SSBN stands for “submersible ship, ballistic missile, nuclear powered”. That is, the same overall type of ship as the Red October. ETV stands for “Electronics Technican, Navigation”, because N was already taken by Nuclear Electronics Technicians. I work with everything from interior communications and announcing circuits to Electronics, shipwide atmospheric monitoring, navigational inertial gyroscopes, strategic nuclear missile navigation, and tank level indicators to basic underwater submarine navigation using the voyage management system and even helming the ship itself.

I love the Hunt for Red October! It’s a classic, and great Hollywood to boot. That being said, as others have no doubt already mentioned, Down Periscope is more “accurate” as to everyday submariner culture when we’re not in some kind of dead serious situation. Can’t survive 120 days underwater stuck with 100 other people without a sense of humor.