Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
The new, state-of-the-art nuclear submarine Seaview is on diving trials in the Arctic Ocean. The Seaview is designed and built by scientist and engineering genius Admiral Harriman Nelson (USN-Ret) (Wa…
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
The new, state-of-the-art nuclear submarine Seaview is on diving trials in the Arctic Ocean. The Seaview is designed and built by scientist and engineering genius Admiral Harriman Nelson (USN-Ret) (Walter Pidgeon). The Seaview has a glass nose, which is also a first for a submarine of its class. Captain Lee Crane (Robert Sterling) is the Seaview's Commanding Officer. One of the on-board observers is Dr. Susan Hiller (Joan Fontaine), studying crew-related stress under prolonged periods of deployment and separation from their families. The submarine boasts of the world's only under sea aquarium and hosts live sharks in its vast water tanks. Nelson gives a full tour of the submarine to Hiller, Congressman Llewellyn Parker (Howard McNear) and Vice-Admiral B.J. Crawford (John Litel). This includes showing them the nuclear reactor, the aquarium, the radio shack, the command and control center, and the missile and the escape room. Each of the visitors is issued a radiation dose badge by Dr Jamieson (Regis Toomey). Lieutenant (JG) Cathy Connors (Barbara Eden) is Nelson's secretary and the only female crew member on board the submarine. The mission includes being out of radio contact for 96 hours while under the Arctic ice cap, but the ice begins to crack and melt, with boulder-size pieces crashing into the ocean around the submarine. Surfacing, Admiral Nelson and Captain Crane discover fire burning in the sky. After the rescue of a delta flow scientist, Miguel Alvarez (Michael Ansara), the submarine receives radio contact from Mission Director Inspector Bergan at the Bureau of Marine Exploration. He advises that a meteor shower pierced the Van Allen radiation belt causing it to catch fire, resulting in a world-threatening increase in heat all across the Earth. Nelson's on-board friend and scientist, retired Commodore Lucius Emery (Peter Lorre) concurs that it is possible. Bergan informs Nelson that the President wants him at a UN Emergency Scientific Meeting as soon as possible. Nelson and Commodore Emery calculate a plan to end the catastrophe. The USOS Seaview arrives in New York Harbor in two days. At the meeting Nelson informs the UN that according to their calculations, if the heat increase is not stopped, it will become irreversible, and Earth has "a life expectancy of about three weeks." The Admiral and the Commodore have come up with a plan to extinguish the Skyfire. He proposes firing a nuclear missile at the burning belt from the best calculated location, the Marianas. Nelson posits that when fired at the right place and time, 1600 hours on August 29, the nuclear explosion should overwhelm and extinguish the flames, away into space, essentially "amputating" the belt from the Earth. The Seaview has the capability to fire the missile. But the Admiral's plan is rejected by the chief scientist and head delegate, Emilio Zucco (Henry Daniell) of Vienna. His reasons are that he knows the composition of gases in the belt, and he believes the Skyfire will burn itself out at 173 degrees. Zucco's plan is to let the Skyfire do just that and he feels Admiral's plan is too risky. Nelson claims that Zucco's burn-out point, however, is beyond that date and time if the current rise rate is maintained. But at Zucco's urging, Nelson and Emery are shouted down and the plan is rejected. Despite the rejection, the Admiral and the Commodore quickly leave the proceedings, advising that his only authorization will be from the President himself. It is a race against the clock as the Seaview speeds to reach the proper firing position, above the trench in the Marianas in the Pacific. During this time Nelson and Crane agree on tapping the Rio-to-London telephone cable to try to eventually reach the President. However, an unsuccessful attempt on the Admiral's life makes it clear that there is a saboteur on board. But the confusion over who the saboteur might be revolves around rescued scientist Miguel Alvarez, who has become a religious zealot regarding the catastrophe, and Dr. Hiller, who secretly admires Dr Zucco's plan. Seaview's main generator is then sabotaged by a crew member who lost his mind, forcing Nelson to order Crane to proceed while repairs are made despite the risk of traveling without power for the sonar and radar. As a result, the submarine narrowly escapes a minefield left over from World War II. The crew are near mutiny, to the point that when the Seaview encounters a motor ship whose crew is dead, Captain Crane and the Admiral allow any men who wish to leave rather than continue the mission to sail the derelict home. And Crane himself begins to doubt the Admiral's tactics and reasoning. During the telephone cable attempt, Crane and Alvarez battle a giant squid. Although the London cable connection is made, Nelson is told there's been no contact with the States for 35 hours. Also, a hostile submarine follows the Seaview deep into the Mariana Trench but implodes before it can destroy the Seaview. The saboteur is revealed to be Dr. Hiller. Captain Crane happens by as she exits the ship's "Off Limits" Nuclear Reactor core, looking rather ill. She has been exposed to a fatal dose of radiation: her detector badge is deep red. When asked why, she says to prevent the sub from reaching its target. Walking over the shark-tank catwalk, she falls in during a struggle with the captain and is killed by a shark. The Admiral learns that temperatures are rising faster than expected. He realizes that Zucco's belief that the Skyfire will burn itself out is in error. Seaview reaches the Mariana Islands in time to carry out the Admiral's plan. He learns that temperatures are rising faster than projected, proving Zucco's theory is incorrect. Alvarez, believing it is God's will for the Earth to be destroyed, attempts to sabotage the mission by threatening to explode a bomb. The nuclear missile is launched toward the belt by Captain Crane, who does it from outside the sub before Alvarez is aware. It explodes in the Van Allen Belt as intended, driving the burning flames away from Earth and saving humanity. As the sky returns to its normal color, Seaview turns home, her mission completed.
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
Action,Adventure,Drama
Film Details
The new, state-of-the-art nuclear submarine Seaview is on diving trials in the Arctic Ocean. The Seaview is designed and built by scientist and engineering genius Admiral Harriman Nelson (USN-Ret) (Walter Pidgeon). The Seaview has a glass nose, which is also a first for a submarine of its class.
Captain Lee Crane (Robert Sterling) is the Seaview's Commanding Officer. One of the on-board observers is Dr. Susan Hiller (Joan Fontaine), studying crew-related stress under prolonged periods of deployment and separation from their families.
The submarine boasts of the world's only under sea aquarium and hosts live sharks in its vast water tanks. Nelson gives a full tour of the submarine to Hiller, Congressman Llewellyn Parker (Howard McNear) and Vice-Admiral B.J. Crawford (John Litel).
This includes showing them the nuclear reactor, the aquarium, the radio shack, the command and control center, and the missile and the escape room. Each of the visitors is issued a radiation dose badge by Dr Jamieson (Regis Toomey). Lieutenant (JG) Cathy Connors (Barbara Eden) is Nelson's secretary and the only female crew member on board the submarine.
The mission includes being out of radio contact for 96 hours while under the Arctic ice cap, but the ice begins to crack and melt, with boulder-size pieces crashing into the ocean around the submarine. Surfacing, Admiral Nelson and Captain Crane discover fire burning in the sky. After the rescue of a delta flow scientist, Miguel Alvarez (Michael Ansara), the submarine receives radio contact from Mission Director Inspector Bergan at the Bureau of Marine Exploration.
He advises that a meteor shower pierced the Van Allen radiation belt causing it to catch fire, resulting in a world-threatening increase in heat all across the Earth. Nelson's on-board friend and scientist, retired Commodore Lucius Emery (Peter Lorre) concurs that it is possible. Bergan informs Nelson that the President wants him at a UN Emergency Scientific Meeting as soon as possible.
Nelson and Commodore Emery calculate a plan to end the catastrophe. The USOS Seaview arrives in New York Harbor in two days. At the meeting Nelson informs the UN that according to their calculations, if the heat increase is not stopped, it will become irreversible, and Earth has "a life expectancy of about three weeks." The Admiral and the Commodore have come up with a plan to extinguish the Skyfire.
He proposes firing a nuclear missile at the burning belt from the best calculated location, the Marianas. Nelson posits that when fired at the right place and time, 1600 hours on August 29, the nuclear explosion should overwhelm and extinguish the flames, away into space, essentially "amputating" the belt from the Earth. The Seaview has the capability to fire the missile.
But the Admiral's plan is rejected by the chief scientist and head delegate, Emilio Zucco (Henry Daniell) of Vienna. His reasons are that he knows the composition of gases in the belt, and he believes the Skyfire will burn itself out at 173 degrees. Zucco's plan is to let the Skyfire do just that and he feels Admiral's plan is too risky.
Nelson claims that Zucco's burn-out point, however, is beyond that date and time if the current rise rate is maintained. But at Zucco's urging, Nelson and Emery are shouted down and the plan is rejected. Despite the rejection, the Admiral and the Commodore quickly leave the proceedings, advising that his only authorization will be from the President himself.
It is a race against the clock as the Seaview speeds to reach the proper firing position, above the trench in the Marianas in the Pacific. During this time Nelson and Crane agree on tapping the Rio-to-London telephone cable to try to eventually reach the President. However, an unsuccessful attempt on the Admiral's life makes it clear that there is a saboteur on board.
But the confusion over who the saboteur might be revolves around rescued scientist Miguel Alvarez, who has become a religious zealot regarding the catastrophe, and Dr. Hiller, who secretly admires Dr Zucco's plan. Seaview's main generator is then sabotaged by a crew member who lost his mind, forcing Nelson to order Crane to proceed while repairs are made despite the risk of traveling without power for the sonar and radar.
As a result, the submarine narrowly escapes a minefield left over from World War II. The crew are near mutiny, to the point that when the Seaview encounters a motor ship whose crew is dead, Captain Crane and the Admiral allow any men who wish to leave rather than continue the mission to sail the derelict home. And Crane himself begins to doubt the Admiral's tactics and reasoning.
During the telephone cable attempt, Crane and Alvarez battle a giant squid. Although the London cable connection is made, Nelson is told there's been no contact with the States for 35 hours. Also, a hostile submarine follows the Seaview deep into the Mariana Trench but implodes before it can destroy the Seaview.
The saboteur is revealed to be Dr. Hiller. Captain Crane happens by as she exits the ship's "Off Limits" Nuclear Reactor core, looking rather ill.
She has been exposed to a fatal dose of radiation: her detector badge is deep red. When asked why, she says to prevent the sub from reaching its target. Walking over the shark-tank catwalk, she falls in during a struggle with the captain and is killed by a shark.
The Admiral learns that temperatures are rising faster than expected. He realizes that Zucco's belief that the Skyfire will burn itself out is in error. Seaview reaches the Mariana Islands in time to carry out the Admiral's plan.
He learns that temperatures are rising faster than projected, proving Zucco's theory is incorrect. Alvarez, believing it is God's will for the Earth to be destroyed, attempts to sabotage the mission by threatening to explode a bomb. The nuclear missile is launched toward the belt by Captain Crane, who does it from outside the sub before Alvarez is aware.
It explodes in the Van Allen Belt as intended, driving the burning flames away from Earth and saving humanity. As the sky returns to its normal color, Seaview turns home, her mission completed..