Pacific Vortex! (Dirk Pitt #1) by Clive Cussler, Michael Pritchard

Dirk Pitt, death-defying adventurer and deep-sea expert, is out to the ultimate test as he plunges into the perilous waters of the Pacific Vortex -- a fog-shrouded sea zone where dozens of ships have vanished without a trace. The latest victim is the awesome superb Starbuck, America's deep-diving nuclear arsenal.
Its loss poses an unthinkable threat to national defense. Pitt's job is to find it, salvage it, before the sea explodes.