The Cold War may be over, but nuclear submarines still lurk beneath the sea.

Taller in length than the Washington Monument, wider at its center than a three-lane highway, the 18,750-ton Trident nuclear submarine, with 24 strategic missiles and more than 120 nuclear warheads, is the most complex war machine the U.S. Navy has ever produced. This $1.8 billion marvel can sail deep beneath the ocean, undetected by enemies, for months.

Douglas C. Waller -- bestselling author of The Commandos and veteran Time magazine correspondent -- penetrates the silent, secret world of nuclear subs, taking you on a tension-packed three-month patrol under the Atlantic Ocean inside the USS Nebraska, fondly nicknamed Big Red. In chilling detail, witnessed through the eyes of the men on board and told in their own words, Big Red reveals the top-secret procedures for starting World War III, including secret codes, elaborate fail-safe mechanisms, and highly classified battle tactics for nuclear combat.