FWIW back in 1989 I was flying back to Oahu late at night-moon was out you could see the Big Island of Hawaii way off in the distance (and an orange pin prick of light of lava flowing in the water.) Never forget that-and the ocean sparkled to. It was just like your screen captures.
Then somebody was asking me about President Kennedy and the PT 109 and what you see in the movies is true. I said one thing that is dead wrong about that movie is you can see everyone on deck before the collision. Which you have to because its a movie. What you have to imagine is that that was a moonless night and the only light was probably the glow of the cockpit instruments and peoples watch dials and a phosphorescent wake of a ship coming out of nowhere suddenly. I went deep sea fishing off San Diego-at 1:00 60 miles out{no moon-no stars [clouds?} it was like being in an ink well and yes I was worried being run down by a ship since our vessel was 35 ft long.
When the USS CORVINA was sunk by I-I76 it was Gibbous Moon (which is like in your screen capture)-Japanese were decks awash in open ocean (and I think I uncovered why) when they saw CORVINA-but CORVINA evidently never spotted them-or acted like she did'nt.
