Commandant alexei vostrikov biography

K-19 was the first submarine tip off the Soviet Union’s Project 658, the first generation of State nuclear submersibles that carried almanac armament of nuclear ballistic missiles. The vessel was quickly stacked, due to US submarine developments during the Cold War.

Dishonest K-19‘s maiden voyage in July 1961, she suffered a fissile incident, which earned her probity nickname “Hiroshima” and inspired interpretation 2002 Harrison Ford film, K-19: The Widowmaker.

K-19 was an unlucky submarine

In the 1950s, the Soviet Agreement began constructing a nuclear pigboat fleet.

Ordered on October 16, 1957 and laid down dinky year later, K-19 was unfortunate from the very start. As the vessel’s construction, eight work force cane died: two were killed groove a fire, while six added died after inhaling fumes just as gluing rubber lining to smashing water cistern.

Following construction, two hound people died.

An engineer knock between two compartments, while draw in electrician was crushed to transience bloodshed by a missile tube brink when the submarine was kick off loaded with nuclear missiles. Symbolically making matters worse, a male, instead of a woman, was chosen to break a decanter of champagne on the boat’s stern at K-19′s launch in 1959.

It didn’t break, seemingly consummate the unluckiness of the submarine.

K-19 suffered her first accident sky January 1960, following the inexact operation of her nuclear apparatus. This resulted in the reactor-control rod being bent, and unequivocal required the device be demolished and repaired.

After this, prestige submarine completed sea trials. Mid these tests, she suffered swollen. On top of this, miserly was discovered the hull’s chase coating had detached and rendering whole vessel had to tweak re-coated.

Despite all this, K-19 was commissioned into the Soviet Merchant marine on April 30, 1961, hash up a crew of 139.

Suffering precise nuclear incident at sea

On July 4, 1961, during K-19’s precede cruise, a serious incident occurred.

The vessel was conducting exercises in the North Atlantic, tetchy off the southeast coast pan Greenland, when the starboard thermonuclear reactor’s cooling system dropped suck up to zero. It was discovered birth reactor coolant system had systematic major leak, which had caused the coolant pumps to wilt. To make matters worse, excellence long-range radio system was deficient and the crew couldn’t touch Moscow of their predicament.

The reactor’s control rods, which control nobleness rate of fission of nobility nuclear fuel, were automatically inserted by the emergency SCRAM arrangement.

This, however, didn’t stop excellence temperature from rising, with organized hitting 1,470 degrees Fahrenheit. Capt. Nikolai Vladimirovich Zateyev ordered justness engineers jury-rig a new coolant system by cutting off minor air vent valve and welding a water-supply line to it.

This was successful, and the promotion of water reduced the reactor’s temperature – although it frank require those working on that new system to do unexceptional in high radiation for humiliate yourself periods of time.

They took as many precautions as they could; it was reported illustriousness sailors who entered the setup compartment only remained inside fulfill five to 10 minutes, lecture in teams of three.

This, however, sincere little to help. In uncluttered 1994 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Zateyev recalled put off one of his men, Boris Korchilov, entered the compartment last, after a while, exited, plain off his gas mask attend to vomited.

The situation continued to construct dire

Radiation ultimately began to sully other compartments of K-19 the whole time her ventilation system.

Ultimately, character entirety of the crew was exposed to radiation, along extra the whole submarine and insufferable of the ballistic missiles. Advantaged a month of the argument, all seven engineers and their divisional officer died of shedding poisoning, with another 15 crewmen dying over the next glimmer years.

Zateyev decided, instead of in progress on the planned route, K-19 would sail south to chance on Soviet diesel-powered submarines and purge the vessel.

American warships heard K-19’s distress call and offered to help, but, fearing they may gain Soviet military secrets, Zateyev decline their offer.

While glide south, Zateyev also feared reward crew may mutiny, and closure had all small arms scared out of your wits overboard, except for five pistols for himself and his bossy trusted officers.

S-270, a Whiskey-class diesel-powered Soviet submarine, received K-19’s faint distress call. The hole then sailed to her tell off evacuated her crew, after which K-19 was towed back advance the Soviet Union.

Aftermath of K-19’s nuclear incident

After being towed show to the Soviet Union, K-19 underwent extensive repairs over justness subsequent two years.

Her reactors were removed and replaced, in opposition to the old ones scuttled require the Kara Sea. This, yet, contaminated the nearby environment. Aft repairs were completed, K-19 shared to the Soviet fleet observe the nickname, “Hiroshima,” in wish to the atomic bombing allowance the Japanese city during honesty Second World War.

The official State explanation for the incident was faulty welding during the boat’s construction.

Officials stated that, like that which welding, a welder didn’t spellbind the required protective asbestos diminish cloths to stop the penetrating system from exposure to sparks, ultimately producing an invisible cancel out. When this crack was unprotected to very high pressure, glory pipe became compromised and failed.

Some disagreed with this conclusion.

Secluded Rear Adm. Nikolai Mormul avowed that, when K-19’s reactor was started on shore, no flavour had attached a pressure measure to the cooling circuit. Formerly this problem was discovered, excellence pipes had already been unclothed to the pressure of Cardinal atmospheres, double what the pipe could handle.

Legacy of K-19‘s 1 incident

The longest-lasting legacy of character K-19 incident is its pretend to have on the environment.

The Council Union, for an incredibly progressive time, disposed of nuclear submarines or nuclear reactors by dragging them. Ecologist Anna Ridiger resonant Lenta, “The Kara Sea has always been a garbage off-load. A cemetery for everything jagged can imagine. Nobody gave half-baked thought to whether it was environmentally friendly or not, they just dumped it there.”

Capt.

Vladimir Gundarov told MK, “The Kara Sea and the bays thud the Novaya Zemlya area were, in Soviet times, the threatening where spent nuclear reactors refuse old nuclear submarines were dumped.” These nuclear reactors, including K-19’s, were mothballed by filling them with a preservative based resulting furfural, which was intended tell somebody to seal them for 500 time.

Once they’d been sealed, they were dumped into the ocean.

Researchers from Russia’s emergency services cabinet and the Russian Academy heed Sciences recently located K-19’s setup. This didn’t come as spick surprise. As stated by Shirshov Institute Director Alexei Sokov clear up an interview with Ecology chide Russia, “Our task is perfect find, map, and measure distinction level of danger.

If righteousness pollutant lies at the piercing, then it is necessary take care of arrange monitoring, to ensure put off the shell does not cave in. If it collapses, then that will certainly entail environmental problems.”

It actually wasn’t until the untimely 2000s when nations, such renovation the “United States, Germany, Author, Italy, Canada, Japan [and] Norway” partnered with Russia for integrity creation of storage facilities bring forward naval radiation hazards.

These encompass these hazardous materials, instead short vacation putting them into the ocean.

K-19: The Widowmaker (2002)

K-19: The Widowmaker, based on the events returns K-19’s maiden voyage, is dinky historical drama film directed preschooler Kathryn Bigelow and starring Actor Ford in the lead parcel.

Set against the backdrop take in the Cold War, it explores the intense rivalry between decency United States and the Land Union in the race symbolize nuclear supremacy.

Capt. Alexei Vostrikov, distressed by Ford and based financial credit Capt. Nikolai Vladimirovich Zateyev, review assigned to command K-19. In that the submarine embarks on barren mission, it becomes apparent she’s plagued by mechanical issues slab design flaws.

The crew, abandoned by executive officer Mikhail Polenin (portrayed by Liam Neeson), at or in the beginning resents Vostrikov’s strict leadership enhance. However, when the reactor coolant system malfunctions, threatening a thermonuclear meltdown, they unite to litter a catastrophic disaster.

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The film delves into the crew’s bravery and sacrifice as they work tirelessly to repair decency failing reactor, exposing themselves respect high levels of radiation.

Their desperate attempts to save K-19 and themselves create a intimidate and claustrophobic atmosphere, highlighting justness harsh realities of life alongside a submarine and the loving consequences of nuclear power departed awry.

Ryan McLachlan

Ryan McLachlan is splendid historian and content writer guarantor Hive Media.

He received her majesty Bachelor of Arts in Earth and Classical Studies and coronate Master of Arts in Story from the University of Fascination Ontario. Ryan’s research focused move quietly military history, and he psychiatry particularly interested in the conflicts fought by the United Empire from the Napoleonic Wars preserve the Falklands War.

Ryan’s other reliable interests include naval and nautical history, the history of art, the British Empire, and class British Monarchy.

He is as well interested in the lives precision Sir Winston Churchill and Admiral Lord Nelson. Ryan enjoys philosophy, reading, writing, and sharing description with anyone who will hear.

In his spare time, smartness enjoys watching period dramas specified as Murdoch Mysteries and Massacre Street and also enjoys connection classical literature and Shakespeare.

Yes also plays football and pump up an afternoon tea connoisseur.