Watched the movie with Tom Hanks.
Wow! What fantastic movie!!
actually filmed on the USS Kidd with Plenty of other actual ships.
The USS Kidd is a Fletcher class destroyer which was the workhorse of the US Navy from WW2 until post Vietnam. ( 175 made) Technically accurate. You really felt involved while I looked for flaws I never spotted any.
Personally Both the Bennington ( CVS 14 ) and the Ticonderoga ( CVS ) had Fletcher class destroyers as escorts during our Vietnam engagements. When they were decommissioning Fletcher class destroyers post Vietnam I was able to get the clock from one. 
I enjoyed it, too. Very straightforward story, no fluff.
In reply to frenchyd :
To me the Fletchers were the last real warships. They just look the part.
In reply to spitfirebill :
While I think American Super Carriers are the equivalent of Battleships in WW2 they are absolutely awesome both in looks and in what they can do. The carriers I served on ( Essex class ) were the equivalent. They made 24 of them and they helped turned the tide in the war with Japan.
Yes though the Fletcher class destroyers were the absolute workhorse of ships and very much worth their modest cost. As far as looking the part? I'll defer to your opinion but it's highly unlikely you've ever been at sea in one. They were crowded with 329 below decks. In a smallish ship 326 feet carrying 5 dual mount 5" cannons. Plus countless Pom-Poms.
They also carried a full compliment of Torpedos and as many depth charges and they could stow . ( Typically around 40+ )
Tom_Spangler (Forum Supporter) said:
I enjoyed it, too. Very straightforward story, no fluff.
Oh I just realized something. The Pom - Poms they had on the USS Kidd was wrong for the USS Keeling ( Greyhound ) they didn't put that many on until 1944 with the advent of Kamikaze planes.
When this took place ( 1942 ) I think there were only 12 mounts not the 36+ they depicted.
Don't watch movies but man you do have some cool stuff Frenchy! Now GO BUILD THE JAG!
Indeed, I could not stop watching, with a heightened appreciation of the how many times captains and crews faced this experience over that period of the effort it took to cram Nazism back into the bottle.
Also, seeing the effectiveness of current technology drawing the viewer into this story, I am now hoping someone will do a movie of this caliber out of Alistair Maclean's gripping naval story, HMS Ulysses.
In reply to Andrewsky :
It's not as much technology as you might believe. As Tom Hanks said, he actually got wet filming it and not from some behind the scenes guy tossing a bucket of water.
That was actually filmed from on board the USS Kidd in Baton Rouge Louisiana and They went up to Canada to film their Frigates from WW2
Most of the pictures of German Submarines were actually taken during WW2.
Having spent 7 years in the Navy doing ASW ( anti submarine warfare) the techniques and procedures they used were spot on. I watched it with my wife who really wanted to know what was going on so she could understand and appreciate it. I looked carefully for theatrical liberties and never spotted any ( except the later abundance of Pom-Poms , which I failed to notice for 3 days)
I believe German submariners had something like a 90% chance of being killed. The Germans made extremely good use of their submarine fleet. They simply did not have enough money to build many of the much more expensive ships such as Battleships and carriers.
I do want to see this one. My step dad spent a number of years (AA gun director for at least some of it) on a Fletcher (USS Knapp) in Task Force 58. Most people don't realize that destroyers took a heavy toll from Kamikazes since they where used as radar picket ships and where very frequent targets.
Good to hear they treated the subject with the respect it deserves.
Still waiting for the Spielberg and Hanks version of Masters of the Air, that could be very good since there hasn't been a good modern good treatment of the subject (WWII air war in Europe). Looks like it is showing as a series (give it the time it deserves) which is good, we will just have to see what paywall it will be behind.
frenchyd said:
In reply to Andrewsky :
It's not as much technology as you might believe. As Tom Hanks said, he actually got wet filming it and not from some behind the scenes guy tossing a bucket of water.
That was actually filmed from on board the USS Kidd in Baton Rouge Louisiana and They went up to Canada to film their Frigates from WW2
Did they tow the Kidd out to sea for filming, or was it filmed on that stand next to the shore and the location hidden with camera angles and background swaps?
In reply to MadScientistMatt :
I really suggest you watch the film and tell me. I realize some was done on sets and you can imagine which were sets. But some shots really are difficult to imagine not done at sea.
