Ocean of Fear
Encyclopedia
Ocean of Fear: Worst Shark Attack Ever is a television program
that launched the 20th anniversary of the Discovery Channel
's Shark Week
of 2007. It was based around the incident of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis
. The show initially aired on July 29, 2007, on the eve of the anniversary of the ship’s sinking in 1945.
The show investigated the shark attacks that occurred when the USS Indianapolis sank. Hundreds of crew that survived were stranded in the water for four days before rescue. In that time many of the survivors endured constant shark attacks. The Discovery Channel hired George H. Burgess
, a renowned investigator in shark attacks, to determine, "why the sharks attacked the way they did," and to "investigate the survival strategies of the men in the water, including those who fought the sharks."
on July 30, 1945 in the Philippine Sea
. Of the estimated 900 men who survived the attack, only 317 were rescued after four days in shark infested waters. The Discovery Channel describes the event as "the worst shark attack in history." Surviving members of the crew attended a special screening in New York City on 18 July 2007. According to the accounts of the surviving crew, most of the men died of either exhaustion, exposure to the elements, or drinking the ocean water, not from shark attacks. However, this incident is still one of the worst cases of sharks feeding on humans.
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
that launched the 20th anniversary of the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
's Shark Week
Shark Week
The Discovery Channel's Shark Week, which first aired on July 27, 1987, is a week-long series of feature television programs dedicated to sharks. Shark Week is held annually, normally running in July or August. Shark Week was developed to help the average person have a greater respect for sharks....
of 2007. It was based around the incident of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis
USS Indianapolis (CA-35)
USS Indianapolis was a of the United States Navy. She holds a place in history due to the circumstances of her sinking, which led to the greatest single loss of life at sea in the history of the U.S. Navy...
. The show initially aired on July 29, 2007, on the eve of the anniversary of the ship’s sinking in 1945.
The show investigated the shark attacks that occurred when the USS Indianapolis sank. Hundreds of crew that survived were stranded in the water for four days before rescue. In that time many of the survivors endured constant shark attacks. The Discovery Channel hired George H. Burgess
George H. Burgess
George H. Burgess is an ichthyologist and fisheries biologist with the Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida. He is the director of the International Shark Attack File and author/coauthor of numerous books and papers on sharks and other fish.George Burgess also appeared on...
, a renowned investigator in shark attacks, to determine, "why the sharks attacked the way they did," and to "investigate the survival strategies of the men in the water, including those who fought the sharks."
Cast and crew
The cast and crew of Ocean of Fear included these people:- Richard Bedser, Director
- Peter Miller, Editor
- Malcolm Mclean, Director of Photography
- Charlotte Wheaton, Line Producer
- Richard Dreyfuss, Narrator. Dreyfuss starred in the film JawsJaws (film)Jaws is a 1975 American horror-thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name. In the story, the police chief of Amity Island, a fictional summer resort town, tries to protect beachgoers from a giant man-eating great white shark by closing the beach,...
as Matt Hooper. - Antony Edridge, Captain Charles Butler McVay III
- Simon Lee Phillips, Marine Giles McCoy
- Ryan McCluskey, Ensign Harlan Twible
- Philip Rosch, Dr Lewis Haynes
- Chris Mack, Cozell Smith
- Greg Wohead, Joseph Dronet
- Tim Beckmann, Woody James
- Philip Bulcock, Jim Newhall
- Robert Gill, Father Conway
- Ian ColquhounIan Colquhoun (Scottish author)Ian Colquhoun is an author, actor, stuntman and freelance journalist originally from Livingston in Scotland. He lost his legs and was almost killed in an unprovoked assault and arson attack whilst living in the Republic of Ireland in 2002 and now wears prosthetic legs...
, A Scottish actor who played the part of a wounded sailor. - David Smallbone, Harry
- John Warman, Interviewer / Investigator
Historical Basis
Ocean of Fear is centered on the sinking of the USS Indianapolis, which had been torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-58Japanese submarine I-58
I-58 was a Japanese B3 type cruiser submarine that served in the final year of World War II. Modified to carry Kaiten manned torpedoes, she damaged two enemy destroyers with them, but her most significant success was the , sunk with conventional torpedoes on 30 July 1945...
on July 30, 1945 in the Philippine Sea
Philippine Sea
The Philippine Sea is a marginal sea east and north of the Philippines occupying an estimated surface area of 2 million mi² on the western part of the North Pacific Ocean...
. Of the estimated 900 men who survived the attack, only 317 were rescued after four days in shark infested waters. The Discovery Channel describes the event as "the worst shark attack in history." Surviving members of the crew attended a special screening in New York City on 18 July 2007. According to the accounts of the surviving crew, most of the men died of either exhaustion, exposure to the elements, or drinking the ocean water, not from shark attacks. However, this incident is still one of the worst cases of sharks feeding on humans.