Hostile Waters (film)

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Hostile Waters is a 1997 television movie about the loss of the K-219, a Yankee II class nuclear ballistic missile sub. The film stars Rutger Hauer as the commander of K-219 and claims to be based on the true story. The film was directed by David Drury for the BBC, HBO and UFA, from a script by Troy Kennedy Martin.

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

According to the movie, K-219 performs a Crazy Ivan, and USS Augusta (SSN-710) (called the Aurora in the film) collides with K-219, causing a rupture of the seal on one of its ballistic missile tubes. The leaking seawater causes a corrosive reaction which floods the sub with toxic gas. The corrosive reaction starts a fire that floods the sub with more toxic gas, and smoke.

The captain surfaces the boat and moves the crew out to the deck, and attempts to vent the sub. The chief engineer informs the captain that the fire may cook off the nukes and cause an enormous nuclear explosion. The launch doors are opened on the sub to vent smoke.

The Aurora (Augusta) ascertains that a fire is aboard K-219, and informs the Pentagon. The Pentagon fearing radiological contamination of the Eastern Seaboard, orders Agusta to prepare to sink K-219. The fact that the launch doors are open on the SLBMs causes consternation at Washington DC, with calls for the immediate sinking of the sub, should it appear to be preparing to launch.

The captain of K-219 prepares a bold plan to dive with the launch doors open, to flood the missile bay and quench the fires. As the captain dives the sub, Aurora (Augusta) prepares to fire, assuming K-219 is preparing to launch, but then decides that K-219 is crazy, to dive with open launch doors.

K-219's tactic works, and the sub resurfaces with the fires out.