The Hate Ship on AllMovie

The Hate Ship starts out as a fancy yacht, presided over by wealthy scoundrel Vernon Wolfe (Jameson Thomas). On board the yacht is financier Wardell (Carl Harbord), whom Wolfe hopes to sucker into a phony oil-well promotion. Wolfe's partner in crime is Count Ivanoff (Henry Victor), who spends most of his time putting the moves on Sylvia (Jean Colin), daughter of the financially embarrassed Colonel Paget (Ivo Dawson). Though Wolfe tries to be a convivial host, the air is thick with tension, due to the fact that the Count's father previously died on the yacht under mysterious circumstances. Things get even more dicey when Wardell is shot and killed by one of the guests, leading to a series of accusations, recriminations and sudden tragedies. Featured in the cast as a disgraced nobleman-turned-valet is Claude Rains, some four years before his "official" film debut in The Invisible Man.