Factual error: On the door of the Captain's stateroom is a plaque with Gold Submarine Dolphins. A submarine qualified line officer, all of whom are nuclear propulsion qualified, would never be stationed as a CO (or anything else) on a non-nuclear surface combatant. (00:40:00)
Factual error: It is established that DDG 151, while in Arctic waters, is in emcon, or emissions control, yet their surface search radar is operating.
Factual error: After the nuclear detonation LT Alisha Granderson reports the ship's fuel reserves as 11% and states they will run out of fuel in less then 6 hours, even at maximum conservation. Working from published specifications (Wikipedia and www.globalsecurity.org) 11% should last them for more than 24 hours operating normally at 20 knots and one would think that maximum conservation extends this timeframe. (00:27:15)
Plot hole: After the nuclear missile has overshot the ship and is determined to be heading for land, a map on a computer display gives an indication of the missile's trajectory relative to the Nathan James and western Europe. After the nuclear detonation, an external shot shows the blast is to the port side of the ship, giving the impression the ship is on a southern bearing off the west coast of France. At the time of detonation, the bridge crew shield their eyes while facing the front of the bridge, which would give the impression the ship is pointed right at the blast rather than off the port side. Later, Master Chief Jeter reports that the jet stream is pushing the radiation north-northeast, as if to indicate the ship is currently sitting in the fallout zone, when this would actually be pushing the radiation cloud away from the Nathan James.
Factual error: When Chandler is looking through his rangefinder at the Italian passenger liner, the lat-long coordinates indicated in the lower left corner of the display are quickly decrementing, meaning they couldn't possibly indicate a current GPS location. In addition, the numbers are nowhere near the coordinates Chandler gives when he attempts to hail the passenger liner ("48° north, 15° west").
Continuity mistake: When Chandler is on the vidcom with the president, the digital clocks on the wall behind her only tick to 20 seconds into the 10th minute of the hour, then reset back to zero seconds.
Continuity mistake: While trying to restart the engines after the ship is hit by the nuke's EMP, Chandler is checking the fuses while Chung is going through his checklist. There are only five visible fuses in the six available slots in the panel that Chandler is checking. After he gives the order for Chung to "give it a kick-start," the slot which previously had no fuse now does, only for it to shoot out from the start attempt.
Continuity mistake: Captain Chandler states that the ship is going to an "unmanned fueling and food station outside of Guantanamo." When they get there, it's the main base, not an unmanned station.
Continuity mistake: When the doors are chained closed and are fired upon by the enemy, the bullet hole locations on the doors are different on the interior and exterior. (00:25:00)
Factual error: Ruskov introduces himself as a vice-admiral. However, he wears the sleeve insignia of an admiral of the fleet, two ranks higher: a wide stripe and four regular stripes (instead of the wide stripe and two regular stripes of a vice-admiral). On his epaulettes he wears the four stars worn by an admiral of the fleet until 1962, instead of the single large star of a modern admiral of the fleet or the two regular stars of a vice-admiral. Given Ruskov, it is inconceivable that he would reduce his own rank or wear the insignia of a higher rank but not use it.
Factual error: Dr Scott's official personnel record shows that she received her only medical degree, an MD, from Cambridge University. However, British universities do not award an MD as a first medical degree; in Britain, unlike the USA, this is a very prestigious (and rare) postgraduate research degree only awarded to very highly-qualified doctors. The medical qualification degree at Cambridge is an MBBChir (Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery), which is equivalent to an American MD. Although Americans expect doctors to have an MD, it is extremely unlikely that an official personnel record would give false information. The record also shows that her first degree was a BS in chemistry from Oxford. Oxford does not award a BSc degree (as they are called in Britain); most of its undergraduate degrees, even in science, are BAs.
Character mistake: The Captain yells to Tex to man the "Fifty cal" but Tex goes to a mounted M240 7.62mm weapon.
Two Sailors Walk Into a Bar... - S1-E8
Revealing mistake: When the Americans are leaving the Russian ship they are doing it right next to a tensioned mooring line which you would only see in an harbor but not on a ship that operates under its own power in open water, thereby betraying the filming location as a docked (museum) ship. (00:35:50)
Factual error: A projectile is shown being loaded for firing. It has a light blue casing. Light blue casings denote a practice shell, not a live shell. (00:05:05)
Continuity mistake: The "real" time between the end of season 1 and the beginning of season 2 is supposed to be 1 day, but Tex's hair and beard are 2 inches longer.
Unreal City - S2-E1
Continuity mistake: While Lieutenant Granderson is being escorted around the compound and walks to the class, she is wearing O-3 rank (two silver bars) on her collar, despite never being promoted during the show to this point. Later on in the episode, when she is talking to her mother, she is wearing O-2 rank (one silver bar) again. (00:13:35 - 00:34:15)
Unreal City - S2-E1
Revealing mistake: When Chandler and the others make it to the building where the bodies are being burned, the actor playing a corpse flips his hand over to hold onto the conveyor belt as he goes over the edge. (00:16:05)
Unreal City - S2-E1
Factual error: In the scene where the crew is taking back the ship, a crewman sticks his head out of a door and right in the middle of the shot is some piping. It looks cool until you realize it is a PVC ball valve. Plastic piping is not used on US warships.
Factual error: The depth gauge on the Royal Navy submarine shows depths in American English 'meters' instead of British English 'metres'. Since British submarines are British-built and use British equipment, this would never happen.
