U-boat K-19: history, destiny, photo

The famous Soviet submarine K-19, whose history is one of the most iconic in the Russian fleet, is known for its unhappy fate. On it in different years there were many incidents taking lives of seamen.

Popularity of K-19

What is the most famous submarine K-19? The history of this vessel to the modern mass inhabitant was remembered thanks to the feature film of 2002 with Harrison Ford in the main role. This painting under the same name "K-19" bypassed most of the world's cinemas and recalled how close the world was to a nuclear catastrophe. Nevertheless, the film, due to its format, showed not all that was happening on the ship.

The submarine K-19, whose history would not fit in several Hollywood fighters, began in 1958. Then the Soviet government decided that it was time to create the first in the Navy nuclear missile carrier. He could become an important argument in the aggravated dispute with the United States. Most of the service of the submarine fell just at the time of the Cold War. Due to the fact that K-19 almost became the cause of radiation leakage, it was unofficially called "Hiroshima".

Project NPS

When the submarine K-19 existed only on paper, it became clear to Soviet designers that this project would be the stage of another race with the United States. In the same 1958, the US authorities created a secret bureau that was developing a similar vessel, George Washington.

Soviet engineers hurried no less. October 17, 1958 began work on the creation of the first nuclear submarine in the USSR. Shipbuilders and designers worked on the project round the clock without a break. The process was continuous. Three shifts worked, which were laid out for 24 hours 7 days a week. In one such "stream" three thousand people could be involved. The too hasty course of the ship's preparation made me aware of myself very quickly. During the painting of the holds in the shipyard, a fire broke out. Two workers were killed.

Failures to create

The unfortunate submarine K-19, whose history literally teems with various incidents, ran into trouble again during the first launch of the reactor. The technological error led to the fact that the pressure inside the chamber exceeded the safety standards twice. Only by a lucky chance no one received a lethal dose of radiation.

In addition, the designers allowed a small ship roll in one degree. This defect led to the fact that when the submarine K-19 was submerged in water, it almost turned over. It had to be raised in emergency mode for a few seconds. During the operation, the nuclear missile carrier nearly hit the neighboring vessels, which participated in the tests.

Political importance

Even later, experts argued among themselves about whether it was worth hurrying to create a submarine. Professional arguments in this case turned out to be in the background. The decisive word was for politicians. In the communist leadership they wanted to get K-19 as soon as possible in order to have an argument in their dispute with the US. Possible operational errors in Moscow were of little interest to anyone. There they hoped that the defects could be corrected already in the course of using the submarine.

Some designers and military specialists justified this view from a professional perspective. When it comes to the ships of the new generation (what was the Soviet submarine K-19), it is impossible to predict all possible complications on paper. Errors in this case have to be corrected by the fact of their availability.

The first incident at sea

K-19 was launched on October 11, 1959. A few months earlier, the US Army had received a similar "George Washington" at its disposal. However, at the beginning of operation, the American submarine was better than the Soviet submarine . It had a higher radius of destruction, it was equipped with more nuclear missiles. Shells on the "George Washington" by its power several times higher than the bombs dropped on Hiroshima in 1945.

On April 12, 1961, the day when Yuri Gagarin triumphantly traveled to space, the tragedy in the Barents Sea nearly affected the whole world. K-19 sailed very close to the submarine "Nautilus", which belonged to the United States and conducted reconnaissance off the Soviet coast. The collision was avoided at the last moment. However, due to a sharp maneuver, the submarine collided with the bottom. The ship was not affected by a lucky coincidence.

Reactor failure

In the summer of the same year in 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 down, because of which some compartments were in the radiation zone. The crew had to get rid of a defect without special tools and tools. The ship was saved from destruction, but some sailors paid with their own lives. They were exposed to radiation and died in horrible tortures.

The consequences of the accident in the worst of circumstances would be horrific. There could be an infection of the whole World Ocean. And the reason for this would be just one K-19 submarine. The story of that incident in the exercises was classified. The victims received state awards.

The return of the submarine in service

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 sorts of misfortunes, and its corps was struck by radiation. However, at this critical moment, the crew said their word. The sailors themselves volunteered to deactivate the emergency reactive compartment and take out dangerous warheads. People worked in unbearable conditions. Many later died in the same way as their comrades during an incident in the Arctic. Higher ranks looked at the situation through their fingers. The military wanted to save a strategically important ship at any cost, regardless of the victims.

When K-19, finally, was washed, she was taken to her home port. However, on the way again, the unforeseen happened. Not far from Severodvinsk the boat was on the rocks. The jammed ship ended with energy 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 rocket compartment was flooded near Novaya Zemlya. The submarine K-19 (its dimensions, mostly) underwent changes and modernization. Only after 1961 she was able to fire from underwater position due to the increase in the radius of fire.

Collision with Gato

For some time the fate of the K-19 submarine did not cause concern. In 1967, it was recognized as the best ship in the service of the Northern Fleet. The command and the sailors felt that the misfortunes connected with the K-19 were left behind. However, this was not the case.

November 15, 1969, on a training mission in the Barents Sea, a Soviet submarine collided with an American "sister." Gato carried out reconnaissance near the coast of the USSR. The clash was accidental, but the Americans decided that the Russians intentionally went to ramming. Then the commander of the compartment with torpedoes on Gato gave the order to open fire on the enemy. The Americans also had a nuclear warhead. The death battle could have caused the Third World War. However, the captain of the whole ship did not dare attack the neighbor and ordered to turn back. The catastrophe was avoided.

Fire in 1972

On February 24, 1972, the crew noticed a smoke in the ninth compartment. Soon a fire broke out. Sailors from other parts of the ship heard muffled cries and cough. The death of the submarine K-19 was closer than ever. By the rules, the sailors could not open the fire-trapped compartment to avoid a fire on the entire ship. The sealed part of K-19 has turned into a furnace, in which it was not possible to survive. Despite the preventive measures of the crew, the fire nevertheless began to spread throughout the submarine.

Then Captain Kulibaba gave the order to ascend. It was a difficult decision. Now the Americans could see K-19. The history of the submarine, photos, basic characteristics - all this was in Washington. However, even there, they could not assume that an unhappy ship would again get into trouble without ever engaging in battle.

Rescue crew

The incident was reported to Moscow. A few hours later, the leaders of the party learned of the fire. It was decided to contact the submarine only once a day to minimize the chance of interception by the Americans. At the same time, eight auxiliary vessels went to the K-19's proceeds.

The situation was complicated by the fact that in the area where the submarine was, storm raged. The storm for three weeks did not allow incoming ships to help K-19. Rescuers tried to tow it. However, the ropes required for this operation were torn each time.

Meanwhile, the crew under water tried to do everything to survive. Another of his tasks was to prevent the spread of fire to the missile compartment. If this happened, then detonation of atomic warheads would occur. On the third day, a call was received from the emergency telephone in one of the closed compartments. The sailors who were locked there survived. No one had hoped for it. But now it was necessary to help isolated people. They could just suffocate. The air was blown through a pipe, which was originally intended for emergency pumping out of water.

All the sailors tried not to waste their energy in vain and not to waste precious oxygen. The crew was only rescued on the 23rd day, when the weather finally calmed down. Killed two rescuers and 28 sailors on a submarine. After the incident in the Navy, disputes arose as to whether it was necessary to write off the K-19. The submarine again found powerful defenders at the top, which defended the nuclear submarine.

End of service

In subsequent years, the K-19 service was relatively quiet. She was withdrawn from the fleet in 1990. In 2003, it was decided to dispose of an unhappy submarine. They saved only the logging, which is still in the city of Snezhnogorsk in the Murmansk region.

During the service of the K-19, more than three hundred thousand nautical miles passed . The vessel carried out several combat operations and launched a total of two dozen ballistic missiles. However, in spite of these completed tasks, the K-19 is most known for its numerous incidents and incidents.