Underwater Rescue
Today I turned to old TV shows. That place in history for anything was possible even if implausible. Specifically an episode of Sea Hunt. Let me set this up for you. We have a retired frogman working feeding the fish at a local attraction. Somewhere nearby an experimental jet plane crashes in the water. Within minutes a helicopter is on scene to pick up our skilled diver along with all his gear and an underwater voice system. A slate board that actually worked. Extra gear for the man they would rescue. Cutting torches in order to break through the canopy. I guess that hammers and crowbars had not been invented back in that time. At everything running across the screen counted on the clock. Things like he only has four more minutes of air as they take eight minutes to set up the scene. Of course the wreck was located quickly and with that torch he was able to cut a very accurate hole in the side of the fuselage of an experimental airplane to reach the lever that would release the canopy. You can’t make this stuff up. Within minutes all were safe on the surface along with the camera from inside the sunken jet, added a pair of baby shoes. I’ll have to think about that part. I have gone diving, nothing happens quickly. It can take you half an hour just to get dressed. But not on TV., the clock is always running in your favour, like finding something underwater and cutting an accurate hole in the side with a blowtorch. Did I mention this was all in black and white because they had not invented colour either. That wonderful time just after the Second World War when anything was possible. And the cool part is that they could wrap the whole thing up including commercials in under half an hour and get ready for the next episode. I’m sorry about that jet airplane it was too heavy to lift out of the water so it seems to have been abandoned. Maybe I should get some dive gear and go see if I can find it inside of a minute. Should be easy to recognize it. It has a very accurate hole on the side where that escape lever was available. Not to the pilot but to a diver who just happened by and found the plane. As I say, you can’t make this stuff up.
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