"For years, I've been wondering what could happen to nuclear submarines when they dive and disappear from the surface of the earth for months, without a trace. No one really knows where they are"
About this Quote
The subtext is Cold War dread rendered as plot fuel. Nuclear submarines are the perfect embodiment of mutually assured destruction: weapons that can hide, wait, and end the world without warning. Hamilton doesn’t mention deterrence, strategy, or geopolitics; he chooses the eerie, almost childlike image of something slipping beneath the “surface of the earth,” a cosmic framing that makes military procedure feel mythic and unnatural. The kicker - “No one really knows where they are” - lands as both reassurance and threat. Reassurance, because that’s the point of stealth. Threat, because if “no one” knows, then control becomes a story we tell ourselves.
Context matters: Hamilton built his reputation on Bond films where power is glamorous precisely because it’s unaccountable. This quote reads like the seed of that aesthetic - technology as spectacle, secrecy as seduction, and the uncomfortable joke that modern security often looks indistinguishable from a villain’s plan.
Quote Details
| Topic | Ocean & Sea |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Hamilton, Guy. (2026, January 17). For years, I've been wondering what could happen to nuclear submarines when they dive and disappear from the surface of the earth for months, without a trace. No one really knows where they are. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/for-years-ive-been-wondering-what-could-happen-to-71487/
Chicago Style
Hamilton, Guy. "For years, I've been wondering what could happen to nuclear submarines when they dive and disappear from the surface of the earth for months, without a trace. No one really knows where they are." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/for-years-ive-been-wondering-what-could-happen-to-71487/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"For years, I've been wondering what could happen to nuclear submarines when they dive and disappear from the surface of the earth for months, without a trace. No one really knows where they are." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/for-years-ive-been-wondering-what-could-happen-to-71487/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.



