More likely the producers. I think they used what was most readily available and the director was stuck with it. If you look at the production crew, nearly every name is Italian, and there's a listing for a "European" casting director. It was probably a lot cheaper to take the actors to Italy than to make use of an American museum boat, which would have meant paying American production crew prices. And, of course, unlike all the museum boats, that Type VII Mostow had built for U-571 could move under its own power so they didn't need to pay a tow boat.

For some more authentic stuff, I released the USS COD war patrol reports in book form back in May, and USS TANG last month. Currently working on TRIGGER, with BARB to follow. Another novel is also slowly germinating.

J.T. McDaniel