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00:00Ballistic Missile Submarine USS Kentucky is America's ultimate weapon of mass destruction.
00:11And she's heading out on a top-secret mission.
00:18Capable of unleashing the power of a thousand Hiroshima bombs,
00:21her job is to dive deep, run silent and wait for the call they hope never comes.
00:31Coming through.
00:32Emergency D?
00:33Emergency D.
00:34USS Kentucky. The most dangerous weapon the world has never seen.
00:46Under cover of darkness, the nuclear ballistic missile submarine USS Kentucky
00:51and her 170-man crew is leaving on a highly classified 70-day mission in the Pacific Ocean.
01:01Stand by.
01:06The Kentucky is what the U.S. Navy calls a boomer, a missile boat.
01:11She's the teeth in America's nuclear deterrent strategy
01:15and can carry up to 24 Trident nuclear missiles, enough to wipe out a continent.
01:22That makes her the most lethal doomsday machine on Earth.
01:31Captain Benjamin Pearson is the man who commands this $2 billion weapon.
01:37And if necessary, he'll be the one to execute the presidential order to do the unthinkable.
01:44The order to launch the missiles.
01:47The minute we leave our home port, we're on mission.
01:50We are doing the real thing. It's not for training. It is actual doing our mission.
01:55Strategic deterrence and protecting the country.
02:00Two hours after leaving Bangor in Northwest America,
02:03Kentucky is almost clear of the busy shipping lanes of the Juan de Fuca Strait,
02:07heading west and ready to disappear in the deep waters of the Pacific.
02:12All hands stay clear.
02:15She's one of the biggest subs ever built.
02:18All hands stay clear.
02:20She's one of the biggest subs ever built.
02:23170 meters long.
02:2613 meters wide.
02:28And weighing in at over 16,000 tons.
02:33These are her most important assets.
02:36The silos for those 24 nuclear missiles.
02:39Weapons Officer Lieutenant Eric Hunter and his team must be ready around the clock to launch without hesitation.
02:47To be the system expert and to be able to lead a team into conducting a strategic launch,
02:53it's a major responsibility.
02:56Spencer, you've been doing a great job. I appreciate you working hard.
03:00The USS Kentucky is absolutely a phenomenal weapon system and it is unparalleled.
03:10Even if she never left port, Kentucky would still be a long-range threat,
03:14capable of striking targets over 12,000 kilometers away.
03:29Submerged, the sub is protected by her silence and stealth.
03:34But on the surface, that sleek profile makes her vulnerable.
03:39Look out. Hold new visual contact bearing 2-9-0 relative.
03:46Lieutenant Paul Lenz keeps a constant lookout for potential collisions.
03:51Being on the surface of the submarine is kind of dangerous.
03:54We're designed to be under the water, so not as maneuverable.
03:59We're low to the water, it's hard for other contacts to see us.
04:03When they're free of the surface traffic,
04:05Captain Pearson orders the crew to clear the bridge and make ready to dive.
04:11Here, take ship below, gearing to bridge.
04:24It's the last time they'll see the sun or breathe fresh air for the next 70 days.
04:33Submariners are a special breed.
04:35They have to be able to handle living hundreds of meters underwater for months at a time.
04:40The U.S. Navy considers it so stressful, sailors have to volunteer twice to serve on a sub.
04:50Lieutenant Paul Lenz joined 18 months ago, but he's still not an official submariner.
04:56Lieutenant Paul Lenz joined 18 months ago, but he's still not an official submariner.
05:02And he won't be until he passes a series of tests to earn his dolphins,
05:06the underwater equivalent of a pilot's wings.
05:10For Lieutenant Lenz, every patrol is a new test.
05:17Right now he's qualifying to be an officer of the deck,
05:20so he's temporarily in command of the submarine.
05:26Down.
05:30And Captain Pearson has just ordered him to submerge the boat.
05:36Ship is rigged for dive, exception of number two.
05:38Navigation lights have been secured.
05:39Sounding is 1537 fathoms.
05:41Captain, sir, I intend to submerge the ship to 160 feet.
05:45Lieutenant Lenz is usually graded by a fellow officer,
05:48but this time it's the captain he's got to impress.
05:51I may be in the control room, which is where I am now,
05:54but he still is in charge of the launch.
05:56I can take the con whenever I want to if I feel he's not doing something safe.
06:02Lieutenant Lenz is feeling the pressure of being in charge.
06:14Once the sub is ready for dive, Lenz gives the order.
06:21Dive. Submerge the ship.
06:23Dive. Dive.
06:29To submerge, they open the valves on Kentucky's main ballast tanks
06:32and air escapes from the top as seawater rushes in from the bottom.
06:41Deck's awash.
06:43Now below the waterline, we're coming down to 160 feet,
06:46which is where we go down to get our satisfactory trim condition,
06:49make sure we're going to stay stable,
06:51and we'll go as deep as the offshack wants us to go
06:54and drive us down track to our next operating area.
06:59With the main tanks flooded, Kentucky disappears beneath the waves.
07:09Its mission accomplished for Lieutenant Lenz.
07:12Kentucky is swimming like a fish.
07:15Captain, sir, the ship is submerged.
07:16Trim is satisfactory. All conditions are normal on the dive.
07:23The manual says that Kentucky can dive to more than 240 meters
07:27and swim at 25 knots.
07:30Her actual top speed and maximum depth are classified military secrets.
07:43As the sub dives deeper,
07:44the water pressure on the hull increases.
07:47Now's the time when leaks appear and equipment fails.
07:51The crew has to move fast.
07:54I see some petty officers searching the overheads with flashlights.
07:58They'll check all throughout the ship,
08:00looking for any leaking valves or any leaking areas.
08:04The hull is watertight, and the giant sub is now in her element.
08:10She's five stories high with three main decks.
08:15In the bow is the torpedo room.
08:18Just ahead of the sail is the con or control room,
08:21the submarine's nerve center.
08:23One level below, the missile fire control room.
08:27Behind the sail are the missile silos and the crew quarters.
08:32And in the stern, the nuclear reactor
08:34that delivers 60,000 horsepower to one giant propeller.
08:39The reactor also satisfies the sub's tremendous appetite for electricity,
08:43generating power for everything from refrigeration and sonar
08:47to fresh air and water.
08:51As Kentucky continues her dive,
08:53Captain Pearson orders a series of maneuvers
08:55submariners call angles and dangles.
09:00Dive, make it up 250 feet. Use a 1-5 degree up angle.
09:05The idea is to shake loose everything from iPods to wrenches,
09:09anything that might fall and make a noise
09:11that could give away Kentucky's position.
09:15My intention is to come to 5-5-0 feet
09:17in preparation for large angles. Carry on.
09:20We call it angles and dangles sort of by tradition.
09:23The angles come from us doing 15 to 20, 25 degree up and down angles.
09:27The dangles comes from if you do a hard right or left rudder,
09:31the submarine will roll pretty hard 20, 30 degrees over each way.
09:37The planesman pushes his controls forward.
09:41That causes Kentucky's stern planes to deflect downward
09:45and the massive sub starts to dive.
09:57We're going down to 600 feet.
09:59600 feet. We're at 20 degrees down right now,
10:02which is a pretty big down angle for us.
10:07It looks like the dive, you've got to dive under instruction.
10:10He stuck it right at 600 feet, which is pretty good.
10:14With the sub climbing and descending quickly at steep angles,
10:17the crew fights for balance by leaning hard, forwards or backwards.
10:25Deep depth at 20 degrees up,
10:27which is the same depth, the same angle we'd use
10:30in case we had a flooding casualty.
10:32That'd be a 20 degree up angle to get us out of the deep water
10:35and put the ship on the surface if we needed to,
10:38in the event of flooding.
10:40How low at 2-thirds?
10:46That completes our angles for the day.
10:49What's going to happen next is the officer deck will get a report
10:52of anything that was damaged during the angles, hopefully nothing,
10:55and we'll continue on the rest of the mission.
11:02Kentucky is now secure and on active patrol.
11:0625 feet, sir.
11:09Ready to carry out her mission.
11:12The Ballistic Nuclear Missile Submarine USS Kentucky
11:16is on a top-secret mission somewhere in the Pacific Ocean.
11:24Junior officer Paul Lenz is nearing the end of a six-hour training shift.
11:31When he arrives, he's going to be in the Pacific Ocean.
11:35He's going to be in the Pacific Ocean.
11:37He's going to be in the Pacific Ocean.
11:40When Captain Pearson orders him to bring the sub up to periscope depth,
11:44just below the surface.
11:53Surfacing is the most dangerous time for a sub,
11:56and Lenz must prove to the captain and crew he can do it safely.
12:01Very well, Helm.
12:03One mistake could be disastrous.
12:06Periscope depth operations are one of the more dangerous times for submarines.
12:09We're in a position where we're going from a safe depth
12:13up to a depth where we could interact with other surfer ships.
12:21As Kentucky nears the surface, the sonar operations begin.
12:26As Kentucky nears the surface, the sonar operator detects a contact.
12:30There's an unidentified ship up there.
12:38That means there's a risk of detection, or worse, a collision.
12:42Attention and control, the current contact picture,
12:44we're holding off on surfacing right now.
12:46We'll re-evaluate a quarter after
12:48to determine whether or not we're going to surface.
12:50Carry on.
12:53Everything stops until sonar gives them the all-clear.
12:57Being a submarine, a big thing is counter-detection.
12:59I don't want to be counter-detected by anyone.
13:05The sub waits in silence while the sonar scans the surface.
13:09Sonar holds no contact. Sonar concurrence is 1-5-0.
13:12Periscope depth.
13:14Attention and control, the current contact picture.
13:16Intend on surfacing the ship.
13:18Surface, surface, surface.
13:20With the sea above them empty,
13:22Lenz takes Kentucky up to periscope depth.
13:256-6. 6-4. 6-2.
13:28Raising number 2 scope.
13:30USMCON, stand by, test for the warning receiver.
13:32Got it. 5-4. 5-2. 5-0.
13:35The second the periscope breaks the surface,
13:37Lenz quickly scans 360 degrees to make sure that they're alone.
13:43The only thing of interest, a mid-ocean rainbow.
13:51On the surface, or deep in the ocean, there's no room for error.
13:55Captain Pearson constantly tests his crew to keep them sharp.
13:59How's their deck? At 5-2 feet and holding.
14:02With Kentucky at periscope depth,
14:04he surprises Lenz and springs an emergency dive
14:07from the bottom of the ocean.
14:09He surprises Lenz and springs an emergency dive drill,
14:12a manoeuvre designed to escape detection or avoid collision.
14:17Emergency deep. Emergency deep.
14:20Lower number 2 scope.
14:22Down.
14:28Emergency deep.
14:306-2.
14:328-2.
14:34100 feet.
14:36Kentucky has to dive for safety.
14:38Get deep and do it fast.
14:401-8-0.
14:43At 180 metres, Kentucky is virtually invisible,
14:47generating almost no engine noise and doing what she does best.
14:52Break for patrol. Quiet.
14:55Working unseen and unheard.
15:04In the submarine business, noise can be deadly.
15:08Kentucky's hull is designed to absorb and contain noise
15:11that could betray her to enemy subs, aircraft or ships trying to destroy her.
15:17Even the propeller is designed with stealth in mind.
15:21It generates almost no bubbles or turbulence.
15:25And no noise.
15:31Living without sunlight, isolated for months under the ocean,
15:34has a profound effect on the crew of a submarine.
15:39Causeman Joe Enderton is the boat's medic, dentist and psychiatrist all in one.
15:45He doesn't have a medical degree, but he's still doc to the crew.
15:50I'm the only one here when we're under sea,
15:52so typically if we need help we have to send messages back,
15:55but in reality, we're it.
15:58Colds, cuts and headaches keep him busy,
16:00but he keeps an eye out for other symptoms just in case.
16:04Sometimes claustrophobia can be a problem.
16:07Sometimes stress management can be a problem.
16:09I basically have to counsel them sometimes on what they can do
16:12to help relieve their stress so it doesn't get all built up.
16:17But the best recipe for handling stress is to keep busy and focused.
16:24And that's why training is an integral part of every mission.
16:29It's not just officers who are tested.
16:31Every crewman on board must earn the dolphin insignia of a submariner.
16:35Gold for the officers and silver for the enlisted men.
16:39One of Executive Officer Adam Hudson's jobs
16:42is to help new crewmembers qualify for their dolphins.
16:46What dolphins represent is you understand not just your daily job,
16:50but the overall concept of the ship, the operations of the ship,
16:54the dangers of the ship.
16:56Tell me what the location of the CO's air flask is and its purpose.
17:00The purpose of it is the primary means of opening an aqueduct.
17:0420-year-old Justin Guess is a subsea apprentice.
17:08He's been a rookie sailor in training for 18 months
17:11and he's desperate to earn his dolphins on this mission.
17:14Dolphins are always a big thing for a submariner.
17:17So it's a sign of brotherhood that having your dolphins
17:21says that you can save the boat in any casualty.
17:24You know how to fight and save other people's lives.
17:29Seaman Charlie Osorio is another rookie trying to join the Brotherhood.
17:33He carries a checklist of qualifications that he has to pass
17:37or he doesn't get his dolphins.
17:39Every single signature you see on there
17:42is something I have to deeply study and explain every aspect of it.
17:46And I go to the person that owns that particular part.
17:49If I can answer correctly, then they will give me a signature.
17:53For all submariners, silver or gold,
17:56dolphins mean more than a passing grade.
17:59They're a symbol of trust.
18:01And that's what those dolphins mean is,
18:03I understand this boat, I know this boat,
18:05I'm confident in how to defend this boat,
18:08to protect this boat, to secure this boat.
18:10And the captain's saying, yes, I trust you in that.
18:13Once you get those dolphins out of the way,
18:16you get them pinned on, you're set.
18:20That's a fish. That's your dolphins right there.
18:23Sound the general alarm.
18:26It's another surprise drill.
18:28A general quarters code red that sends the crew scrambling.
18:32This time it's a fire drill in the most dangerous part of the boat,
18:36the nuclear missile compartment.
18:43On patrol deep under the Pacific Ocean,
18:45the crew of USS Kentucky is training for a life-or-death emergency,
18:49a fire in the missile compartment.
19:01Hundreds of metres below the surface, there's nowhere to run.
19:05They've got to put it out and do it fast.
19:08A fire can get out of hand in a heartbeat,
19:11and if we're not careful, we could lose a submarine.
19:22The missile compartment is sealed off from the rest of the sub
19:25to prevent the smoke and fire from spreading.
19:29Rookie Justin Guess is in charge of the firefighting team.
19:33Fire! Fire! Fire!
19:35He's under pressure to save the boat
19:37and prove to his fellow crew members
19:39that he belongs in the Brotherhood of Submariners.
19:43After a year of training for his dolphins,
19:46this is one of his final tests,
19:48and his performance is being graded.
19:55Guess and his team are getting the fire under control.
20:00While up in the control room,
20:02Captain Pearson has brought Kentucky up to the surface
20:05to pull in fresh air.
20:07Right now, we've emergently ventilated the ship
20:09for the amount of time to get rid of most of the smoke,
20:12and the crew members can remove their breathing protection.
20:15OK, fire's out. Fire's out! Fire's out!
20:18Let's go ahead and secure.
20:20The fire drill is over,
20:22and Guess anxiously awaits his performance review.
20:25Fog nozzle handled perfectly, right?
20:27The way you directed personnel to call it away and also man phones.
20:31Very good. Very good.
20:33For Justin Guess, all the study and hard work is starting to pay off.
20:37Being this close to get my dolphins is a wonderful time.
20:40Just a lot of way off my back, finally.
20:45Simon Azario is also getting close to his dolphins.
20:51In the control room, it's his turn in the spotlight.
20:57Speed, 7 knots. Depth, 5ft 3in.
21:01He's in the helmsman's position,
21:03and they're testing how well he can drive the boat
21:06while it's hovering at periscope depth.
21:115-0.
21:15A heavy swell on the surface is pushing the sub around,
21:18making it tough to hold her on course.
21:21When the waves are hitting the boat,
21:23making the rockets a little difficult to stay on course,
21:26it's not like driving a car.
21:28You don't know where you're going.
21:30You're pretty much taking orders from everybody else.
21:33It's like walking with your eyes closed,
21:35somebody telling you to go left or right.
21:37Right 15-degree ready. Steady course here.
21:39I'll start deck. My rudder is right 15.
21:42I'm going to start deck.
21:44I'm going to start deck.
21:46I'm going to start deck.
21:48Right 15.
21:53Like Azorio, most of Kentucky's crew are in their early 20s,
21:57and after a stressful shift,
21:59a good way to blow off steam is pizza night.
22:07Pizza is the best. Everybody comes up for it.
22:09People stay awake for it.
22:11Nobody goes to sleep, really, for this.
22:13This is what I feel the crew wants right now.
22:19You've got to make the crew happy at the pizza night.
22:22Whoa! Pizza!
22:29We have the best food in the military, and you kind of have to,
22:32because there's not so many places you can hide in the submarine.
22:35The guys will find you if the meal's not right.
22:38Submarines have long claimed the distinction
22:41of serving up the best food in the forces.
22:45Another fine old tradition is playing cribbage in the officers' mess.
22:50Cribbage goes back a long way in the submarine force.
22:53They played a lot of it in World War II.
22:55Well, I've won both games so far.
23:00But even when it's downtime for some of the officers and crew,
23:03the sub is never off duty.
23:05Kentucky has to be ready to fight at a moment's notice.
23:10Sonar con, psyche main ballasting vents.
23:15She also has to be ready to defend herself.
23:18In hostile waters, there will be hunter-killer submarines
23:21looking to sink her before she can fire a single missile.
23:25Sonar con, come up to normal two-thirds turns.
23:28Trailing behind the Kentucky is a 730-metre cable
23:32wired with highly sensitive hydrophones.
23:35It's called a towed array sonar.
23:38And it allows Kentucky to eavesdrop on the faintest sound kilometres away.
23:44A sound that could be coming from an enemy submarine.
23:51Even with the Cold War long over,
23:53other nations' hunter-killer submarines still try to find,
23:57track and shadow missile subs like Kentucky, just in case.
24:01It's a high-stakes game of cat and mouse
24:04that's still being played out in the world's oceans.
24:09BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP.
24:13Con, Sonar, hold own ships unit running normally
24:16merging on the barrier against Sierra 7.
24:20Kentucky's crew is always battle-ready.
24:23Their days are divided into 18 hours,
24:26six hours on and 12 hours off for study, laundry and sleep.
24:30One-third of the crew is always sleeping,
24:33and most of their berths are built around the orange missile tubes.
24:39BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP.
24:42Petty Officer Adam Conley has a top bunk.
24:46There's nine people per room, stacked three high, three on each wall.
24:51What you see here is half of a twin-size bed.
24:55This is our lap of luxury, if you will, for months at a time.
25:00Each man gets just over a square metre,
25:03about the size of a coffin, for sleeping and storage.
25:08You've got to remind yourself that you are sleeping next to a missile tube
25:13in between the bunkers.
25:15It's kind of cool and it's kind of eerie at the same time.
25:22Some sailors prefer more headroom and sleep in storage lockers.
25:26The catch is, if someone needs a spare part,
25:29you get what's called racked out.
25:32I've got to get a part.
25:34Sorry.
25:38I'm sorry, dude.
25:42You can actually stand up in your rack.
25:44You have more space for stowage and so on.
25:47It's just, this is the one downside.
25:49Getting racked out really sucks.
25:52Sorry.
26:01CONS on our DNA game, possible submerged contact.
26:05Back in the control room, training has just intensified.
26:09The scenario is an enemy sub on Kentucky's tail.
26:13CONS on our CRS-7, designated hostile submarine.
26:16Recommend manning battle stations torpedo.
26:19Sir, CON-I, chief of the watch, man battle stations torpedo.
26:23Man battle stations torpedo.
26:25For the crew of Kentucky,
26:27this is one of the most demanding training exercises of them all.
26:30A deep-sea fight to the death.
26:32A submarine duel.
26:36Yeah, I'm in control.
26:38All right, 10 degrees right, steady course, 120.
26:41The attack sub is hunting her,
26:43and the crew has to train like it's the real thing.
26:48All sort of the deck manoeuvring answers, all ahead two-thirds.
26:51It's kill or be killed.
26:53The enemy sub must be destroyed before it sinks Kentucky.
26:58Kentucky's strike weapon is the Mark 48 torpedo,
27:02armed with a 295kg warhead.
27:05Range, 50km.
27:08Speed, 40 knots.
27:10One hit, and it's all over.
27:13Executive Officer Adam Hudson is under tremendous pressure.
27:17It's his job to make sure those torpedoes hit their mark.
27:21The more accurate our solution is,
27:24the more accurate and higher our probability of hitting the contact.
27:28In the bow, the weapons are loaded into the torpedo tubes.
27:38In the control room,
27:40Captain Pearson uses his experience and training
27:43to manoeuvre for an attack.
27:45Sir, I have a firing solution.
27:48Fire in port procedures.
27:50Sierra 7, tube 2.
27:52Solution ready.
27:53Shoot tube 2.
27:55Stand by.
27:57Fire tube 2.
28:00Stay clear, I'm not at arms.
28:02Clear.
28:14There's still time for the explosion.
28:17We asserted the explosion, so we think we sunk the target.
28:21This time, the battle was simulated,
28:24but the scenario was very real.
28:27If they have to go to war,
28:29Kentucky's crew must be prepared to fight off enemy hunter-killer subs.
28:33Their lives will depend on it.
28:41But life on a sub isn't always frantic.
28:44It can't be when the patrols stretch out for ten weeks.
28:48Downtime includes time to think about home and family.
28:51Important moments for Weapons Officer Eric Hunter.
28:55Proud dad, three children, 8, 3, and 2 years old.
28:59You know, it's hard for me out here.
29:01We work, night and day, little sleep.
29:04But I have to admit, my wife,
29:06she's raising three kids on her own right now,
29:08two are in school, the other one's still in diapers.
29:11As much as they miss you and they need you,
29:13they're also, I know for a fact,
29:15my kids, my wife, my parents, her parents, my brother,
29:18they're all proud of me and proud of what I'm doing.
29:23While family members never know exactly where their loved ones are,
29:27it's critical information for US Navy command.
29:30Kentucky must regularly rise to periscope depth
29:33to communicate and confirm that she's operational and war-ready.
29:38Chief of the Watch, rig control for Black.
29:40Rig control for Black, guys.
29:43It's a dangerous night-time operation,
29:46with even less surface visibility.
29:49Officer Deck's got to make sure he keeps his eyes adjusted for darkness
29:52so he can see what's going on outside.
29:54Officer Deck, my rudder's right 15.
29:58The control room lighting is dimmed to a red glow.
30:01It helps the watchman's eyes adjust to the dark
30:04when they peer through the periscope,
30:06searching for potential danger.
30:09Tonight, Eric Hunter is Officer of the Deck.
30:14It's his turn to cautiously bring Kentucky up to periscope depth.
30:19T-sim con eye. All stations con.
30:21Proceeding to periscope depth.
30:237-8. 1-5-0.
30:28US Navy commanders demand that Kentucky call home on a regular basis
30:32to confirm that she's operational.
30:35The captain must also get a precise GPS fix
30:38and verify Kentucky's position.
30:40Something that can't be done submerged.
30:43Knowing their exact location is crucial.
30:46The world's oceans are full of valleys and mountains.
30:50In 2005, the USS San Francisco drifted off the coast of California
30:55in search of a lifeboat.
30:57The world's oceans are full of valleys and mountains.
31:00In 2005, the USS San Francisco drifted off course without knowing it.
31:06She slammed into an undersea mountain and nearly sank.
31:10It's incredibly important to know where the submarine's at
31:13when we're submerged underwater.
31:15But when we come back up...
31:17When we come back up, we like to verify those position sources
31:21when we come up.
31:23Ready for number two scope.
31:27Kentucky is now at periscope depth
31:29and ready to establish a communications link.
31:32USMCON, stand by to test early warning receiver.
31:37RadioCON, port status, MCAP operations.
31:42But there's a problem.
31:48T-WATCH, raise multifunction 2.
31:51The radio operator can't establish a solid communications link.
31:56Right now we are currently shifting channels
31:59so that we can try other options with our radio traffic.
32:05What should have been a routine exercise
32:07is turning into a dangerous waiting game.
32:10In a sub, every second near the surface is a second too long.
32:16Ballistic missile sub USS Kentucky is at periscope depth.
32:20Just below the surface.
32:22Unvulnerable.
32:24RadioCON, port status, MCAP operations.
32:27Her crew is having trouble establishing communications
32:30with US Navy command.
32:32Hovering just below the waves,
32:34the sub is invisible to surface ships.
32:37The radio operator can't establish a solid communications link.
32:41Hovering just below the waves, the sub is invisible to surface ships.
32:45The crew has to stay alert and keep a constant periscope watch.
32:49You have to make sure to trade through on your periscope operator
32:52so that nobody gets exhausted,
32:54because your periscope operator
32:57is your primary source of safety for the ship.
33:03Officer of the deck Eric Hunter
33:05is still trying to solve the communications problem
33:08and establish radio contact.
33:10Sometimes things don't really line up the way we expect them to.
33:13After 30 tense minutes hanging around in the danger zone,
33:16the link with Navy headquarters is finally established.
33:21We've got a great receive signal,
33:23and so now it's just a matter of time.
33:25We're going to wait on it,
33:26and we'll be able to finish our communication operations.
33:28Go deep.
33:30With messages sent and received and a precise GPS fix,
33:34Kentucky once again slides back down
33:36into the safety of the ocean depths.
33:41In the officers' mess,
33:42Lieutenant Paul Lenz is well on his way to qualifying for his dolphins.
33:47But first he'll have to go through an unofficial rite of passage,
33:51beating the captain at cribbage.
33:54The tradition here on the Kentucky
33:56is that before one of the officers qualifies,
34:00he's got to play the captain in cribbage.
34:02I've got to have him all over it.
34:04Yeah.
34:07He's from Iowa.
34:10Oh, sweet, I have blackjack.
34:16Lenz won his first cribbage game.
34:20Lieutenant Lenz is a great guy.
34:22He's one of the better J.O.s. He's got a good attitude.
34:25Are you working on the scullery still?
34:27Yes, sir.
34:28Yeah, he's got his head screwed on straight.
34:31He'll do a good job.
34:33It sounds like Lenz is closing in on those dolphins,
34:37but the tests just keep coming.
34:40The crew regularly rehearses the battle drill
34:43Kentucky was built for, launching nuclear missiles.
34:47It's an order that can only come
34:49from the President of the United States.
34:52There's always a trident-class submarine on call in the ocean
34:56that can launch at a moment's notice
34:58in the event of threat of nuclear war.
35:01Cod radio, receiving an emergency action message.
35:04Are you, Cod Eye?
35:05Even hundreds of meters below the surface,
35:08Kentucky is always ready to carry out the order.
35:11It will come as an emergency action message
35:14that triggers a strict launch protocol.
35:18Just received a notification via the 1MC of a launch directive.
35:28Damage control.
35:30Captain Pearson and his crew must practice for the real thing.
35:34If it does happen, there can't be any mistakes.
35:37Meticulous fail-safe systems are in place
35:39to prevent a rogue officer and crew
35:41from launching nuclear Armageddon without authorization.
35:45The order to fire must be authenticated.
35:48XO, sir, ready to report message 1.
35:50Step up and report message 1.
35:52Alpha, Victor.
35:53XO, sir, ready to brief message 1.
35:55Step up and report message 1.
35:57Step up and report message 1. Aye, sir.
35:59XO, sir, message 1 is a valid emergency action message
36:02which directs the execution of target package 01.
36:05Request permission to authenticate the message.
36:07XO, authenticate the message.
36:09Authenticate the message. Aye, sir.
36:11Golf, Oscar, November.
36:13Golf, Oscar, November.
36:15Secret codes in the emergency action message
36:17must match codes locked in a safe aboard Kentucky.
36:20XO, authorize message 1.
36:22Authorize message 1. Aye, sir.
36:24Cod radio, the emergency action message is a valid launch authorization.
36:28Radio con. Man, battle station's missile.
36:40Man, battle station's missile.
36:42When fully armed with nuclear missiles,
36:45Kentucky has the firepower to unleash more death and destruction
36:49than any other weapon in the history of mankind.
36:53One floor below the con is missile control.
36:56Kentucky's triggerman, weapons officer Eric Hunter,
36:59waits for Captain Pearson's order to fire.
37:02I'm anxiously awaiting for the team in here
37:05to receive the order from the cabin to conduct the launch.
37:08Once I get the order to launch,
37:10I actually pull the trigger to launch each individual missile.
37:14Captain, sir, the launch is authorized.
37:16XO, authorize launch.
37:18Authorize the launch. Aye, sir.
37:20State Condition 1SQ for training and guidance.
37:22This is the captain. This is an exercise.
37:24The order to launch has been authenticated.
37:26State Condition 1SQ for training without guidance.
37:28This is the executive officer. This is an exercise.
37:34This is the last necessary step that we need here in the missile control center
37:38to take our steps in this piece of the puzzle.
37:41As soon as we get that, I can spin up and conduct the launch.
37:46It's a surreal thing to imagine
37:49that you possess the last piece of the puzzle.
37:53That trigger is the last piece that will send that missile away.
37:56That's absolutely what I will do as the strategic weapons officer.
38:01Kentucky is now just below the surface
38:04and in position to fire.
38:06We're going to launch.
38:08We're going to launch.
38:10We're going to launch.
38:12Kentucky is now just below the surface and in position to fire.
38:16Gun and weapons. The weapons system is 1SQ for training without guidance.
38:20Kentucky's 24 Trident missiles are capable of locking onto targets
38:25as far away as 12,000 kilometers.
38:28Gun and weapons. Recommend permission to fire.
38:31Recommend permission to fire.
38:33Gun and weapons, aye. Initiate fire.
38:353, away.
38:373, away.
38:392, 3.
38:412, 3, gag.
38:455, away.
38:472, 5.
38:492, 5, gag.
38:54It's just an exercise, but this is what an actual launch would look like.
38:59Missiles are fired from just below the surface.
39:02When they clear the water, their rocket motors ignite
39:05and they fly the payload to the target.
39:08Each Trident missile is up to 80 times more powerful
39:12than the bomb that dropped on Hiroshima.
39:15No one on this boat wants to conduct an actual launch,
39:19and that's why the job is, the mission is called strategic deterrence.
39:23It is to deter everyone else
39:26from starting a conflict with the United States.
39:31Secure the battle station missile.
39:33Launcher, supervisor, secure the battle station missile.
39:37Second mission four, secure. Secure the battle station missile.
39:41It's not just us against them.
39:43We all realize on board here that our families at home would also be at stake.
39:49Kentucky is once again back down at depth
39:52and moving silently through the undersea world she calls home.
39:59After the missile drill, Kentucky's crew resumes normal duties.
40:04But for young Petty Officer Justin Guess,
40:06there's nothing routine about today.
40:09He's finally earned the right to wear the Dolphins.
40:14Having demonstrated his reliability under stress
40:17and having my full confidence and trust,
40:19I hereby certify he is qualified in submarines,
40:21signed B.J. Pearson, commanding officer.
40:27Oh, it feels great.
40:29Better than I thought it would.
40:31Now that I have my Dolphins, I had to move on to my next ballpark.
40:34It's always something that comes up.
40:36The Dolphin insignia means he's joined the elite brotherhood of submariners.
40:41It's a fitting end to the patrol.
40:45In less than 24 hours, Kentucky will be back in her home port,
40:49submarine base Bangor, Washington.
40:52She's been submerged, virtually invisible, for 69 days.
40:57Attention and control, the current contact picture,
40:59I intend on surfacing the ship.
41:01Prepare to surface.
41:04The main ballast tanks are pumped dry and Kentucky rises to the surface.
41:09They'll breathe fresh air for the final leg home to submarine base Bangor.
41:15Keep a watch, please.
41:31For Captain Pearson, it's a bittersweet homecoming.
41:34This was his last patrol as Kentucky's commanding officer.
41:38He's being promoted.
41:41It's the last time I'll be on the bridge as the commanding officer of the submarine.
41:45It'll be great to come home, but sad to leave the bridge for the last time.
41:57Surrounded by the mountains of the Pacific Northwest,
42:00her menacing shape seems out of place.
42:04Then, just as she left, under cover of darkness, Kentucky is home.
42:10Submariners from the base have come down to welcome the boat's safe return.
42:18Some of them are looking forward to their own patrol,
42:21but the sailors on USS Kentucky can't wait to get off their boat.
42:26A lot of crew was up all last night. Some guys couldn't even sleep.
42:30A lot of crew was up all last night. Some guys couldn't even sleep.
42:33The anticipation of getting home to their loved ones.
42:35When I can go home, I spend time with my wife and kid and actually enjoy it.
42:40Just those niceties of life that people take for granted,
42:43it's something I'm ready to get back to.
42:47For the next few months, these men will be swapping a nuclear submarine
42:51for shore duty and family time.
42:55It's time to go get in the van, take my family home,
42:57and start this whole other phase in the cycle of the submarine life.
43:08But soon enough, they'll be ready to head out on another silent, stealthy patrol.
43:14Onboard USS Kentucky, the most dangerous weapon the world has never seen.
43:28USS Kentucky
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