This episode, which first aired on 07 November 2003, takes a cue from the SARS epidemic of 2002-03 in Hong Kong.
The submarine in the show is called the Cathedral City, SSN-757. This number is assigned to the USS Alexandria, an actual submarine where some filming took place.
At one point the skipper of the submarine tells Sturgis that the executive officer (XO) had worked three hours on the last watch bill. Aboard a submarine of the US Navy, however, the XO would not create a watch bill; instead the chief of the boat (CoB) would create it and then submit it to the XO for his approval.