It's cold this morning, Captain.
Cold.
And hard.
It's time, Captain.
It's time.
Time indeed.
You're supposed to be upstairs sleeping.
- Stanley keeps waking me up. - Oh, I get it...
- You're getting heavy. - No nonsense.
Two stories. Two glasses of water. Jack...
- You're going to miss the plane. - Go upstairs with Mrs. Wheeler.
When I'm on my business trip, I'll get Stanley a little brother.
- Promise? - I promise.
- Can I get you anything, sir? - No, thank you.
If you try and get some sleep, the flight will go a lot faster.
I can never sleep on a plane. Turbulence.
- Pardon? - Turbulence.
Solar radiation heats the earth's crust, warm air rises, cool air descends.
- I don't like that. - Try to get some sleep anyway.
Dr Ryan?
Jack, get yourself in here.
Jesus, you look like hell.
Thank you very much, Admiral. I could use some coffee.
I'm not going to ask you how your flight went.
- When did you last get some sleep? - I don't know.
Milk and sugar.
How's Caroline? Last time I saw her was at your granddad's place in Maine.
She's fine. She sends you her best.
And Sally? What is she now, three?
No, she's a very precocious five.
She announced the other day that her life would be less lonely -
- if we were to buy her a baby brother.
But she decided it would be enough if we were to buy one for Stanley.
- Who's Stanley? - Stanley's a bear.
What's important enough to get you on a plane in the middle of the night?
British Intelligence obtained these pictures of the Red October.
- She's the latest Typhoon class. - Big son of a bitch.
12 meters longer than standard. 3 meters wider.
- Captain's name is Ramius. - One of yours?
I did the bio on him last year. He always takes out their lead boat.
Good political connections. Trains their attack-boat skippers.
The Russians call him Vilnius nastavnic.
The Vilnius schoolmaster.
- What are these doors? - Those doors are the problem.
I don't know what they are, neither do the British. Perhaps they're new.
I'd like to show these to Skip Tyler.
- The sub driver? - He was until he lost his leg.
Now he teaches at the Academy. He's got top-secret clearance.
Have the car for Dr Ryan downstairs in ten minutes.
The satellite caught Red October in Polijarny Inlet this morning.
- Do you hear it? - No.
At Cal Tech we used to do this in our sleep. Do you hear it now?
Wait a minute... maybe.
- It's buried in surface clutter. - Yes.
- I should go to SAPS? - Correct, Seaman Beaumont.
Signal Algorithmic Processing Systems.
Give it a week and you'll be teaching at Cal Tech.
So, like Beethoven on the computer, -
- you have labored to produce...
...a biologic.
- A what? - A whale.
A marine mammal that knows a lot more about sonar than you do.
Kill SAPS. Go over to 269, and let's try it again.
If he gets to bothering you, ask him about Pavarotti.
I was in the middle of teaching Beaumont about modern sonar.
- I'm chief of the boat. - Tell me, Cobb.
Okay, go ahead.
Seaman Jones is into music in a big way.
He figures this whole boat is his personal, private stereo set.
- He gets this Pavarotti... - It was Paganini.
This is my story.
Pavarotti is a tenor. Paganini was a composer.
He's got this music, and he's listening to it on his head set.
Then all hell breaks loose. There's a slew of boats at San Diego.
- And one way out at Pearl. - All of a sudden...
Pavarotti is coming out of their asses. Jones...
- What do I do? - I got it.
New contact bearing 097. Designate contact Sierra-35.
- What have you got, Jonesy? - Probably submerged.
It could be a missile boat out of Polijarny.
Start your track. I'll be there in a minute.
Time to open the orders, sir. The Political Officer is in your cabin.
Very well.
Carry on.
- What are you doing? - Overseeing the stability of the crew.
By invading my privacy?
Privacy is not a major concern in the Soviet Union.
It is often contrary to the collective good.
"Behold, I am coming as a thief. "
"And they gathered them together in a place called Armageddon. "
"The 7th angel poured forth his bowl, and a voice cried out from Heaven... "
"It is done. "
A man with your responsibilities reading about the end of the world.
What's this? "I am become death, the destroyer of worlds. "
It is an ancient Hindu text quoted by an American.
- An American? - He invented the atomic bomb.
He was accused of being a communist.
You wrote and underlined these passages.
No.
This book belonged to my wife. I keep it for sentimental value.
I'm sorry. Your wife was a beautiful woman.
Her death was unfortunate.
I am only doing my job. It is my responsibility.
How many KGB agents are aboard my boat?
Your boat? This vessel belongs to the people of the Soviet Union.
Besides, if the KGB or the GRU has agents aboard, -
- I would be the last to know.
I suggest we open our orders.
Certainly, comrade.
From Commander Strategic Forces Red Banner Northern Fleet.
We are to proceed north, to grid square 5490.
We're to rendezvous with Konovalov, Capt. Tupolev's boat.
- You know Tupolev? - I know he was your student.
It's rumored he has a place in his heart for you.
There's little room in Tupolev's heart for anyone but Tupolev.
We are to make contact and run tests. Tupolev will hunt our ship.
We are to evaluate the readiness of the caterpillar drive.
We return to Polijarny on or about the 16th of this month.
This is an historic moment. I should like to make a request.
Before you proceed...
Would you permit me to post the orders for the crew?
Where I am going, you cannot follow.
Dr Petrov, report to my cabin. There's been a dreadful accident.
There's no cradle underneath it. Get it over.
You want to come up here and do it yourself?
Ryan! Who let you in here?
Have they got you playing with models now?
Damn it, Phil! Tell them to slow down.
It's not a model. It's a DSRV. A rescue sub.
What are you doing with it?
We're rigging it with a generic docking collar for other subs.
We can get it anywhere in the world in 24 hours.
- How's your back? - It's fine. Have you got a minute?
It's bigger than a regular Typhoon. What are these doors?
You don't miss much.
Those are too big to be torpedo tubes.
- Can you launch an ICBM horizontally? - Why would you want to?
They're symmetrical, right down the long axis of the sub.
- How about a towed sonar array? - Too close to the screws.
I'll be...
This could be a caterpillar.
- A what? - Magneto-hydrodynamic propulsion.
- Do you follow? - No.
It's like a jet engine for the water.
It's got no moving parts, so it's very, very quiet.
- How quiet? - Sonar wouldn't pick it up.
Maybe as a seismic anomaly. It wouldn't sound like a submarine.
We messed with this a few years ago. Couldn't make it work.
- They really built this? - She put to sea this morning.
When I was twelve I helped my daddy build a bomb shelter in our basement, -
- because some fool parked a dozen warheads off the coast of Florida.
This thing could park 200 warheads off Washington or New York -
- and no one would know anything about it until it was all over.
- Are you all right, Captain? - Yes.
It's just, to die from something as petty as slipping on tea...
It was an accident. You'll feel better when we put in.
- Put in? - Return to base.
- We have no political officer. - This is a Soviet combat vessel.
We do not cancel operations because of accidents.
Seaman, come here. Come here.
- Your name? - Cook's Assistant Loginov.
I want you and the doctor to witness this.
I'm removing the Political Officer's missile key and keeping it myself.
We should report this to Red Fleet Command.
That's impossible. Our orders are for radio silence.
- That's all, Loginov. - This is most unnerving.
The reason for having two missile keys is so that no one man may...
- May what? - May arm the missiles.
- Perhaps I should keep the key. - That'll be all, Doctor.
When I address the crew, then you will understand.
Petrov, I will try to forget your comments when I present my report.
Thank you, sir.
Holding steady on 310. 12 knots at about 20,000 yards.
- Have you got a make on it? - The computer is chewing on it.
It sounds like a Typhoon.
- Did I miss something on the boards? - Sub plant hasn't said anything.
- How many Typhoons are listed? - Six.
Call this guy Typhoon 7. Work in a little closer.
- Won't he hear us? - Not if we stay in his baffles.
Come in behind his propeller and he's deaf as a post.
- Any sonar contacts? - No, the sonar is clear.
- Do we have any surface contacts? - No, the scope is clear.
Good. Then it's time I explain our orders to the crew.
Comrades, this is your captain.
It is an honor to speak to you -
- while sailing in our motherland's most recent achievement.
Once more, we play our dangerous game.
A game of chess, against our old adversary, the American Navy.
For 40 years, your fathers before you, you played this game well.
But today the game is different. We have the advantage.
It reminds me of the heady days of Sputnik and Yuri Gagarin.
The world trembled at the sound of our rockets.
It will tremble again at the sound of our silence.
The order is: Engage the silent drive.
Ballast control, open outer doors.
Engage caterpillar and secure main engines.
Doors opening.
Our own fleet doesn't know our full potential.
They will test us.
But they will embarrass themselves. We'll leave our fleet behind.
We will pass through the American patrols.
We'll lay off their largest city and listen to their rock and roll, -
- while we conduct missile drills.
When we are finished, the only sound they will hear is our laughter.
Then we will sail to Havana for sunshine and comradeship.
- Cryogenic plant coming on line. - A great day. We sail into history.
Caterpillar engaging.
- What happened? - I don't know.
Full rudder left.
Navigator, new course: 250.
Course: 250.
Sonar contact. Port quarter.
- American, Los Angeles class. - American!
Course: 310.
- Is the American turning to follow us? - No, he is continuing on his course.
- He is continuing north-west. - He can't hear us.
And the singing?
Let them sing.
What are you talking about? Check again.
The sonar is working. The Russian disappeared.
One minute he was steady, then he was gone.
- And I thought I heard... - Heard what?
I thought I heard singing, sir.
- Singing? - Yes, sir.
Good morning, sir.
I hope you had a lovely evening.
A little chilly this morning.
There's a letter from Marko Ramius.
Marko!
Yes?
No, this is Dr Ryan.
- What happened? - This is no longer research.
I got a line on those doors. You know what they are?
- A silent propulsion system. - How did you know that?
The sub captain radioed in. The thing disappeared right in front of him.
That's only the half of it.
- You got your ID? - This is unbelievable.
The Kirov, the Kiev, the Minsk.
- Their whole fleet. - That's right.
- Where are we going? - Briefing for Jeffrey Pelt.
The President's Security Advisor. Most of the Joint Chiefs will be there.
- Who is giving the briefing? - You are.
All the slides are laid out for you. All you've got to do...
Look, no one understands this material better than you.
Give him a run down of the sub and the stuff in your hand.
When he asks direct questions, give him direct answers.
Tell him what you think. Come on.
The last 24 hours have seen some extraordinary Soviet naval activity.
The first ship to sail was the Red October, -
- in reference to the October revolution of 1917.
A variant of the Typhoon class, she's 650 feet long -
- and 32,000 tons submerged displacement.
We believe that these doors enclose a unique propulsion system.
A magneto-hydrodynamic drive, or caterpillar, -
- that would enable the sub to run virtually silent.
It is possible that this new drive system allowed Capt. Ramius...
Do we have his picture available?
...to elude our attack boat Dallas, which was trailing Red October.
It is also possible that this drive system -
- could render the Red October undetectable to our warning nets.
Would you characterize this as a first-strike weapon?
That is a possibility.
It is designed to approach by stealth and armed with nuclear warheads.
- Damn thing was made to start a war. - Proceed, Mr. Ryan.
After the Dallas lost contact, there were additional sailings.
From Polijarny, Leningrad and from the Mediterranean.
There are now some 58 nuclear subs headed at high speed into the Atlantic.
This afternoon's satellite pass over Polijarny found heat blooms -
- indicating that the Kirov, the Minsk and 20 other ships were ready to sail.
This constitutes the bulk of the Soviet surface fleet.
The data supports no conclusions as yet.
Absence of activity in the Pacific suggests that this is just an exercise.
Suppose this is a move against NATO?
I have some very sensitive information. It must not leave this room.
Before sailing, Ramius sent a letter to Admiral Yuri Padorin.
He's chairman of the Red Fleet Northern Directorate.
That's her uncle, Ramius' wife.
Padorin is her uncle.
Padorin immediately demanded a meeting with Premier Chenyenko.
Within minutes of that meeting, orders were given to find Red October-
- and sink her.
- Sink her? - They've got a madman on their hands.
Within 500 miles off the coast, we'll have only two minutes' warning.
- Today's the 23rd, isn't it? - Yeah.
You son of a bitch.
You son of a bitch!
Do you wish to add something to our discussion, Dr Ryan?
Well, perhaps there's another possibility we might consider.
Ramius might be trying to defect.
- Do you mean to suggest...? - Proceed.
Ramius trained most of their officer corps.
He could select men willing to help him.
He's not Russian. He's Lithuanian.
He was raised by his grandfather.
He has no children. No ties to leave behind.
Today is the first anniversary of his wife's death.
- Come on. You're just an analyst. - I know Ramius.
He's a legend among his men. He's always been a maverick.
I met him at an embassy dinner. Have you met Capt. Ramius, General?
How long before Ramius could be in a position to fire his missiles at us?
- Four days. - All right, I'll brief the President.
Dr Ryan, would you stay for a moment, please?
I said speak your mind, Jack, but Jesus!
You slammed the door on the general.
- That was not my intention. - Yes, it was.
He was patronizing you. In my opinion he deserved it.
I'm a politician, which means I'm a cheat and a liar.
When I'm not kissing babies, I'm stealing their lollipops.
But it also means that I keep my options open.
Let's assume for a minute that you're right, -
- and this Russian intends to defect. What do you suggest we do about it?
- We definitely grab the boat. - Wait a minute.
This is not a stray pilot with a MiG.
We're talking about several billion dollars worth of Soviet property.
- They're going to want it back. - We could inspect it.
Call it a Coastguard safety inspection.
How do we proceed?
We need to contact the commanders in the Atlantic directly.
If the Russians get one whiff of this, the game is up.
We need to be able to help them.
We need to be ready to go at a moment's notice.
And somebody has to find out what Ramius' intentions really are.
Okay, when do you leave?
Wait a minute!
The general was right. I am only an analyst.
You're perfect. I can't ask any of these characters.
They wouldn't stake their reputations on a hunch.
- You... - Are expendable.
Something like that.
I'll give you three days.
After that, I have to hunt down Ramius and destroy him. Will you do it?
Mother of God!
Secure the masts. All ahead two thirds. Set depth to 900 meters.
Come left, heading 205.
These orders are seven bloody hours old!
- Captain...? - All ahead flank.
Inquire of the engineer about going to 105% on the reactor.
Seven hours! The entire fleet is after him.
900 meters.
105% on the reactor is possible... but not recommended.
Go to 105 on the reactor.
- What is it? Where are we going? - We're going to kill a friend.
We're going to kill Ramius.
If you like borscht perhaps, but I've eaten better in the galley.
My wife asked the waiter if the chef was from Afghanistan.
Then we went on to the ballet, to see the new girl as Giselle.
Remember how beautiful she was? She just married a factory manager...
Doctor, do you have the figures for the last batch of radiation tests?
Now?
Now.
Bring the preceding set as well, for comparison.
Thank you, Doctor.
It will take him some time.
Before we begin, I'd like to know what happened to Putin.
- He didn't slip on his tea, did he? - I don't think I like your tone.
- We're risking our lives here. - Putin could have made complications.
Did you think he would go away and sulk?
- Are you saying he was murdered? - Stop whining, Yuri.
So he was murdered. The man was a pig.
But it is a decision we should have all made together.
If the crew finds out, we could have a mutiny.
Everything that happens on this ship affects us all.
- Why don't we go back? - There'll be no going back.
Before we sailed I dispatched a letter to Admiral Padorin, -
- in which I announced our intention to defect.
In the name of God, why?
When he reached the new world, Cortez burned his ships.
- Thus, his men were well motivated. - You have signed our death warrants.
- Padorin will send the entire fleet. - Jesus! They'll find us.
Nobody is going to find us. That's enough, Yuri.
You couldn't just turn the sub over to the Americans.
You had to make a political statement.
Or was it something deeper that made you unable to simply slip away?
- Was it ego, Captain? - We each have our reasons, Victor.
My own began the day I was handed the blueprints for this ship.
A ship which had but one use. As for the rest, -
- those are things that I alone must carry the burden for.
Anatoly, you're afraid of our fleet. You should be.
Personally, I give us... one chance in three.
More tea, anyone?
No?
Then you may report back to your posts.
You heard the captain, dismissed.
Captain.
I would never disagree with you in front of the men.
But in this case Victor was right.
It would have been better if you had not informed Moscow.
Moscow is not the worry, nor the whole Soviet Navy.
I know their tactics. I have the advantage.
The worry is the Americans.
If we meet the right sort, this will work.
If we get some buckaroo...
Some turbulence. You don't like flying?
This is nothing. You should have been here five months ago.
Talk about puke! We ran into a hail storm over the Sea of Japan.
The pilot shot his lunch all over the windshield.
I barfed on the radio.
It wasn't that lightweight stuff. It was that chunky industrial puke.
You want a bite?
Next time I get a bright idea, I'll put it in a memo.
- Sir. - That will be all, Lieutenant.
- Did that Hawkeye trap? - Number four wire.
- Not bad considering. - The gentleman is here to see you.
What the hell are you talking about?
I apologize for the uniform. It's Admiral Greer's idea of a low profile.
If you're working for Jim Greer, you can tell me what this is all about.
Captain, have you got a minute? Here's something you ought to see.
Get yourself a cup of coffee. I'll have some tea.
Get the captain a cup of tea.
The moment that sub went silent and I thought I heard singing...
I heard something in the background, too, and I managed to get it on tape.
I washed it through the computer and managed to isolate this sound.
The computer identified it as magma displacement.
The SAPS software was originally written to look for seismic events.
When it gets confused, it runs home to momma.
- I'm not following you. - I'm sorry.
Listen to it at ten times speed.
That's got to be man-made.
The first contact was at 09:15 and the bearing was 269.
At 09:30, it was here. At 11 and 11:15, it was here and here.
Russian subs have been reported running Reykjanes Ridge at high speed.
- They had hyper-accurate maps. - Yeah, Red Route One.
The front door to those canyons was a location called Thor's Twins.
Look...
Right into Red Route One.
You may think I'm crazy, but I'll bet we found some new Russian sub.
It's now headed for the Iceland coast.
A $40 million computer tells you you're chasing an earthquake, -
- but you don't believe it. And you come up with this on your own.
- Yes, sir. - Relax, you've sold me.
Plot us a course for the bottom end of Red Route One.
We'll never find him in those canyons. But first we'd better phone in.
Aye, aye, Captain.
Hang on, Jonesy.
If I can get you close enough, can you track this sucker?
Now that I know what to listen for... I'll bag him.
- Carry on. - Yes, sir.
That's the craziest notion ever! 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' inspection.
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? - A while.
- 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 meters.
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 meters. 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.
15 seconds to turn. Should we decrease speed?
Negative. Prepare to come right.
Eight, seven, six, five, four...
...three, two, one, mark.
15 degrees on the bow planes. Come right. 240. Move it!
We're in the lane. Next leg 34 minutes to the Neptune Massif.
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 cryogenic plant failed. - Reactor damage?
- The reactor scrammed automatically. - Was there any core damage?
- 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 overflown 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. Counter measures. Prepare to launch a full spread.
Request permission to launch.
Launch the weapon.
Weapon is away.
High-speed screw. Torpedo in the water.
Torpedo is active.
- Torpedo has acquired. - Launch counter measures.
Aye, sir.
- How long to the turn? - 2 minutes, 9 seconds.
We've no room to maneuver.
Shut up!
Torpedo has reached counter measures 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. 35 seconds.
30 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.
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5...
Navigator, 16 degrees off the bow plane.
- They're really shooting at us! Why? - Easy, boy.
If they were really shooting at us, we'd be dead by now.