“Destruction” is episode nine of season one of UFO.
A Navy ship is scanning for something when they get a radar contact. The captain and first officer see the contact, which is a UFO, though neither recognise it. The captain thinks it’s attacking so has the ship open fire. The UFO is shot down and a photo is taken as it hits the water.
Straker is seeing the photo ain the paper when General Henderson arrives at SHADO Control. Henderson says there will be an official denial; unofficially, it was the accidental shooting down of an experimental aircraft. Straker can conduct his own investigation, but don’t expect cooperation from the Navy. Straker confirms that no UFOs were known to have got through and, though none may have penetrated their defences in some time, sooner or later they were going to.
Straker is playing golf with Foster. They talk about the UFO and Foster says one was destroyed that morning. Straker thinks it may have been a sacrifice so that it wasn’t confirmed their defences had been pierced. Foster asks why the UFO didn’t fire on the ship. Straker says that would have been proof.
Colonel Lake is on Skydiver 1, which is descending below its maximum safe depth.
Back on the course, it turns out there is someone Foster knows in Admiral Sheringham’s office. Straker wants to know why the Navy came to such a quick decision. He thinks they are doing something secret, and if the aliens want to know, so does Straker.
Skydiver is as low as it can go, and Lake orders it climb. There were still 200 fathoms below them.
The ship’s captain, Minto, is meeting with Admiral Sheringham. The depth where the ship was is over 1,000 fathoms. A greater safety margin than needed. The admiral approves the location, and warns Minto that one slip and life on the planet will be wiped out.
The person Foster knows in Sheringham’s office is the admiral’s secretary, Sarah Bosanquet. He meets with her.
Lake and Straker discuss the trench. Straker says the wreckage is no longer important. The trench is deeper than Skydiver could go. Straker wants to meet with the admiral; Henderson will arrange it.
Sheringham says that Straker can’t meet the captain and can’t say why. When Straker quizzes the admiral on the report, suggesting that Captain Minto being on a mission might explain his actions, the admiral calls the meeting to an end.
The Navy is dumping something very dangerous and the UFOs know about it. Which adds even more danger.