The Hunt for Red October (1984), Tom Clancy: Summary

The 544-page novel was published by Harpercollins in 1993 and the originally printed in 1984. This novel was in cinema in 1990 and was starring by Sean Connery but unfortunately I don’t see the movie yet. This political techno-thriller delivers the reader to high level of imagination. Soviet just launched Red October, a high technology submarine with nuclear reactor. An undetected vessel is hunted by British and American, but the Russian wanted to destroy her. The late Clancy introduced his main character Dr Jack Ryan, an intelligence analyst, to locate the vessel. It was only him and Mr. President knew his undercover mission beneath the cold Atlantic waters to get Red October. No doubt, the author did detailed studies on nuclear submarines for this book. This is the third Clancy’s novel that I post.

The Hunt for Red October (1984), Tom Clancy: Summary

First Rank Marko Ramius of the Soviet Navy was dressed for the Artic conditions normal to the Northern Fleet submarine base at Polyarnyy. Marko’s father, Aleksandr Ramius, had been a hero of Party, a dedicated, believing Communist who had served Stalin faithfully and well. Aleksandr had been a true Soviet hero- and Marko was deeply ashamed to be his son. His mother’s health had been broken during the endless siege of Leningrad. She died giving birth to him, and he was raised by his paternal grandmother in Lithuania while his father strutted through the Party Central, awaiting his promotion to Moscow. By choice Marko became individual in his thinking.

Grandmother Hilda told him bedtime stories from the Bible, each with lesson of right and wrong, virtue and reward. Roman Catholicism had been brutally suppressed in the Baltic States. As a boy, Ramius sensed more than thought that Soviet Communism ignored a basic human need. He at once fell in love with submarines and at the same time submarines were the only offensive arm that the navy had, and from the first Marko wanted to be on the cutting edge. He graduated from the Nakhimov School first in his class, winner of the gold-plated sextant for his mastery of theoretical navigation. By the time Marko’s father was a candidate member of the Presidium, as the Politburo was then called, and very proud of his son.

By the thirty, Marko had his first command and a new wife. Natalia Bogdonova was the daughter of another Presidium member whose diplomatic duties had taken him and his family all over the world.  She was a pretty, delicate woman, sophisticated by Russian standards, who polished her husband’s passable English with American and Britain books- politically approved ones to be sure mainly the thoughts of Western leftists, but also a smattering of genuine literature, including Hemingway, Twain, and Upton Sinclair. Natalia had never been a healthy girl. They had no children. The fine woman killed by an incompetent fool of surgeon. Marko was soon known as a very hard man to please as a junior quality control inspector. He became an expert in nuclear engineering, spent two years as starpom, and then received his first nuclear command. It was men like Ramius who went out to challenge the Americans and the British.

Captain Second Rank Victor Alexievich Tupolev the driver of the V.K Kolonov waited for the Red October to arrive for the beginning of Exercise October Frost. The Konovalov had been built with the best sonar systems the Soviet Union had yet produced, copied closely from the French DUUV-23 and a bit improved, the factory technicians said. Tupolev had served with Marko Ramius, the Schoolmaster, for two years. He called Ramius as a fox, and an old grey-whiskered fox. He now in his third year of command had been one of the Schoolmaster’s star pupils. His current vessel was a brand-new Alfa, the fastest submarine ever made. The exercise was arranged by Admiral Korov. The mission orders were sealed. Admiral Korov, commander of the Northern Fleet, was an honorable man and old friend of Marko. Marko was a fox to him and Tupolev planned to be new master.

He had already passed through three separate security check, when he walked down on the top floor of Langley, Virginia, headquarters of Central Intelligence Agency. Dr Jack Ryan was physically unremarkable. His life, he judged, was already as complicated as it needed to be. It included a wife he loved and two children he doted on, a job that tested his intellect, and sufficient financial independence to choose his own path. The path he had chosen was in CIA.

He brought the photographs of the new Soviet missile boat, Red October. Ryan believed that it was only an engineer could analyze the photos. Oliver Wendell Tyler aka Skip Tyler lost his leg in auto accident and was up for command of the Los Angeles. He has a doctorate in engineering from MIT. Dr Tyler was a former naval officer who was now associate professor of engineering at Naval Academy and paid consultant to Sea Systems Command and an expert in the analysis of Soviet naval technology. Skip Tyler concluded that the doors of Red October were the intake exhaust vents for new silent propulsion system.

Jack Ryan found the sub driver was Marko Ramius, the best sub driver Soviet had. The day Red October sailed, Caption Ramius evidently posted a letter to Admiral Yuri Ilyich Padorin. Padorin was a chief of the Main Political Administration of Soviet Navy. It began to happen not hours after that letter was opened.  Fifty-eight nuclear-powered submarines and twenty-eight major surface combatants all headed away. Dr Jack Ryan studied Russian’s submarines were all heading southwest towards the US coast. He suggested to Mr. President Red October to locate and sink her. Based on evaluation of intelligence data, Red October was attempting to defect to United State.

Red October was very large vessel, about 650 feet long, a beam of roughly 85 feet, and an estimated submerged displacement of 32,000 tons. She carried twenty-six missiles instead of our twenty four. Operating a twin-screw missile boat on one wheel would probably be tricky. She was a fitting named for a Soviet battleship. The Soviet fleet ballistic missile submarine Red October, photographed by a British agent in her dock at their sub marine base at Polyarnyy, near Murmansk in northern Russia. Red October carried twenty-six SS-N20 Seahawk missiles, each eight 500-kiloton multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicle- enough to destroy two hundred cities. The only mission of Red October was to evade detection by anyone. They wanted to teach Americans a lesson about Soviet technology that they would not soon forget. American coast to challenge and defeated their newest and best hunter submarines.

Russians would proceed all the way to their socialist brothers in Cuba. Comrade Captain Borodin Engineer. The political officer abroad Red October was Ivan Yurievich Putin, a faithful Party member. Petrov the Comrade Doctor declared the death of Putin at the Red October was an accident, but Admiral Yuri Ilyich Padorin, the chief of the Main Political Administration in Kremlin, accused this death as Ramius’s treason. Meanwhile Comrade Melekhin as Comrade Reactor found a major problem- a sabotage. He believed an imperialist agent has sabotaged Red October. A skilled work, whoever did it was no amateur had disabled the radiation monitor instruments, then he probably, arranged a low-level leak in hop piping.

The USS Dallas, a 688-class attack submarine, was forty miles from the coast of Iceland, approaching her patrol station, code named Toll Booth. She was two days there and participated in the NATO war game. It was yet another top performance for the Dallas and her skipper, Commander Bart Mancuso, one of the youngest submarine commanders in the US Navy. Southwest of Iceland the Russian boats would race down underwater highlands pointing to the deep Atlantic basin. Fourteen months before Dallas’s present patrol, the USS Los Angeles had been tracking a Soviet Victor II-class attack marine.

The sonar man Jonesy in Dallas made a contact to Skipper. He got the message, it was Russian sub. Two hundred miles northeast of the Dallas, in the Norwegian Sea, the Konovalov was racing southwest at forty-one knots. Captain Tupolev reread the dispatched he had received two days before. His emotions alternated between rage and grief. The Schoolmaster had done that. He was the former pupil of the traitor Ramius. He admitted to himself, Marko had been a good friend and a fine teacher. He had to kill him. Marko Ramius had pulled a trick on everyone, not just the Konovalov.

The British Sea Harrier FRS.4 appeared in a minute early. The pilot Tony Parker took Jack Ryan and landed on Invincible. The vessel seemed to be corkscrewing in following sea, in the north Atlantic winter. Vice Admiral John White welcomed Ryan and he was there for one mission; to locate Red October. The Invincible headed west and Kennedy was moving east at high speed.

The Soviet ambassador was interrogated in the Oval office. When the President US asked him about the currently nearly a hundred Soviet naval vessels operating in North Atlantic or heading in that direction, the ambassador said that his military adviser told him it was only a war exercise. Mr. President told him to report to his superiors in Moscow that US will deploy ships and aircraft to observe Soviet’s. It was believed the naval architect who was believed to have designed the Red October was supposed to have gone with her. A British agent had reported that detonators for the various weapon carried by the surface ships had been hastily taken abroad from their usual storage depots ashore.

Finally, there was an unconfirmed report that Admiral Korov, commander of the Northern Fleet, was not his command post; his whereabouts were unknown. The Soviet ambassador Arbatov was back to White House brought the latest report. He was instructed to convey the regrets of Soviet government that one of Soviet’s nuclear submarines was missing and presumed lost. A nuclear submarine posted on the greatest importance, and consequently those elected for it were among the best educated and trusted men In particular case, several members of the crew – the officers, were sons of high Party officials. President US offered the assistance and the resources of the United States in the search Soviet’s missing country men.

Vice Admiral Dodge, senior admiral the Los Angeles-class attacked submarines through their lenghty development programme. The USS Pogy was three hundred miles northeast of Norfolk, awating the arrival of two Soviet Alfa-class submarines. Commander Wood was on his first deployment as a commanding officer after a year of desk duty in Washington. Commander Wood heard whoosing sound. Skipper listened to direct sonar input and studied the sound as accidental diesel-powered submarine. The unknown submarine was flooding. The crews screamed. Men were dying, Russian, the enemy. Ramius announced to his crews that the imperialist spy sabotaged the vessel. They had lost and they needed assistance. He took full responsibility for that.

It was reactor accident made Red October had been detected by American and British ships. Ryan offered a rescue and they would be treated as guest. Jack Ryan heard a major leak in reactor system from Marko Ramius. Everybody already thought Red October has sunk, but few American crews could operate the vessel. She would be escorted by Dallas and Pogy. The V.K Konovalov fired Red October. The explosion had occurred in Red October and leaked the radio room. Tupolev wanted to kill Marko and prove he was the new master. The Konovalov was shot by Red October. In few minutes the submarine was upside down, half the crews were already drowning.  The contact with Red October ended, when the Konovalov’s flooded. The only marker on the Konovalov’s grave was a mass of bubbles.

The Soviet outdid themselves getting their men away from the US. A pair of mobile lounges drove from the terminal building two miles to the waiting aircraft. Inside them the crewmen of the Red October looked out the snow-dusted countryside, knowing this their final look at America. A major KGB interrogator asked Petrov and the Chief Engineer Melekhin. Melekhin said that it was Admiral Korov’s order to do so close to American coast but the KGB interrogator declared the commander of the Northern Fleet had died of a cerebral haemorrhage two hours into his interrogation in Lubyanka.

Eight hours run to Norfolk, Virginia, Red October sat alone with dry dock draining around her, guarding by twenty armed marines. Already a select group of engineers and technician was inspecting her. Ramius, his officers, and personal gears were taken to a CIA safe house and enjoyed the freedom air of the United States. Jack Ryan flew to his family.

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Sekapur Sirih

Ini adalah ketiga kalinya membaca novel karya Tom Clancy yang sekaligus postingan ketiga juga. Novel setebal 544 halaman, pertama kali dicetak pada tahun 1984 dan telah difilmkan juga yang dibintangi oleh Sean Connery. Oleh kritikus Rotten Tomato mendapat pujian 86%. Buku yang saya bahas kali ini adalah terbitan tahun 1993.

Seperti biasanya novel Tom Clancy menyampaikan isu global, politik, dan persenjataan perang. Dalam buku ini, Red October, sebuah kapal selam perang handal  milik Soviet membawa reaktor nuklir membuat panik Gedung Putih Amerika Serikat. Kapal hebat tidak terdeteksi dan memunculkan kecurigaan pada pihak Amerika. Tokoh agen analis CIA, Dr Jack Ryan, dipercaya oleh Presiden Amerika mengejar kapal misil itu dalam sebuah misi rahasia dan hanya mereka berdua yang mengetahuinya.

Terjemahan dalam Bahasa Indonesia: the Hunt for Red Oktober (1984), Tom Clancy

Seorang kapten tangguh bersama kru-nya baru saja memasuki perairan Polynarnyy meninggalkan lautan Rusia. Ini adalah peluncuran sebuah kapal selam berteknologi tinggi bernama Red October. Marko Ramius adalah putra seorang pahlawan dan anggota elit Partai Komunis Soviet yang disegani. Marko kehilangan ibunya ketika masa persalinan dirinya, dia pun dibesarkan nenek dari pihak ayahnya. Nenek Gilda membesarkannya dengan nilai-nilai Katolik sejati, Marko terbiasa dihantarkan tidur dengan Kisah Alkitab. Nilai kasih dan Kekristenan telah tumbuh di dalam dirinya.

Jika ayahnya mengetahui hal itu tentu akan disambut buruk, Soviet sedang dalam perang dingin dengan Vatikan. Negara agama itu telah menguasai wilayah Soviet. Memasuki masa sekolah, Marko dikirim ke sekolah terbaik. Dia tertarik bersekolah di sekolah angkatan kelautan. Dengan kecerdasannya, dia pun menjadi orang yang tangguh, pintar, dan handal dalam penguasaan sains dan teknologi kapal torpedo. Prestasinya sangat membanggakan ayahnya. Pada usia awal tiga puluhan dia menikahi gadis cantik standar Rusia dengan kecerdasan luar biasa yang menggemari karya sastra seperti karya Hemingway, Twain, and Upton Sinclair. Natalia Bogdova beberapa kali mengalami keguguran dan meninggal di tangan ahli bedah yang kurang pengalaman atau kelewat bodoh ketika melahirkan. Marko tidak memiliki anak.

Red October merupakan kapal selam misil berukuran sangat besar dengan teknologi terbaru dan membawa reaktor nuklir. Pertama dan terbaru apalagi dia memiliki kemampuan tidak terdeteksi. Sebuah peluncuran uji coba. The V. Konovalov, kapal selam Soviet juga, telah menanti kapal yang lebih tepat disebut sebagai kapal perang. Kapten Tupolev yang merupakan mantan murid didik dari Kapten Marko mendapat perintah untuk masa latihan dengan Red October. Tupolev sosok handal, pintar dan terbaik sama seperti Gurunya Marko. Tetapi dia sangat berambisi memiliki reputasi Gurunya.

Seorang agen analis muda dan berperawakan menarik memasuki gedung CIA Langley, Virginia. Dr Jack Ryan menenteng beberapa foto hasil jepretan dari agen Inggris. Gambar kegiatan sebuah kapal selam besar. Oleh atasannya, gambar bukti ini pun membawa Jack Ryan bertemu langsung dengan Presiden Amerika di Gedung Putih. Setelah memberikan presentasi tentang gambar itu, Dr Ryan mengajukan pengejaran kapal berbahaya itu dan diiringi sejumlah kapal selam lainnya. Arah mereka menuju pantai Amerika, diduga Soviet mengajak perang. Sang analis menyarankan bila perlu menenggelamkan kapal torpedo itu. Sang Presiden memanggil Dubes Soviet dan sang Dubes menyatakan bahwa kapal itu hanya latihan perang saja. Presiden mengancam akan mengirimkan kapal selam Amerika untuk memantau kapal-kapal Soviet. Dalam keadaan marah Presiden berpesan agar memberitahu pihak penguasa tertinggi Soviet.

Sang Dubes kembali ke Gedung putih dan memberi pesan dari atasannya di Soviet. Tidak ada niat mereka untuk perang dan tidak ada perintah mendekati perairan Amerika. Seorang Kapten handal mereka tidak ada kabar, Kapten Korov, meninggalkan tugasnya dan Red October sendiri kehilangan kontak. Kapal mereka telah hilang dan tidak terdeteksi dengan membawa kru terbaik dan bahkan putra orang anggota partai terpandang di dalamnya. Presiden pun menawarkan bantuan untuk pencarian kapal itu. Dr Skip Tyler seorang mantan angkatan laut yang kehilangan kakinya akibat kecelakaan mobil, kini menjadi seorang pendidik, Profesor pada Akademi Naval (Angkatan Laut), dan ahli konsultan kapal. Dia sangat ahli dalam mendeteksi kapal selam dan mendeteksi mendengar teriakan orang dalam berbahasa Rusia dan sepertinya ada banjir dan ledakan pada sebuah kapal selam.

Presiden pun menugaskan Jack Ryan untuk pencarian kapal itu dalam sebuah misi rahasia. Hanya dia dan Presiden yang tahu. Agen Ryan ditanamkan dalam sebuah kapal perang Amerika dengan menyamar sebagai anggota angkatan laut. Dr. Tyler pun mengetahui keberadaan kapal itu, Jack dan timnya berhasil masuk ke dalam kapal itu. Laporan Tyler sangat cocok dengan keadaan Red October yang, air membanjiri beberapa ruang kapal besar itu. Kapten Marko pun menjelaskan bahwa reaktor nuklir bocor. Dengan keahlian beberapa kru Amerika, kebocoran nuklir  kapal teratasi. Menurut laporan Kepala Mesin pada Kapten Marko, kebocoran reaktor seperti unsur kesengajaan. Sepertinya sabotase.

Kapten Tupolev sangat kecewa dengan membaiknya Red October, ambisi ingin menghancurkan kapal itu semakin kuat dan tembakan demi tembakan dilakukan dan melukai beberapa kru termasuk Kapten Marko. Beberapa kapal selam Amerika telah mengawal Red October dan mendeteksi tembak-menembak antar kedua kapal. Ambisi sang kapten ingin membunuh Marko tenggelam seiring tenggelamnya kapal the V. Konovalov perlahan-lahan. Tak satu pun yang selamat. Red October dievakuasi ke pantai Amerika. Tim investigasi KGB mendatangi para kru. Insinyur kapal bersaksi menerima perintah dari Kapten Korov untuk mendekati pantai Amerika, padahal Kapten Korov meninggal dunia dalam masa investigasi akibat sakit. Sebagian besar kru telah berada di dalam sebuah bis dan siap terbang ke Soviet, namun Marko dan krunya menikmati udara Amerika dan ditempatkan di sebuah safe house. Red October berada di sebuah pelabuhan Amerika untuk diperbaiki. Jack Ryan pun terbang pulang menemui keluarganya.

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