Historical Basis
Some of the plot points of the movie were based on real-life incidents, such as the sinking of the submarine USS Sealion at the pier at Cavite Navy Yard in the Philippines, Commander Sherman's letter to the supply department on the inexplicable lack of toilet paper (based on an actual letter to the supply department of Mare Island Naval Shipyard by Lieutenant Commander James Wiggin Coe of the submarine USS Skipjack), and the need to paint a submarine pink due to the lack of enough red or white lead undercoat paint. The heat from the burning Sealion also scorched off the black paint of the nearby USS Seadragon and for a time this boat fought with only her red lead undercoat visible. This led Tokyo Rose to disparage American "red pirate submarines."
Read more about this topic: Operation Petticoat
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