Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
L. David Marquet is a former United States Navy Captain and author who served in the submarine force for nearly three decades. Graduating top of class from the United States Naval Academy in 1981 during the height of the Cold War, Marquet served on multiple submarines. He captained the USS Santa Fe from 1999 to 2001, transforming it from one of the worst-performing in the US fleet to the highest-ranked.
Marquet breaks down the logistics of operating and living on these massive weapons of war, as well as the torpedoes and missiles that make up the United States' arsenal, amidst increased geopolitical tensions with China and Russia.
Following his time in the Navy, Marquet published the bestselling book, Turn the Ship Around, in 2013, detailing his time on the Santa Fe. Since then, he's worked as a leadership expert, speaking at companies like Google. He published an additional book, Leadership is Language, in 2020 and has an upcoming book, Distancing, releasing in August 2025.
For more:
davidmarquet.com/books
00:00 - Introduction
00:33 - The Weapons
06:54 - Insubordination
09:19 - The Signals
13:24 - Getting War-Ready
15:55 - The Conditions
21:54 - The Training
26:02 - First Deployments
30:42 - The Hierarchy
34:10 - The Leaders
41:20 - The US Submarine Force
42:55 - The Future
47:23 - The Aftermath
50:30 - Credits
Additional satellite imagery supplied by Maxar Technologies and the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, part of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
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How Nuclear-Powered Submarines Actually Work | Authorized Account | Insider
L. David Marquet is a former United States Navy Captain and author who served in the submarine force for nearly three decades. Graduating top of class from the United States Naval Academy in 1981 during the height of the Cold War, Marquet served on multiple submarines. He captained the USS Santa Fe from 1999 to 2001, transforming it from one of the worst-performing in the US fleet to the highest-ranked.
Marquet breaks down the logistics of operating and living on these massive weapons of war, as well as the torpedoes and missiles that make up the United States' arsenal, amidst increased geopolitical tensions with China and Russia.
Following his time in the Navy, Marquet published the bestselling book, Turn the Ship Around, in 2013, detailing his time on the Santa Fe. Since then, he's worked as a leadership expert, speaking at companies like Google. He published an additional book, Leadership is Language, in 2020 and has an upcoming book, Distancing, releasing in August 2025.
For more:
davidmarquet.com/books
00:00 - Introduction
00:33 - The Weapons
06:54 - Insubordination
09:19 - The Signals
13:24 - Getting War-Ready
15:55 - The Conditions
21:54 - The Training
26:02 - First Deployments
30:42 - The Hierarchy
34:10 - The Leaders
41:20 - The US Submarine Force
42:55 - The Future
47:23 - The Aftermath
50:30 - Credits
Additional satellite imagery supplied by Maxar Technologies and the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, part of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
------------------------------------------------------
Insider's mission is to inform and inspire.
Visit our homepage for the top stories of the day: businessinsider.com
Insider on Facebook: facebook.com/insider
Insider on Instagram: instagram.com/insider
Insider on Twitter: twitter.com/thisisinsider
Insider on Snapchat: snapchat.com/discover/Insider/2708030621
Insider on TikTok: tiktok.com/@insider
How Nuclear-Powered Submarines Actually Work | Authorized Account | Insider
