In early 1942, the Japanese armed forces were rampaging all over the Pacific. They had conquered all the American assets in the Pacific, sunk our battleship fleet at Pearl Harbor and were threatening Australia. This movie was made to show that although our Navy was outgunned and outnumbered, we were still very competent and through courage and pluck, we would win in the end. The main forces we had at the time were a few aircraft carriers.
Of course, in reality, in the Spring and Summer of 1942, the tide turned at Midway and Guadalcanal
Interestingly, in October of 1944, the climactic battle in the movie, where an old 4-mast destroyer sinks a battleship, was nearly reproduced in reality in the Battle off Samar during the attempted landings at Leyte Gulf. Admiral Halsey was lured by the Japanese into taking away the force that was supposed to be covering the landings. While Halsey was attacking the decoys to the North, a powerful Japanese force headed for the landing force, which was protected only by small, slow escort carriers and a screen of lightly armed destroyers. As soon as the Japanese battleships, including the giant Yamato came into view, the destroyers attacked at flank speed. Lt. Cdr. Copeland of the destroyer Samuel B. Roberts told his crew that they were entering a "fight against overwhelming odds from which survival could not be expected." The ferocity of the American attack convinced the Japanese that they were facing a much larger force, and they broke off the fight.
But at the time this movie was started, the outcome of the war was very much in doubt.
Of course, in reality, in the Spring and Summer of 1942, the tide turned at Midway and Guadalcanal
Interestingly, in October of 1944, the climactic battle in the movie, where an old 4-mast destroyer sinks a battleship, was nearly reproduced in reality in the Battle off Samar during the attempted landings at Leyte Gulf. Admiral Halsey was lured by the Japanese into taking away the force that was supposed to be covering the landings. While Halsey was attacking the decoys to the North, a powerful Japanese force headed for the landing force, which was protected only by small, slow escort carriers and a screen of lightly armed destroyers. As soon as the Japanese battleships, including the giant Yamato came into view, the destroyers attacked at flank speed. Lt. Cdr. Copeland of the destroyer Samuel B. Roberts told his crew that they were entering a "fight against overwhelming odds from which survival could not be expected." The ferocity of the American attack convinced the Japanese that they were facing a much larger force, and they broke off the fight.
But at the time this movie was started, the outcome of the war was very much in doubt.