USOS Seaview

Seaview Stats

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Seaview, a fictitious privately-owned nuclear submarine, was the setting for the 1961 movie and 1964-to-1968 ABC television series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. In the context of the series, she was one of two experimental submarines designed by retired Admiral Harriman Nelson (Richard Basehart), Director of the Nelson Institute of Marine Research, a top-secret government complex located in Santa Barbara, California, in the then-future years between 1973 and 1981. At times, she is refered to as "SSRN" or "SSNR" Seaview, neither of which identifiers is ever explained. (In the United States Navy, "SSRN" would indicate a nuclear-powered radar picket submarine, but while Seaview was nuclear, no indication was ever given that she was equiped for radar picket missions.) The prefix "USOS," also never unexplained, is spoken in a news report during the first minutes of the 1961 movie.

Related Topics:
Submarine - 1961 - 1964 - 1968 - ABC - Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea - Richard Basehart - Santa Barbara, California - 1973 - 1981 - United States Navy

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Seaview’s commanding officer was Commander Lee Crane (David Hedison) and her executive officer was Lieutenant Commander Chip Morton (Robert Dowdell); her crew included Chief Curley Jones (Henry Kulky) and Chief Sharkey (Terry Becker).

Related Topics:
David Hedison - Robert Dowdell - Henry Kulky - Terry Becker

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Seaview’s hull was designed to withstand a depth of 3600 feet (1 km), and in one episode survived a depth excursion approaching 5000 feet (1.5 km). The glass-nosed bow of Seaview was not rounded like a traditional submarine but was faired into a pair of wing-like, stationary bow planes (in addition to her more conventional sail planes). In emergencies, a pair of sliding metal collision doors shut across the face of the bow's observation deck to protect the glass surface. Theodore Sturgeon, the author of the novelization of the movie, explained the incredible strength of the boat's enormous windows by revealing that they were formed from "herculite".

Related Topics:
Theodore Sturgeon - Author - Novel

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Seaview’s interior was considerably more spacious and comfortable than any military submarine, even the 18,000-ton Ohio-class "Trident" submarines, including among other facilities a "shark pool" that could hold large marine animals. Her volume did not hinder her maneuverability; Seaview routinely broached in a manner referred to as "emergency surfacing" by military submariners, and at a more nearly vertical angle — as high as 60° — than any military submarine has achieved and survived (except perhaps USS Chopper (SS-342)).

Related Topics:
''Ohio''-class "Trident" submarines - USS ''Chopper'' (SS-342)

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Image:SeaviewSurface1.jpg|Seaview routinely attained 60° up-bubbles when surfacing.

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Image:SeaviewSurface2.jpg|Her up-bubble decreased to 45° by the time half her length was above the water.

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Starting in the show's second season, Seaview was revealed to have a hanger bay for a minisub called "The Flying Sub" or "FS-1," implying that there were several more back at the base. (Promotional materials published between the first and second seasons refered to it as the Flying Fish, but the name was evidently dropped prior to the start of filming and was never used in the show.) It was deployed by flooding its hangar bay so it could dive through bomb-bay like doors. As it neared the ocean's surface, its engines could generate enough thrust for the vehicle to take off and fly at supersonic speeds.

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Three models of Seaview — four, eight, and 18 feet (1.2, 2.4 and 5.5 m) long — were built for the show. The eight foot (2.4 m) model housed a one foot (305 mm) flying sub, while a more detailed two foot (610 mm) Flying Fish was held within the larger Seaview. All three models were built for a total price of US$200,000 by L. B. "Bill" Abbott, who won two Emmy Awards for special effects in the series.

Related Topics:
L. B. "Bill" Abbott - Emmy Award

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