I am a proud graduate of the U.S.Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point.I am also a retired US Navy Captain. The screening of "Action in the North Atlantic" was an annual event at Kings Point, since one of the characters was a Cadet serving sea time as part of his training. Cadet Parker well represents the 142 Cadet-Midshipman who were killed in action in WWII (Kings point is only Federal academy which is thus authorized to carry a Battle flag with their color guard.) The characters are real and Warner Bros. could not have picked a better cast. This movie was and is only one of a handful which tried to show the contribution of the merchant marine during the war. I particularly liked the scene where Alan Hale tries to explain to a couple of his shipmates the meaning of the word "rendezvous". They don't make 'em like that any more. I still watch this flic every time it screens.