SSN (novel)

SSN is a novel by Tom Clancy from the year 1996. It belongs to the genre of political thriller and technology, and describes the warfare of a submarine. The title is derived from the initials of Ship Submersible Nuclear, the official name for the United States Navy nuclear-powered hunting submarines.

The novel revolves around a fictional war situation. SSN plays in 1997 and revolves around the invasion of the People's Republic of China on the Spratly Islands in order to get to the local petroleum reserves. The novel is divided into 15 chapters in which the submarine of the Los Angeles-class USS Cheyenne ( SSN -773 ), at the beginning as escorts of the carrier battle group led by the USS Independence (CV -62 ), later that operates as a single hunting submarine against the Chinese fleet fights and the expansion needs of the communist country ultimately nullifies.

The work is first published in 1996 by Berkley Books, a German translation of the published only in paperback book does not exist. Unlike Clancy's other novels, the story focuses here on the submarine, while the books by Jack Ryan include much more complex plots.

In the story of the novel is based in 1997 published computer game Tom Clancy's SSN.