The Hunt for Red October Reykjanes Ridge off Iceland. "Dallas" hears the sound of the stealth drive but does not identify it as a submarine. As tensions rise between the U.S. and Soviet fleets, the crew of "Dallas" analyzes sonar tapes of "Red October" and finally realizes that it is the sound of a new propulsion system. Meanwhile, CIA analyst and former Marine Jack Ryan, who was initially tasked to examine MI6's photographs of "Red October", finds out that the submarine's new construction variations house its stealth drive. Later putting information about Ramius's letter together with the subsequent launch of the entire Northern Fleet, Ryan
The Hunt for Red October novel as "the most satisfactory novel of a sea chase since C.S. Forester perfected the form". Due to an extensive marketing campaign by the Naval Institute Press for their first published work of fiction, which was initially aimed on the military, the book sold 45,000 copies by March 1985. Clancy said in a 1991 interview: “I thought we’d sell maybe five thousand or ten thousand hardcovers and that would be the end of it. I never really thought about making money.” After Reagan's endorsement, "The Hunt for Red October" topped the national bestseller lists, particularly "The New York Times". It