Captain Marko Ramius, commander of the Soviet submarine Red October, initiates a daring defection plan. After receiving orders for a practice run, he kills the political officer, Putin, to eliminate any potential opposition. Ramius plans to use the Red October's cutting-edge 'caterpillar drive,' a nearly silent propulsion system, to reach the United States undetected.
The underlying reason for Ramius's defection is not explicitly stated in this excerpt but is implied as a desire to escape the Soviet system and seek refuge in the US.
The caterpillar drive is crucial to Ramius's plan, as its near-silent operation allows him to evade detection while traveling to the US.
Captain First Rank Marko Ramius of the Soviet Navy sails out of port on Red October, a Soviet ballistic missile submarine on its maiden voyage. Ramius orders the submarine to dive after they are out in open water. Ramius and the political officer, Putin, go to the wardroom to await the appropriate moment to open the safe that contains their orders. When the moment comes, they learn they are to engage in a practice run with another submarine, VK Konovalov, that will test the new engine installed on Red October, a tunnel drive that is nearly silent when it runs. This drive is referred to as the caterpillar drive. After reading the orders, Ramius attacks Putin, forcing his head into the side of a table and breaking his neck. Ramius watches Putin die before placing him on the table. He performs CPR while he waits for the doctor to come and pronounce Putin dead. Putin’s body is placed in a freezer in the kitchen as Ramius tells the doctor their orders forbade them to break radio silence. In truth, Ramius is attempting to take Red October to the US because he wants to defect.
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