Thomas and Percy enjoy their work at Brendam Docks, until a new crane called Cranky arrives and becomes a nuisance for the two. He calls them "Useless Little Bugs" and gets them both into trouble with Sir Topham Hatt. But one night, a great storm blows up, trapping Duck, Gordon, James and Henry at the Docks. The rough tides cause a tramp steamer to run aground into the shed they're taking shelter in, causing it to ram into Cranky, knocking him over. Sir Topham Hatt arrives and tells Cranky that Thomas and Percy will help him and then he can rescue the trapped engines. Cranky is grateful for their help and apologises for being rude—even though he's no as cranky as he was then!