Stingray dived viewers under the sea and into the world below, where beauty and mystery can always be found. Throughout the 1964 underwater Supermarionation sci-fi fantasy, Stingray presents us with a delectable variety of mysteries involving the elusive nature of our underwater seascapes and what sorts of fantastic alien characters dwell within them.

The series also presents us with plenty further mysteries which feel annoying in their unresolved nature, often unspoken of during the events of the TV series, and sometimes left to be answered throughout Stingray's extended media through comics, novels and beyond. From uneven characterisations to weirdly defined aspects of the World Aquanaut Security Patrol's set-up, there's plenty of unanswered questions throughout the series.

Let's count down our top 10 selection of Stingray mysteries!

10. Does the World Aquanaut Security Patrol really only have one submarine?

Compared to the extensive array of Fireball XL vehicles seen throughout the adventures of the World Space Patrol, the World Aquanaut Security Patrol appears to be conspicuously absent of an equal fleet of submarines beyond Stingray. Stingray is the only submarine seen throughout the original TV series that belongs to WASP, despite boasting an otherwise heavy duty array of fighter aircraft, personnel transporter helicopters, and other vehicles

There are stray lines of dialogue in scattered episodes that hint at WASP boasting more than one submarine, generally with some passing line of 'Stingray being the only vessel in the area' to deal with any given danger zone. Stingray's comic strip adventures in Countdown would expand on the notion of WASP having just the one super-sub. The Model Mission storyline refers to numerous other submarines in the WASP fleet with similar names and sharing the same basic design as Stingray. 

The WASP's expansion of its submarines continue in the Deadly Uprising saga, our spectacular multi-media narrative event that marked Stingray's 60th anniversary. During the events of Titan's mighty uprising with other underwater foes, Stingray's future hangs in the balance with the unveiling of the Orca, the WASP's latest and most dangerously advanced submarine to date. Bob Ayres' novella Project Orca details the nail-biting jeopardy of the Orca's debut - and its falling into enemy hands!

9. What does the '3' on Stingray's fin indicate?

Similarly mysterious is what the number 3 on Stingray's rear upper fin indicates. It's never commented on in-universe during the events of the series, but the fact that Stingray is launched from Marineville's Pen #3 adds weight to the idea that Stingray may be considered the third submarine in Marineville's fleet. However, an alternate idea could be that this is, in all technicality, version three of Stingray. The 1966 Stingray annual contains a brief mechanical specification of Stingray's service history, stating that the submarine has been continually modified. Adding weight to this theory is the more well-known fact that a certain Captain Grey piloted an earlier prototype version of Stingray during his pre-Spectrum career.

More definitive answers to both of these two mysteries can best be found in the W.A.S.P. Technical Operations Manual, which reveals all the best-kept secrets of Stingray and Marineville's operational functionality! 

8. How did Titan become ruler of Titanica?

Both the heroes and villains of Stingray have unspoken aspects about their backgrounds; for example, the TV series is reluctant to reveal precisely just how the mighty Titan came to be the ruler of Titanica. It would fall to the 1967 Stingray annual and its two-page History of Titanica spread to tell the tragic backstory of the dangerous warlord. 

Titan once belonged to a peaceful underwater race who lived in the domed city of Hydroma. During this time, the young Titan was a brilliant mathematician and scientist, whose extensive research into atomic explosions from the terranean world was subsequently ignored by his fellow race when warning them of the imminent nuclear dangers their race faced. Humiliated and rejected, Titan became a refugee from the city, but Hydroma itself became destroyed by collapsing mountain peaks. While never outright confirmed that these tremors were caused by the human's atomic activities, Titan swore revenge against the terraneans. 

Allying himself with the Aquaphibian race, Titan led the command in the surviving Hydromans to build a new city in its place - Titanica. Armed with his unquenchable anger against terraneans and his former race, Titan swiftly became feared throughout the seas as a deadly warlord not to be underestimated.

7. How far does Titan's empire reach?

With Titanica rebuilt from the ruins of Hydroma, Titan commanded a vast swathes of the sprawling oceans of the world. During his self-imposed exile, Titan had systematically chartered many underwater civilisations. However, just how far Titan's reach extends is left unconfirmed in most, if not all, of Stingray's universe across the TV series and extended media. It's heavily implied throughout various strands of Stingray fiction that Titan does indeed command the fears of many underwater races in his vice-like grip. Perhaps it's best left to the imagination to consider just how mighty Titan truly is!

6. Where's Atlanta's mother?

A rare mention of Atlanta's unseen mother is given in her character biography from the 1967 annual, explaining that the unnamed mother passed away seven years prior to the events of the TV series. Within the TV series itself, her mother and Commander Shore's wife is practically never mentioned. Only during the events of Invisible Enemy are there hints given as to the status of Atlanta's mother. When Atlanta is stricken by a mysterious invisible disease that appears to ensnare Marineville, Shore says Marineville's chief doctor, "Take care of her - she's all I've got."

5. How does Marina communicate?

Marina's mute nature gifts Stingray with an unexpected boost for championing disabled rights, but it does come with the awkward consequence of the series leaving details vague as to how exactly Marina is able to communicate. In the episode Plant of Doom, when the Stingray crew take Marina to visit her father, Aphony, the kindly ruler of Pacifica, it's suggested by Troy that the pair (Aphony's father is equally mute), are able to communicate via thought transference. 

This idea would be fleshed out further in the Marina, Girl of the Sea prequel comic strip from the pages of Lady Penelope. During Marina's pre-Stingray life, it's confirmed that she was once able to communicate verbally, but the rageful Titan placed a curse upon Marina and all of her people, claiming that if either of them should speak, the other will die. Whether through genuine supernatural power or paranoia, Pacifians woild forever remain mute. However, as Marina's pre-Stingray adventures continue, she and her father unexpectedly discover that they can read each other's thoughts, and thus solidify their newfound methods of communication. 

4. Why do the WASPs never think to devise an inclusive means of communicating with Marina?

The Disappearing Ships and Invisible Enemy are the closest the WASPs come to devising a sure-fire way of effectively and sensitively communicating with Marina that's more than simple nods or shakings of the head. Marina's tapping of Stingray's radio microphone may not enable the most compelling of conversations with the mute Marina to take place, but beyond these two instances, the WASPs embrace Marina's muteness without ever really defining proper channels of communication. A bit of a misfire for such a major member of the Stingray crew.

Marina's physical means of communicating find renewed effectiveness throughout the Stingray novellas The Titanican Stratagem by Chris Dale and Project Orca. Marina is a vital player in both of these superbly authentic Stingray adventures, proving that her lack of verbal abilities doesn't detract from her status as a brilliant action heroine for the series.

3. What was WASP's mission before their discovery of Titan?

Not unsimilar to the weirdly undefined nature of Spectrum's purpose before the discovery and subsequent war of nerves with the Mysterons, the events of Stingray begin with the World Aquanaut Security Patrol in full operational force before the outfit is aware of Titan's existence. Indeed, the presence of any underwater alien race is a new thing for the WASP's to contend with once Titan reveals himself. This then begs the question of what exactly the WASP's initial purpose was?

A vaguely defined definition is alluded to in the outfit's very name, but it's curious that WASP should co-exist with the World Navy, seen in both the TV series and its extended universe, when both surely would have the same function? The heated rivalry between the two outfits are best witnessed in The Man from the Navy, but precisely how the clashing organisations are justified in co-existing is never quite detailed within the events of the TV series.

2. Who really capture's Troy Tempest's heart?

That two-timing Tempest! How many other underwater science-fiction adventure TV series can claim to have a hero who strings along two admirers? Knowing full well that he commands the romantic attentions of both Atlanta Shore and Marina, Troy Tempest doesn't exactly appear to be in any great hurry to decide who he'd rather commit himself to. Troy's on-off romance with Atlanta and more subtle attraction between himself and Marina injects Stingray with a welcome dose of romantic overtones away from its sci-fi pyrotechnics, but the series begins and ends without a firm answer from Troy as to which woman he'd prefer! 

1. What happened to Oink?

Perhaps wisely determining that such a juvenile addition to the series' cast may have constrained the series' appeal, the adopted seal of the Stingray crew vanishes as swiftly as he appears. Introduced as Stingray's equivalent of Supercar's Mitch the Monkey or Fireball XL5's Zoonie the Lazoon, Oink the seal is introduced in Sea of Oil as a comical pet of Marina's. However, the creature only made a few brief appearances in follow-up episodes before being written out of the series entirely, with no explanation.

Perhaps a more likely answer as to Oink's abrupt departure was the fact that they were voiced by David Graham, who wasn't as involved in Stingray's voice cast as he had been with the preceding Supermarionation series and the eventual Thunderbirds. Whatever the reason behind Oink's vanishing, they aren't terribly missed.

Bonus mystery - did Stingray really visit Tracy Island?

We can answer this mystery with some certainty - yes! As this publicity image taken during the production of Thunderbirds shows, Stingray did indeed visit Tracy Island. However, the story goes no further than that. There's no lost crossover episode between International Rescue and the World Aquanaut Security Patrol. The above publicity image is, well, just that - a publicity image. This fascinating image was most likely snapped by Century 21 Productions' in-house photographer Doug Luke, who was responsible for capturing all manners of uniquely composed and dramatic images of Century 21's fantastic futures, most notably used throughout the likes of TV Century 21. 

Likely taken during Stingray's run on television and to drum up interest in what would have then been the company's forthcoming Supermarionation spectacular, Thunderbirds, this enduring image still sets off many a fan's discussions as to what a shared universe between Gerry and Sylvia's puppet heroes would be like. However, the eternally thorny issue if whether or not most, if not all, of the Supermarionation characters exist in the same timeline is perhaps best saved for another article...

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