SkyDiver
Encyclopedia
Skydiver was a fictional futuristic submarine
featured in Gerry Anderson
’s TV series UFO
, operated by the secretive SHADO organisation as part of Earth's defences against alien aggressors.
Like many Anderson vehicles, Skydiver was designed by Derek Meddings
. It could be distinguished from a conventional submarine by its prominent conning tower and by the supersonic twin-engined interceptor fighter that replaced the bow section.
An unspecified number of Skydivers (at least four) patrolled Earth's oceans. Each Skydiver was numbered and the composite sections were referred to as Sky or Diver 1, 2, 3 etc. Skydiver 1 was most frequently seen in the course of the series, and if a generic reference was made to 'Skydiver' (e.g. the command 'put Skydiver on alert') then this was the one that tended to be referred to. However, the ill-fated Skydiver 3 was seen briefly in the episode "The Psychobombs", and in the same episode references were made to Sky 4.
When a UFO penetrated SHADO's defences and reached Earth's atmosphere, the nearest Skydiver would be alerted. The Sky pilot would enter his craft by a hatch in the rear of the fighter and be fed by an unseen hydraulic system into the cockpit. The submarine would tilt up to an angle of about 45 degrees and the fighter would blast off into the atmosphere to intercept the intruder. (This was the usual operation; however, in the episode "Sub-Smash", the crippled Skydiver 1 is able to launch Sky 1 from a much greater depth than usual and with the bow inclined slightly downwards. Skydiver's design included very flexible operational parameters.)
No footage exists of the redocking of Sky and Diver. It can be assumed that the Sky fighter would splash down in the sea and await pickup. The Sky fighters could also touch down on land, though again this was never seen.
Seaskim may have been designed as a method of overcoming the loss of streamlining caused by the absence of the fighter, which would have reduced Skydiver’s speed underwater.
"Close Up" showed that Skydiver could go from seaskim to an emergency crash dive in a matter of seconds.
, and a third of that taken up with the aircraft section – they could not have been large. It is possible the crew were periodically relieved before they needed somewhere to sleep.
Skydiver 1 is known to have had two captains in the course of the series, Peter Carlin and Lew Waterman. The latter was formerly the astronaut pilot of a lunar interceptor craft; his career is a testament to the flexible employment policies practiced by SHADO. Presumably Carlin was reassigned, but his fate is unrevealed.
Personnel from other SHADO divisions were also seen serving aboard SkyDiver 1 on occasion. Paul Foster spent several months with Waterman's crew, becoming close friends with the captain, as part of his training to become a SHADO operative. Nina Barry, normally a Moonbase operative (and later Moonbase Commander), briefly served as communications officer. SHADO Commander Ed Straker also travelled aboard SkyDiver from time to time, despite his near-crippling claustrophobia
.
As seen in "Sub-Smash", the Diver section was also armed with torpedoes. They were presumably kept behind concealed hatches, as it is difficult to tell from a cursory study of the Skydiver exterior where the tubes might be. Only one torpedo was ever seen fired in anger, in a manner strangely reminiscent of stock footage from a conventional submarine.
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
featured in Gerry Anderson
Gerry Anderson
Gerry Anderson MBE is a British publisher, producer, director and writer, famous for his futuristic television programmes, particularly those involving specially modified marionettes, a process called "Supermarionation"....
’s TV series UFO
UFO (TV series)
UFO is a 1970-1971 British television science fiction series about an alien invasion of Earth, created by Gerry Anderson and Sylvia Anderson with Reg Hill, and produced by the Andersons and Lew Grade's Century 21 Productions for Grade's ITC Entertainment company.UFO first aired in the UK and Canada...
, operated by the secretive SHADO organisation as part of Earth's defences against alien aggressors.
Derek Meddings
Derek Meddings was a British television and cinema special effects expert, initially noted for his work on the "Supermarionation" television puppet series produced by Gerry Anderson, and later for the 1970s James Bond films and the Superman film series.-Early years:Both Meddings' parents had...
. It could be distinguished from a conventional submarine by its prominent conning tower and by the supersonic twin-engined interceptor fighter that replaced the bow section.
An unspecified number of Skydivers (at least four) patrolled Earth's oceans. Each Skydiver was numbered and the composite sections were referred to as Sky or Diver 1, 2, 3 etc. Skydiver 1 was most frequently seen in the course of the series, and if a generic reference was made to 'Skydiver' (e.g. the command 'put Skydiver on alert') then this was the one that tended to be referred to. However, the ill-fated Skydiver 3 was seen briefly in the episode "The Psychobombs", and in the same episode references were made to Sky 4.
Operation
No footage exists of the redocking of Sky and Diver. It can be assumed that the Sky fighter would splash down in the sea and await pickup. The Sky fighters could also touch down on land, though again this was never seen.
Propulsion
Skydiver was propelled by twin nuclear turbines, one mounted either side of the hull. There was no external evidence of propellers, so the vessel presumably used some form of agnetohydrodynamic drive] or ducted impellers]. The submarine was also capable of extremely rapid surface travel in 'seaskim' mode (as seen in the episodes "Sub-Smash" and "Close Up"). This appears to be some form of hydrofoil or hovercraft-type travel, which to judge by the accompanying sounds uses jet or rocket propulsion.Seaskim may have been designed as a method of overcoming the loss of streamlining caused by the absence of the fighter, which would have reduced Skydiver’s speed underwater.
"Close Up" showed that Skydiver could go from seaskim to an emergency crash dive in a matter of seconds.
Crew
Skydiver typically had a crew of five or six, of whom the captain was also usually the Sky pilot. The captain’s cabin was directly aft of the main control section. Quarters for the rest of the crew were never seen, and given the size of the submarine – not much longer than a WW2 U-boatU-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
, and a third of that taken up with the aircraft section – they could not have been large. It is possible the crew were periodically relieved before they needed somewhere to sleep.
Skydiver 1 is known to have had two captains in the course of the series, Peter Carlin and Lew Waterman. The latter was formerly the astronaut pilot of a lunar interceptor craft; his career is a testament to the flexible employment policies practiced by SHADO. Presumably Carlin was reassigned, but his fate is unrevealed.
Personnel from other SHADO divisions were also seen serving aboard SkyDiver 1 on occasion. Paul Foster spent several months with Waterman's crew, becoming close friends with the captain, as part of his training to become a SHADO operative. Nina Barry, normally a Moonbase operative (and later Moonbase Commander), briefly served as communications officer. SHADO Commander Ed Straker also travelled aboard SkyDiver from time to time, despite his near-crippling claustrophobia
Claustrophobia
Claustrophobia is the fear of having no escape and being closed in small spaces or rooms...
.
Bases
Only Skydiver 3 was ever seen docked at a base, which was in an underground cavern connected to the sea by a tunnel. It can be assumed other Skydivers were serviced similarly, or else resupplied at sea.Weapons
The Sky fighters were armed with four machine gun cannons, two on either side of the cockpit, and a pod containing missiles mounted under each wing. An unusual design feature of these is that the rear ends of these pods were clearly the fighter’s jet exhausts, though the air intake was mounted beneath the fuselage.As seen in "Sub-Smash", the Diver section was also armed with torpedoes. They were presumably kept behind concealed hatches, as it is difficult to tell from a cursory study of the Skydiver exterior where the tubes might be. Only one torpedo was ever seen fired in anger, in a manner strangely reminiscent of stock footage from a conventional submarine.