I also clicked on a ship while playing and I didn't get any drm messages, so I guess it worked? (moo1)

Maybe the game's .exe file has been hacked / fixed?

Years ago I remember doing hex edits on games like Silent Service II. After the edit / hack, any ship you picked would be correct. It was a long time ago, but it was "something like" C9 and F4 changed to 90 90. I forget the real edit for SS2.
--