At the time the film was being planned, it was found that the few surviving 80-foot Elco PT boats were not in operational condition, and though a further search was conducted, it was determined that none could be located for use in the film, as almost all had been destroyed at the end of World War II. Former World War II-era United States Army Air Forces 85-foot crash boats were converted to resemble Elcos. These crash boats were designed by Dair N. Long in 1944, and their use as movie props was ideal because they possessed performance and profiles similar to the Elcos. American AT-6 Texan training planes stood in for Japanese Zeros.