MovieChat Forums > Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1964) Discussion > SEAVIEW has the worst security ever

SEAVIEW has the worst security ever

posted 15 years ago by jeffyoung1
14 replies | jump to latest

I know it's only Hollywood science fiction. But doesn't anyone note the horrendous security aboard SEAVIEW? Watch the dvd episodes and every intruder, monster, alien, and unfriendly agent gets onboard easier than on today's passenger airliners.
Also note the computer circuitry room which is constantly being sabotaged by intruders and deranged crewmen who enter and damage the wires and circuitry. Every time something causes damage inside that room you see the SEAVIEW heaving about and sometimes crashing to the sea bottom. That room should be among the most secured next to the control room. Yet after so many sabotage incidents, it's still unlocked!

[–] neil-124 15 years ago

You're right about the circuitry room, they even referred to it as the "very heart of Seaview" a couple of times, but then still let the fill-in-the-blank-monster run right in there and start snatching down wire bundles from that poor old IBM Q-7!

It must have been next door to the armory too, once the sleep-Nazis or whatever they were got done in Circuitry they would walk in and get a load of small arms to do their dirty work.

And it's also amazing what sort of circuits could make a sub roll from side to side that quickly.

It didn't matter, the Admiral and his trusty soldering iron could get things back together before the closing credits.

There's one anomoly I have never figured out (One???!!). There's a later episode where Seaview is trapped on the bottom (I think it's "No Escape from Stock Footage", I mean "Death") and the key to getting the boat off the bottom is some crazy water valve that has to be installed in one of the components in the Circuitry Room (wait, what?). So they make the valve and kind of half way install it and all is well.

Even if you could dismiss the water valve in the sensitive electronics area as a fix, would someone please explain why, when time and air are very short, they took time to paint the thing orange?

Picture that scenario: "The Admiral has to have that valve to save the boat, NOW!"
"Ok ok, let me just lay down another coat of Krylon here"

Still my favorite TV series ever

[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

[–] hitching_post 14 years ago

Of course it was just televison sci-fi of the 1960's. I agree with the security breaches through out the ship during every episode. I mean you even had creatures as well as sabotours or misguided crewman entering and exiting the reactor room for goodness sake...lol. No doubt carrying radio active particals throughout the vessel (under achievers). You would think that commissioning a multi-million dollar submarine and assigning some 125 crew members that at least (2) man security team personnel would be stationed upon either side side of the circuitry room entry way at all times (no exceptions....well until relieved for chow or the latrine. Here's an idea, why not have a rovering security team patrolling throughout the ship 24/7. Ever notice how Admiral Nelson would become irritated when someone would asked him something? "Oh what the devil is it!" LOL. Oh what's the use, one of the crew members would hear a bump down the cooridor or a hatch closing, would go investigate and would awaken after being clubbed over the head only to be discovered by Chief Sharkey...lol. Oh yeah, and just guess what Sharkey would say....."Were at the bottom again!" Or....."What happened to you?" No doubt probably one of the new crewmembers assigned to the Seaview that very morning. Maybe they never briefed the newer guys about security protocol. I mean perhaps they should of placed and emergency button near all the vital areas/components of the submarine to alert personnel. You know a loud piercing high pitched alert (like the alarm fixed to the chateau in "The Dirty Dozen"...you know that blaring sound before Sgt. Bowdren shattered it to pieces with his sub machine gun.) Too funny! Now that would get someone's attention that something was amiss aboard seaview. Who decided upon the crewmen attire anyways? Red or light blue jump suits/utilities with white socks and white canvas sneakers. They even appeared to be high water length. "Hey Ski are you expecting a flood?" "Hey those are fightin' words Mac!" Why not issue Chuck Taylor high tops to each crew member, at least they would have ankle support. OMG what about the old red ball sneakers from the 1960's...remember them? LOL. There were some design flaws associated with the Seaview. How about the relationship between the interior periscope platform as it relates to the exterior sail of the sub. Anyone notice that? How about an episode when they would decide to launch the diving bell and wheel in that large cable spool reel and control panel station that would assist in the suspension of the diving bell. I mean really who in the world would want to go down to the very bottom the sea floor with fear that the crew member above at the controls would experience trouble hoisting it back up into the friendly confines of the Seaview or even worse the cable/air supply line would sever, for you to N E V E R E V E R return to the Seaview. Scary thought there. One of my favorite episodes would have to been "Deadly Creature Below!". Dobbs and Hawkins aboard the flying sub. How many times was that flying sub replaced anyways? A oversized menacing plankton like monster lurking below the depths. The GAF viewmaster reels was based upon this episode. I am sure that you can come up with some other design flaw of your own...just think about it! I would just love how the Seaview would roll about back and forth while sparks would fly around, small fires break out and water valves would burst spray about. Come on leave us some of your thougths!

[–] ddc300 14 years ago

Nice post! For starters, what alot of folks fail to realize is that many episodes do have security details at (1) reactor room (2) circuitry room (3) engine room, and (4) missile room. More often than not, a writer not familiar with the show will have scenes w/o security details. I noticed that many episodes written by William Welch (he almost single handedly wrote the last year of VTTBOTS) had guys stationed at the various 'secure' areas of the ship in his episodes. He was Irwin Allen's staff writer, and as such was more familiar with the series than most other writers. still, having said that, it was up to the story editor(s) to catch the inconsistancies regarding the security details for numerous episodes. I call it sloppiness due to the fact that it was the last year of the series and they figured no one cared or noticed!

[–] hitching_post 14 years ago

I agreed completely. Now if a writer was not familiar with the shows previous plots, cast members or chemistry between those characters, then the writing would fail or fall flat just like you indicated in your very last remark/comment. Hey, you have admit some of these posts are very humorous...lol. Growing up in the 60's was an exciting time for a youngster as it related to television. It ushed in a different style. I mean how many times does Kowalski, Patterson or Riley been knocked unconscience...lol. The orderlies in sick bay must of been beside themselves. And those creatures slated to appear in each episode were terrific. I mean Irwin Allen had to have a great sense of humor in real life.

[–] ddc300 14 years ago

Yeah, having grown up on the Irwin Allen series myself, I've had the luck of having met some of the guys over the years who worked on the series, including Del Monroe, Allan Hunt, and Patrick Culliton (he was an occasional sailor who more often than not was killed off in one episode, only to reappear in another). Del was pretty much retired when I met him in the mid-eighties. I met Allan Hunt around that time too. Hunt is actually a theatre director/producer, and once did a play that starred Del Monroe, Pat Culliton and Walter Koenig. The interesting thing about Walter "Chekov" Koenig is that he was one of the first actors to try out for the role of Stu Riley (then Casey) for the second season of VTTBOTS. Irwin Allen choice Allan Hunt for the role instead. And of course a couple years later Koenig got the part of Chekov on orginal "Star Trek" and the rest as they say is history! But both Hunt and Koenig kept in touch over the years becoming good friends. Pat Culliton is best known as Wiley the FBI agent from "Starman" series.

There are alot of coincidences and similarities between VTTBOTS and original ST series that I am working on writing up as a LONG post for this site....stay tuned....

[–] mlaughlin22 13 years ago

Well for the reactor room and circutry room they need doors
that had a password to get through . Only have Nelson , Crane and
the electrcians access . The reactor room needed shielding and a safe
door .
Nobody should go in their period .

[–] ZoneFighter 13 years ago

I don't think Seaview's security is any worse than the security on any version of the star ship Enterprise.

[–] Altho73 13 years ago

What amazed me about the Seaview was the fact that all over the sub there were heavy metal airtight safety doors which when closed would not only keep out a torrent of sea water but when locked would need dynamite to break them open.

Yet the door to the Circuitry Room was an ordinary door, similar to what you'd see in an office and would take about thirty seconds to break open!!!!!!

[–] pmiano100 13 years ago

What amazed me was how easily the men panicked everytime there was a crisis. They were supposed to be an elite crew. Also, they showed very little discipline.

[–] SipteaHighTea 13 years ago

Star Trek and the Seaview had a similar thing in common in that you can expect a member of both ships to die in most of the episodes.

[–] pmiano100 13 years ago

But almost never anyone important. At least the crew of the Enterprise maintained discipline. The Seaview's crew panicked whenever anything major went wrong. They were a disgrace to the U.S. Navy.

[–] SipteaHighTea 13 years ago

According to the show, the Seaview is a private ship, so they can probably hired civilians to be trained by ex Navy personnel instead of having regular navy personnel man the ship. It a familiar pattern today where you have private contractors training military and/or police personnel instead of the military or police organizations doing their own in-house training.

[–] pmiano100 13 years ago

My understanding was that they were US Navy personnel relieved of active duty to serve the scientific studies of some government-subsidized institute Admiral Nelson was attached too. In matters of national security, they would be reactivated and put back on military duty under USN command. Of course, I concede I could be wrong.