Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea
The Machines Strike Back
TV Flash files “The Machines Strike Back” as hour 44 of 110 in the TV Flash guide — Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1964–1968) on ABC, season 2, episode 12, aired 1965-12-12, 60 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S02E12: listed hour 44 of 110 in the Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea guide, hour 12 of 26 in season 2. It aired 1965-12-12 (60 min). The listed hour before it is “The X Factor” (S02E11). Next is “The Monster from Outer Space” (S02E13).

Catalog log
Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.
Admiral Nelson is under pressure when a drone sub system he pioneered malfunctions and fires three missiles at New York City. The race is on to establish what went wrong and how to stop it happening again
Viewer FAQ
Where does The Machines Strike Back sit in the Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea guide?
S02E12 is listed hour 44 of 110 — hour 12 of 26 in season 2, season 2 episode 12.
When did Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea S02E12 air?
The Machines Strike Back aired 1965-12-12 and is listed at 60 minutes.
Where should I start?
Nelson and Crane on the Seaview in an early, straighter adventure hour show the film-to-series contract. Later monster weeks are the camp-adjacent spectacle if you want creatures over Cold War nerves.
In the series
Why this series still plays
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea is Irwin Allen spectacle in a flying-sub hull: Richard Basehart's Admiral Nelson, David Hedison's Captain Crane, and the Seaview meeting monsters, spies, and weekly disaster. It spun from Allen's 1961 film into four seasons of underwater set pieces. Cold War nerves as creature feature — straight faces, big models.
The silhouette is a glass nose on an experimental submarine. *Flying-sub hull, big models, Cold War nerves dressed as creature couture.* Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea is Irwin Allen spectacle: Richard Basehart's Admiral Nelson, David Hedison's Captain Crane, the Seaview meeting monsters, spies, and weekly disaster. Spun from Allen's 1961 film onto ABC (1964–1968; four seasons, 110 episodes). Straight faces, big stakes. **This was not a quiet patrol; this was disaster theater in a hull.**
Open the Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea package · Season 2 hub
Filed against
- Richard Basehart as Adm. Harriman Nelson
Richard Basehart commanded Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea as Adm. Harriman Nelson — Irwin Allen spectacle in a flying-sub hull, monsters and spies meeting weekly disaster. David Hedison's Captain Crane kept the deck honest. TV Flash…
- David Hedison as Capt. Lee Crane
David Hedison’s Capt. Lee Crane ran Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea from the Seaview’s conn — Irwin Allen spectacle in a flying-sub hull, Richard Basehart’s Admiral Nelson, monsters, spies, weekly disaster. Four seasons of underwater set…