The Thirty-Fathom Grave
| "The Thirty Fathom Grave" | |
|---|---|
| The Twilight Zone episode | |
| Episode no. |
Season 4 Episode 2 |
| Directed by | Perry Lafferty |
| Written by | Rod Serling |
| Featured music | Stock; most cues from "The Invaders" |
| Production code | 4857 |
| Original air date | January 10, 1963 |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
"The Thirty Fathom Grave" is episode 104 of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone. It originally aired on January 10, 1963 on CBS. In this naval-themed episode, the crew of a Navy destroyer hear a mysterious rhythmic noise coming from a sunken submarine.
Opening narration
| “ | Incident one hundred miles off the coast of Guadalcanal. Time: the present. The United States naval destroyer on what has been a most uneventful cruise. In a moment, they're going to send a man down thirty fathoms and check on a noise maker – someone or something tapping on metal. You may or may not read the results in a naval report, because Captain Beecham and his crew have just set a course that will lead this ship and everyone on it into the Twilight Zone. | ” |
Plot
In 1963, a U.S. Navy destroyer is on a routine patrol off Guadalcanal when sonar picks up a sound beneath the waves; the crew say that it sounds like something banging on metal.
They discover a submarine on the ocean floor, but inquiries to naval command reveal no recent sinkings in the area. A joking suggestion from some of the crew that the sub may be haunted sends an anxious and bewildered Chief Bell, who has been feeling unwell for a couple of days, into a frenzy of bizarre behavior, including fainting spells. The commander, Captain Beecham, orders the ship's diver, McClure, to investigate. They find out that it is an American submarine, and the metal sound is coming from inside. When McClure bangs on the submarine hull, the metal banging restarts in seeming response. Chief Bell begins to see apparitions of dead sailors beckoning him. The ship's doctor unsuccessfully tries to convince Bell that he is just having nightmares, and reports to the captain that Bell is experiencing effects of psychological trauma usually caused by wartime experiences. He finds a pile of seaweed in the spot where Bell saw the apparitions.
McClure later discovers the number of the submarine, "714", which Beecham identifies as belonging to a submarine that was sunk during the Battle of the Eastern Solomons 20 years before. Although stunned at the idea that someone inside the submarine could still be alive, Beecham asks naval command for a submarine rescue operation. Upon returning to the ship, the diver gives Beecham a dog tag he recovered from the ship, which belongs to Chief Bell.
When Beecham shows the dog tag to Bell, he recollects that he was a signalman on a submarine during the war. He dropped a signal light while attempting to change the infrared filter at night, causing the filter to fall off. As a result, enemy Japanese destroyers saw the light and attacked. Bell was blown into the water by the shelling. The captain ordered a dive, but depth charges doomed the crew. Bell, the sole survivor, was later rescued by an American destroyer. Bell tells Beecham that he now understands that the dead crew know he is above them right now and are demanding that he join them. He is overcome by survivor guilt. Despite Beecham's efforts to explain to Bell that he was not guilty of cowardice or responsible for the sinking of a submarine surrounded by enemy ships, Bell races to the deck and jumps overboard. The crew are unable to save Bell or recover his body.
Later, McClure accompanies the rescue mission into the submarine. Upon returning to the ship, he reports to Beecham that he had found the periscope shears cut in half, with one swinging back and forth. When Beecham asks him to confirm that this was the clanging noise they had heard, McClure agrees, but adds that he had also seen the remains of eight dead sailors, one of whom was holding a hammer in his hand.
Closing narration
| “ | Small naval engagement, the month of April, 1963. Not to be found in any historical annals. Look for this one filed under 'H' for haunting in the Twilight Zone. | ” |
Cast
- Mike Kellin as Chief Bell
- Simon Oakland as Captain Beecham
- David Sheiner as Doc
- John Considine as McClure
- Bill Bixby as OOD
- Conlan Carter as Ensign
- Forrest Compton as ASW Officer
- Henry Scott as Jr. OOD
- Anthony D. Call as Lee Helmsman
- Charles Kuenstle as Sonar Operator
- Derrik Lewis as Helmsman
- Vincent Baggetta as Crewman
- Louie Elias as Crewman
Production notes
The exterior shots of the destroyer used in this episode were of the USS Mullinnix (DD-944) while the interior shots were done on board the USS Edson (DD-946).