The Atomic Submarine

[Man Narrating]

It cost Commander Robert Reary...

20 years of unremitting

hardship and misery...

to reach the North Role

finally in 1909.

It would have astounded Reary to learn

that by the late 1 950s and early '60s...

the vast, frozen

top of the world he pioneered...

had become a vital highway

for world travel and commerce.

Not just in the skies...

but also deep under the ice...

in the frigid five-million-square-mile

depths of the Arctic Ocean.

Here, great passenger-and cargo-carrying

atomic submarines...

glided by the dozens

back and forth across the Role...

until a series of

mysterious undersea disasters...

threatened to close

the Arctic route forever.

The decisive moment came

May 3 at 13 15 hours...

when the undersea atomic liner,

Sturgeon, largest of them all...

reached 87 degrees, 10 minutes

north latitude...

only a few miles

from the North Role itself.

[Electricity Crackling]

[Narrator]

According to the official reports...

the next phase

of the life-and-death drama...

occurred May 1 0 in Washington...

at a hush-hush supersecret meeting...

of the Arctic theater war room.

Gentlemen, this is the man

we've been waiting for.

The skipper of

the atom killer sub, Tiger Shark.

Commander Dan Wendover.

This is Justin Murdock,

secretary of defense.

- Mr. Murdock.

- Commander.

And I know you've heard a lot

of Dr. Clifford Kent, Dan.

- Doctor.

- Commander.

Dr. Kent had a lot to do

with the development and design of your boat.

Sir Ian Hunt just flew in from London.

The Dr. Hunt, winner of

the Nobel Prize for oceanography?

Oh, let's just say I took the bow

for a team of very brilliant associates.

Uh, sit down.

Gentlemen, to begin,

let me read you just one line...

from a detailed staff study

prepared for theJoint Chiefs.

''In our judgment,

these Arctic disasters...

may prove the gravest emergency

in all history.''

Any comments on that statement?

A bit fanciful, isn't it, sir?

Possibly.

Let me read you, uh,

a partial list of observed phenomena.

''Destruction of four surface vessels.

Largest, 1 0,000 tons.

''Radioactivity in Arctic waters,

flow ice and bergs.

''Reculiar television images

preceding each distress call.

''Seven polar atom subs...

vanished without a trace. ''

''Fanciful,'' did you say, uh, Sir Ian?

[Chuckles]

And now, Dan,

we come to you.

You skipper the Tiger Shark...

the most advanced,

the deadliest killer sub in the fleet.

Right now she's undergoing emergency

around-the-clock modification...

in the Bremerton Navy Yard.

The orders call for special observation

and testing instruments here...

removal of all but two atomic torpedoes...

special launching equipment

for water-to-air ballistic missiles...

and a special escape hatch

in the keel for the Lungfish.

The Lungfish?

Yes. Uh, a deep exploration device,

sort of an animated diving bell.

The mission of the Tiger Shark...

is to hunt down and identify the cause

of these Arctic disasters.

If humanly possible...

you will remove it.

[Man] Not that I don't think

Lieutenant Commander Holloway...

is the finest exec

in the entire sub fleet,Julie...

and not that he isn't

the best friend that I have -

Come on, Dave.

You talk too much.

Now be quiet, little mother.

I - I feel behooved to warn you...

our friend Reef is no less than the number one

howl in the entire sub wolf pack.

Nuclear powered.

And when it comes to women- Well...

he has got a built-in sonar detector that -

Dave, you know you're exaggerating,

old buddy-buddy. You know it. Yes, you are.

You know, on most boats,

a certain loyalty exists...

between the exec

and his navigation and firing officer...

but in the case of Lieutenant David Milburn

of the Tiger Shark and myself-

But su - She's a nice girl.

Uh, I've seen you work.

I think she deserves a fighting chance.

Helen, I appeal to you.

Dave, look at me.

I'm the mother of your three children.

Will you please

take me home to them at once?

There you are.

Just drop in anytime.

Don't bother to call.Just -Just drop in.

That's my way of life.

[Sighs]

Dave is exaggerating, you know.

I mean, a man spends

three months in a deep freeze...

it'll take his whole leave

just to thaw him out.

By that time,

he's ready to report back.

It won't take me long to defrost.

Not around you.

What was I saying

about thawing out icebergs?

Yeah, you, uh -

You never can tell about icebergs.

Only show one-ninth above water.

After that kiss,

I'd say that's about right.

- Do you feel anything?

- Are you kidding?

No, I mean that this is

just the beginning of something.

That we didn't just meet accidentally.

Oh, that's original.

Doesn't the next chorus

go something like...

''Let's not waste

one precious golden moment.

Any second there could be

a knock on the door and -''

Well, I've seen stranger things happen.

It happens all the time to heroes

on television, plays, motion pictures.

The hero gets his leave canceled,

and he's -

And she spends the rest of her life

wishing that she'd -

Oh, honey.

Let's not waste

one precious moment then.

[Knocking On Door]

What's that pounding?

Need I say more?

Mmm.

Reef, look.

- Oh, no.

- What's wrong?

What is it?

Oh, no.

[Dave]

Reef.

- They caught you too, huh?

- At the worst possible moment.

Tomorrow's Janie's birthday.

Poor little kid's been looking forward two

whole months to having her daddy home.

- Now -

- That's the worst possible moment?

What could be worse

than disappointing a little girl?

Disappointing a big girl.

Julie?

[Laughing]

Really tough, old buddy.

[Laughing]

Oh, really tough.

[Laughing]

Skipper, I thought

you were going to Washington.

I did.Just got back. Reef, I want you to meet

a couple of our passengers.

Sir Ian Hunt and Dr. Clifford Kent.

My exec, Commander Richard Holloway.

- Glad to know you, sir.

- How do you do?

- Dr. Kent. Met you before.

- Yes indeed, Commander.

You gentlemen are going with us.

What for?

We'll discuss that later. Roberts.

- Have Chief Griffin report to me

as soon as the crew's aboard.

- Yes, sir.

- Watkins.

- Yes, sir.

- Will you show these gentlemen to their quarters?

- Aye, aye, sir. This way.

Well. Sorry we had to

cut your leave short.

- Yeah.

- Come at the wrong time?

Yeah.

Will do.

- Oh, it's you.

- Yeah.

Griff, what's the scoop? Hauled out in

the middle of the night, all leaves canceled.

We going to war, or what?

Don't you worry, Chester. When the skipper wants

you to know what's going on, he'll tell ya. Okay?

- I don't like it. I mean, this is all mighty funny.

- Ah, isn't it, though?

Suppose you get aboard anyway.

- I don't like it.

- What did you say?

I like it. I like it.

Hey.

Well, skipper, I think I'll stow my gear.

- Well, Reef, I got some bad news for ya.

- Oh, yeah?

- You're gonna have to share quarters this trip.

- Who with?

- Dr. Neilsen.

- Dr. Neilsen? When did that happen?

- Huh?

- Oh, it's all right. We're old friends.

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