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Ice Station Zebra (1968)
Separation at 04:29:45 Zulu.
It's down. 04:31:15 Zulu. Twenty-one west, 85 north. McClusky's Bar. Hold on. Thank you. Hello. Yes, it is. Right. Be right over. - Evening, Alfred. - Good evening, sir. - Evening. - Evening, sir. Come in. - Hello, sir. - Well... ...hello, Jim. - Here. Sit down. - Thank you, sir. - Pour you a drink? - Yes, thank you. I'm a bourbon man myself, but when in Scotland... - Mists of the Scottish moors. - Mm-hm. Does it for me. - Cheers. - Cheers. Jim... Just how much do you know about Ice Station Zebra? Just what's been in the papers. Drift Ice Station Zebra. British civilian weather station up at the North Pole. - They're in some sort of trouble up there. - Trouble, yes. They've been sending distress signals, but too weak and garbled to make sense. There's something that's gone wrong up there, that's for sure. Some kind of fire or explosion... Several men killed, the rest of them dying from burns and exposure. - It's pretty rugged. - Yes, sir. And they can't be reached. Not by rescue planes. The entire polar cap is completely socked in with an ice storm. Might not clear up for days, weeks. No chance for the survivors, I suppose. There's a chance. See, you're going up there to get them out. Those orders will come through normal channels. - Yes, sir. - There's more to it. That's why I'm here. Those men up there must be pretty important. They're not the reason you're going. They're just the excuse. - Well, then, what is the reason, sir? - Well, I can't tell you that. But I can tell you this: It is important, Ferraday. Vitally. Well, sir... ...if I'm going up there, I don't know why... - Your passenger knows. - Passenger? That's another reason why I'm up here. To give you his orders in person. Those won't be coming through normal channels. - That's his name? - Mm-hm. There's another name in there that'll impress you more. Second page at the bottom. All right, sir. I'm impressed. Not enlightened... ...but impressed. My car's in the alley. I'll just be a minute. We won't send you up there completely in the dark, Jim. I don't know the whole picture. But I can give you a few details. Not many. You'll have to try and get the rest from your passenger. Yes, sir. By the way, sir, when do I meet him? I mean, where is he now? Bridge, control. Main propulsion tested satisfactorily. Bridge, aye. Bridge, control, from the navigator. Recommend course 210 after clearing. GEORGE 210 after clearing, aye. Bridge, control. All alarms test satisfactorily. Bridge, aye. Regard all alarms. - Have them send the inner harbor chart. - Aye, aye, sir. Control, send up the chart for Holy Loch. Harbor chart coming up, sir. - What's the tide situation? - Flooding. Slack ebb begins 2325. - Lieutenant Walker? - Yes, sir. I'm Hansen, Operations. Put your men down at forward hatch. - Everybody up forward. - Aye, aye, sir. All right, grab your gear and follow me, men. They're young. They all are. Rescue mission, seems a little odd to send Marines. Here's our passenger. Maneuvering watch is set, captain. We're ready to get underway. Okay, George. What's the weather forecast off western Scotland? More of the same, captain. Intermittent showers, state-three sea. Winds, westerly, 8 to 10 knots. - Very well. - Captain. - This is Mr. Jones. - Welcome aboard, Mr. Jones. - Thank you. I'll try not to be underfoot. - We appreciate that. We're overcrowded. Tell George to single up. We'll be getting underway in a moment. - Ed, we'll skip the trim dive. - Sir. - This way. - Refreshingly informal, your Navy. On submarines, anyway, living as close as we do. We operate on a first-name basis. My first name is Captain. Be it ever so functional. - I'm putting you here with Mr. Hansen. - Your operations officer? I'll drop in from time to time to make sure you're... Here, captain? Comfortable. Here. Keep this with you. This is a nuclear submarine, as you know. We'll check you from time to time for radiation. That's very kind of you. You know, Mr. Jones... ...it isn't every day that somebody as important as Admiral Garvey... ...flies from London to Holy Loch... ...to personally hand me a copy of somebody's orders. What are you up to? Isn't it there? It does say: "Mr. Jones is to be taken into your fullest confidence... ...and will be extended every facility and all aid..." That puts a great deal of responsibility on me. It's a stunning character reference too, don't you think? And it is signed by the chief of naval operations. You must be delighted to know what a trustworthy fellow I am. But there's not a word here, Mr. Jones, about... ...why, or your part of the mission. - Question of explaining me to your men? - No. - But there has been some speculation. - I see. That door soundproof? More or less. Yes. And... ...is it true, captain, that aboard United States naval vessels... ...no whiskey is ever served? I'm to extend to you every facility... ...short of endangering the submarine or the lives of the crew. That could include a pint of medicinal whiskey. If you happen to be seasick. I am. Habitually. All right. Now... about your mission. I wouldn't insult you by swearing you to secrecy. I think the most expedient thing, since you have your orders, is to obey them. Short of endangering my ship or my crew? May I ask, captain, when we'll reach the ice barrier? Yes, you may ask. Bridge, control. Diving officer reports ship rigged for dive and checked. Captain has the word, control. Sounding, 68 fathoms. 68 fathoms, aye. - Go ahead and dive. - Aye, aye, sir. Dive. - Hatch shut. - Periscope depth, Ed. Periscope depth, aye. - All ahead two-thirds. - All ahead two-thirds, aye. - Answering ahead two-thirds. - Very well. - Bow planes rigged out, sir. - Very well. - Give me 15 degrees down. - Fifteen degrees down arm. - Blow negative to the mark. - Blow negative, aye. Maneuvering, control. Injection temperature. Injection temperature, aye. Bring her down 10 percent. Control, maneuvering. Injection temperature, 47 degrees. - All ahead one-third. - All ahead one-third. Answering ahead one-third. - Zero bubble. - Zero bubble, aye. Sounding, 74 fathoms. - Pump from auxiliary to sea. - Pump from auxiliary to sea. Pumping from auxiliary. Coming on the track now. Watch it. Watch it. At periscope depth, captain. Very well. Thank you. We have an escort, Mr. Jones. A Russian trawler? The innocent and inevitable Russian trawler. Just happens to be in our neighborhood. Packed to the gills with radar, sonar and radio equipment. Control, sonar. Target bearing 195... ...medium screws, no turn count. No other targets. Very well, sonar. Try to get a turn count on him. Turn count, aye. You get a good diving fix? Right, sir. We're putting it through the inertial system now. - Final trim at one-third speed, captain. - Very well, Ed. What's our target doing, radar? Mark. Bearing, 195. Range, 3000. Looks like we have the beginning of a temperature gradient at 50 feet. Take her to 300 feet, Ed. Hold your speed as is. - No point in giving him a demonstration. - Three hundred feet, aye. Make it 300 feet. Give me 20 degrees down. Three hundred feet, 20 degrees down, aye. Sir, this message just came in. Thank you. Attention, all hands. This is the captain. A Norwegian freighter... ...has just picked up another distress signal from Ice Station Zebra. Quote: "For God's sake, hurry." Unquote. The rest of the transmission is garbled. So somebody's still alive up there. The last estimated position of the British camp was 85 north, 21 west. But we can't pin it down. Their position drifts with the ice pack. The United States and Soviet Russia are making a joint effort... ...to reach the survivors. An ice storm has ruled out any chance of air rescue by either side. So we're going in under the ice pack. One more thing. We have with us a British civilian. I'm authorized to tell you his name is Jones. There are classified aspects to his mission... ...which means it's none of our business... ...so let's leave him alone. I'll keep you informed. Pump 1000 from number one auxiliary to sea. One thousand from number one auxiliary to sea. - Pumping from auxiliary. - Very well. - Ready to relieve you. - No machinery down, unexecuted orders. - I relieve you. - I've been relieved by Ed. Very well, George. How does it look, Court? From this diving point, captain, I would say our best bet... ...for a quick course would be 287 until we clear the Hebrides. Then directly to Spitsbergen for a final departure fix. Transit time checks with our initial estimates. - Come around to 287, Ed. - 287, aye. - Come right to 287. - Right to 287, aye. What's the time for arrival at the ice barrier, Court? - 1530 Thursday, sir. - Thank you. - Move it up to flank. - Flank, aye, sir. - All ahead flank, Kentner. - All ahead flank, aye. Answering. All ahead flank. Come on. - Captain, the scam is this guy's a... - A what? Spy? Just don't get too buddy-buddy with him. No, sir. - Simms. - Evening, captain. - Hall. Ray. - Here. - Kelly. Morrison. - Yeah. - Martin. - Yo. - Miller. Moore. - Yo. Smith. - Attention! - Carry on. - Evening. - Good evening, sir. Lieutenant Walker, I'm Commander Ferraday. Welcome aboard. - Thank you, sir. - These quarters are cramped... ...but it's only for a couple of days. - We're comfortable, sir. Good. Anything I can do for you, lieutenant? I think the men were wondering, sir, if they could smoke down here. Of course they can, except when the smoking lamp is out. You'll find chow onboard the Tigerfish pretty good. That'll make up for this. - Any other questions? - Well... Are the torpedoes armed? Sure they are. - Nuclear warheads? - No. Torpex. I'd say each of them has no more destructive power than... ...400 pounds of TNT. Nothing. Yes, sir. - This is a nuclear submarine. - That's right. None of us have been aboard a sub before. Rest easy. I have. Urgent, Zabrinczski. Right to the captain. Yes, sir. Captain, sir. Message. Mr. Jones. You're in my bunk. Mr. Jones... I'm terribly sorry. - Found him in my bunk, captain. - Yes. Woke me out of a rotten sleep. Asinine reflex. Idiotic. It won't happen again. Endless apologies. - Do you always sleep with that thing? - Childish habit. It's your bunk? Sorry. Considering your reflexes, maybe we better take that. No, captain. I have to be tucked up with it. Security blanket, that kind of thing. Good. This'll loosen the old fiddle strings. Will you join me? No, thank you. Recognize these coordinates? Yes, sir. Tell Court to lay out a track. Aye, aye, sir. Some startling new development, captain? We've been ordered to a surface rendezvous, 59 north, 4 west. That's just off the Orkney Islands. It's with whom or what we don't know. And you think that I do. Scout's honor, I haven't the foggiest... ...although I assume it's more about my end of the business than yours. Happy days. Mr. Jones, I deal with secret orders... ...classified information, almost every day. - I can't say I've ever learned to like it... - And I am very glad that you don't. Leave that sort of thing to the people who are trained for it. Right, captain? I still feel all kinds of a fool about that set-to with Hansen. It's what he called me, you know. Out of a sound sleep. - What did he call you? - Jones. Bad name. Bad connotations. I once killed a man called Jones. Not for that reason, of course. - That's not your name. - Isn't that obvious? Actually, it's a code cover name. Brilliant deception, don't you think? Practically a revelation, coming from you. Captain. You've already guessed that I'm some sort of sneaky bastard... ...involved in some sort of low skullduggery. - Right? - Right. But there's no reason for a straightforward... ...up-and-up, out-in-the-open fellow like yourself... ...being involved more than he must. I promise you this. You'll know all you need to know... ...as, and if... ...the need arises. Now, shall we keep our mysterious rendezvous? Why not. Coming up to periscope depth now, captain. Very well. Shift to red. Raise the radar. Nearest bearing, 087. Range, 9000. Contact, 195. Range, 12,000. Cruise now, sir. Possible aircraft still approaching. Contact, 237... ...12,500. All clear inside of 5000 yards. No IFF. Stern room, aye. Sonar? All compartments ready to surface. Very well. Shut the vents. - Vents shut. - All vents shut, captain. - Okay, Jon. Bring her on up. - Aye, sir. Surface. Bridge, radio. We are in contact with Bravo 43. He confirms identification. Bridge, aye, radio. We have him in sight. - Secure the deck. Go ahead and dive. - Aye, sir. Forward head secure, control. Very well, forward room. Hatch shut. - Take her down, Jon. - Aye, aye, sir. Dive. Switch to white. - Secure the radar. - Secure radar, aye. - David. - Boris. David, David, David, David, David. Good to see you. Now, now, comrade. I'd like to introduce you to a good friend and associate. Boris Vorisovich Vaslov. Damnedest anti-Russian Russian you ever met. - Good morning, captain. - Morning. Best-stocked man in captivity. Helped set up Zebra. Drop him off within 100 miles and he'll walk to the spot. We'll try to get you closer than that. Chief of naval operations. - You and Jones have the same friends. - And the same enemies. - Welcome aboard, Mr. Vaslov. - Good to be aboard, captain. Jones, why don't you take Mr. Vaslov to the wardroom. Cup of coffee? I would love a good cup of your American coffee. You old abominable snowman... ...I thought you were at the South Pole. - I was, 48 hours ago. - I'm Commander Ferraday. - Captain Anders. - Good to have you aboard. - Thank you, sir. Especially since it meant so much to someone to get you onboard. - Yes, sir. - Captain. Patterson, show Captain Anders to my quarters. I'll join you in a moment. - Thank you, sir. - Excuse me. Right this way, sir. Right in here, sir. Thank you, sir. Then from McMurdo Sound to Christchurch, New Zealand... ...and all by Navy plane. You've been hopping around like a little kangaroo. Who is he? - You do not know about him? - Was he checked? Of course. By the officials at the air base. - Why, he's a captain in the U.S. Marines. - And we always accept the obvious? You have a distrustful character. I have no character. I assume one. Perhaps so did he. You think he was put here to spy on us? It's a definite possibility. By which side? It's down. - What? - It's down. Yes. Yes, I know. And no word from Halliwell. Not one word from Halliwell? - No. - What about Goodwin? We don't know. This Captain Ferraday... ...how much does he know? He knows enough to get us where we want to go. So you can continue to be your same big, beguiling... ...sweet, candid, talkative self and... And tell him nothing. I know. I know. What happened up there? What went wrong? Yes. - Where'd they pick you up? - In transit, sir. That's happened to me. - Sit down. - No, thank you, sir. - I see you'll be taking command. - As soon as possible. These men onboard are the best the Corps could deliver... ...in the short time before you sailed. They're highly trained in arctic maneuvers but untested in actual combat. So even after you sailed, the search went on for a properly qualified officer. From your record, they were lucky to find you. In transit, you said. Flew me straight into the chopper base and put me onboard with that Russian. Well, I understand he's on our side. Wardroom. - Yes, sir. - Davis, ask Lieutenant Walker... ...to come into my stateroom, please. - Yes, sir. - Captain. - Lieutenant Walker, Captain Anders. He'll be taking some of the load off your shoulders. Welcome aboard. We were all wondering... Lieutenant. - Sir. - You will notify the men... ...that there will be a showdown inspection at 0700. - Yes, sir. - And, lieutenant... ...it will be a bitch. - Yes, sir. - That's all. Yes, sir. You think I was too abrupt with him. I made a point of it. See, I've saved a lot of lives... ...teaching men to jump when I speak. - All right. The young lieutenant's a familiar type. Popular with the men. As for me, I measure an officer's weakness... ...by every man that likes him personally. I see. Well, I... I intended to put you in with Lieutenant Walker. You can see, sir, that wouldn't be in line with my methods. No. All right. I'll put you in with... ...Mr. Vaslov. Thank you, sir. May I? - Sure. Go ahead, look around. - Thank you. Wardroom, this is Lieutenant Mingus. Is the captain there? - Captain. - Mr. Vaslov. It's fascinating. All this power. - I thought you might be lost. - Me? Never. I am out exploring. That is my passion. Also, I am a man who loves to walk. As a matter of fact... ...I must walk in order to prevent the effect of... ...what is that word? - You know, the... - Claustrophobia. Claustrophobia. Yes, yes. A complaint I cannot share with you or your men. But a lot of us like to walk. We can share that much. Next time, you might ask one of us along. Of course. I am sorry, captain... ...if I have committed some transgression. I do hope you do not object to my interest in your boat. No. Ask any question you like. Well, naturally there is one that I must ask. Since your power source is nuclear... You mean, where is it? Exactly. - Martin. - Captain. This is our reactor officer, Lieutenant Mitgang. Mr. Vaslov. - Lieutenant. - How do you do, Mr. Vaslov? You're standing on it. Martin. It... It seems almost... ...benevolent. In that state, yes. Confined, controlled, shielded. But it is nuclear fission. And it hates being confined... ...even more than you do. At least it does not have to share its confinement. - I am sorry. I was thinking about... - Captain Anders. Yes. But no complaints. And no reflection on his undoubted capabilities... ...but... To me, he is not a... Not a very nice man. Chemistry, I suppose. Never my best subject. - Good morning. - Morning, sir. I'm Jones. Captain Anders? Lieutenant Walker? - Sir. - How do you do? Good morning. I understand you haven't been on the ice before, lieutenant. - No, sir. - Where were you stationed, captain... ...before you were picked up in transit? Asia. Then you haven't been on the ice either. No, sir. A bullet goes just as fast up here as it does down there. Not quite. An insignificant difference, perhaps... ...but I think you'll find the operational characteristics of the M-16... ...indicate that a bullet will decelerate as much as... ...40 feet per second per second faster in these climatic conditions. It's denser air, you know. Radio, bridge. Any contact with Zebra? Yes. We're receiving them faintly. They're sending their call signal D-S-Y over and over again. Can you contact them? No, sir. They don't answer us. The signal is fading now, sir. Bridge, navigator. We got a good fix on them, captain. Bearing 328. Dive, Bob. One hundred fathoms. Ninety-five fathoms, 90 fathoms. Kohler is calling the depths to the bottom. This is our pet, the ice machine. Bounces an echo back from the ice above us. This line means there's open water now. The stylus will tell how thick the ice is. First drift block, sir. - Iceberg. - Second drift block. There is a deep-water entrance to the barrier, but I'll try to squeeze past here. The water is shallow and it's gonna be a tight squeeze, but it will save time. - Sonar. - All clear ahead, sir. Sonar tells us what's ahead and what's behind us. - Drift block. - Sixty-five fathoms. - Another drift block. - Seventy fathoms. Attention, all hands. Captain. We're going under the ice now. - Sixty. - Here it comes. Ten feet. - Ten feet. - Five fathoms. - Twenty feet. Deep ridge. - Camera. TV. Closed-circuit. Deep pressure ridge, 60 feet. Sixty-five. Fifty fathoms, 45 fathoms. Forty fathoms. Thirty-five fathoms. Ten feet. Twenty feet. Pressure ridge. Pressure ridge again. Thirty feet. - Sounding, 30 fathoms. - Thick ice. Thick ice. Bottom is shoaling, captain, 25 fathoms. Thick ice. Regular overhead. No ridges. Constant depth. Still coming up, sir. Sounding 20 fathoms. Pressure ridge ahead. Depth unknown. - All ahead, one-third. - Thick ice. - What's the heavy side of that ridge? - Heavy on the port side. - Right full rudder. - Sounding, 16 fathoms. - Sonar, are we clear? - Ice close to port portside. Rudder amidships. - Rudder amidships. - Eighteen feet. Thick ice. Rudder is amidships. Shoaling rapidly. Sounding seven fathoms. Shifting to feet on my scale. - What's our depth? - One hundred feet. - Costigan? - Thick ice. - How thick? - Twelve feet, sir. Take her up to 70 feet. I think we have room. Seventy feet. Aye, sir. Control, very heavy ridge ahead. No depth in my scope. Range inside of 300 yards. Appears to extend clear across the bow. - All stop. - Answering all stop. Sonar, disregard search and stay on that ridge. Keep your reports coming. Sonar, aye. Sounding, 30 feet. Still coming up. Sonar, I told you to keep sending reports. Yes, sir. Same ridge. It is all across my forward scope area. Inside of my range. Seems heavier on the starboard bow. Ridge ahead blocks me to 315. Port beam possibly clear. Starboard ahead one-third. Port back one-third. - Port ahead one-third. - Port answering ahead one-third. Fifteen feet. Holding steady, captain. Twenty feet. Thirty. Control, sonar. Clearing ahead. Shifting to fathoms. Ten fathoms. Twenty. Thirty-five. Take her down to 100 feet, Ed. - All ahead, standard. - All ahead, standard. Go. Twelve seconds. That's no better than boot camp. Now let's try it with your eyes shut. Sir? Moore, you're in the field. It's pitch-dark. Your weapon jams. You have to disassemble it. - What are you gonna do? Strike a match? - Sorry, sir. Mr. Jones. What? - Captain's compliments, sir. We're there. - Where? Zebra. Under the ice. Their last estimated position. When we get going, Mr. Jones, we don't futz around. Thank you. Thick ice. Twelve feet. Thick ice. Ten feet. Mark. Shelving. Thin ice. Switch on hull and sail floodlights. Control, sonar. All clear forward. Ice to starboard is inside of my range mark. Very well, sonar. Keep your reports coming. Keep reporting. Sonar, aye. - Let's have the camera. - Aye, sir. Trace merging. Thin ice. Mark. Thick ice. Fifteen feet. Possible pressure ridge. Control, sonar. Heavy close-range clutter on my scope. Appears to be clear ahead. Mark. Thin ice. Three feet. Mark. Three feet. Mark, ridge, 18 feet. Thinning. Mark, thin. Four feet. Three feet. Trace merging. Three feet. - Speed? - Three feet. One knot, captain. - All stop. - Answering all stop. Rudder is amidships. - Still thin. - All ahead one-third. - All ahead one-third. - Belay that. All stop. Thin ice. - Three feet. - Speed, zero. We're centered up now. At 100 feet, sir. Stop trim. Ed, bring her on up. Talk to me, Costigan. Thin ice. Thin ice. Why are we holding our breath? There's still 100 feet to go. Forty, measured from the bottom of the keel. Forty feet minus the thickness of the ice, whatever that is. Coming up fast, captain. Eighty. Seventy-five. Stand by negative. Chart for 80 to 90 feet, captain. Heavy ice. Heavy ice. Ninety feet. One-ten. Blow negative to the mark. All ahead two-thirds. - Negative blowing. - All ahead two-thirds. One-ninety. Two hundred. Two-twenty. Two-forty. At 260 feet, captain, and holding. Current where it shouldn't have been. Temperature inversion where it shouldn't be. Pressure ridge out of nowhere. This is the captain. Sorry about that. Report all damage. Control, maneuvering. No apparent damage. Very well. Stern room. Stern room secure, sir. One of the washing machines is throwing a fit. - Very well. - What now? What do you mean, "what now"? We try it again. - We're centered up again. - She's holding at 100 feet. See if you can hang there for a minute. I think she's drifting right direction. - Thin ice. - Sonar? Still have contact to starboard. Clear ahead. Thin ice. Thin ice. Take her up, Ed. Like she was made of glass. All right. Costigan. Pump from number one auxiliary to sea. Pumping from number one to sea. Here we go again. She's coming up, sir. Ninety. Eighty-five. Secure pumping. Flood 1000. Pumping secured. Flood 1000. Contact close starboard. Very close. Hold it! Hold it! Contacts, dead astern. - Sonar? - Still contact to starboard, clear ahead. Man, if we're holed aft... - Rawlins, give her a shot of air. - Shot of air, aye. Give her another shot. Tell me, captain... ...if you had to compose your own epitaph, what would it be? Knock it off. Why, that's good. That's very good. It's too thick. We're wasting our time. Take her down, Ed. Jon, what's the tube status? One and two are dry. We've got exercise heads in three and four. Very well. Have George make ready number one. We'll see how Torpex and ice mix. Aye, aye, sir. - We'll crack it with a torpedo, Mr. Jones. - Can that be done? - Don't know. - It's never been tried before? Nope. We'll explode it electronically 1000 yards from the ship. We'll be bows on to the detonation. We'll survive. If we don't? The Electric Boat Division is going to get a very nasty letter. Eyes shut. Go. - Are we there? - We hope so. We're gonna load a torpedo up and punch a hole through the ice. I've never seen that. Do you mind? - Come on along. - Come on, let's try it again. - Excuse me. - Try it again. - It'll be number one. - Aye, sir. Control, forward room. We're opening up number one tube. Control, aye. Forward room, the captain has the word. All right. Eyes shut. Go. Excuse me. Board checks. - How about that marriage application? - Yeah, how about that? - Interlock check. - Check. - Did you give it to the XO for me? - Yep. Did the XO give it to the old man? Outer doors shut. Check. Well? Well, I don't know about him, but I'm picking myself up from the deck. George Mills, ship's tomcat. Ready-made family, built-in responsibilities. - Georgie, are you ready for that? - Lay off. Just... - Hey, we got a trickle here. - Check the drain. The XO didn't give it to the old man. Drain open. Drain open. George. - You know he did, in a state of shock. - And? The old man okayed it, in the same condition. - He did? - Yeah. - Hey, that's great. - The tube, George. The tube. I guess he figured I'd end up with one of those seagulls he saw me with at... Boy, this is tight. Anyway, for the first time, I know what I want, right? And I know... Move it to the aft. Move it. Move it. Close the outer door valve. Control, number one tube open to sea. - Shut the vents. Blow main ballast. Emergency. Full rise. Collision quarters. Collision quarters. Flooding in the forward torpedo room. Close that bulkhead door! - Circuits intact? - Forward room isolated. Three machines on the line. Pump from auxiliaries, never mind the red line. Transfer floodwater aft. - I can't hold it, sir. - No control on the planes. We're going down and fast. Forward room, control. Control. Forward room, control. - Anything? - No, sir, the line's dead. Get out! - Maneuvering, give me more power. - We're backing with all we've got. We're close to shutdown on the reactor. - Overload. - Aye, sir. Put it in the red. Put air pressure in the auxiliaries. - How much pressure left in the air tanks? - Down to 800 pounds, sir. - Secure aft to group blow. - Secure aft to group. She's closing, sir. She's closing. Check the vents for suction. Secure that bulkhead door. Secure it! Move it, Marine. Get on the other side. Pull! Forward room. Outer door closed. Bulkhead secure. Room 910 flooded... ...bleeding air. - I've got you, forward room. All right, hang in there. You all right? Control, maneuvering. Have shutdown temperature in turbine one. - I can't hold it much longer. - You've got to! Aye, sir. - You're the most benevolent of beings... Do you mind, son? We're trying to think. - We're losing number one turbine. - Maintain revolutions. Aye, sir. We'll meltdown anyway in a couple of minutes. What's the difference? The hull's gonna crack any second. She's slowing. She is slowing. - She's slowing. - She's slowing fast. - She is slowing. - She's slowing. She's stopping. It's impossible. Twelve hundred and thirty feet. Must be taking 40 tons of pressure per square foot. Ten feet up. Secure the blow. Secure the blow, aye. And rising. - Pumping. - Secure pumping, aye. Still rising. She's coming up. All back two-thirds. Answering, all back two-thirds. One hundred feet up. All back one-third. Answering, all back one-third. And rising. Thank God. Yes, thank God, Vetterson. And I'll thank the Electric Boat Division. That covers us either way. Attention, this is the captain. We're on our way up. Everything is under control. - Take the con, Bob. - Aye, sir. - Let's get these men out of here. - Come on, men. Move it. You're a good man, sir. He's dead, sir. Murdered. - Think it could be an accident? - Couldn't and it wasn't. One thing that cannot happen on a sub by accident... ...is both ends of a torpedo tube open to the sea at the same time. You must connect the hydraulic manifold... ...to the outside door mechanism... ...so that the indicator reads "shut" when the door is actually open. The same sort of electrical cross on these two panels... ...and the open position reads green when it should flash red. You plug up the inlet to the test cup with gum, sealing wax, anything... ...just so that it shows a dribble, and then you open the tube... ...and good night. Vaslov. Lieutenant Hansen is still in there. Get these men to sickbay. It wasn't sealing wax. It wasn't chewing gum. It was epoxy glue. And suddenly, you know a whole lot about submarines. I know how to wreck them. And I know how to lie, steal, kidnap, counterfeit, suborn and kill. That's my job. I do it with great pride. And Vaslov, is that your job too? - Yes, captain. - What's your theory? That there is a man aboard this ship who committed sabotage. You mean, go down with it? Of course. And as willing to die for what he believes in as you are. Or I am. And what do you believe in, Mr. Vaslov? That should be obvious, captain. I was born a Russian... ...but I chose my side out of conviction... ...not by accident of birth. And since I got him through the Berlin Wall in 1961... ...his convictions have been proven by British Intelligence, your CIA and by me. Somebody doesn't want us to get to Ice Station Zebra. - Why? - The job could have been done... ...before you sailed. A civilian dock guard... Those men have top security clearances. People with top security clearances are being hung every day. But if you must have a suspect aboard the ship... ...I give you Captain Anders. - Is that an accusation? - A nomination. Why? He's the only one that none of us know. He's too perfect. Picked up in transit, dropped out of the skies... I don't believe it. Boris, did anyone at the helicopter base know or recognize Captain Anders? - No, but he had orders. - He had Captain Anders' orders... ...but is he Captain Anders, or is Captain Anders lying dead somewhere? - I've done the same to the other side. - You go along with this? Please. I do not like Captain Anders, so I disqualify myself. Captain, when you surface, you can radio to check on his authenticity. Very well. I'll check on Captain Anders... ...and Mr. Vaslov and you. - I've already vouched for Mr. Vaslov. - As for me, you can eliminate me. - Why? You must, by a logical absurdity. Have you forgotten? I'm in charge of this operation. Never entered my mind. Then you'd better look again at your orders. I haven't labored the point so far because you've done all that's been required. But the primary objective of this mission is to get me to Ice Station Zebra. Those orders come from chief of naval operations, to him from the president. So before we go any further, I suggest that you get me there. Put another torpedo up the spout, blow a hole in the ice and get me there! One of my men is dead. Three badly hurt, and my ship nearly wiped out. Now, you take another look at those orders. I'm in command of this submarine... ...and I'm not sticking another torpedo up that spout... ...or taking another chance or making another move until I know exactly... ...what we're doing and why. Captain, control. We've hit a lead. We're under thin ice. Well, that does make the problem academic, doesn't it, captain? Thin ice. Thin ice. Three feet. Two feet. Three feet. Thin ice. Three feet. Two feet. Three feet. Thin ice. - Thin ice. - Take her up. Three feet. Three feet. Two feet. Bridge, radio. We have contact with Zebra. Captain has the word. We have their bearings. - Did they see our rocket? - No acknowledgment, sir. Are you in two-way contact? No, sir. We can't get them to acknowledge our signal. Can you read him? Fragments, sir, but he makes no sense. Everything's completely garbled. He's dying, sir. I mean, his signal's dying. Gone now. Nothing. - Did you get a fix, Tom? - Yes, sir. Two-way fix... ...with the bearing we got before we went under the ice. - That's just under three miles. - Vaslov, three miles. In this storm? - We can make it. - How many men should we take? Compass is useless up here. We'll need DF radio for direction. We need a doctor. That's Vaslov, you, me, Zabrinczski with backpack, walkie-talkie and DF. Dr. Benning. Wassmeyer, with all the medical equipment he can carry. Mr. Hansen, gather all that arctic gear we put onboard... ...rations, lights, heaters, all of it, and pick one more man. - Aye, sir. - And the Marines. Yes. Captain, get your men ready. Yes, sir. If he's what he's supposed to be, he goes. - If not, I'd be a fool to keep him onboard. - Splendid. As you reminded me, Mr. Jones, my orders are get you to Zebra. We move out in 10 minutes. Ten degrees left. Go 10 degrees left, Zabrinczski. Ten degrees left. Acknowledge. He rogered, sir. Bridge, radio. We're in contact with Zebra party. It acknowledged course correction. Bridge, aye, radio. Help! I'm caught. Radio, bridge. Any contact with Zebra? No contact, sir. No contact. Zebra, this is Viking calling. Do you read me? Answer. Come in, Zeb. Answer on voice. Can you get them? Can you get Zebra? No contact, sir. - Prepare to dive. - Prepare to dive, aye. Zebra, this is Viking calling. Come in, Zeb. Acknowledge. Acknowledge. Do you read me, Zeb? - All the vents under diving alarm. - Aye, sir. Hatch shut. - Straight below. - Take her down. - Open forward group. - Open forward group, aye. Dive. - Break out the bow planes. - Break out the bow planes, aye. All ahead one-third. Answering all ahead one-third. Give me three degrees down, Kentner. Three degrees down. Can you smell it? Burnt rubber. Post your men, captain. Move. Kilyar! Kilyar! Kilyar! Here, my friend. Whiskey. Here. Viking, this is Zebra. Come in. Viking, come in. This is Zebra. Viking, can you read me? Viking, this is Zebra. Come in. You took so long getting here. - What happened? - Explosion. Yes. Halliwell. Halliwell. - You took your time getting here. - Where is he? Halliwell. Viking. Come in, Viking. This is Zebra. - It's our hut. - Yes. Your hut. There's 17 of you. Where are they? Where are the others? Dr. Goodwin. Do you know Dr. Goodwin? He saved our lives. Viking, come in. This is Zebra. Over. Viking, come in. This is Zebra. Over. Halliwell. Christopher Halliwell. - Burning. - Where is he? - Burning. - Where? - Flames. - Dr. Goodwin. Where is he? Viking. Come in. This is Zebra. - Where? - Flames. Dr. Goodwin. Dr... This is Zebra, Viking. Do you read me? ...Goodwin. - Covered in flames. McBane. McBane, old friend. - Boris. - Yes. Yes, I'm here. Tell me, how did the fire start? Asleep. You were asleep. Where is Halliwell? Tell me, where is Halliwell? Where is Halliwell? - Halliwell... - Yes. - He was burned. - Burned. But where is he? We're the only ones left. Yes, but where is Halliwell? Dr. Goodwin tried to help him. Dr. Goodwin? Where is Goodwin? The fire. Where were you when it started? The fire. Where were you? - Keep trying, Zabrinczski. - Aye, sir. David... Didn't work. Viking. Come in, Viking. This is Zebra. Viking, this is Zebra. Come in. Viking, this is Zebra. Come in, Viking. Dr. Goodwin. Halliwell, Denison, Hughes, they are all there. Did you search them? They do not have it. Shot before they were burned. Exactly. And Goodwin shot them. Obvious. I would say that the... ...good doctor... ...was after something before he died. Zabrinczski, there's an ice drill in that building over there, the orange one. - See that flat spot 1000 feet out? - Yes, sir. - Punch a hole in it. - Yes, sir. Meteorological balloon. Helium... ...to inflate it and... ...line, to run it up for collection. Was Goodwin your man? It's not here. No, he was theirs. Our man was... ...Halliwell. That's him. See if you can find it, Boris. Now let's see if we can catch ourselves a submarine. Control, sonar. I have the transponder. Bearing 345, relative. We have the word, sonar. - Put that line in. - Aye, sir. - Come right 10 degrees. - Right 10, aye. What size is the film? Four-and-a-half-inch reel... ...16 millimeter... ...in an insulated aluminum capsule. And all of a sudden, you know a whole damn lot about my business. We don't believe in going on a mission totally blindfolded, Mr. Jones. The film came out of a camera... ...mounted in a Russian satellite. - Did it belong to Russia? That's a delicate point. It was our camera. We developed it. It's not bad engineering. Took three years to develop, round-the-clock work. Can't be duplicated for two years. Certain processes in grinding lenses. It's an incredible piece of machinery. It's got a focal length of... It can photograph a packet of cigarettes from 300 miles up in space... ...on a tiny negative capable of infinite enlargement. You see, your American lads, you came up with a new film emulsion... ...very hush-hush, but 100 times more sensitive... ...than anything previously available. And the negative is miraculously developed within the satellite itself. You put our film in your camera and you had a hell of a box Brownie. No, the Russians had. We lent it to you fellows, and you lost it. - Lost it? - Hijacked in broad daylight. Dismantled, smuggled into Havana... ...and then the... ...the Russians put our camera, made by our German scientists... ...and your film, made by your German scientists... ...into their satellite, made by their German scientists. Thus, up it went, round and round, whizzing over the U.S. Seven times a day. - Photographing missile bases. - Within 48 hours, they had pictures... ...of every missile base in North America. Every time our camera took a picture, another one took a fix on the stars. They could just check their coordinates to aim missiles at all our launching pads. If they had the film. The irony is that it's still here... ...at Zebra. Somewhere. - And this is not the way to find it. - How did it get here? - The Russians ran into a little trouble. - That's encouraging. Initially academic, or so it seemed. The satellite was orbiting over North America, western Russia and Siberia... ...but that darling little camera went right on... ...taking pictures when it wasn't supposed to. - Beautiful pictures. - Of Russian installations. Which makes that piece of film the most dangerous... ...and desirable... ...bit of information in the world. And then they ran into real trouble. See, here they are, orbiting like this... ...when they fired the retros for a comedown in Siberia... ...one of the rockets misfired. Instead of slowing the satellite... ...they just swung it into a new orbit from pole to pole. That's embarrassing for the Russians. Nine-tenths of it... ...was over water and our free world. None was over the Soviet Union or any sphere of Communist influence. That's when the lights began to burn in the Kremlin. Although the orbit had been radically changed, the satellite was not aborted. They still had sufficient control to bring it down in a reentry. But where? A pickup in the ocean would involve a whole naval operation. We'd know. And a land expedition would be even worse. They should have asked us. They were hoping we didn't know it existed. We calculated they had 13 days in which to determine the point of reentry. Beyond that, the satellite would slow down, reenter of its own accord... ...and burn up in the atmosphere. - Consider their dilemma. - The Arctic or the Antarctic. The Antarctic is busy. There are scientific expeditions there... ...from the U.S., Great Britain, Netherlands, Chile... ...France, Australia, New Zealand... - Russia. And Russia. We sent Vaslov down there to sniff about, just in case... - And we turned our attention to... - Zebra. At the North Pole. The innocent civilian weather station. Isolated from the world... ...studying the weather and the movement of the ice pack. Perfect cover for the Russians. Ten days ago... ...a Dr. R.A. Goodwin appeared and applied for permission... ...to do some research here. A university professor of impeccable qualifications... ...he was immediately accepted and flown up the next day. - You knew he was their agent? - Ever since he became impeccable. Now, we knew exactly where they would drop the satellite. Then three of your men of impeccable qualifications came up the next day. No. Same day, same flight. - Goodwin didn't suspect? - What difference does it make? If he sent for reinforcements, we'd send them too. He'd escalate, we'd escalate, and soon somebody pushes a button. We have a very strict code of ethics in our game, captain. We usually know what cards the other man holds... ...but we always keep our aces up both sleeves. The Russians positioned their satellite for reentry. At 4:23 in the morning, three days ago. And an Arctic storm appeared and obliterated the whole scene. There you have it. Silence. No communication for six hours, then garbled calls for help. Fire, disaster, death. Calls to both sides. Here we are. Then when the storm clears and the wind dies... ...that's when the first Russian planes will arrive. Planes are standing by on both sides. The storm is clearing from the west. - Siberia. - Exactly. Then Halliwell got to the film first and Goodwin shot him. If he was first. If Goodwin was first, then Halliwell was killed trying to get it. In any event, there was a shooting match out in the snow... ...and Goodwin came out of it alive. - Wounded, but alive. - But he got caught in the fire too. I believe he started the fire to obliterate the evidence. Burn down the whole camp. Live on the supplies he'd stacked away. Yes, he got caught. When the storm cleared, he'd run the film up on that balloon... ...and a Russian plane would pick it up. And we'd live under the threat of what was on that film for the rest of our lives. Whoever went out there in that storm must have had some electronic device. A homer, to lead him to the capsule. He couldn't have seen it. Very good, captain. And dead right. Both men had such a device. Well, then, if we find the homer... ...we've found the capsule. Very good, captain, and dead wrong. I brought one with me. Same as Halliwell's. Unfortunately, it doesn't work. The frequency's been changed. Or the film isn't here. It's here, all right. Pity you mislaid your submarine. We could have used your men. I want 100 men out here. Stretchers, stretcher-bearers, lights and cables. - Aye, sir. - Bridge, radar. - Unidentified aircraft on our scope. - Bridge, aye. Captain, radar has reported unidentified aircraft. What direction? What speed? Radar, give me a fix on that aircraft. From the west, bearing 278. Speed, 620 knots. Estimated time of arrival, 17 minutes. - Well? - Nothing. Nothing. Radar reports aircraft now at 117 miles. Approaching at 620 knots. Estimated time of arrival, nine minutes. What about my air support request? Negative. Our planes can't move. They're completely weathered in. How's it coming, Martin? Can you find the frequency to locate the capsule or can't you? Well, sir, in zones of visible aurora, you get transmissions in the sporadic E layer. - Like a cloud stratum. - Just tell me when it works. Yes, sir. Zebra party, radar reports second flight of aircraft. Target Bravo. Same speed, same bearing. Estimated one minute behind first flight. Aircraft now at 21 miles. Estimated time of arrival, two minutes. Aircraft now at 11 miles. Estimated time of arrival, one minute. Zebra party, radar has picked up subsonic aircraft. Target Charlie. Same bearing. Speed, 365 knots. ETA, four minutes. That'll be the paratroopers. Don't move, captain. Put the gun down. Carefully. Put the gun down, captain. Do not reach for the trigger... ...or you'll never touch it. And don't shout. You will never hear it. Now step forward, carefully. Put your hands on the railing in front of you. Both hands. Now, keeping both hands on the railing, come down the stairs. One step at a time. And I was just beginning to think it was him. He always thought it was you. You see, had I been born in England, and he in Russia... ...he would be standing here and I would be lying there. Yet one takes no pleasure... ...in mutilating one's... ...identical twin. But you expect me to do it for you? No. I expect you to pick up that crowbar... ...and kill me. Yes. You are in excellent shape. Three or four good blows should do it. A broken rib, an arm... You want them to think that I? Go to hell. I undoubtedly will, captain, but not before you. Now, pick up the crowbar. If I don't... ...the worst that can happen is that you kill me... ...and you're gonna do that anyway. So you go ahead and pull that trigger. You're not going to use me as an excuse. They say a bull in the ring... ...dies a much better death... ...than a steer in a slaughterhouse. A bull has a chance. Do you want to be killed for a bull, captain... ...or a steer? Now, pick up the crowbar. At least it is a weapon... ...and who knows? If you strike very quickly... ...you might even take me by surprise. Pick it up. Pick it up! Now hit me. Hit me! Dr. Benning! Jones. Jones shot him. I found him here. As I was bending over, the captain, Anders... ...attacked me with the crowbar, and Jones... Jones shot him. He's dead, sir. Captain. Captain. Captain? The pistol. He found Goodwin's pistol. This couldn't be that important. Captain, look. You found it. You found it! Find the capsule, Vaslov. Walker, you and your men go with him. Yes, sir. You see that light? It is booby-trapped. Webson, Costigan, Parker, Nichols, stay here. Kohler. All ship's company, back to the ship, on the double! All right, move it. Move it. - You know what to do, Bob. - Aye, sir. I'm putting the crew back onboard. You handle the ship if you have to go under. Now, if anything blows, submerge and get out. Without waiting to get the rest of you aboard? Without waiting for anything. Chip it out. - There's two acetylene torches inside. - Get them and get Lt. Mitgang. Yes, sir. Captain, we see paratroopers moving towards you. We can't estimate the number, but it's a large force. Now, Martin, Zabrinczski, I want your technical opinion... ...the best you can come up with. Obviously, the device attached to the capsule is explosive. What I must know is, will it explode if we pick it up? Sir. Get it out of there. Commander Ferraday? I'm Commander Ferraday. I'm Colonel Ostrovsky, sir. I congratulate you and your crew on the success of your rescue mission. The world will rejoice to hear of it. I'm here with my men on another mission... ...not so praiseworthy, perhaps, but equally peaceful. We have come to recover a certain capsule... ...which was taken from an element of a certain satellite... ...which was placed into orbit... ...by the Union of the Soviet Socialistic Republics. As you know, this capsule is the property of my government... ...and we only wish to obtain that which belongs to us... ...under international law. Therefore, sir... ...I know you and your men will withdraw... ...and permit us to take possession of what is rightfully ours. We will do so directly, sir, but first, under international law... ...we will remove the film which was taken from the United States... ...which was in a camera belonging to the United Kingdom of Great Britain. When that is done, then, sir, you may have your capsule. Commander Ferraday... ...this is not the time or place to play with words. You have undoubtedly discovered by now... ...that the capsule will explode if opened. I believe your expression is "booby trap." Can you open it, Mr. Vaslov? - I have been briefed. I can try. - Do it. The instrument you see is an electronic detonator. It is tuned to an exploding device... ...which is incorporated within the capsule. The safety is off. The detonator is armed. It can now be detonated from where I stand... ...by a very slight pressure of my thumb. I trust your intelligence, sir... ...not to move the capsule. But if you should attempt to do so... ...even if you should manage to place it within your submarine... Well, I leave it to you, sir... ...to decide whether or not your hull could survive the explosion. Sir... ...you and your men will stand away and release the capsule. Sir, those of us who are unarmed will withdraw. The rest of us, sir, will not. Now I must tell you how wrong you are. You are faced and flanked by over 100 of my men... ...most of them in excellent positions of concealment... ...and have automatic weapons trained upon you... ...and your vastly inferior force. I must also tell you, sir... ...although I'm under strict orders to avoid violence if possible... ...my personal nature is a violent one. I'm experiencing grave difficulties as it is... ...in restraining myself from pressing this button... ...giving my men the command to open fire. Commander... ...I will give you exactly two minutes... ...to stand away and release the capsule... ...beginning... ...now. In the container... ...comrade. Reassemble the capsule, Mr. Vaslov. Put the container down, Mr. Vaslov, and stand up. Colonel Ostrovsky... ...I have two civilians here. I request permission for them to leave the field. Permission granted. Away from the submarine. Enough! Commander, time is up. Either you give me the capsule... ...or I order my men to advance to take the capsule... ...and to open fire... ...if one man in your command should fire one shot. Colonel Ostrovsky. The responsibility for what will happen now... ...is yours and yours alone. Take the capsule. My compliments, commander, on your decision. Hold your fire! Hold your fire! Give him the film, Mr. Jones. Give him the film. Young man, put your gun down. If you use it now, you will be shot down... ...and there is no need for that. We have what we came for. The incident is closed. It will be closed, sir, when we have the film. Stand back. You will be dead before I am. Either way, you know I'll pull the trigger... ...and hold it. Lieutenant Walker! Commander Ferraday... ...you may send your medical man to attend to your lieutenant. Benning. And you, colonel, can pick up your man. Commander Ferraday, the capsule has been destroyed. Our mission is therefore accomplished. At least in part. Your mission is also accomplished to the same degree. It is unfortunate that the officer was shot... ...apparently by accident. Yes. Further conflict between us would be pointless. I've given the command to my fighter planes to return to base. My men and myself will be picked up within the hour. Then we'll be on our way. You're a long way from home. We both are, commander. Until you meet again. Yes. Until we meet again. |
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