Danger at Ocean Deep

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“Danger at Ocean Deep”
Thunderbirds episode
Episode no. Season 1
Episode 19
Written by Donald Robertson
Directed by Desmond Saunders
Original airdate 3 February 1966
Episode chronology
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List of Thunderbirds episodes

"Danger at Ocean Deep" is the 19th episode of the first series of the Supermarionation television series Thunderbirds. It was the 22nd episode to be produced. Its original air date on ATV Midlands in the United Kingdom was 3 February 1966. It was written by Donald Robertson and directed by Desmond Saunders.

Contents

[edit] Synopsis

After a new supertanker named Ocean Pioneer full of a highly combustible fuel, explodes in mysterious circumstances, International Rescue discover that a chemical dumped in the Mediterranean Sea, OD60, was responsible, and is lying right on the path of its successor, Ocean Pioneer II. Can Thunderbirds 1 and 2 get to the crew in time, especially when blighted by a radio blackout?

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The maiden voyage of supertanker Ocean Pioneer, carrying thousands of gallons of a new highly combustible fuel (Liquid Alsterene), runs into trouble when it hits an unexpected fog bank. The atomic motors begins to overcompensate, and attempts by the crew to trim it manually come to nothing, as the tanker suddenly explodes without warning and is completely destroyed, with the loss of all on board.

Some time later, Lady Penelope is Guest of Honour at the very public launch of Ocean Pioneer II, giving her the opportunity to check the ship for faults, but all appears normal. The tanker is launched, although when she returns to Fab 1, Penelope discovers the reason why the champagne didn't pop very loudly when the bottle broke on the hull – Parker had switched it for pure tonic water, and drunk the bubbly!

International Rescue receive a distress call from the hospital on Oahu island, Hawaii, after a typhoon hits the island, and Scott is dispatched in Thunderbird 1 to assess the situation. He reports in to request Thunderbird 2 with double crew and Pod 3, but his report is cut short by unexpected interference. Puzzled at the communication problems, he sends Virgil and Gordon out to the scene (Alan is waiting to relieve John in Thunderbird 5, and must stay behind). When Virgil reports in, the interference has worsened and all Thunderbirds are now out of contact with base. He sends Alan up to the space station six hours early, accompanied by Brains in Thunderbird 3, to get a clean recording of the intereference pattern from outside the Earth's atmosphere.

When the boys return (covered in dirt from head to foot after the hospital isolation ward had collapsed!), they reveal that they were able to communicate with each other over short distances, despite the blackout, while Brains' experiments with the recording do not bode well for Ocean Pioneer II. It seems that when liquid alsterene comes into close proximity with a chemical called OD60, formed from sea fungi in the Gulf of Mexico, high impedance waves are emitted (as well as a thick mist), blocking the bandwidth normally used by IR. Even closer proximity results in a massive explosion. When Lady Penelope visits the offices of All Pets Dog Food, whose product uses OD60, she discovers that to save on transport costs they have dumped 20,000 tonnes of OD60 in the Mediterranean Sea – right in the path of Ocean Pioneer II on its maiden voyage.

A futile attempt to warn the crew of Ocean Pioneer II of the dangers they face fails, so Jeff sends Scott, Virgil and John out to rescue the crew. Since the tanker has an atomic engine, Scott and John don anti-radiation suits, while Virgil keeps Thunderbird 2 on hover, ready for a fast evacuation. By now, the tanker has hit the customary fog bank (generated by the reaction between alsterene and OD60), and the motors swtiched off to prevent a nuclear explosion. Since the radiation shield was down when the motors went off, the air conditioning is no longer working, and when Scott and John arrive they have to cut their way in, where they find the crew have collapsed due to oxygen starvation. They are able to rouse the crew in time to lead them to safety in Thunderbird 2, but during Thunderbird 1's take off, the explosion begins.

With the tanker destroyed, the radio interference is cleared, but Scott doesn't repsond to Virgil's call, and the fog has yet to clear, obscuring the view. He must have made it, mustn't he? Fortunately, he replies a few moments later, and Thunderbirds 1 and 2 return to base.

Afterwards, John (who has only been on a dozen or so rescues) argues with Scott (who has been on every single rescue up to that point) about whether it would have been better to tow the tanker away from the danger zone, although Scott insists there wasn't sufficient time. Jeff settles his sons' 'discussion' by saying that the objective of IR will always be to save lives, rather than property.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Regular Voice Cast

[edit] Guest Voice Cast

[edit] Main Equipment

The vehicles and equipment featured in this episode are:

  • Thunderbird 1
  • Thunderbird 2 (Carrying pod 3)
  • Thunderbird 3
  • Thunderbird 5
  • Fab 1

[edit] Goofs

[edit] Notes

  • This is the only episode in which John Tracy is seen actually participating in a rescue mission, and there is a conversation between him, Scott and Jeff at the end of the episode discussing this fact.

[edit] External links

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