User Reviews

"Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" never garnered the critical success of other sci-fi shows like "The Twilight Zone," "The Outer Limits," or even the later classic "Star Trek." This was due in part to network constraints and producer/creator Irwin Allen's cost-consciousness and lack of direction for the show. Thus, the show was thought of, by many, as being a "kid's show," especially due to its airing opposite such fare as "The Wonderful World of Disney" and "Lassie." "Voyage's" first year was undeniably its best, blending Cold War espionage with occasional forays into fantasy/science fiction. "Submarine Sank Here," however, was a tightly-knit tale of crewman under pressure with their lives at stake.

As the story begins, the Seaview comes upon a submerged minefield, exploding several mines, sending the ship to the ocean floor. With dwindling air and the likelihood that rescue may be too late, the crew balances hope with despair, resulting in tense confrontations and emotional outbursts from all. This is one of the few "Voyage" installments wherein every member of the cast gets some important screen time and dialog, from the seldom heard "O'Brien" (Derrick Lewis) to the stalwart "Chip" (Bob Dowdell). Guests include George Lindsey ("Goober" of "The Andy Griffith Show") and Robert Doyle, who had appeared in a couple of earlier installments and would return as another character in the second-season episode "And Five of Us are Left".

Kudos also must be given to writer William Tunberg and superb direction from Leonard Horn. Both should have been at the helm of the show's duration. If they had, the show may have attained a greater place in television history.

Taut, gripping, excruciatingly claustrophobic episode of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea shows that the greatest enemy can be oneself. An officer looks away from the monitor just for maybe two minutes to help break up a fight when the Seaview enters a dangerous minefield, the results being multiple explosions which send the submarine crashing into the ocean floor. With many decks filled with water, oxygen dwindling due to mechanical malfunctions as a result of the rough landing and minefield damage, the crew slowly loses air and must also combat fires that eventually erupt. With certain members of the crew dead due to the disaster, Harker (Eddie Ryder) points the blame towards Blake (Robert Doyle), the one responsible for leaving the monitor and not seeing the minefield as the Seaview was approaching it. Evans (Carl Reindel) is the one who causes the fight, slugging his commanding officer for his lack of remorse for his desire to get off of the Seaview due to his wife suffering complications with her pregnancy. The officer punched suffers a fractured skull, and will need extra reserve oxygen in order to survive, meaning the Seaview crew will have to decide if they are willing to sacrifice some of theirs. Battling the elements, a member of the crew, Collins ( Goober himself, George Lindsey, before his wonderful character would be introduced on the Andy Griffith Show) cannot tolerate the idea of dying on the ocean floor and against his better judgment will try to use an aqualung and exit the Seaview, hoping to swim to the surface. The worry of dying, the lack of air, the hopelessness of feeling trapped, waiting agonizingly for assistance from Chip (Bob Dowling) and O'Brien (Derrick Lewis) who are in New London trying to repair the guidance system of the diving bell (the only one that can submerge to the depths of the Seaview and bring the crew air), and the dissension on the sub, with anger towards Blake especially, Admiral Nelson and Captain Crane (Basehart and Hedison) are once again up against it. Every bit of suspense that can milked from the story is, with Nelson even encountering gushing water from pipes and falling crates knocking him unconscious. While it's obvious that the Seaview crew would survive this crisis, I'm always happily surprised how absorbed I become with these episodes regarding Nelson and company facing seemingly insurmountable odds, wondering just how will they be able to survive/respond when the deck is stacked against them. The title comes from a marker that resembles a buoy that is "shot" from the Seaview to inform seafarers (Coast Guard, ships in the area) of its peril.