True story, Fletcher (Fletch) lost his arm exactly as described on the Dal'nii Vostock, a Russian whaling factory ship.

This appeared in the Russian papers:

It was with particular displeasure and concern that, early on a Saturday morning, June 28, 1975, the Kremlin got news that one of its Pacific fac-tory fleets, the Dal’nii Vostok, had been harassed by Westerners in small inflatable boats— or zodiacs— about fifty miles off the coast of California. The zodiacs had even maneuvered in between the catcher boats and sperm whales, trying to keep the Soviet harpooners from firing. The men in the zodiacs had also been equipped with cameras. (Mentions nothing of us boarding or injuries sustained.)

This Russian whaling ship sank in 2015 with a heavy loss of life. ❤️R.I.P.