Today we speak with Ian Ballantyne, the author of “Hunter Killers”, also known as “Undersea Warriors” in the United States.

Hunter Killers’ tells the incredible, true inside story of the Royal Navy’s Cold War beneath the waves.

Buy the book and support the podcast here https://amzn.to/3jalire

We talk about the forgotten role Royal Navy submarines played in the Cuban Missile Crisis while also learning the truth behind what official statements called collisions with ‘icebergs’.

In addition, we cover the processes and procedures of the Polaris submarine nuclear missile launch as well as the “Letters of Last Resort”.

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I am delighted to welcome Iain Ballantyne to our Cold War conversation…

There’s further information on this episode in our show notes which can also be found as a link in your podcast app here. https://coldwarconversations.com/episode150

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0:00 Introduction

0:43 Interview with Ian Ballantine, author of 'Hunter Killers'

1:18 Role of Royal Navy submarines in the Cuban missile crisis

3:02 Post-war use of WWII submarines and sharing of captured submarine technology

9:58 Intelligence gathering missions in the Barents Sea

14:49 Royal Navy's participation in the Cuba quarantine

19:29 Under-ice missions and the Royal Navy going nuclear

30:10 Introduction of nuclear-powered submarines in the Royal Navy

41:00 Identification of NATO submarines by the Soviet Union

52:08 Authentication and launch process of missiles

1:02:05 Collision incident between HMS Splendid and a Typhoon

1:09:37 The burial at sea prank on the Russians by HMS London

1:14:30 The uncertainty during the hardliner's coup in Moscow

1:19:10 The most dangerous area of confrontation: Under the Sea

1:21:00 Proposal for a submariners' memorial

1:23:52 Acknowledging the contributions of patrons and sponsors

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