VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA THE PHANTOM STRIKES - by William Welch
Havoc is wrought aboard the Seaview, as it is nearly destroyed by a phantom sub and its ghostly Captain who seeks to reincarnate himself through Crane.
VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA
THE PHANTOM STRIKES - by William Welch
Havoc is wrought aboard the Seaview, as it is nearly destroyed by a phantom sub and its ghostly Captain who seeks to reincarnate himself through Crane.
Returning from routine undersea surveys in the Pacific, the Seaview comes upon a derelict World War I German U-Boat, U-444, wrecked on the ocean floor. U-444 suddenly stirs and begins to rise as the Seaview's reactor pile mysteriously shuts down. Then in a rush of bubbles, the old sub dis- appears, and the Seaview's power returns.
Nelson and Crane are further mystified when they learn that the U-444 wos sunk in 1916 in the North Atlantic, more than 30,000 miles away. After sur- facing, they spot a man clinging to mysterious debris. He is brought aboard and identifies himself - as Gerhardt Krueger, Captain of the S.S. Edelweiss out of Hamburg. After explaining that they'll drop him at Honolulu, Crane decides not to take any chances and assigns Kowalski to guard his cabin During the night, Kowalski spots Krueger lurking at the end of the corridor.
When he challenges him, however, Krueger mysteriously appears at his cabin door behind Kowalski. A report from Hambu confirms that no such ship as the S.S. Edelweiss exists. Further confusion is wrought when Morton reports to Crane that they have somehow been trave11ing in the opposite direction from Honolulu, 300 mires off course. Crane asks Kowalski if he kept a close watch on Krueger but Kowalski fails to admit seeing the appariton. In private, Krueger is about to explain to Nelson the nature of his life- and death mission, when Crane bursts in and has Krueger locked into the brig.
Suddenly, U-444 loor appears from the deep again, but Crane refuses to believe it is a "Flying Dutchman" as Krueger had suggested. Nelson adjourns to his cabin, and suddenly Krueger appears, as from nowhere. The ghost explains that he wants Nelson to kill Crane in order for him to take over his body. Nelson is confused but firmly refuses the request, and Krueger warns that he has only until they cross:the16th parallel, or else the whole ship will be destroyed.
When Crane decides to get Krueger out via the Flying Sub, the Flying Sub is crippled in its hatch by a mysterious explosion. Crane has Krueger put in irons, but again he escapes, as a guard.s shots pass through him as through air. During the search for him, Riley cracks up when Krueger disappears under his gunfire. Kowalski and Crane trap him in Emergency Stores and blast him. The "body" is buried at sea -to the reilef of everyone, except Nelson.
After the burial, Nelson finds out that they are crossing the 16th parallel. Suddenly a gun which Nelson had locked in his safe materializes on his desk, He picks it up and points it at Crane He lowers the gun, however, and orders Crane topside to keep a sharp lookout. The U-444, with Krueger on the bridge appears through the fog on a coil ision course with the Seaview, Spotting the ghost sub with the infra-red searchlight, Crane blasts it from the water just in time with a magnetic homing missile.
As the Seaview dives, Krueger appears in the control room, He laments his being behind the times and waIks off through the observation nose into the dark sea beyond. Crane is totally baffled, and Nelson shows him a radio photo from the German Admiralty of the U-444's Captain -It is Krueger!
Special Guest Star:
Gerhardt Krueger - Alfred Ryder.