Iceberg

Iceberg submarine
Vehicle information
Model	Iceberg submarine
Manufacturer	Q Branch
Class	Midget submarine
Behind the scenes
First seen	A View to a Kill (film)
Last seen	James Bond 007 (role-playing game)

The Iceberg Submarine is a fictional Q Branch-designed miniature submarine disguised as an iceberg. The vessel first appeared in the 1985 James Bond film A View to a Kill. Additionally, the craft appeared in its accompanying interactive fiction video game James Bond 007: A View to a Kill, and was subsequently adapted for the 1983-87 tabletop role-playing game James Bond 007.

History

While on a mission to retrieve a microchip from the body of murdered agent 003 in Siberia, Bond is spotted by Soviet troops who relentlessly pursue him as he attempts to flee. After evading his pursuers, 007 makes his escape to Alaska in a watercraft disguised as an iceberg, and piloted by field agent Kimberley Jones. The vessel is entered and exited via a hatch located on top of the vehicle (notably emblazoned with a Union Jack flag on the inside). With no apparent windows and portholes, the craft navigates by way of cameras which relay the image to numerous monitors inside. The interior is lavishly furnished with a long half-circle couch at the rear of the cabin, optionally convertible into a bed. The iceberg is controlled from the front of the cabin with an additional set of throttle controls at the rear and is equipped with an autopilot system.

Alternate Continuities

James Bond 007 (role-playing game)

Dubbed the "Q Branch Mini-Submarine" in the A View to a Kill module of the tabletop role-playing game, the craft is a three-passenger submarine recently developed by Q Branch. It allows covert insertion and removal of operatives in normally inaccessible areas. For the current mission, the sub's top looks like an ice floe, and there is a hatch in the top of the fake floe, allowing access from the outside. It is equipped with the latest in sonar and radar detection equipment; also highly developed communications equipment is part of the standard package. The sub also has the latest electronic countermeasures to prevent detection. There are sleeping quarters to the rear, allowing the vessel to make long trips while proving for the passengers' comfort. It can carry up to an absolute maximum of five occupants.

While the interior of the vessel is depicted as similar to its cinematic counterpart, the exterior is very different; more closely resembling a conventional submarine below the water surface.

Behind the Scenes

The pre-title sequence featuring the iceberg vessel was filmed at the Breiðamerkurjökull glacial field near Hofn in Iceland with the skiing sequences shot in the Swiss Alps. Several polystyrene imitation icebergs were also utilised for the sequence. "They were easier to maneuver," said set designer Phil Kohler. "The real icebergs were sometimes a bit of a problem -- in the morning they were seldom in the same place we left them the night before." Notably, the ice-cold Jökulsárlón lagoon, beneath the great 8,300-square-mile Vatnajökull glacier, Europe's largest, would later be used for the ice-bound car chase in 2002's Die Another Day. While filming the iceberg sub sequence, a near tragedy hit the crew when an iceberg they were on suddenly flipped over, nearly killing some of the crew members.

Gallery

Iceberg/Gallery