Crimson Tide

The refusal of an executive officer to agree in launching nuclear weapons due to a fragment order is based on a similar incident within the Soviet Navy. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Soviet submarine B-59 attempted to infiltrate the US Navy blockade by running submerged. By doing so they had been out of contact for several days with Moscow at the depth they ran at. When US destroyers dropped signal depth charges to force the sub to surface, the Soviet captain, Valentin Grigorievitch Savitsky, believed war had broken out between the US and the Soviet Union. His sentiments were concurred by the on board political officer, Ivan Semonovich Maslennikov. However, Savitsky's second-in-command, Vasily Arkipov, who also was the flotilla commodore, refused. All three needed to agree before launching. Being out of contact for so long and with no clear orders, Arkipov convinced Captain Savitsky to surface and they found themselves surrounded by US destroyers. Their communication was reestablished with Moscow and they received orders to return home, thereby preventing nuclear war.

On 26 October, when Hunter briefs the officers after receipt of the first EAM placing forces at Defcon 3, he states the last time forces were at that level of readiness was during the Cuban Missile Crisis, "32 1/2 years ago". The Cuban Missile Crisis was ALSO in October, so no matter what year in which this film was set, there would be no half year involved. And, anyway, it was last ordered in 1973, during the Arab-Israeli War.

The English language version includes a scene where Lt. Cmdr. Hunter (Denzel Washington) breaks up a fight between two sailors. One of the two men tells Hunter that they were arguing over which version of the character Silver Surfer was best, the one drawn by Jack Kirby or the one by Moebius. In the Italian version the comic book character over which the two men are fighting have been changed to Betty Boop and Felix the Cat.

Edited into Time Under Fire (1997)