The Hunt for Red October meltdown. Ramius and his officers stay behind, claiming they are about to scuttle the submarine to prevent it getting into the hands of the Americans. A decommissioned U.S. ballistic missile submarine, , is blown up underwater as a deception. A depth gauge taken from the main instrument panel of "Red October" (with the appropriate serial number) is made to appear as if it had been salvaged from the wreckage. Meanwhile, Ryan, Captain Mancuso, some of his crew, and Owen Williams (a Russian-speaking British officer from "Invincible") board "Red October" and meet Ramius face-to-face. The deception efforts succeed in convincing Soviet
The Hunt for Red October the American “heroes”, which are U.S. military officers, who in turn are competent and dedicated in their professions, a central theme the author would explore in his later novels. In addition, "The Hunt for Red October" is considered as a coming-of-age story regarding the main character Jack Ryan. However, instead of running away from responsibilities, a theme common in contemporary American literature, Clancy subverts the convention by having Ryan rushing toward the burdens of the adult world. Moreover, it introduced Jack Ryan as a new archetype of the American hero — an everyman who uses his prior knowledge instead of