( symphony playing )
( clicking )
( clicking continues )
I don't like it. I don't like anything about it.
Neither do I. But the president's right. They need to be told.
We go public on this thing, we're dead.
- Nobody's talking about going public. - It's secret or it's not.
- We can trust these people. - I don't trust anybody.
This Russian thing hits the papers, the whole project could blow sky high.
Let's worry about that when it happens.
Jesus, I can't believe it, Jim!
Let me get this straight. You're saying there's an American
on the island of svardlov, and now you can't locate him?
And where the hell is svardlov?
It's a small island near the arctic circle.
Every country who's ever done an exploration there claims it for its own.
The Russians even put troops there from time to time.
And now you're telling us you've lost this man on svardlov,
and you may have lost him to some Russians?
I'm telling you we have a deviation from plan.
Our man is four days overdue at the pick-up point.
Why didn't you let us handle it? We do that kind of stuff all the time.
- The man had to be a mining engineer. - So why are you telling us now?
Because if there is an incident, we'll need all the help we can get.
Gentlemen, if you'll follow me.
How the hell did we get ourselves into a crack like this?
I engineered this thing, and I'll take the blame.
- What is this project, Jim? - The sicilian project.
WE BELIEVE IT COULD BE THE ULTIMATE DEFENSE SYSTEM.
I know you're all familiar with laser technology. That's what we're involved with.
EACH ONE OF THOSE LIGHTS WILL BE A POWER STATION.
Each station, when it's activated,
will project a beam from ground to infinity.
THESE BEAMS FAN OUT AND CONNECT, MAKE AN INVISIBLE SCREEN.
Like a wall. No missile can penetrate it.
Is this theory you're talking about, or does it work?
YES, IT WORKS. THERE'S ONLY ONE CATCH:
In order to install the system, to make it function,
WE NEED A SELF-CONTAINED POWER SOURCE, A LARGE ONE.
The success of our project is dependent upon our locating
a specific mineral, byzanium.
Byzanium? I've never even heard of it.
I'm not surprised. Very few people have.
And you think there may be some on svardlov, is that it?
- That's what we think. - So we send a man in.
Well, let's hope you get him out, because if you don't,
if the Russians pick him up, we're going to be kissing ass in the kremlin
for the next five years.
( shouts in Russian )
( speaks Russian )
( snarling )
- ( yelping ) - ( shot fires )
Man over radio: Washington central, this is unit 23.
Requesting tow service at Jefferson Memorial.
- Sicilian project, huh? - Yes, captain, that's what k.B.G. Calls it.
Ah. Will you read me that report again, please?
"Americans interested in rare minerals.
May be related to military operation.
- Uh-huh. - Code name 'sicilian project.""
What could be so precious that the Americans would risk
this kind of a venture, hmm?
Are you a chess player?
I played a little when I was a student. Why?
You know of the name Issac bolislavski?
Of course I know. He was a great chess master.
Maybe the greatest of them all.
Many of the significant variations of the game
were conceived by bolislavski.
And one of them was called the sicilian defense.
All right, my darling, let's leave it for now.
We'll talk again tomorrow.
You know, if it wasn't for dirk pitt,
we'd be back at square one, and that mining engineer
- would be stretched out dead on a Russian island. - Who's dirk pitt?
All of a sudden he's involved in the sicilian project, and I've never heard of him.
HE USED TO BE A NAVY MAN.
PUT HIS TIME IN, RETIRED EARLY, AND SINCE THEN,
he and I have tackled quite a few things together.
- He works for you? - Well, sometimes he does, sometimes he doesn't.
Depends on the job. If it looks like something that can't be done,
chances are he'll take a crack at it.
Otherwise, thumbs down.
- You mean, he only works when he feels like it. - Yeah, that's right.
Pardon my expression, admiral, but he sounds like a pain in the ass.
Hey, there! Welcome home!
- Glad to see you, dirk. - Hello, Jim. Hey! Bring a gurney over!
- Where are you going? - To see the man you brought in.
- Later. - How is he?
Lousy. He's got a hole in him that big.
We patched him up before we left Norway,
but he's lost a lot of blood and he's doped to the gills.
He can still talk, can't he? I have to ask him some questions.
Maybe you didn't understand me. We have to get this guy to the hospital as fast as we can.
Hey, come on, gene. Come on.
The mine had been stripped, he said,
but he was sure there was byzanium there once.
THEY TOOK OUT 500 POUNDS,
MAYBE HALF A TON OF THE STUFF.
That means the Russians got it.
No, he said the mine was worked by Americans.
He found tools and equipment that had been shipped from Colorado,
and a copy of "the rocky mountain news"
- dated sometime in 1911. - 1911?
And he found a corpse frozen stiff.
Someone had burned his name into a board
and left it with the body.
"Here lies sgt. Jake Hobart, United States army.
Froze in the storm, February 10, 1912."
Are you telling me the army sent a guy up there 70 years ago
TO GET A HALF A TON OF BYZANIUM?
I'm not telling you anything. I'm just repeating what koplin told me.
( phone ringing )
- Hi. - Hi.
What happened to you? I gave up on you three hours ago.
Oh, I got hung up. I'm sorry.
I don't like the look I see on your face.
You look like somebody stole your popsicle.
I wish I could tell you.
Give me the headlines. Leave out the names and places.
I can't even do that.
I thought you were a nice, solid guy,
a scholar and a scientist.
Home at 6:00, pipe and slippers.
Now all of a sudden you've turned into Charlie chan.
That's not funny.
Who said it was funny? Did I say it was funny?
I think I just saw five years of work down the drain.
Have you ever heard of a guy named dirk pitt?
- Who? - Dirk pitt.
Ring a bell?
No, I don't think so. Why do you ask?
Oh, I just met him. It's not important.
( chuckling )
Well, hallelujah. There's a little life in the old guy after all.
- You got to put the worm on the hook. - Ohh...
- No, I can't do that part. - What kind of a Fisher person are you?
I'm a dynamite Fisher person.
I just can't put the wormy on the hooky.
Here.
- ( screams ) - THAT'S A GOOD ONE.
Very funny.
I've got a bad conscience.
- I told a fib. - What about?
About dirk pitt.
I do know him. I met him when I first came to Washington.
He was with naval intelligence then.
Why'd you tell me you did know him?
I don't know.
I guess you took me by surprise.
I haven't heard his name in a long time.
Did you used to date him?
No. No, nothing like that.
No, he was too high-powered for me.
Hmm. What does that mean?
Just that-- he takes up all the air in the room.
Dirk pitt.
What kind of a name is that?
Sounds like a pirate.
( helicopter passing overhead )
Dr. Seagram.
Are you Dr. Seagram?
I'm supposed to bring you back to Washington. Admiral Sandecker's orders.
I don't believe it!
You gotta be kidding. How did he know we were here?
I told him.
Brilliant. We'll bring him with us next time.
Pitt: THE Hobart FILE MENTIONED THE NAME Brewster--
ARTHUR BREWSTER-- A CON MAN
AND A MINING EXPERT.
IN 1910 HE DISCOVERED BYZANIUM ON THE ISLAND OF SVARDLOV,
AND HE TOOK IT RIGHT TO THE U.S. ARMY.
EVEN THEN THEY SAW IT MIGHT HAVE MILITARY POSSIBILITIES,
SO THEY GAVE HIM SOME MONEY AND SOME ARMY ENGINEERS TO HELP.
Then he hires a Norwegian whaler.
The ship delivers Brewster, Jake Hobart,
and the rest of the Colorado miners to the island,
makes a date to pick him up after they've mined the byzanium.
What happened?
The ship picked him up on schedule.
Only problem was, two days out of svardlov,
they spot a Russian cruiser tailing them,
but Brewster sticks to his plan,
and the whaler drops him off on the coast of Scotland north of aberdeen,
and they start over land.
Plan was to get the ore to southampton
and send it home by commercial ship.
- Did they make it? - They gave it a pretty good shot.
They had Russian agents coming out their ears.
They fought a running gun battle all the way from aberdeen to southampton.
Somehow Brewster made it, and he had the ore with him.
- What happened to the other men? - All dead, except one--
a man called southeby.
Matter of fact, the final report Brewster sent home to the U.S. army,
all he wrote was, "thank god for southeby."
Then what?
He put the ore in a vault and saw it lowered in the hold of a ship.
And on April 10,
1912, the ship sailed.
Southampton to New York?
Right.
BREWSTER STARTED HOME ON THE TITANIC.
So, that's where we are.
Spent five years on research and development.
We're a kiss away from the end.
We need 200 ounces of a measly mineral we can't find,
and when we do find it, where is it?
It's at the bottom of the Atlantic ocean.
But at least we know where it is now. It's not just someplace.
It's in one spot, waiting for us to come and get it.
You're talking about 12,500 feet under water.
More than two miles down.
We can't get divers down that deep.
THAT'S RIGHT, SIR. WE CAN'T GET DIVERS DOWN TO THE TITANIC,
which leaves us with only one choice.
AND WHAT'S THAT?
We don't go to the mountain, the mountain comes to us.
ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT RAISING THE TITANIC?
Yeah.
Can it be done-- a ship that big, down that deep?
It's never been done before, no question about that.
But we did raise that nuclear sub a couple of years ago.
Nowhere near the same size, and only a third as far down.
Admiral, I'm not saying it's gonna be easy.
The odds are terrible. It'll cost a ton of money.
But it's not impossible, sir, if we get full cooperation from the Navy.
What if you did have Navy cooperation and you could get the funding?
We'd have a chance.
Lots of problems and lots of risk.
We have submersibles that can go down that deep, but we don't know for how long.
WE HAVE OTHERS IN DEVELOPMENT THAT CAN GO EVEN DEEPER,
but they haven't been tested.
So every trip would be a gamble.
But, if we're lucky,
we could make nuclear warfare obsolete.
What about it, Jim?
Well, it's a ball-breaker.
Biggest marine salvage operation anybody's heard of.
Dirk says he can handle it,
I'm willing to go to the president and do my best to push it through.
Seems we're back to you, captain pitt.
Well, like Jim said,
it's the biggest job with the highest stakes anybody ever dreamt of.
How can you turn it down?
HEY, DANA!
Have any time for an old friend?
( chuckles ) I DON'T BELIEVE IT.
My god! Where did you come from?
I don't know.
Well, as you can see, nothing surprises me.
I'm perfectly calm and under control.
- Come on. Let's go have a cup of coffee. - I-I can't.
I'm late. I was just dropping somebody off.
Gene seagram.
- Yes, yes. - He's not good enough for you.
You never thought anybody was good enough for me, including yourself.
I was right.
- You look terrific. - Thank you, thank you.
So do you.
I thought you left Washington.
- So what are you doing? - Fooling around.
Don't give me that. You were gonna fix the world.
Yeah. That was five years ago.
I discovered they had me outnumbered.
- Not you. I don't believe that. - You can believe it.
Well, i-- I gotta go. It's good to see you.
- Goodbye. - Take care.
Goodbye.
Funny, you don't look like a scientist.
( chuckles ) WHAT'S A SCIENTIST SUPPOSED TO LOOK LIKE?
I don't know, but if I saw you walking down the street,
I might take you for a country club tennis pro.
I'd never take you for a scientist.
Well, that makes us even. I wouldn't take you for a pirate.
Here he comes. That didn't take long.
No.
It never takes long to say no.
No, and it doesn't take long to say yes either.
Yeah, well, we'll see.
Good afternoon, admiral.
We're in business.
Dirk! Dirk pitt!
Hey, good to see you again. How you doin'?
Fine. Don't try to hide behind that fuzz. I'd know you anyplace.
- I'm just keeping warm. - They warned me you were the boss of this operation.
- HAS HE TOLD YOU WHAT WE'RE AFTER THIS TIME? - Man: NOT YET. SILENT Sam.
Well, that's all right. I like that.
I'll get us there, I'll keep the coffee hot,
and you two can handle the tricky stuff.
What makes you think there's gonna be some tricky stuff?
Well, there has to be. Nobody hires you for your good looks.
( both chuckling )
Oh, sorry. This is Dr. Seagram.
Captain Joe burk and master chief Walker.
- Doctor. - Good to meet ya.
- Hi, doctor. - Quite an operation here.
Well, we got some nice toys.
I was thinking, I may be able to speed things up
by feeding all the Navy's navigational and meteorological data
INTO MY COMPUTER BANKS.
- Well, now, that sounds very interesting. - Good.
You can reach me through admiral sandecker's office.
Fine, fine. Well, if you'll excuse me,
I'VE GOT THREE DAYS' WORK TO DO BEFORE LUNCH.
- See you later, dirk. - I'll see ya.
So long. Take it easy.
Uh, let's get a couple of things straight.
This is captain burk's operation.
And he's an extremely competent Navy officer.
I don't think he needs your help.
As for me, I took this job on two conditions--
one, that I handle the salvage end of it my way,
and two, that you stay out of my hair.
- Will you remember that? - If you're trying to make me sore, pitt, it won't work.
This project is too important.
Good. Let's keep that in mind.
Pitt: THE ROYAL MAIL SHIP Titanic--
WHERE IS SHE NOW AND HOW DO WE GET HER UP?
That's our problem.
This was her course, this orange line.
A southwesterly track from southampton
to her final radioed position:
Latitude: 41 degrees, 46 minutes north,
longitude: 50 degrees, 15 minutes west.
That's where she sank.
Didn't the two rescue ships report conflicting positions?
That's right. You can see it
more clearly here in this enlargement.
THE TITANIC THOUGHT SHE WAS HERE, CARPATHIA HAD HER HERE,
AND MOUNT TEMPLE HERE.
So this will be our starting point, right in the middle of this triangle.
So, one way or another, we're in the ball park.
The trouble is, sir, could wind up being a damn big ball park.
We're talking about two miles underwater, maybe more.
EVERYTHING AT THAT DEPTH IS A MYSTERY.
THAT HULL COULD'VE WOUND UP A COUPLE OF MILES FROM WHERE SHE DISAPPEARED.
- OR TEN. - LET'S HOPE NOT.
Dr. Silverstein's group will be handling the location problems.
Our submersibles will work in concentric circles
around that point, as targeted.
Let me emphasize again the importance of security.
Only those who need to know have been briefed on this operation.
You will be operating under the direct control of the c.N.O., here.
THROUGH SYNC LAND FLEET.
Any further questions? Admiral?
ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, GENTLEMEN. THAT'S ALL.
WE GOT ALL THAT STUFF THROUGH THE WHITE STAR LINE--
ENGINEERING DRAWINGS AND A COMPLETE STRUCTURAL DESIGN FOR THE TITANIC.
Good. How about a crew list?
Yeah, we got that too, and I think maybe we lucked out.
One of the survivors is a man named Bigelow.
He was a junior third officer in charge of cargo,
and he's living in england,
someplace in cornwall.
Man: IT'S AN ODD THING, YOU KNOW.
I've had a few ships shot out from under me, more than my share:
Three in the 1914-18 fracas
and two in '39-'45.
But all anybody ever asked me about
IS THE TITANIC.
- And now I'm doing the same. - And you're lucky you came to the right man.
As I said, it was
cargo hold number nine.
D-day, on the port side.
- You're sure of that location? - No question about it.
We all saw that vault when it was loaded aboard.
And we saw the passenger who owned it.
Not likely to forget him.
Bushy beard and eyes like a fox.
Even if he hadn't put a gun at me the way he did,
I'd remember him, all right.
THE GUN BUSINESS-- YOU SAY THAT HAPPENED WHEN THE TITANIC WAS ALREADY GONE DOWN?
The life boats in the water were only half filled.
People scrambling all over. It was pathetic.
I was on my way up to the boat deck to give a hand,
when this crazy little fellow
shoves a gun in my face.
Wanted to go to cargo hold number nine.
And if I wouldn't take him,
he'd shoot me in my tracks.
That's what he said.
Well, I was a young fellow then,
wanted to live as long as I could,
so I took him.
As it turned out, number nine was the only hold
not already flooded.
Once he got in there and spotted what he was looking for,
he was happy.
When I have nightmares about that lovely ship going down,
I always see that crazy old man with the gun.
That was the last time you saw him down there in the hold?
That's right. He wouldn't leave.
He went up to that vault of his--
oh, a huge thing, eight-foot square--
and patted it as if it was a dog,
muttering to himself.
Can you remember what it was he said?
The same thing over and over--
"thank god for...
Salisbury. Thank god for Salisbury."
This must be a pretty quiet life for a man like you.
God help a man who can't live by himself.
We all end up in a single bed
sooner or later.
Woman: OH, HERE HE IS, THEN-- THE PROPRIETOR HIMSELF.
I'D ALMOST GIVEN YOU UP. WHAT'LL YOU HAVE,
a whiskey of a nice pint of bitter?
Just a moment, Sarah. This is Sarah martindale.
A woman of substance,
a beauty, and a warm heart.
And this is captain pitt of the United States Navy.
Retired, like myself.
Retired mighty early, if I might say so.
Keep your hands off him, Sarah,
and give us two large pink gins,
full measure, and don't skimp the angostura.
- ALL RIGHT. - SARAH TALKS BIG,
but the fact is,
she's frightened silly of men.
OH-HO-HO! ( chuckling )
Those of us who know her best
suspect she's still a maiden.
Oh, my god! The man's gone off!
( chuckling )
Come onto the quarterdeck.
THIS IS MY TITANIC COLLECTION.
ALL THAT'S LEFT OF HER EXCEPT MEMORIES.
What a lovely thing she was.
Standing as high in the water as one of your skyscrapers,
LONGER THAN TWO RUGBY FIELDS,
and furnishings to match the finest mansions in england.
She was one of a kind,
no question about it.
And god himself, they said, couldn't sink her.
Then in two hours, she was gone,
and 1,500 souls with her.
I took the pennant off her before she went down.
If you manage to bring her up again,
maybe you'd put it back where it belongs.
Man over radio: Control, this is Deep Quest at 8,000 feet,
searching section 22.
Visibility fair. Negative contacts. Out.
Man #2: This is Turtle. Depth: 9,200 feet.
No contacts. Out.
Man #3: This is Starfish at 10,000 feet,
conducting sonar search, section 24.
No contacts.
- Man #1: DEPTH? - Man #2: 11,420.
Man #1: SIX THOUSAND POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH.
( sighs ) ONE OF THESE DAYS THIS WATER'S GONNA SQUASH US LIKE A BUG.
- WHAT ARE YOU BITCHING ABOUT? - I GOT PLENTY OF REASON TO BITCH.
Cruising around down here in this tin can, looking for what?
We're looking for whatever's down here.
Hey, guys, I hate to spoil your fun. We're going up.
- Pitts is coming in. - Good. Maybe we can find out what we're looking for.
( man over radio, indistinct )
Three, wind is coming from 220 degrees at 18 knots.
Man: Roger. 220 at 18 knots.
Hilo three, you're clear.
Anything happening down there?
No, nothing yet, which brings up a point:
I think the sub crews should be told what they're looking for.
Help morale.
That sounds like a good idea to me.
Uh, why don't we hold a briefing this afternoon?
We have a visitor. Did you notice?
YEAH. I SPOTTED THE RUSSIAN FLAG AS WE WERE COMING IN.
LOOKS LIKE A MARINE RESEARCH VESSEL.
That means they only got maybe half a dozen gun crews aboard.
Ah, they're just nosing around.
They don't know what we're looking for.
Not yet, anyway.
Man: Deep Quest, this is Starfish.
Have sonar contact in section 26
at depth 12,700 feet.
Request permission to investigate.
Man #2: This is Deep Quest. Negative. Maintain present depth.
You are only certified to 12,000 feet.
We'll check it out.
Man #1: This is Turtle. Depth: 11,400 feet.
Search of section 36 complete.
Man #2: This is Deep Quest. Request you conduct sonar search
section 33 at maximum depth of 12,000 feet.
This is Starfish. Roger. Out.
This is Starfish approaching 12,000 feet.
Continuing sonar search. Over.
Male dispatcher: This is Control.
Do not exceed 12,000-foot depth limit.
Out.
Lieutenant!
CONTROL, THIS IS STARFISH.
Man: Bridge, Control.
- BRIDGE, AYE. - The Starfish reports she's flooding.
We're trying to get more information.
- Release the battery pods! - Battery pods away.
CONTROL, THIS IS STARFISH. WE'RE FLOODING. TIME IS URGENT.
THIS IS STARFISH. WE'RE FLOODING. TIME IS URGENT. OVER.
- STARFISH... - CONTROL, THIS IS STARFISH!
It's gone dead!
STARFISH...
STARFISH, THIS IS CONTROL.
Damn it. We lost contact.
- WHERE'S THE TURTLE? - IN THE WATER, 11,000 FEET, HEADING FOR THE STARFISH.
This is Turtle. We have Starfish in visual contact.
She's going down fast. They've got to lose some weight.
We've taken on too much water.
Hit the panic switch! Release the Spears!
( exclaiming )
( explosion )
Jesus.
Control, the Starfish just imploded.
Request permission to surface.
Yeah, Clint.
Yeah.
Come on up.
Dr. Silverstein and I have completely reworked the nav.
Oh, bullshit. I've heard that story a dozen times.
While you're busy here screwing around with your computers,
we've been out there five weeks, we have found nothing.
- Meanwhile, I lost three men. - They think they've found the answer now, dirk.
Go on.
The new projection's based on the theory that all the reported positions were slightly off,
and most important,
we failed to take into account the smokestack
THAT CRACKED OFF AS THE TITANIC WENT DOWN.
WE BUILT A SCALE MODEL OF THE TITANIC,
perfectly weighted and balanced in exact proportion.
In 200 experiments, the trajectory of the descent
didn't vary by more than one tenth of one degree,
and it landed exactly where your submersibles have been looking.
Then we did it without the smokestack,
AND WE HIT A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT POSITION.
400 times we repeated this process,
and every time it landed within inches of the same spot.
EVERY SINGLE TIME.
BINGO. AS WE READ IT, THE TITANIC'S ALMOST TEN MILES SOUTHEAST...
- TEN MILES? - THAT'S RIGHT. WE'VE GOT TO MOVE
the entire salvage operation to this new location.
Ah, it's not gonna be easy, gene. You just can't leap-frog
over ten miles of ocean.
FOR ALL WE KNOW, THE TITANIC COULD BE DEAD CENTER IN THE AREA WE'RE BYPASSING.
If it is, we'll find it as we work our way back.
- "Find it as we work our"-- - we got to take the gamble.
We can't do any worse than we're doing.
I know I'm right about this new position.
I'm sure of it.
I hope so.
Another couple of weeks under water, and those submersible crews
will come after you with a harpoon.
Looks like we passed over something metallic.
Metal detector picked it up.
Man: OKAY, STAY ON IT. GIVE US A FIX.
Man #2: THERE. IT'S JUST BELOW US.
Man #1: Roger. WE'LL HOVER HERE. LET'S STAY ON THE MAGNETOMETER.
SING OUT IF YOU SEE ANYTHING.
- WAIT A MINUTE. - WHAT, DO YOU SPOT SOMETHING?
Yeah, I think so. It's about 3:00.
SEE THAT FUNNY SHAPE THERE? THAT'S SOMETHING WEDGED BETWEEN TWO ROCKS.
Man: OKAY. STAND BY THE MANIPULATOR.
Here we come.
GOT IT!
Man: WHAT IS IT?
Man #2: LOOKS LIKE SOME KIND OF A HORN.
- May I, Dr. Vogel? - Oh, yes, yes.
There you are.
"Presented to Graham farley by the grateful management
of the white star line."
The white star-- I did some checking through the records,
and it turns out that Graham farley was a musician for three years
ON A SHIP CALLED THE OLYMPIC, THEN HE WAS TRANSFERRED.
GRAHAM FARLEY WAS THE CORONET PLAYER IN THE TITANIC'S ORCHESTRA.
- Are you sure of that? - No question, no question. It's all documented.
THAT MEANS WE'RE LOOKING IN THE RIGHT PLACE. AT LEAST WE'RE GETTING CLOSE.
IT ALSO MEANS THE TITANIC MUST BE IN EXCELLENT CONDITION.
Wait a minute. Don't break out the champagne yet.
It's a step in the right direction, but we're not looking for coronets.
We're looking for a ship 900-feet long.
We still can't find her. Where the hell is she?
She disappear?
It's very disturbing.
Are these sources totally reliable?
- Absolutely. - Is such a defense system possible?
We put that question to our military scientists in Moscow.
THEY SAY IT IS FEASIBLE,
but it would take a very strong power source.
AND YOU SAY THAT POWER SOURCE LIES IN THE CARGO HOLD OF THE TITANIC?
All signs point to that. I believe it.
Man: Bridge radio.
- BRIDGE, AYE. - Yes, sir, Captain.
We're bringing up that interference again on VHF.
- Roger. YOU TAPING IT? - Yes, sir. There's not much pattern to it.
Sounds like static. It's only on one frequency.
KEEP ON IT. CALL ME BACK WHEN IT STOPS.
- Aye, aye, sir. - WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ALL ABOUT?
We're picking up some kind of strange interference at night.
Schenectady and carpenter hear it too, but not as loud as we do.
THEY'RE GOING CRAZY ON THE SEACLIFF. THEY FOUND SOMETHING.
- What? - I don't know, but we're getting a bounce in the sonar.
Seacliff, this is pitt. What's up?
THIS IS SEACLIFF. I THINK WE'RE SMELLING SOMETHING.
Our metal detector is going bananas.
Good-- stay on it. We're coming over.
SEACLIFF, THIS IS DEEP QUEST. WE HAVE YOU IN SIGHT AT 9:00.
THIS IS SEACLIFF. ROGER. DO YOU HAVE SONAR CONTACT WITH THE TARGET?
Roger. Comin' in strong and gettin' stronger.
Man: THERE IT IS. SOMETHING DEAD AHEAD.
BOHANAN, CAN YOU MAKE IT OUT?
Bohanan: WELL, WHATEVER IT IS, IT'S GOT ABOUT TEN LAYERS
OF SEA CRITTERS ON IT.
It's a smokestack, for Christ sake!
Yes, indeed.
Bull's-eye. Looks like seagram was right for once.
CONTROL, THIS IS DEEP QUEST.
We just spotted a smokestack. Mark our position.
This is Control. Roger. Position marked. Out.
What do you think?
I think maybe we're gonna get lucky.
( sonar sounding )
SEACLIFF, ANYTHING OVER THERE?
- NEGATIVE. - Keep your eyes open.
Pitt: LET'S STAY ON THIS COURSE.
- What do you got now on the metal detector? - Nothing ahead.
Man: WAIT A MINUTE. WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?
Pitt: IT'S A STRAIGHT DROP TO NOWHERE.
CONTROL, THIS IS DEEP QUEST.
The ocean floor just disappeared.
We're going down till we can find it again.
Are you gentlemen thinking what I'm thinking?
If she's down in this hole, no wonder we couldn't find her.
Hey, we've got something.
- Deep Quest, this is the Seacliff. - LOOK AT THAT!
We're getting strong signals on all our equipment.
Roger, so are we. Ease over this way.
The metal detector's jumped off its track!
Deep Quest, this is the Seacliff. I think we're onto something dead ahead.
Roger, you sure are. Hang in there.
( sonar sounding )
- I think we hit the jackpot. - Holy "chee-rist."
( classical )
Are you absolutely certain?
No question. A direct report to our ship standing by there.
All right, here is what we'll do.
See that the press gets the story-- only one paper--
and make sure that admiral sandecker's name
is prominent in the list of facts.
JUST THE TITANIC STORY?
No. The byzanium too.
Let's see what kind of explanation they come up with, huh?
Yes, sir.
Man on TV: This story from today's Washington Star--
The Titanic, which sank on her maiden voyage
April 14, 1912, has been found
over two miles down at the bottom of the Atlantic.
No official announcements yet, but one thing is certain--
The imaginations of millions of people will be stimulated.
In world history, there is only one Titanic.
Rumors persist that the Navy plans to raise her.
Why are they doing this? We don't know.
But we understand there is a defense plan called the Sicilian Project
and a little-known mineral more powerful than uranium
with the unusual name of byzanium.
This is Sander Van Ochre in Washington.
Of course I wrote that story. Why shouldn't I?
The information came in, and I wrote it up. That's my job.
What about my job? It looks like I gave you the information.
- Everybody in here's gonna think that. - Who cares what anybody thinks?
You know you didn't tell me anything, and so do I.
I didn't even connect it with you. I still don't know what you're up to.
You trying to tell me that this story just flew in through the window?
No, I am not telling you that. I have lots of sources.
- That's what I mean. Who told you? - I can't tell you that.
- I won't tell you that, and you know it. - You have to-- it's critical.
- If there's a leak, we have to stop it. - What do you mean by a leak?
- I don't even know what you're talking about. - The hell you don't.
It was a secret. That's what I'm telling you.
Nobody knew about it. Hardly anybody knew about it.
It has to be somebody on the inside who told you. Busby?
HUH? NICHOLSON?
How about your old friend, pitt?
Did he tell you?
So that's what this is all about.
That's what this is really about. It's about pitt.
- Oh, for Christ sake. - It is, and you know it.
You have been looking for an excuse to unload on me ever since you met him.
- I don't give a damn about him. - The hell you don't.
- You can't get him out of your head. - What?
So let's just get it straight once and for all.
I lived with him for two years, and I was crazy about him.
That's terrific. That's just terrific.
If you were so damn crazy about him, why didn't you stay with him?
Because I was stupid!
Oh...
I'm sorry!
I didn't mean it.
- ( clamoring ) - YES, SIR.
SIR, AFTER ALL THIS TIME, WON'T THE TITANIC BE RUSTED AWAY TO NOTHING?
We don't think so. At a depth of
more than two miles, there's less oxygen,
water is much colder, and there are fewer destructive marine organisms.
She may be surprisingly sound.
- ( clamoring ) - YES.
THE TITANIC-- SHE SANK BECAUSE
the ice ripped a huge hole in her hull.
NOW, HOW IS SHE SUPPOSED TO FLOAT WITH THE HOLE STILL THERE?
Well, she can't,
so we're going to patch it with special metal plates.
And to make her buoyant,
we're going to fill her lower compartments
with synthetic foam.
Right here. Pumped in through hoses
placed in position by our submersible crews.
As the foam goes in, the water in the hull is forced out,
giving us 22,000 tons of lift.
- SIR... - WILL ALL THIS FOAM BRING THE TITANIC TO THE SURFACE?
No, we're going to need additional lift.
Now, this will be supplied by these tanks
filled with hydrazine gas under high pressure
AND ANCHORED TO THE TITANIC'S HULL,
thusly.
Then explosive charges will be placed on the sea bottom around the hull,
and when they are detonated,
the hull will be jarred loose from the bottom section,
AND THE TITANIC WILL COME TO THE SURFACE.
( clamoring )
If and when you raise it, then what?
Then we will hold another press conference.
Thank you all very much. Goodbye.
Are you sure you can't tell us something about this mineral, byzanium?
I mean, how does it fit into this whole operation?
Well, I've given you all the information I have on that.
Sir, they say it's more powerful than plutonium. Is that true?
- I have no further comment. - What about the sicilian project?
Is it really a code name for a defense system,
- or a super bomb with the biggest warhead yet? - No comment.
Is it true that byzanium could fuel a bomb a thousand times
MORE POWERFUL THAN THE BOMB OF HIROSHIMA?
Look, that's it, gentlemen. I've given you everything I can for now.
( all clamoring )
Man: WHAT DO YOU THINK, Vinnie?
Vinnie: DOESN'T SOUND LIKE ANY CODE I EVER HEARD.
You know, the tapes we made have a much higher intensity
than the ones they recorded on schenectady and carpenter.
YEAH, MAKES YOU THINK THAT THE SIGNAL, WHATEVER IT IS, ORIGINATES HERE ON THE DENVER.
Damn sure does.
Any word from naval intelligence?
Well, sandecker says he'll have a report by tomorrow.
- ADMIRAL. - ( exchanging greetings )
Howard merker. What's it say about him?
Merker, he's all right.
Got a good record.
He served as a civilian technician in Vietnam, got captured.
Spent two years in a prison camp
and another year in Japan to get over that. Married a Japanese girl.
Yeah, that's what it says, only she wasn't Japanese. She grew up in nam deinh.
Her family's still living in hai fung
and her brother's in the north Vietnam army intelligence.
How the hell did we miss that one?
It was painted over. We were supposed to miss it.
( man issues order, indistinct )
They finally let you come down with us.
- Thought you'd never make it. - Neither did I.
Well, there's no time like the first time.
How does it look to you?
Nothing like I expected.
( crashing )
WE'RE GONNA HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT ONE. LET'S TAKE A LOOK.
IT'S HUNG UP ON THE STACK. WE'RE GONNA NEED HELP.
TRY DEEP QUEST.
DEEP QUEST, THIS IS TURTLE.
WE NEED SOME HELP WITH THIS HYDROZENE TANK. IT'S HUNG UP ON THE STACK.
THIS IS DEEP QUEST. CAN DO. BE RIGHT THERE.
- ALL RIGHT, LET'S DO IT. GET THE MANIPULATORS READY. - ALL RIGHT.
This is Deep Quest. We're hooked up.
This is Turtle. You pull, we'll push.
It's moving.
It feels like it's stuck on something.
It's gonna crush the Deep Quest!
All right, stow the manipulator!
Son of a bitch! They got themselves hooked into that skylight.
- ( clicking control panel ) - COME ON, BABY.
Come on, you pretty little thing. Get your daddy out of this.
( engine powering down )
( electricity sparking )
INDICATES ELECTRICAL FIRE ON THE LEFT!
Battery acid. Put your masks on.
WE'RE ON TOO STEEP OF AN ANGLE.
Acid's running out of the emergency batteries.
We've lost half the power on the panel!
Power, power. Help me break out these battery lights.
All right. Knock off the power.
We're goin' up.
BOHANAN, MOVE ON OVER HERE AND STAND BY DEEP QUEST.
Bohanan: Roger. WE'RE ON OUR WAY.
- How's it look down there? - No good.
Seagram picked a lousy day to go sightseeing.
He's a scientist! Who the hell authorized him for submersible duty?
- I did. - How bad is it?
Oh, they got themselves jammed into that skylight like a cork in a bottle.
We're fighting time. They lost almost all battery power,
and they're gonna be running out of air.
- Lucky if they got six hours left. - What are the choices?
No choices.
IF WE CAN'T CUT LOOSE THAT SUBMERSIBLE, WE GOTTA BRING UP THE TITANIC.
- Six hours? How do we do that? - Target date's two weeks away.
Our target date just got changed. Here's what we gotta do.
Eighty charges, each one containing a hundred pounds of explosives
at these key points under the hull.
- Why are you shaking your head? - I'm not shaking my head, I'm shaking all over.
- THOSE CHARGES ARE DOUBLE. - IF ANYTHING GOES WRONG, WE LOSE FOUR MEN,
but if we don't bring 'em up, we lose 'em anyway.
They got two chances to die and one to live.
All right. Now, we're gonna detonate the starboard charge first.
Eight seconds later, first one on the port side.
Another eight seconds, we're back to starboard.
We alternate the explosions all the way down the hull
SO WE SET UP A ROCKING MOTION LIKE YOU DO WITH A CAR THAT'S STUCK IN THE MUD.
Wait a minute, wouldn't it be better to put an extra-large charge right under the bow?
- THAT WAY WE COULD JOLT IT LOOSE. - TOO DANGEROUS.
This way we start the right movement with less risk for the men.
Carbon dioxide's building up.
Can we get some more air?
No, we cannot. When we get down so we can conserve on energy.
Gentlemen, the less we talk, the longer we've got.
Exactly.
Everybody just sit down and relax.
Okay, arm it.
CONTROL, THIS IS SEACLIFF. EXPLOSIVES SECURE.
- ALL CLEAR. - Roger.
CONTROL, THIS IS TURTLE. ALL CHARGES SECURED.
SEACLIFF, TURTLE, THIS IS CONTROL. GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE.
Movin' out.
This is Turtle. E.T.A. on surface: 13:05.
We're leaving the Titanic.
- Start the countdown. - Start the countdown? Aye, aye, sir.
All stations, "T" minus 50.
Activating hydrazine generators.
( alarm sounding )
12, 11, 10, 9...
8, 7, 6, 5...
5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Mark.
- Christ, what was that? - They're trying to blast us loose.
- Can they do it? - If they don't blow the hell out of this sub.
( computer clicking )
It's just way in there! Move, you bastard! Move!
What the hell's goin' on?
Late hits. The last two charges just went off.
Something's happening. Something's moving down there.
( creaking )
( all cheering )
Isn't that a beautiful son of a bitch?
IT'S INCREDIBLE.
There she is.
Yeah.
BUT WHERE THE HELL'S THE DEEP QUEST?
Explosive must have jarred her loose.
There she is!
( helicopter whirring )
We can't put this into service. Half of this is jammed as the other.
You're gonna need dynamite to get down to that mess.
- Yeah. - Just forget it. Keep the pumps running.
We got to wait till we're towed to New York for the right equipment.
WHAT'S HAPPENING? WHERE'S THE CARPENTER GOING?
A DISTRESS CALL. THERE'S A FREIGHTER IN TROUBLE.
Pitt: WE'RE IN TROUBLE, FOR Christ SAKES. WE NEED THAT SHIP.
Sandecker: WE CAN'T IGNORE A DISTRESS CALL.
You want to talk about distress? We got Navy weather forecasting a force-12 storm.
The Russians are looking down our throats. We're on a ship
that never learned how to do anything but sink.
That's distress.
From the Russian ship. They're asking for permission
to send a man over here, a captain prevlov.
- What's that all about? - Well...
They're offering to give us a hand in case the weather gets bad.
- Permission granted. Captain prevlov can come aboard. - Yes, sir.
- Admiral, are you sure we want to do this? - Why not?
We might as well listen to what he's got to say.
WELCOME TO THE TITANIC, CAPTAIN.
Our time is precious, so I will come straight to the point.
We are offering you the safety of our ship.
MY HELICOPTER CAN CARRY TEN MEN AT A TIME.
Gee, that's very nice of you.
WHAT HAPPENS TO THE TITANIC IF WE ACCEPT YOUR OFFER?
An empty ship on an open sea?
What's the Russian word for "piracy"?
No, it's not a question of piracy.
It is the international law of marine salvage.
The hell it is.
We know about the byzanium.
Stolen from a mine on Russian territory.
You must trust me, gentlemen, when I tell you that we are determined
to take back what is morally and legally ours.
MICHEL KURKOV IS A TORPEDO SHIP.
If her captain has no signal from me
EIGHT MINUTES FROM NOW,
HE WILL SINK THIS SHIP THAT WE ARE STANDING ON.
What if you do get the byzanium. Then what?
- IT'S WORTHLESS IF YOU DON'T-- - SICILIAN DEFENSE SYSTEM?
No, it's not worthless at all.
If this byzanium will produce a superior weapon,
then Russia must have it to guarantee the security of her people.
We arm ourselves only
as a deterrent to war.
Clock keeps on ticking, and...
All right, prevlov, I'll make it fast.
We knew you were coming aboard here today,
AND WE KNEW WHAT YOUR PITCH WOULD BE EXACTLY.
Dirk?
This is pitt. Bring on the surprise package.
Come on. I'll prove it to you.
Like I said, you don't have much choice, captain.
I see.
Gentlemen.
( all cheering )
( sirens sounding, horn blowing )
( horn blowing )
There. That's got it.
( door creaking open )
- No water. - Sealed tightly.
Watch it!
And here lies Arthur Brewster,
SUNK WITH THE TITANIC.
All right, let's get those boxes out of there and get 'em opened up.
Just like the others.
Gravel.
It doesn't make sense.
A dead man and seven boxes of gravel.
Arthur Brewster's papers.
Well, listen, we know the byzanium existed.
We know Brewster had it. It's gotta be someplace.
Well, we work till sweat and come up with nothing.
Three men dead, the whole sicilian project tossed on the junk pile.
How the hell did we blow this thing?
Must be some kind of an answer, but I'll be damned if I know what it is.
I'm just as disappointed as you are, gene.
I hate to quit on anything, but sometimes
you have no choice.
Look...
If it'll make you feel any better,
I'll tell you something I didn't want to admit, even to myself.
If we found the byzanium,
I'm not sure we could've hung on to it.
I don't think we could have tagged it for defense only and made it stick.
- We got the president's assurance of that. - Yeah, that's right,
but presidents don't stay in office forever,
- AND EVEN IF THEY DID, CIRCUMSTANCES CHANGE. - WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
Well, it means that...
If a government falls in the middle east or somewhere,
if they start bombing Pakistan or somewhere else,
it affects all of us.
What does that got to do with the sicilian project?
Nothing... maybe.
I'm just saying that somewhere in the world,
in some think tank, right now,
they're figuring out a way to build a byzanium bomb.
Ah, Jesus.
Why, if you knew that, in god's name
why did you go along with this whole operation?
Because I believed in what we were trying to do.
And if it didn't work defensively,
if somebody was going to make a byzanium bomb,
I wanted it to be us.
Jesus Christ!
He thinks just like you do. I don't understand that kind of thinking.
You're both a couple of cynics. You think this is some kind of lousy game.
If I felt the way sandecker does, I wouldn't have started
the damn project in the first place!
I'm glad we didn't find the stuff.
Are you?
Okay.
But I'm not gonna let you wriggle off the hook so easy, seagram.
Not now. Take a look at this.
It's a postcard. I saw it.
That's right. An English postcard.
We all saw it.
Brewster must've bought it, stuck it in his briefcase, and never mailed it.
Take a look at the fine print on the back.
Come on, read it!
Uh, "typical country church and graveyard
in county of Hampshire, near the village of southeby."
Southeby.
Twenty miles from southampton.
We were wrong.
We thought it was a man, but it's a place.
Thank god for southeby.
Man: UH, THIS IS THE ONE.
Jake Hobart. I'll go and get the shovels.
Excuse me.
( rapid clicking )
- Jackpot. - Yeah.
( clicking continues )
Gene.
- Don't you want us to dig it up? - I don't know.
You'll have to ask Dr. Seagram that question.
It's your decision, gene, whether you like it or not.
Don't you want us to dig it up?
No.
- ( Pitt chuckles ) - WHAT'S SO FUNNY?
Eh, I knew a girl once.
I'll bet you did.
Years later, I ran into her again. She says, "what happened to you?
- I thought you were gonna change the world." - What'd you say?
I said they had me outnumbered.
Seagram: IS THAT MY LESSON FOR THE DAY?
( Pitt chuckles ) NO MORE LESSONS. NO MORE LECTURES.
You mean school's out?
Yeah. You just graduated, professor.
( symphony swells )