Question: Why did Cmdr. Gifford (John Wayne) give Ens.Caldwell a bad look when he said it was the first time he had seen a sub knocked off?
Question: Why do they look into the scope soon as it starts to rise? The view part would still be in the water.
Answer: It was probably a deliberate mistake by the filmmakers to keep the action and plot moving quickly, rather than realistically waiting for the periscope to be fully out of the water.
raywest
Answer: A good submarine skipper ensure he always has a low periscope profile, as it's easily seen when out of the water too much. That's why he looks through the scope even while underwater, so the scope is only just out of the water.
stiiggy