The Hunt for Red October

In Moscow, Admiral Yuri Ilych Padorin finds a letter from Ramius waiting for him when he arrives at his desk. Its contents upset him to the point he calls Admiral Gorshkov and demands to see him immediately. At the same time, the USS Dallas, a “688-class attack submarine” (105), is tracking new Soviet submarines that appear to have improved sonar and navigation equipment. On this day, their radio man, Sonarman Second Class Ronald Jones, picks up what he believes is the sound of water going through a pipe. He plays it for Lieutenant Thompson. Thompson doesn’t hear anything, so Jones puts it into the new signal algorithmic processing system (SAPS) that was just added to their equipment. The SAPS says the sound is magma displacement. The submarine commander, Commander Bart Mancuso, joins them, and Lieutenant Thompson explains the situation. Jones says he doesn’t think the SAPS is correct. They listen again, but they pick up a bunch of other Soviet submarines, making them wonder if something is going on. While tracking—but trying to stay out of the radar of the Soviet submarines—Dallas sends a message to the commander of the submarine force in the Atlantic advising of this collection of submarines.