QWhy didn't they stop for the man who fell overboard?
ASeveral reasons: (1) They were in a convoy going 10-12 knots. It would be absurd for a convoy, with anywhere from 10-50 ships, surrounded by 3-8 destroyers to stop in mid-ocean and mill around trying to find one man. Not only was a convoy required to stay on schedule; but stopping would put the whole convoy at risk for air and submarine attack. (2) Accordingly, standard naval procedure was for a transport that man lost a man overboard to hoist a flag (or send message via other means) indicating man overboard. The last ships in the convoy and the trailing destroyers would then try to locate him and pick him up. In fact, usually one merchant ship or destroyer at the tail end of the convoy was given the task of trying to pick up any man overboard. (3) In real life, both Navy and Marine NCOs and Officers would have ordered the men not to hang off the rigging and put any violators on report. (4) The chances of surviving after falling off a ship in convoy were small despite the best of efforts. The ocean is big and one man insignificant. Pilots who ditched next to destroyers or carriers were often never found, despite men seeing them get out of their planes OK. According to the book "The Rising Sun: The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire, 1936-1945" by John Toland, the man was in fact picked up by a following support ship.
QHow much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
AFor detailed information about the amounts and types of (a) sex and nudity, (b) violence and gore, (c) profanity, (d) alcohol, drugs, and smoking, and (e) frightening and intense scenes in this movie, consult the IMDb Parents Guide for this movie. The Parents Guide for Flags of Our Fathers can be found here.
QIs 'Flags of Our Fathers' based on a book?
AIt is based on the book Flags of Our Fathers (2000) by American authors James Bradley and Ron Powers. It tells the story of the raising of the American flag on the Japanese island of Iwo Jima during World War II.
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