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Recap / The Twilight Zone (1959) S4E2: "The Thirty-Fathom Grave"
aka: The Twilight Zone S 4 E 104 The Thirty Fathom Grave

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Rod Serling: 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.

Air date: January 10, 1963

During a routine patrol, the crew of a U.S. Navy destroyer commanded by Captain Beecham (Simon Oakland) pick up a strange noise on their sonar, reminiscent of something tapping on metal. They find that the source of the noise is an old submarine, the 714, which was sunk somewhere near Guadalcanal during World War II. As the crewmen explore the sub's wreckage, one crewmember, Chief Bell (Mike Kellin), begins to behave oddly in connection with the wreck, growing fiercely paranoid and beginning to see ghosts of the 714's crew. Against all odds, Bell is revealed to have served on the submarine on the day it was sunk, having inadvertently knocked the cover off a lamp during a blackout and allowing the Japanese to see and sink the sub, and believes that his dead comrades have come back to take revenge on him.


The Thirty-Fathom Tropes:

  • Ambiguous Situation: What was it that was producing the metallic banging? The loose piece of metal, or the dead crewman holding the hammer?
  • Artistic License – History: It's mentioned that the 714 was sunk during the First Battle of the Solomon Sea, on August 7, 1942. In reality, the battle took place from August 8 to 9, 1942.
  • Artistic License – Ships: In real life, no US Navy submarine ever received a name consisting only of a number, such as "714". Early US subs were given designations that started with the class letter and then a number: A-1, B-1, F-2. World War 2 fleet-class subs were given names of fish or other marine animals: Shark, Albacore, Sealion, Trigger, Hake, etc.
  • Chromosome Casting: It's once again inevitable, given that we have another military-themed episode.
  • Driven to Suicide: Bell kills himself by jumping overboard, after believing that the ghosts of his former crewmates blame him for the 714 sinking.
  • Ghost Ship: The 714, sunken during World War II, is seemingly haunted by the ghosts of its crew.
  • It's All My Fault: Bell remembers that he accidentally knocked a lamp cover off during a blackout, allowing the Japanese to spot the 714 and attack it. He blames himself for the incident and killing his comrades-in-arms, thinking that their ghosts have come back for revenge on him.
  • Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane:
    • One trip to the 714 reveals that a piece of the sub was loosely swinging from the ceiling, which could have been responsible for the banging noises. However, it also reveals that one of the dead crewmen was holding a hammer.
    • Earlier, Doc discovers a pile of seaweed in the hall where Bell claimed to have seen the ghosts.
  • Modern Major General: Captain Beecham comes across as this, perhaps unintentionally. Not only does he utterly fail to stop Bell from running out of the room, but unlike Doc, who desperately races to stop him from jumping overboard, he slowly walks behind them, looking more annoyed at the situation than anything else.
  • Sole Survivor: Bell was the only survivor of the sinking of the 714, after he inadvertantly got the submarine sunken through an act of accidental carelessness.
  • Survivor Guilt: Bell feels that he should have died when the 714 went under, and he thinks his ghostly crewmates agree with him.


Rod Serling: 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.

Alternative Title(s): The Twilight Zone S 4 E 104 The Thirty Fathom Grave

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