In late 2015 I was hired as technical adviser for an episode of “Supernatural”, the episode itself directed by legendary Hollywood director John Badham. The episode, entitled “The Vessel”, is due to be shown on Wednesday, February 17th on the CW network locally.

The action takes place partially in a World War II United States navy submarine, BLUEFIN, and hence the need for a submariner as adviser.

It was a fascinating experience, as I’d never hung around a working set and shoot before. What made it especially interesting for me was that way back in 1964, as a green-around-the-gills sublieutenant in the Royal Canadian Navy, I had spent two weeks at sea in a US Navy submarine, USS RASHER (AGSS 269)–BLUEFIN’s real-life counterpart. RASHER’s Commanding Officer commented in a letter that I had “participated actively in the conduct of our exercises as assistant to the ship’s conning officer”. I guess that’s what I was doing when the photo of me on the periscope was snapped, although I look like I was reacting to a joke from one of the very professional but–being submariners–informal American crew.