The Cavitation Drive certainly was not the described in Clancy's novel and the movie. As you may remember, the "Red October" was a boomer, aka strategic nuclear submarine, what purpose is to sneak in the coastal waters of the enemy, stay hidden and on demand fire its missilles.So it needs more a silent propulsion than a fast one. Also you may remember, that the attack vessels of the soviet navy were waiting for the Red October near the american coast and blocking the entrances in american harbors. That means, that the new propulsion sub was outrunned by the older Alphas and Victors. To answer the question, the propulsion principle called "caterpillar" was diferent in the movie and the novel: In the movie it was a tube with water streaming through, accelerated with electromagnetic field. In the novel it was simple a turboprop, a propeller bedded in a steel tube.
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The Cavitation Drive certainly was not the described in Clancy's novel and the movie.
As you may remember, the "Red October" was a boomer, aka strategic nuclear submarine, what purpose is to sneak in the coastal waters of the enemy, stay hidden and on demand fire its missilles.So it needs more a silent propulsion than a fast one.
Also you may remember, that the attack vessels of the soviet navy were waiting for the Red October near the american coast and blocking the entrances in american harbors. That means, that the new propulsion sub was outrunned by the older Alphas and Victors.
To answer the question, the propulsion principle called "caterpillar" was diferent in the movie and the novel:
In the movie it was a tube with water streaming through, accelerated with electromagnetic field. In the novel it was simple a turboprop, a propeller bedded in a steel tube.
Ricky Tiki Tavvi