Military historian Dmitry Boltenkov — about the first Russian nuclear submarine with ballistic missiles
Exactly 65 years ago, on November 12, 1960, the State Commission signed the acceptance certificate for the K-19 nuclear submarine of project 658. It was the first Russian submarine with ballistic missiles on board. These served in the Soviet Navy until the end of the 1980s, giving a powerful impetus to the construction of a modern nuclear submarine fleet. The unlucky K-19 allowed Russian shipbuilders to correct many mistakes, which made it possible to make nuclear-powered ships of subsequent generations not only deadly to the enemy, but also extremely reliable.
The K-19 crews have been in critical situations more than once. So, in July 1961, an alarm sounded on a boat sailing in the Norwegian Sea. The right reactor failed, the emergency protection was reset, and the reactor's primary circuit was depressurized. The situation was critical.
It was the height of the Berlin crisis, and in a few weeks Soviet and American tank crews would be eyeing each other through the optics of their sights at Checkpoint Charlie. A nuclear disaster near the Norwegian coast could be mistaken by NATO countries for the beginning of the war. A full-fledged nuclear conflict was still half a step away.
And trouble never comes alone. K-19 lost contact with the shore on HF radio waves. The commander went back, hoping to find our submarines on UHF, which also took part in the exercises. The C-270 submarine soon came to the rescue. The K-19 sailors began to switch to it, throwing radioactive clothes and personal belongings overboard.
These events are well documented in the 2002 American film "K-19: The Widowmaker" directed by Kathryn Bigelow.
Finally, the boat arrived at the base. Eight sailors died from radiation sickness within two weeks of the accident.
After a long period of decontamination, the nuclear reactors were removed and flooded in the waters of the Kara Sea. The boat was returned to the fleet at the end of 1963. The commander of the K-19, Captain II rank Nikolai Zateev, was acquitted. He was not awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, but was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for saving the boat and crew.
But the most important thing is that our industry has admitted its guilt. Changes were made to the reactors, the number of communication facilities and documents on their operation were redesigned and improved. The courts of salvation have also developed.
The boat itself acquired the sad nickname "Hiroshima". And before this accident, she had already taken lives. The champagne bottle did not break when she was launched.… So don't believe in omens after that.
Accidents on the K-19 continued. On November 15, 1969, the American Gatou submarine was on the boat's way to the Barents Sea. Much later, the details became known. The submarine was working off our coast in the interests of the American intelligence service NSA. The collision was as unexpected for the Americans as it was for us. The American commander of the mine-torpedo unit gave the order to prepare an anti-submarine torpedo with a nuclear warhead for firing. Fortunately, the submarine commander stopped him in time. The very consequences of the impact almost turned into the death of the boat. After some time, the commander of the Gatou submarine, Captain Burkhardt, was removed from his post. And the command of the US Navy limited the liberties of officers with making decisions on the use of weapons. The K-19 suffered only nose damage, which was quickly repaired.
But three years later, on February 24, 1972, a fire broke out in the ninth compartment of the boat. During it, 30 people died, and 12 people were trapped in compartment 10 for 23 days, but they survived. They could not be helped for a long time because of a powerful storm.
The commander of the 10th compartment, Lieutenant Commander Boris Polyakov, who saved his subordinates, will receive the Order of the Red Banner and later become a famous hydronaut.
After this fire, the LOCH fire extinguishing system (boat volumetric chemical protection) began to be introduced on submarines. When using LOCH, the fire is extinguished by sealing the compartment and spraying freon in it.
In total, according to Project 658, eight boats were built at the Sevmash plant in Severodvinsk in 1958-1962, two of which were later transferred to the Pacific Fleet. They became the first nuclear-powered missile boats capable of reaching the shores of the United States and launching a nuclear strike.
Later, the boats of this project, along with the K-19, were upgraded according to the 658M project, receiving the D-4 underwater launch missile system with the R-21 missile. This missile delivered the warhead to a distance of 1,420 km.
In the mid-1970s, the qualitative growth of the Soviet nuclear arsenal and the increase in the number of nuclear weapons carriers capable of reaching an enemy on another continent led the United States and the USSR to agreements on the limitations of strategic weapons.
The boats of the 658M project began to go down in history. It was decided to convert the K-19 into an experimental vessel to test promising communications equipment. And on April 19, 1990, she was placed in reserve.
In 2002, the boat was towed to the Nerpa factory. After it was removed from the reactor compartment, it was disposed of. The workers did not raise their hand to cut the cabin. She was later bought out by a sailor who had previously served on her, who became a businessman, transported and installed in the Moscow region near the Pyalovsky reservoir.
In total, during its service, the K-19 boat took 43 lives of sailors and civilian specialists who helped eliminate the consequences of accidents.
But the most important thing is something else. The sailors on the first boat with ballistic missiles have worked out the technology of long-range voyages. Without them, there would be no modern nuclear-powered ships to ensure Russia's security, including the recently launched Khabarovsk submarine, built as a carrier for the Poseidon nuclear submarine complex.
Dmitry Boltenkov — military expert
The editorial board's position may not coincide with the author's opinion.
