The famous Soviet submarine K-19, whose history is one of the most iconic in the Russian fleet, is known for its unfortunate fate. On it over the years there have been many incidents that took the lives of sailors.
Fame K-19
What is the most famous submarine K-19? The history of this ship to the modern mass layman was remembered thanks to the feature film of 2002 with Harrison Ford in the title role. This picture under the same name "K-19" bypassed most world cinemas and recalled how close the world was to a nuclear disaster. Nevertheless, the film, by virtue of its format, showed far from everything that happened on the ship.
The K-19 submarine , whose history would not have fit into several Hollywood action films, began in 1958. Then the Soviet government decided that it was time to create the first nuclear missile carrier in the fleet. He could be an important argument in a worsened dispute with the United States. Most of the service of the submarine occurred just during the Cold War. Due to the fact that K-19 almost became the cause of the radiation leak, it was unofficially called "Hiroshima."
Nuclear submarine project
When the K-19 submarine still existed only on paper, it became clear to Soviet designers that their project would be the next stage of the next race with the United States. In the same 1958, the American authorities created a secret bureau that was developing a similar ship, George Washington.
Soviet engineers rushed no less. On October 17, 1958, work began on the creation of the first atomic submarine in the USSR. Shipbuilders and designers worked on the project around the clock without interruption. The process was continuous. Three shifts worked, which were laid out 24 hours 7 days a week. In one such "stream" could be involved in three thousand people. Too hasty preparation of the ship made itself felt very quickly. There was a fire during the painting of the holds at the shipyard. Two workers died.
Failure to create
The unlucky K-19 submarine, whose history is literally teeming with various incidents, ran into trouble again during the first launch of the reactor. Technological error led to the fact that the pressure inside the chamber exceeded safety standards twice. Fortunately, no one received a lethal dose of radiation.
In addition, the designers allowed a small roll of the vessel at one degree. This defect led to the fact that when the K-19 submarine plunged into the water, it almost turned over. She had to be raised in emergency mode in a matter of seconds. During this operation, an atomic missile carrier nearly rammed the neighboring vessels that participated in the tests.
Political importance
Later, experts argued among themselves about whether it was worth rushing so with the creation of a submarine. Professional arguments in this case were in the background. The decisive word was for politicians. The communist leadership wanted to get the K-19 as soon as possible in order to have an argument in their dispute with the United States. Possible operational errors in Moscow were of little interest to anyone. They hoped that defects could be corrected already during the use of the submarine.
Some designers and military experts justified this point of view from a professional perspective. When it comes to new generation vessels (such as the Soviet K-19 submarine), it is impossible to predict on paper all possible complications. Errors in this case have to be corrected already upon their presence.
First incident at sea
K-19 was launched on October 11, 1959. A few months earlier, the American army had at its disposal a similar “George Washington”. However, at the beginning of operation, the American submarine was better than the Soviet one. It had a higher radius of destruction, more nuclear missiles were placed on it. The missiles at George Washington were several times more powerful than the bombs dropped on Hiroshima in 1945.
April 12, 1961, on the day when Yuri Gagarin triumphantly traveled into space, a tragedy nearly hit the Barents Sea, from which the whole world could suffer. K-19 sailed very close to the Nautilus submarine, owned by the United States and conducting reconnaissance off the Soviet coast. Collisions were avoided at the last moment. However, due to a sharp maneuver, the submarine collided with a bottom. The ship only by a happy coincidence was not injured.
Reactor breakdown
In the summer of the same 1961, a tragedy occurred on K-19, which became known many years later, after the declassification of documents. Then the submarine participated in naval exercises in the Arctic. The reactor broke, due to which some compartments were in the radiation zone. The crew had, without special means and tools, get rid of the defect. The ship was saved from death, but some sailors paid with their own lives. They came under irradiation and died in terrible torment.
The consequences of an accident under bad circumstances would be terrifying. An infection of the entire oceans could occur. And the reason for this would be just one K-19 submarine. The story of the incident in the exercises was classified. The dead received state awards.
Submarine Returns
After the tragedy of 1961, the Soviet military department decided to sink the K-19. The history of the submarine in such a short time was already full of all kinds of misfortunes, and its hull was struck by radiation. However, at this critical moment, the crew said their word. The sailors themselves volunteered to deactivate the emergency jet compartment and retrieve the dangerous warheads. People worked in unbearable conditions. Many later died just like their comrades during the incident in the Arctic. The highest ranks looked at the situation through their fingers. The military wanted to save a strategically important ship at all costs, regardless of the victims.
When K-19 was finally laundered, they took her to her home port. However, the unexpected happened again along the way. Not far from Severodvinsk, the boat was aground. On a stuck ship, energy ran out and the generators sat down. The crew was running out of food. The fleet had to conduct another rescue operation. After those events, the old missile compartment was flooded near Novaya Zemlya. The submarine K-19 (its size, mainly) has undergone changes and modernization. Only after 1961 was she able to fire from an underwater position due to an increase in the radius of fire.
Clash with Gato
For some time, the fate of the submarine K-19 did not cause concern. In 1967, she was recognized as the best ship in the service of the Northern Fleet. It seemed to command and sailors that the misfortunes associated with K-19 were left behind. However, this was not so.
On November 15, 1969, on a training mission in the Barents Sea, a Soviet submarine collided with an American "sister." Gato conducted reconnaissance off the coast of the USSR. The clash was accidental, but the Americans decided that the Russians deliberately went to ram. Then the commander of the torpedo compartment on Gato gave the order to open fire on the enemy. The Americans also had a nuclear warhead. Mortal combat could have caused World War III. However, the captain of the entire ship did not dare to attack the neighbor and ordered to turn back. The disaster was avoided.
Fire in 1972
On February 24, 1972, the crew noticed smoke in the ninth compartment. Soon a fire started. Sailors from other parts of the ship heard muffled screams and coughs. The death of the submarine K-19 was close as never before. According to the rules, sailors could not open a compartment covered by fire in order to avoid a fire on the entire ship. The sealed part of the K-19 turned into a furnace, in which it was not possible to survive. Despite the precautionary measures of the crew, the fire still began to spread throughout the submarine.
Then the captain of Kulibaba ordered the ascent. It was a difficult decision. Now the Americans could spot the K-19. The history of the submarine, photos, basic characteristics - all this was in Washington. However, even there they could not assume that the unlucky ship would again be in trouble without ever entering the battle.
Crew rescue
The incident was reported to Moscow. A few hours later, party leaders learned about the fire. It was decided to contact the submarine only once a day to minimize the chance of the Americans intercepting the message. At the same time, eight auxiliary vessels went to the rescue of K-19.
The situation was complicated by the fact that in the area where the submarine was, a storm raged. The storm for three weeks did not allow the arriving ships to help the K-19. Rescuers tried to tow her. However, the ropes needed for this operation were broken each time.
Meanwhile, the crew under water tried to do everything to survive. His other task was to prevent the spread of fire to the missile compartment. If this happened, the detonation of atomic warheads would occur. On the third day, the control room received a call from an emergency phone in one of the closed compartments. The sailors who were locked there survived. Nobody had hoped for this. However, now it was necessary to help isolated people. They could simply suffocate. Air was let through the pipe, which was originally intended for emergency pumping of water.
All sailors tried not to waste their energy and waste precious oxygen. The crew was saved only on the 23rd day, when the weather finally calmed down. Killed 2 rescuers and 28 sailors in a submarine. After what happened in the Navy, controversy erupted again about whether to write off the K-19. The submarine again found powerful defenders at the top, who defended the submarine.
End of service
In subsequent years, the K-19 service was relatively calm. She was withdrawn from the fleet in 1990. In 2003, it was decided to dispose of the unfortunate submarine. Only the cabin was kept, which is still located in the city of Snezhnogorsk, Murmansk region.
During the service of K-19, more than three hundred thousand nautical miles passed . The vessel conducted several military operations and launched a total of two dozen ballistic missiles. However, despite these accomplished tasks, the K-19 is best known for its many incidents and incidents.