They didn't call them pig boats because they carried pigs! I've heard the stench was awful after a time at sea. Running on the surface from time to time just to air the boat out probably became a matter of survival. I'd add the Pacific HBO miniseries to the list. After reading Hornfischer's Neptune's inferno, I'd like to see a movie done about the Savo Island night action August 9, 1942. I'll bet the US Navy wouldn't cooperate! The effort to save the Astoria depicted in the book is heart breaking.