While on stand-by to assist a sister submarine off the Libyan Coast, the boat's company is presented with a catalogue of man-made errors and a mission-threatening fault to one of the steam generators. Can the crew and the vessel adapt to the change of tasking at such short notice?
HMS Turbulent is bound for the troubled waters of the Middle East and must navigate two dangerous 'choke points'. First is the Suez Canal which, after the Egyptian revolution, presents a nervous moment for all concerned. Then at the Bab el Mendeb Strait between Somalia and Yemen she must conduct anti-piracy operations through the night.