Factual error: As LTJG McConnell is standing to colors on the USS Cassidy, he gets a call from the radio room, informing him that they are picking up "plane to plane chatter in Japanese". Until the attack actually commenced, the Japanese maintained strict radio silence, and upon commencement the coded signals "To, To, To", and "Tora, Tora, Tora" were sent by Fuchida's radioman, neither of which would necessarily be interpreted as Japanese.
Suggested correction: When McConnell was informed of the radio message, his ship was anchored in Pearl Harbor, so the attack was beginning and the Japanese went after air bases first. They could have already given the code "Tora, Tora, Tora" and communication was going on plane to plane. There was no reason to have radio silence since the attack was on.
Other mistake: After being torpedoed, John Wayne orders Burke to radio Pearl Harbor. Burke asks "And break radio silence?" to which Wayne sarcastically replies "don't you think the Japanese know our position?" Actually, a submerged WWII sub could not transmit (radio) without surfacing. Having run up on the submerged sub by chance, only the sub knew their position at that moment. Breaking radio silence did in fact give their position away to the Japanese command.
Suggested correction: A W WII submarine usually surfaced to fire a torpedo thus raising a radio antenna above the water, allowing broadcasting.
Surface torpedo attacks occurred only at night less they give away their position in daylight.
Factual error: When Commander Eddington is being released from the brig into Captain Torrey's custody, the person manning the desk has an armband that says MP, and the captain calls him "sergeant" but the sign on the front of the desk says "US Navy" and the sign on the front of the building says "Shore Patrol." The man at the desk should have been wearing an SP armband, and Captain Torrey should have addressed him by a Naval enlisted rank. (00:36:14)
Suggested correction: The "Sargent" at the desk is a Marine. Marines ran the Navy brigs.
In 1967, I was a Navy seaman assigned to what was known as HASP (Hawaiian Armed Service Police). We had all services assigned. I believe the commander at that time was an Army Colonel. Not sure if Shore Patrol was later called HASP. I actually was the person to take and remove people from the cells: turn key.
