USOS Seaview - Propulsion System and Speed

Propulsion System and Speed

Although never stated, it was implied that Seaview used some kind of aquatic jet engine, which might possibly explain her speed (very fast for a submarine) and her penchant for dramatic emergency surfacing. The episode "A Time to Die" (season 4, episode 11) begins with Seaview being struck by a vibration from an unknown source. Nelson says, "I'd say it was a drive shaft bearing, if we used propellors." However, this contradicts an earlier episode: in "The Creature" (season 1, episode 28) the engine room reports that "drive shafts to the propellers are jammed." In the episode "Hail to the Chief" (season 1, episode 16), Seaview runs submerged at 40 knots from Norfolk, Virginia to the Virgin Islands.

In the episode "The Ghost of Moby Dick," Dr. Walter Bryce (Edward Binns) says, "I thought these nuclear submarines made better speed underwater," and Nelson agrees with him. In the episode "The Return of the Phantom," Lieutenant Commander Morton states that, "Every man who's ever served aboard a nuclear sub knows they make better time when they're submerged."

Whether a submarine is faster submerged or on the surface depends on her hull design, not her power plant. America's early nuclear submarines were slightly faster submerged than on the surface because their hulls were streamlined in accordance with the Greater Underwater Propulsion Power Program (GUPPY). An "Albacore hull", which Seaview did not have, is necessary for submerged speed to be significantly higher than surface speed. USS Triton (SSRN-586), the real-life submarine whose hull Seaview most nearly resembles, was slower when submerged than on the surface.

In Theodore Sturgeon's novelization of the film Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Seaview is faster on the surface than underwater: "...the Captain ...proceeded on the surface, where it was possible to squeeze another fifteen knots out of the big submarine."

In the series, there are many shots of Seaview running on the surface with the bow higher than the stern, and water splashing at the bottom of the bow. But there are also shots of her running on the surface and properly trimmed fore and aft - that is, the bow and stern are level. In these shots, the water flows up and over the bow, similar to a submarine with an Albacore hull (for an example, see the photo in the article USS Skipjack (SSN-585)). Therefore, it is possible that Seaview was faster submerged than on the surface. Such shots can be seen in the opening titles of the first season, and in the episodes "The Ghost of Moby Dick" and "Long Live the King" (season one episode 15). The episode "Hail to the Chief" (season one episode 16) has a shot of Seaview properly trimmed fore and aft, followed immediately by a shot of her with the bow higher than the stern.

Except where noted, the speed data below are from The Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet by Norman Polmar (12th edition, 1981, Naval Institute Press, Annapolis). Streamlined diesel-electric submarines are included for comparison with the nuclear powered ships.

• Tang class: The Tang class of diesel-electric submarines were the first American submarines designed to be faster submerged than on the surface. Surface speed: 15.5 knots; Submerged speed: 18.3 knots
• USS Albacore (AGSS-569) was an unarmed, diesel-electric submarine built to test a highly streamlined hull design. This Albacore hull was so successful that it became the standard hull design for American submarines. Surface speed: 15 knots; Submerged speed: 27.4 knots
• USS Nautilus (SSN-571) was the first nuclear powered submarine, and the first nuclear powered ship of any kind. Surface speed: 18 knots; Submerged speed: over 20 knots (Polmar, page 39).
• USS Skipjack (SSN-585) was the first American nuclear powered submarine with an "Albacore hull". Surface speed: approximately 20 knots; Submerged speed: over 30 knots (Polmar, page 36)
• USS Triton (SSRN-586) was designed and built for high speed surface operations as a radar picket submarine. Surface speed: 27 knots; Submerged speed: over 20 knots (Polmar, page 35)
• Barbel class: USS Barbel (SS-580) and her two sister ships, USS Blueback (SS-581) and USS Bonefish (SS-581), were the last diesel-electric combat submarines built for the U.S. Navy. They were also the only American combat submarines to combine diesel power and an "Albacore hull". Surface speed: 15 knots; Submerged speed: 25 knots (Polmar, page 40).