The Hunt for Red October proceeds to pursue and engage it. The two U.S. submarines escorting "Red October" are prevented from firing by rules of engagement, and "Red October" is damaged by a torpedo from the Alfa. After a tense standoff, "Red October" rams "V. K. Konovalov" broadside and sinks it. The Americans escort "Red October" safely into dry dock in Norfolk, Virginia, where Ramius and his crew are taken to a CIA safehouse to begin their settlement into American life. Ryan is commended and debriefed by his superiors; he later flies back to his posting in London. "The Hunt for Red October" introduced Tom
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