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Usos SeaviewSeaview, 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 future year 1980. 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). 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. 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 than any military submarine has achieved and survived (except perhaps USS Chopper (SS-342)). Seaview carried a smaller submarine named Flying Fish (though always called just "the flying sub" within the show) in a hangar in her keel. It was deployed by flooding its hangar bay so it could dive through bomb-bay like doors. As it neared the ocean's surface, Flying Fish’s engines could generate enough thrust for the vehicle to take off and fly. 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.
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