Mutiny: The True Events That Inspired The Hunt for Red October

Being on rotation aboard the Storozhevoy or just about any other warship in the Soviet navy means spending six months at sea. Usually in neutral waters such as the Mediterranean or the open Atlantic. But the real problem is that warships from just about every other interested nation are out there, too. French ships, Italian ships, Dutch ships, German ships, and of course U.S. naval vessels, the enemy.

The officers and crew aboard all these warships conduct day-today training just about the whole time they’re out there. It means everyone is usually busy. Sometimes even too busy to really notice what’s going on, because in addition to the training, the biggest job assigned to each warship is to spy on all the other warships. It’s a very important and potentially very deadly game. But for each of these countries’ navies what’s ultimately at stake is the very safety of their own nations.

In 1975 the Soviet Union and United States are lined up against each other for domination of the entire world, against the threat of global thermonuclear war. For the first time in history two nations have, between them, the absolute ability to destroy all life as we know it on the entire planet.

The United States has allied with it the countries of NATO, among others. And the Soviet Union has as its partners the Warsaw Pact, mostly Eastern European satellite nations under the Soviet sphere of influence.

But for guys like Captain Potulniy and his officers, including Boris Gindin, the Cold War is more than just a philosophical issue. Out in the Med or the Atlantic the Cold War is a real thing, up close and personal.

It’s early April 1974; the Storozhevoy is on rotation in the mid-Atlantic. It’s stormy weather with high winds, low clouds scudding across the sky horizon to horizon, and monstrous seas. Gindin is in the mechanical spaces when Potulniy gets on the radio from the bridge.

“Boris, I need more speed,” the captain orders. There is a strain in his voice. “More RPMs, Boris.”

Boris follows the captain’s orders, naturally, and increases the RPMs on all four power plants: the two marching engines and the two boost engines. The Storozhevoy shivers, as if he’s a racehorse given the green light to stretch his legs, and takes off.

Twenty minutes later Potulniy is back on the comms: “Boris, more speed! Increase RPMs.”

Boris does this. Whatever is happening on the bridge must be very urgent, because the gas turbines are putting out just about as much power as they are capable of producing. The gauges are nearly redlined.

Five minutes later Potulniy is back. “I need more speed.”

“I cannot do that, Captain,” Boris radios back. “The engines will be damaged.”

“What do you mean?” Potulniy shouts. “Do as you’re told!”

Boris is in a tight spot. He is between a rock and a hard place. He either disobeys a direct order or damages his engines. He radios Potulniy. “Captain, may I speak to you in private?”

After a beat, the captain is back. “Come to the bridge.”

Topsides, Gindin sees that the chaotic seas are nothing short of monstrous. Close to their starboard beam is a German naval destroyer. So close that Gindin can actually see the officers on the bridge staring back at them. The German ship means to crowd the Storozhevoy, just to show that Germans won’t take any shit from Russians. This is what Potulniy has been faced with. He needs as much speed as possible in order to outmaneuver the Germans.

“If I increase RPMs, the engines may be damaged,” Boris explains.

Potulniy contemplates Boris’s warning for just an instant before he nods. There is a bond between the two officers. Potulniy trusts his engineering officer, and Boris will go to the ends of the earth for his captain.

“If you want me to proceed, I’ll need your orders in writing, sir,” Boris tells the captain.

Potulniy nods. “Just do what you can for me, Boris. It’s all I ask.”

“Yes, sir,” Boris says. The captain’s signature is not necessary after all. Boris rushes back down to the machinery spaces, where he increases the speed of the engines by a scant few RPMs. “I can do no more than this,” he radios the bridge.

“Thanks, Boris,” Potulniy radios. “You are a good guy.”

Later Boris learns that the encounter with the Germans was a very close call, which could have created an international incident, but because of Boris’s steady and capable hand on the engines Potulniy had enough speed to outmaneuver the Germans and a disaster was narrowly averted. From that day on Poltulniy will ask only that Boris do his best and will not push his engineer any further.

The bond of trust between them has become like a hardened steel chain.