SSN 14

About the Book

SSN 14 is a dramatic and honest account of a year in the life of HMS Turbulent, the Royal Navy nuclear powered attack submarine led by Ryan Ramsey. During 2011 Turbulent participated in the Libya intervention and passed through the Suez Canal to take up patrol in the Indian Ocean against the extraordinary political backdrop of the Arab Spring, in the period where both Colonel Gaddafi and Osama Bin Laden were killed and piracy and terrorism was rife. Turbulent suffered a catastrophic failure of its cooling systems. The fight to survive tested Ryan’s command to its limits. Although the suffering was immense, the entire crew survived intact. Ryan also had to deal with constantly changing crew and transform them into a tight-knit, smoothly functioning team that could meet, and exceed, any challenge thrown at them. This books documents his failures, as well as his successes and offers a unique insight into leadership in the most challenging of environments. No matter where your business battles are fought, this will help you be phenomenal at what you do.

About the Author

Ryan Ramsey was on active duty in the Submarine Service from 1991 until 2014. He served onboard four diesel submarines and six nuclear powered attack submarines. His leadership and teamwork has been tested in the most arduous of conditions during an operationally focused career (seventeen patrols, of which six were in command). He has also worked for the Royal Netherlands Navy, US Navy, and Counter Terrorism forces. The zenith of his military assignments was as captain of the nuclear-powered submarine HMS Turbulent (2008–2011), where he was privileged to serve 484 men, leading on covert clandestine missions worldwide. Thereafter he was selected as teacher-commander of the world-renowned submarine command course Perisher. There he was responsible for teaching the next generation of nuclear submarine captains to deal with the challenges of leadership, risk-taking, and decision-making in the twenty-first century. Ryan has completed master’s degrees in defence studies (King’s College London) and science and technology (Kingston University). He is alumni of the Windsor Leadership Programme and uses a variety of leadership training and experience to assist others for no profit. Married to Corrinne, with two football-obsessed children, he has cut back on maintaining his skills as a qualified pilot, diver, and advanced driver to hone his skills as a football referee, which satisfies his need to manage conflict!