May 2012 - No Questions, Just Submarine Answers

Readers of M.E.'s Submarine Mystery Questions of the Week have noticed that relevant background information is normally provided prior to the questions. Details accompany the answers subsequently provided.

In a respite, M.E. inaugurates a new feature, Background, that connects dots with no questions asked. Here is May's edition.

Background

(1) "Last Resort,"a long awaited depiction of women on U.S. submarine, is set to debut its pilot episode which features Andre Braugher, Scott Speedman, Robert Patrick, Daisy Betts and more.

"500 feet beneath the ocean's surface, the U.S. ballistic missile submarine Colorado receives their orders. Over a radio channel, designed only to be used if their homeland has been wiped out, they're told to fire nuclear weapons at Pakistan. Captain Marcus Chaplin (Andre Braugher) demands confirmation of the orders only to be unceremoniously relieved of duty by the White House. XO Sam Kendal (Scott Speedman) finds himself suddenly in charge of the submarine and facing the same difficult decision. When he also refuses to fire without confirmation of the orders, the Colorado is targeted, fired upon, and hit. The submarine and its crew find themselves crippled on the ocean floor, declared rogue enemies of their own country. Now, with nowhere left to turn, Chaplin and Kendal take the sub on the run and bring the men and women of the Colorado to an exotic island. Here they will find refuge, romance, and a chance at a new life, even as they try to clear their names and get home. From executive producer/writer Shawn Ryan (The Shield, The Unit, The Chicago Code) and Executive producer/writer Karl Gajdusek comes this dramatic new international action-thriller about treachery, treason, and nuclear brinksmanship. LAST RESORT contemplates establishing of a new society in the modern world, and character becomes everything when unthinkable decisions must be made." - Vienna, SUBSIM Radio Room

Very interesting! Back track here (from February).
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(2) Chef Gordon Ramsay of Hell's Kitchen fame does it again! Roasted by wildlife activists for eating WHALE meat in Iceland. He originally had naval ambitions, for chefs that usually means subs.

Not a publicity stunt. Even Vigilis had whale meat in Iceland! Back track from Poached Puffins (2008).

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(3) Ed Harris Fights for His Russian Sub. Harris and X-Files star David Duchovny set sail in the Russian Navy in The Phantom, an tense drama that takes place aboard a nuclear submarine, according to a new trailer. Unless stopped, a rogue boat threatens world destruction.

Uh, just a moment! There seems to have been some confusion. Back track here (February again) to see why: Big-budget military thriller set for Alaska film credit approval.

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Submarines are always silent and strange.