Accused of theft by Mabel Arthur's brother, Dick Halpin accepts the blame and runs away to join the Navy to save Mabel from humiliation. Later he is shanghaied with Lieutenant Breen by Captain Bilker and his henchmen. They endure cruel treatment until they finally escape and rejoin their ships in Santiago Harbor just as war is breaking with Spain. Dick is commissioned for his courage in the battle with Spanish warships; Mabel's brother confesses his guilt of the theft; and the misunderstanding between Dick and Breen over Mabel and Bessie Fleming is cleared up to everyone's satisfaction.