Hi Steve,
Yes, it's a shame Hollywood directors, particularly in recent years, don't seem to get that real world events like the sinking of the Titanic or the capture of the enigma machine in U571 or what happened at Pearl Harbor were dramatic enough without lame embellishment. If anything these movies do a disservice to history and the people who were involved in these important events in their attempt to "broaden the audience for the product".
I have indeed read Walter Lord's great book, and hope to pick up the sequel volume "The night lives on" at some point.
As for James Cameron he should stick to what he's good at... directing and leave writing to real writers.