The Hunt for Red October Page #4

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An entire nuclear submarine?

They can't all want to defect,

even if it's only the officers.

- What's his plan?

- His plan?

Russians don't take a dump

without a plan.

Senior captains are sure

to have thought the matter through.

- He's just going to sail into New York?

- It might be that simple.

Things might be simple at CIA

But in the middle of the North Atlantic

they get a bit more complex

- Smoke?

- No, thank you.

And you'd need more

than a few days' inspections.

In order to be any value,

you'd have to tear it apart.

- Then we have to keep it.

- What will you do with the crew?

They'd know we got the boat.

- Or do you plan to eliminate them

- We're not at war, sir.

So we have to do this in such a way

that they think we don't have the boat.

They'll go back

and report that we don't have it.

Otherwise this whole business

is just academic, right?

Yes, I see your point.

- When was the last time you slept?

- Awhile.

- The chief outside will fix you up.

- Thank you, sir.

Captain.

It'll be dawn soon. We'll be in the CIC.

Things are liable to get

a little dicey around here.

- You think he's crazy?

- Certifiable.

And I don't care for him

wearing the uniform.

Did you see that ring on his finger?

The Academy class of '72. A Marine.

In the summer of his third year,

he went down in a chopper accident.

He spent ten months in traction

and another year learning to walk.

He did his fourth year

from the hospital.

It's up to you, Charlie, but you might

consider cutting him a little slack

The Russians will find that sub

before we get near it anyway.

- Passing Thor's Twins, sir.

- Very good.

- Passing the Twins now, sir.

- Commence your run

Call me when you get to the first turn

Mr. Kamarov, commence your run.

First leg on my mark

Course:
260. Speed: 18 knots.

Depth:
270 metres.

Five, four, three, two, one...

Mark

Diving Command, course: 260.

Speed:
18 knots.

Give me a stopwatch and a map and I'll

fly the Alps in a plane with no windows.

If the map is accurate enough.

We're in the lane

and approaching the first turn.

Come left to course 195

in 30 seconds.

Decrease depth to 200 metres.

Maintain speed.

Captain, we are approaching

the first turn.

Increase speed to 26 knots

and recompute.

Aye, Captain.

Navigator, recompute for 26 knots.

Turn on my mark Five, four, three...

...two, one, mark

Diving control,

come left to 195. Up on the bow planes.

Course now 195

and maintaining speed 26 knots.

- Mr. Kamarov?

- Next leg, Captain.

Come right to 240

at 8 minutes and 40 seconds.

Very good.

Maintain course and speed.

Too fast, Vassily.

Those charts are laid out precisely.

So many knots for so many seconds.

- This thing handles like a pig.

- Watch your bearing, Mr. Slavin.

Should we decrease speed?

Negative. Prepare to come right.

Eight, seven, six five, four...

...three, two, one, mark

Come right. 240. Move it!

We're in the lane. Next leg

Course:
240.

- What happened?

- The cryogenic plant.

The magnets aren't being cooled.

We're 50 degrees above red line.

- It's going to melt.

- Kill it, shut it down!

- The cryogen ic plant failed.

- Reactor damage?

- The reactor scrammed automatically.

- Was there any core damaged?

- Any radiation leakage?

- I don't know yet.

- How long will it take to fix?

- I've got to find out what's wrong first.

We will have to stop

and repair the caterpillar unit.

- We will run on normal propulsion

- Captain, we will not be silent.

Make revolutions for 20 knots

and engage the propellers.

- Aye, Captain.

- That man will get us all killed.

The captain knows what he's doing.

Naval activities?

I have no knowledge of this.

- But then I never was a sailor.

- Mr. Ambassador...

You have nearly 100 naval vessels

operating in the North Atlantic.

You've dropped enough sonar buoys -

- for a man to walk from Greenland

to Scotland without getting his feet wet.

You make your point

as delicately as ever.

What looks like an exercise

could be a prelude to war.

How can we tell the difference?

We have to deploy our ships.

Has your government considered -

- that having your ships and ours

in such proximity-

- is inherently dangerous

Wars have begun that way.

- We have lost one of our submarines.

- Lost it?

This is most embarrassing.

Several of the crew, the officers,

are sons of high Party officials.

One is even the son

of a Central Committee member.

- This is a massive rescue operation?

- That is correct.

I'm terribly sorry. How can we help?

- I'm not sure that...

- Perhaps a joint rescue mission?

That is very gracious of you.

I will pass your offer on.

But I think we're doing

everything that can be done.

Captain.

Our strategy depends on your answer.

The fleet will know where we are.

Sonar. We have just been over flown

by a low-altitude, multi-engined plane.

Put it on audio.

It's closing.

Water entry of small objects.

- Sonar buoys.

- Battle stations.

Battle stations!

How long to Neptune Massif?

- How long?

- 4 minutes, 10 seconds.

- Should we bottom the boat?

- It's too late for that now.

We're out of time. Countermeasures.

Prepare to launch a full spread.

Request permission to launch.

Launch the weapon.

Weapon is away.

High-speed screws.

Torpedo in the water.

Torpedo is active.

- Torpedo has acquired.

- Launch countermeasures.

Aye, sir.

- How long to the turn?

- 2 minutes, 9 seconds.

We've no room to manoeuvre.

Shut up!

Torpedo has reached

countermeasures and lost contact.

Torpedo has reacquired and is homing.

- Give me the count.

- Turn at Massif in 30 seconds.

- Time to torpedo impact?

- 35 seconds.

- Increase to flank.

- Full-ahead flank.

Torpedo impact now 40 seconds.

Turn at Massif in seven, six...

...five, four...

...three, two, one, mark

- Torpedo impact: 25 seconds.

- The turn, Captain.

Mark plus eight seconds, nine, ten...

...11 seconds, 12, 13, 14...

plus 15 seconds.

- Captain, we're out of position.

- Torpedo impact in 15 seconds.

Sound collision.

- We're out of the lane.

- You're relieved.

Right full rudder!

Reverse starboard engine!

Torpedo impact:
12 seconds.

Navigator,

- They're really shooting at us! Why?

- Easy, boy.

If they were really shooting at us,

we'd be dead by now.

I found out what happened

to the caterpillar.

The buffer circuit has been torn out.

It was only a matter of time.

- What are you saying?

- Somebody wanted to cripple the ship.

We have a saboteur on board.

It can't be any of the officers,

it must be a member of the crew.

Go and check Puin's flles

for information on the crew.

We may have to put them off

before we planned.

Your average Russkie

don't take a dump without a plan."

Wait a minute.

He will already have figured out

how to get the crew off the ship.

We just have to figure out

how he's going to do it.

They'd have to want to get off.

How do you get a crew

to want to get off a submarine?

How do you get a crew

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