The cargo ship depicted in the film is the S.S. Florentine. It was originally built as a Liberty Ship in 1943 and was transferred to a Norwegian cargo line in 1947. It capsized and sank in the Philippine Sea during a storm on 2/20/51.
The Coast Guard ship in the film, CG-83327, was built by Wheeler Shipbuilding of Brooklyn, NY, in 1942. It served as a safety/rescue ship during the Normandy invasion in WWII. It was sold in 1963 and became the yacht "Huntress", before being scrapped in 1972. The other Coast Guard ship, CG-83320, had a similar history but was disposed of by scuttling in 1962.
Film debut of Patricia Hawkins.