The Flying Missile

USS Bluefin is on maneuvers to simulate sinking the carrier Midway; Midway is transporting a senator to witness a V-2 rocket launch from its flight deck. The exercise sets a tense tone as the submarine plays the hunter and the carrier the target.

Bluefin completes its simulated torpedo strike, but a destroyer detects the ruse and retaliates with a depth-charge attack, mimicking the Bluefin's destruction. The crew realizes the risk and the need for better weapons becomes evident.

After the carrier spectacle, Talbot argues that a guided missile would have improved the attack's chances. The commanding officer admits the Navy is considering the same idea and orders Bluefin and its crew to Point Mugu for training. This marks a shift from torpedoes to missiles.

On the way to Point Mugu, Bluefin disrupts Lars Hansen's fishing fleet by wrecking a fishing net. The incident strains relations with Hansen's operation and fuels tensions around the Navy's missile tests.

The Bluefin crew becomes impatient with the training regime and tries to steal their own equipment to speed up the process. Tight security at the base thwarts their efforts, underscoring the discipline required for missile testing.

Talbot meets Karin Hansen, the base commander's secretary, and tries to seduce her, but fails. Karin, a Danish native and niece to Captain Lars Hansen, reveals the location of the missing missile parts and later provides them to Talbot for a trial launch.

Karin loses her job for revealing the information, and Talbot's rush to launch leads to his serious injury and Fuss Payne's death. The incident forces Talbot into a deeper personal crisis and questions about his command.

Talbot becomes depressed and refuses to walk without braces, risking medical discharge. His physical and emotional strain drives him toward a reconsideration of his leadership and the mission ahead.

Karin encourages Talbot to take command during a military exercise that deploys a submarine flotilla to attack a surface fleet. Her belief in his abilities rekindles his resolve and shifts the crew's goals toward a coordinated assault.

Talbot conceives the idea of missile-carrying submarines launching missiles and then being guided to the surface fleet by nearer submarines that were originally slated for a torpedo attack. The team envisions a precise, layered attack that uses the submarines as both launch platforms and navigational guides.

The military exercise commences with the submarine flotilla deploying to attack the surface fleet. Talbot takes command and prepares to execute the newly devised plan, coordinating between submarines to deliver missiles to the target.

Talbot finalizes a plan where missile-carrying submarines launch missiles and are guided to the surface fleet by nearer submarines. The strategy hinges on precise coordination and the near-surface submarines' re-tasking from torpedo duties. The summary ends with this concept as the new direction for their operations.