Question about Hunt for Red October

[ImBatman]

Shortly after picking up Jack Ryan, the Dallas gets a message to attack the Red October. While Ryan argues with the Captain, the Captain orders a dive to 1200 ft. Once he reacquires the Red October, he orders a depth change back to 500-600 ft or so. What was the point of the dive to 1200 ft? Better acoustics for passive sonar? Or just a hollywood thing to get a scene with the sub creaking from the water pressure? Something else?

[KaleunMarco]

Originally Posted by ImBatman

Shortly after picking up Jack Ryan, the Dallas gets a message to attack the Red October. While Ryan argues with the Captain, the Captain orders a dive to 1200 ft. Once he reacquires the Red October, he orders a depth change back to 500-600 ft or so. What was the point of the dive to 1200 ft? Better acoustics for passive sonar? Or just a hollywood thing to get a scene with the sub creaking from the water pressure? Something else?

all Hollywood.

did you catch the line by Captain Tupolev: lower the antenna. take us to 1200 meters. (that's just about 4,000 ft.)

Read the book. as good as the movie is, the book is better. and you get to read Clancy rather than the screenwriters-version of Clancy.

[Kapitan]

Depending on conditions and how you want the submarine ballasted or if you want to get down the layer and see what’s under it you will do a dive like that

Sometimes you will dive below the layer and pop up behind the intended target

Usually from the surface it’s not to 1200ft more 400ft

The order is usually (on British boats) 10 down 120meters then back up to 20meters


Captain tupolev orders 900meters while today we know the Alfa wasn’t rated for that depth (350/400m max) submarines like the Sierra can reach down to 850m and the Mike hit 1027m

Overall though in the movie it’s largely just Hollywood