First appearance "To Be or Not to Be" Registry DSV 4600 Length 307 m | Class seaQuest Maximum speed 160 knots (300 km/h) | |
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Affiliation US/NorPac, later UEO (4600), UEO (4600-II) Launched seaQuest DSV 4600 (2014)
seaQuest DSV 4600-II (2021) | ||
The UEO seaQuest DSV 4600 and the UEO seaQuest DSV 4600-II are the two titular submarines featured in the science fiction television series seaQuest DSV, which ran for three seasons on NBC from 1993 to 1996. The original seaQuest is featured in the show's first season, while a second ship with the same name is in the second and third seasons. The ship (as well as all CGI work) were done on the Emmy Award-winning hardware/software package Video Toaster. This was one of the first shows to use all CGI and no physical model work.
Depiction
The seaQuest was the brain child of Nathan Bridger, who designed the boat in the early 21st century. Upon its completion, seaQuest was the largest submarine and deep submergence vehicle ever constructed, measuring 307.1 metres (1,008 ft) from stem to stern with a crew of 88 military and 124 science personnel. The ship can travel at speeds up to 160 knots (300 km/h; 180 mph) and is propelled by twin fusion reactors. The seaQuest is coated in a genetically engineered bio-skin that remains inert against most marine bacteria and organisms, and the ship has a crush depth of more than 9 km of water. The ship is equipped with a complement of standard torpedoes, as well as nuclear tipped SLBMs, intercepts, sea-to-air missiles, and state-of-the art laser banks, as well as a specialized "grapnel torpedo" to allow the seaQuest to tow or retract a target. The ship is also equipped with a series of WSKRS (pronounced "whiskers"; Wireless Sea Knowledge Retrieval Satellites): small sensor probes that are remotely controlled by the ship's sensor chief.