rigging, and couldn’t be detached.) As one survivor points out, the chaplains could have been the first ones off the boat, but they chose to make the sacrifice.

Several of the survivors are interviewed, and their firsthand accounts are predictably poignant. One relates how he almost gave up trying to stay afloat, but the thought of his mother getting the telegram of his death, which would have surely killed her, motivated him to persevere. Another tells how many of the men hallucinated and thought they could walk on water. But above all, they say they will never forget the sight of the boat going down — it only took 18 minutes — with the chaplains arm-in-arm praying and singing hymns.

Today, there are several memorials to the chaplains. We see the widow of Rabbi Goode visit one of them, after reading aloud her husband’s last letter to her. In 1960 a special Medal of Valor was created by Congress in their honor.

The story is simply told, with minimal production values, and none of the archival footage is identified, so it isn’t always clear whether we’re actually seeing the Dorchester, some other warship or a re-creation.

Still, this is an amazing story, and this solid Faith & Values Media retelling of how these brave men’s love of God inspired them to make the supreme sacrifice is well worth your time.