Submarine School

Introduction to the five young officers who are taking part in the Perisher Course as they begin the all-important sea phase of the course. It’s straight in at the deep end as the face one of the toughest training exercises ever devised, called “Eyes Only”. Basically, using only a periscope and a stop watch they must play “chicken” with charging warships. The object is to dive if and when a warship gets dangerously close. There’s a very real danger of calamitous collision and Teacher must take over more than once to swiftly dive the submarine out of danger The students also face the seemingly straightforward task of loading and unloading specialist reconnaissance troops, dropped by helicopter into a remote Scottish sea loch. The dress rehearsal turns to farce and the students must get their act together fast or face the chop.

The five Perisher students take on a new challenge that is a crucial part of modern submarine operations – they will be sneaking around in dangerously shallow waters conducting reconnaissance missions and dropping sensors across the mouths of harbours. The pressure ramps up even higher when a group of military top brass come onboard to gauge their progress, including two of Britain’s highest ranking submariners who waste no time throwing spanners into the works. For one student the pressure gets too much and five Perishers are reduced to four.

The four remaining Perisher students face a totally new scenario as they take part in one of NATO's largest naval exercises off the west coast of Scotland.

The students have to deal with one of the most toughest tests yet in their efforts to pass the Perisher course and become fully qualified.