(Tragic chronicle of the atomic age according to domestic and foreign publications)
At shipyards
February 10, 1965. THE USSR, Arhangelsk region, Severodvinsk, Zvezdochka shipyard
An uncontrolled launch of a reactor occurred on the Soviet nuclear submarine (NPS) K-11 Leninsky Komsomol, which was located at a shipyard. When the core of the aft nuclear reactor was overloaded, a release of radioactive steam-air occurred. A fire started in the reactor compartment, which they decided to put out with seawater. With the help of fire engines, up to 250 tons of water were poured there, which spread into the adjacent and aft compartments through burnt out seals. To avoid sinking the nuclear submarine, radioactive water was pumped overboard - right in the factory water area. Seven people were overexposed. The emergency reactor compartment was later cut out and sunk in Abrosimov Bay near east coast islands New Earth at a depth of 20 meters (Osipenko, 1994).
Radiation accident on the K-140 Navaga nuclear submarine, which was under repair. After the modernization work was carried out, the left side nuclear reactor was unauthorized to reach a power 18 times higher than the nominal one. As a result, the core and reactor were disabled. The compartment with spent nuclear fuel was cut out and flooded in the area of the Novaya Zemlya depression (Osipenko, 1994).
On the K-329 nuclear submarine under construction, an uncontrolled launch of a nuclear reactor occurred, which at that time did not have a removable pressure hull sheet and dry biological protection units. The spontaneous chain reaction lasted 10 seconds. At the time of the accident, there were 156 people in the workshop. The total release of radioactive products amounted to about 25 thousand Ci (of which -1 Ci went directly into the workshop). 787 people took part in eliminating the consequences of the accident (Ptichkin, 1995).
November 30, 1980. USSR, Arkhangelsk region, Severodvinsk, Zvezdochka shipyard
Accident on the Soviet nuclear submarine K-162 "Anchar". In the process of repairing the submarine, workers used unverified drawings and mixed up the power supply phases. The situation, one might say, was “saved” by the rupture of the main pump compressor, as a result of which several tons of slightly radioactive water entered the uninhabited room. The reactor core was disabled (Greenpeace, 1994).
August 10, 1985. USSR, Ussuri Bay, Chazhma Bay, Zvezda shipyard
The most severe radiation accident in the entire history of the Russian nuclear fleet occurred. On the nuclear submarine K-431, located at the pier of the Zvezda shipyard, due to personnel violation of the rules for reloading nuclear fuel, a spontaneous chain reaction occurred in one of the reactors and an explosion occurred. As a result, an assembly with freshly loaded nuclear fuel was thrown out and a fire started that lasted 2.5 hours. A radioactive plume with a strip of 5.5 kilometers was formed, which crossed the Danube Peninsula in a northwest direction and reached the coast of the Ussuri Bay, passing another 30 kilometers along the water area. The total release activity was approximately 7 mCi. During the accident and during the liquidation of its consequences, 290 people were exposed to increased radiation. Ten people died at the time of the incident, ten were diagnosed with acute radiation sickness, and 39 had a radiation reaction (Radiation Heritage, 1999; Sivintsev, 2003).
Under the water
The first serious accident at the nuclear power plant of a Soviet nuclear submarine. On the nuclear submarine K-8, a steam generator ruptured with a leak of radioactive steam and helium. The reactor began heating up. The system for flushing it with water was inoperative. A similar emergency system was urgently installed, which made it possible to avoid melting of the core. The entire nuclear submarine was contaminated with radioactive gases. The most affected were 13 people, their radiation doses amounted to 180-200 rem (Osipenko, 1994).
Accident on the Soviet nuclear submarine K-19 with ballistic missiles on board. As a result of the depressurization of the primary circuit of a nuclear power plant, there was a threat of a thermal explosion. After the submarine surfaced, a team of six people installed an emergency system for flushing the reactor with water to cool it. After some time she refused. All team members received radiation doses from 5 thousand to 7 thousand rem.
A new three-person team recovered the system and also received significant radiation doses. Shortly after the accident, eight of the nine submarine liquidators died from radiation sickness. Later, due to the high accident rate, accompanied by the death of crew members, the K-19 received an ominous nickname among Soviet sailors - “Hiroshima” (Cherkashin, 1993; Cherkashin, 1996).
160 kilometers from Cape Cod (Massachusetts, USA), the American nuclear submarine SSN-593 Thrasher sank during a test dive. All 129 crew members were killed, and the submarine, which has since broken up into several parts, is located at a depth of 2590 meters (Handler, 1998; KAPL, 2000).
The American nuclear submarine SSN-589 Scorpion sank 650 kilometers southwest of the Azores at a depth of 3,600 meters. There is a version that on one of the torpedoes with a non-nuclear warhead, the mechanism for bringing it into firing position unexpectedly worked. The captain of the submarine decided to get rid of the projectile that had become dangerous and gave the command to launch. A torpedo fired into the open ocean began searching for a target until the submarine itself was in the sights of its homing warhead. There is another version: allegedly, during the test launch of the torpedo, its combat charge detonated. All 99 crew members were killed. On board were two torpedoes with nuclear warheads (Naval Nuclear Accidents, 1989; IB COI for AE, 1993).
Radiation accident on the Soviet nuclear submarine K-27 "Kit". Liquid metal coolant leaked and ended up in a nuclear reactor. More than 20 percent of the fuel elements were destroyed. All 124 crew members were overexposed. Nine submariners died. In 1981, a nuclear submarine with two reactors with unloaded spent fuel was sunk in the Kara Sea at a depth of 30 meters (Morskoy Sbornik, 1993; Facts and Problems, 1993).
The first disaster was caused by the Soviet nuclear submarine K-8, equipped with two nuclear reactors. On April 8, almost simultaneously, a fire started in the third and eighth compartments. The submarine surfaced. It was not possible to put out the fire. The emergency protection of the reactors was activated, and the ship was practically without electricity. The surviving crew was evacuated to its upper deck and to ships that came to the rescue.
On April 11, as a result of loss of longitudinal stability, the submarine sank at a depth of 4680 meters, 300 miles northwest of Spain. It was armed with two torpedoes with nuclear warheads. 52 crew members were killed (Osipenko, 1994).
The Soviet nuclear submarine K-108 collided with the US Navy nuclear submarine Tautog. According to American submariners, this happened after the Soviet submarine, escaping the pursuit of their nuclear submarine, made a dangerous maneuver (the Americans called it “Crazy Ivan”), namely a series of several sudden turns (up to 180°). Both submarines were damaged (Bussert, 1987).
A fire in the ninth compartment of the Soviet nuclear submarine K-19 with ballistic missiles on board 600 miles northeast of Newfoundland. In the tenth compartment, 12 people were sealed, who were rescued only after 24 days. As a result of the accident, 28 people died (Osipenko, 1994; Cherkashin, 1996).
The Soviet nuclear submarine K-56 of the Pacific Fleet collided with the research vessel Akademik Berg. The second and third compartments were flooded. The emergency protection of nuclear reactors was triggered. The boat washed up on the Nakhodka shoal. 27 people died (Dramas, 2001).
130 kilometers southwest of Bear Island in the Norwegian Sea, after a fire under water at a depth of 1680 meters, the Soviet nuclear submarine K-278 Komsomolets sank; 42 crew members were killed. The submarine was armed with two nuclear torpedoes (3200 grams of plutonium in each warhead). In 1990-1995, with the help of the research vessel “Akademik Mstislav Keldysh” and two manned deep-sea vehicles “Mir”, an examination was carried out and work was carried out to localize radioactive materials located in the first compartment of the boat in nuclear weapons (Gladkov, 1994; Gulko, 1999).
To rescue 44 sailors from the submarine San Juan, which went missing in the South Atlantic in mid-November. The search for the submarine itself will continue. The submarine's disappearance became known on November 17.
RBC recalled the largest accidents with foreign submarines after World War II
1951 British diesel submarine HMS Affray
April 16, 1951 The submarine Affray left its home port to participate in exercises. There were 75 people on board. Soon the submarine stopped communicating. It was discovered only two months later at a depth of about 90 m in the waters of the English Channel. There were no survivors on board. It was never possible to establish the final cause of the ship's death. An official investigation concluded that there was metal fatigue in one of the air supply units. According to another version, the cause was an explosion on board.
1953 Turkish submarine Dumlupinar
Photo: Sait Kucuk CPOS (Ret) / Turkish Navy
April 4, 1953 The Turkish submarine Dumlupinar collided with the Swedish cargo ship Naboland in the Dardanelles Strait, after which it quickly sank at a depth of 85 m. At the time of the collision, there were five submariners on the bridge, they managed to escape. The remaining crew members, 81 people, were killed.
1963 American lead nuclear submarine of the Thresher project
April 10, 1963 The lead nuclear submarine of the Thresher project went to sea to conduct deep-sea test dives. The tests turned into the largest accident in the history of the world submarine fleet. Due to the violation of the integrity of the hull and the entry of water into the engine room, the boat quickly sank to its maximum depth and began to fall apart. Its fragments lie at a depth of 2560 m in Atlantic Ocean. There were 129 people on board, all died. This disaster was the first loss of a nuclear submarine in history.
1968 Israeli diesel submarine "Dakar"
Photo: Havakuk Levison / FMS / Reuters
January 25, 1968 The Israeli diesel submarine Dakar sank in the Mediterranean Sea. The British-built submarine was traveling from Portsmouth to Haifa. The sunken submarine was discovered only 31 years later: it was found along the approved route at a depth of 3 km. Immediately after the sinking of the submarine, the Israeli military put forward the version that the Dakar was sunk by a Soviet submarine. After an examination, this suspicion was removed: in 2015, the media reported that a technical malfunction could have led to the loss of control over the submarine.
1968 Nuclear submarine USA USS Scorpion
Photo: U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command/AP
May 22, 1968 Another nuclear submarine, the American Scorpion, sank in the Atlantic Ocean. The cause of her death could not be established, as one of possible options called the explosion of a torpedo on board. The nuclear submarine itself lies at a depth of more than 3 km, and representatives of the US Navy periodically monitor the radiation background in the flooding area. In 2012, US Navy veterans called for the investigation into the causes of the disaster to be resumed and an underwater expedition to be conducted.
1971 Pakistani submarine Ghazi
Photo: LCDR Tomme J. Lambertson USN (RET)
December 3, 1971 The Pakistani submarine Ghazi sank off the southeast coast of India during the Indo-Pakistani War. There were 92 crew members on board, all of them died. The Indian military claimed that the boat was sunk by their destroyer Rajput. According to the Pakistani side, this was due to an explosion on board or a mine. The death of the Ghazi was the first combat loss of a submarine since World War II.
2003 Chinese submarine No. 361
April 16, 2003 Chinese submarine No. 361 sank in the Yellow Sea. There were 70 crew members on board, all of them died. Chinese authorities reported the disaster only on May 3, 2003. The cause was cited as a malfunction of the diesel shutdown system, which led to the production of all the oxygen on board. During the investigation into the disaster, four high-ranking military officials were dismissed.
The idea of a submarine itself appeared in the 15th century. This idea came to the brilliant mind of the legendary Leonardo da Vinci. But, fearing the devastating consequences of such a secretive weapon, he destroyed his project.
But this is always the case; if an idea already exists, then sooner or later humanity will realize it. For more than half a century, submarines have been plying the seas and oceans. And, of course, they occasionally get into accidents. Nuclear submarines equipped with nuclear power plants pose a particular danger in this case. Let's talk about them today.
USS Thresher
The first sunken nuclear submarine in history was the American USS Thresher, which sank back in 1963. It was built three years earlier and was the first Thrasher-class submarine of its kind.
On April 10, USS Thresher was put out to sea to conduct test deep-sea dives and test the strength of the hull. For about two hours, the boat submerged and periodically transmitted data on the state of its systems to headquarters. At 09:17 USS Thresher stopped communicating. The last message read: “...maximum depth...”.
When she was found, it turned out that she had broken into six parts, and all 112 crew members and 17 researchers were killed. The cause of the boat's death is said to be a factory defect in the welding of the hull, which could not withstand the pressure, cracked, and the water that got inside caused short circuit electronics. The investigation will establish that at the shipyards where the USS Thresher was serviced there was extremely low quality control, and in addition, deliberate sabotage may have occurred. This was the reason for the death of the submarine. Its hull still rests at a depth of 2,560 meters east of Cape Cod.
USS Scorpion
In its entire history, the US Navy has finally and irrevocably lost only two submarines. The first was the USS Thresher mentioned above, and the second was the USS Scorpion, which sank in 1968. The submarine sank in the Atlantic Ocean near the Azores. Literally five days after the accident, she was supposed to return to the base in Norfolk, but she did not get in touch.
60 ships and aircraft went in search of the USS Scorpion and found a lot of interesting things, including a sunken German submarine from World War II. But the desired boat was discovered only five months later at a depth of 3000 meters. The entire crew of 99 people died. The causes of the disaster are not fully known, but there is a theory that one of the torpedoes could have exploded on board the boat.
USS San Francisco
But the case of the American boat USS San Francisco is exactly the story of a miraculous rescue. On January 8, 2005, a collision occurred 675 kilometers southeast of Guam. At a depth of 160 m, San Francisco collided with an underwater rock.
The rock pierced the ballast tanks, so the ship could sink very quickly. But with the joint efforts of the team, they managed to maintain buoyancy and raise the USS San Francisco to the surface. The hull was not broken, and the nuclear reactor was not damaged.
At the same time, there were casualties. Ninety-eight crew members received various injuries and fractures. Machinist's Mate Second Class Joseph Allen died of head injuries the next day.
Let's move on to Soviet submarines. The K-8 submarine, which sank in the Bay of Biscay on April 12, 1970, was the first such loss of the Soviet fleet.
The cause of death was a fire in the sonar room, which began to quickly spread through the air ducts and threatened to destroy the entire ship. But simple human heroism saved him. When the sailors from the first shift of the main power plant realized that the fire was continuing to spread, they shut down the nuclear reactors and battened down all the doors to other compartments. The submariners themselves died, but did not allow the fire to destroy the submarine and kill the others. But the nuclear reactor did not release radiation into the ocean.
The surviving sailors were taken on board by the Bulgarian motor ship Avior, which was just passing nearby. Captain 2nd Rank Vsevolod Bessonov and 51 members of his crew died fighting the fire.
K-278 "Komsomolets"
The second sunken Soviet nuclear submarine. The K-278 Komsomolets was also destroyed by a fire that broke out on board on April 7, 1989. The fire broke the seal of the boat, which quickly filled with water and sank.
The sailors managed to send a signal for help, but due to damaged electronics, they were able to receive and decipher it only the eighth time. Some crew members managed to escape and swim to the surface, but they found themselves in ice water. As a result of the disaster, 42 sailors died, and 27 survived.
K-141 "Kursk"
About the mysterious death of the Kursk submarine, strange behavior Russian authorities and questions to which no one has yet given answers, we have already written. Therefore, now let’s focus on the main points.
On August 2, 2000, at 11:28, the systems of the cruiser "Peter the Great" recorded a strong bang, after which the ship shook a little. The Kursk participated with the cruiser in Northern Fleet exercises and was supposed to get in touch with it six hours later, but disappeared.
After almost two days, the submarine will be found at a depth of 108 meters, already at the bottom. All 118 crew members were killed. The reasons for the death of the Kursk still remain unclear, since the official version of a fire in the torpedo compartment raises too many questions.
Ukraine is beyond competition
If there is one conclusion that can be drawn from all these stories, it is that the work of submariners is harsh and dangerous. And Ukrainians know how to cope with any dangerous work. Therefore, despite the fact that we do not yet have a submarine fleet, it is a matter of time. As soon as Ukraine has free resources for its creation and development, it will be created.
And the strong sailors, whose Cossack ancestors sailed on seagulls all the way to Turkey, and whose fathers and grandfathers served on Soviet submarines, we have plenty. Ukraine usually has no shortage of heroes.
November 8, 2008 occurred during factory sea trials in the Sea of Japan, built at the Amur Shipyard in Komsomolsk-on-Amur and not yet accepted into the Russian Navy. As a result of the unauthorized activation of the LOX (boat volumetric chemical) fire extinguishing system, freon gas began to flow into the boat compartments. 20 people died, another 21 people were hospitalized with poisoning. In total, there were 208 people on board the submarine.
August 30, 2003 in the Barents Sea while towing to the city of Polyarny for disposal. There were ten members of the mooring crew on board the submarine, nine of them died, one was rescued.
During a storm, with the help of which the K‑159 was towed. The disaster occurred three miles northwest of Kildin Island in the Barents Sea at a depth of 170 meters. The nuclear reactor on the nuclear submarine was in a safe condition.
August 12, 2000 during naval exercises of the Northern Fleet in the Barents Sea. The disaster occurred 175 kilometers from Severomorsk, at a depth of 108 meters. All 118 crew members on board were killed.
According to the Prosecutor General's Office, "Kursk" is inside the fourth torpedo tube, which resulted in the explosion of the remaining torpedoes located in the first compartment of the APRK.
April 7, 1989 upon returning from combat service in the Norwegian Sea in the area of Bear Island. As a result of a fire in two adjacent compartments of K‑278, the main ballast tank systems were destroyed, through which the submarine was flooded with sea water. 42 people died, many from hypothermia.
27 crew members.
© Photo: public domain Nuclear submarine K‑278 "Komsomolets"
October 6, 1986 in the area of Bermuda in the Sargasso Sea (Atlantic Ocean) at a depth of about 5.5 thousand meters. On the morning of October 3, an explosion occurred in a missile silo on board the submarine, and then a fire started that lasted for three days. The crew did everything possible to prevent a nuclear explosion and a radiation disaster, but they were unable to save the ship. Four people died on board the submarine. The surviving crew members were lifted to Russian ships"Krasnogvardeysk" and "Anatoly Vasilyev", which came to the aid of the submarine in distress.
© public domain
© public domain
June 24, 1983 4.5 miles from the shores of Kamchatka, the nuclear submarine K‑429 from the Pacific Fleet sank during a dive. K‑429 was urgently sent from repair to torpedo firing without checking for leaks and with a prefabricated crew (some of the staff were on vacation, the replacement was not prepared). When diving through ventilation system the fourth compartment was flooded. The boat lay on the ground at a depth of 40 meters. When trying to blow out the main ballast, due to the open ventilation valves of the main ballast tank, most of the air went overboard.
As a result of the disaster, 16 people died, the remaining 104 were able to reach the surface through the bow torpedo tubes and the aft escape hatch shaft.
October 21, 1981 diesel submarine S-178, returning to base after a two-day trip to sea, in the waters of Vladivostok with a transport refrigerator. Having received a hole, the submarine took on about 130 tons of water, lost buoyancy and went under water, sinking at a depth of 31 meters. As a result of the disaster, 32 submariners were killed.
June 13, 1973 occurred in Peter the Great Gulf (Sea of Japan). The boat was on the surface heading to the base at night after performing firing exercises. "Akademik Berg" hit "K-56" on the starboard side, at the junction of the first and second compartments, making a huge hole in the hull into which water began to flow. The submarine was saved from destruction at the cost of their lives by the personnel of the second emergency compartment, who battened down the bulkhead between the compartments. The accident killed 27 people. About 140 sailors survived.
February 24, 1972 when returning to base from combat patrol.
At this time, the boat was in the North Atlantic Ocean at a depth of 120 meters. Thanks to the selfless actions of the crew, K‑19 surfaced. Navy ships and vessels took part in the rescue operation. In conditions of a severe storm, it was possible to evacuate most of the K‑19 crew, supply electricity to the boat and tow it to the base. As a result of the boat accident, 28 sailors were killed, two more died during the rescue operation.
April 12, 1970 in the Bay of Biscay of the Atlantic Ocean, which led to the loss of buoyancy and longitudinal stability.
The fire started on April 8 almost simultaneously in two compartments, when the boat was at a depth of 120 meters. K-8 floated to the surface, the crew courageously fought for the survivability of the boat. On the night of April 10-11, three ships arrived in the accident area Navy USSR, but due to a storm, it was not possible to take the submarine into tow. Part of the submarine’s personnel was transported to the Kasimov ship, and 22 people, led by the commander, remained on board the K-8 to continue the fight for the survivability of the ship. But on April 12, the submarine sank at a depth of more than 4,000 meters. 52 crew members were killed.
May 24, 1968 occurred, which had two liquid metal coolant reactors. As a result of a violation of heat removal from the core, overheating and destruction of fuel elements in one of the submarine’s reactors occurred. All the boat's mechanisms were taken out of action and mothballed.
During the accident, nine people received lethal doses of radiation.
March 8, 1968 from the Pacific Fleet. The submarine carried out combat service in the area Hawaiian Islands, and since March 8 she stopped communicating. According to various sources, there were from 96 to 98 crew members on board the K-129, all of them died. The cause of the disaster is unknown. Subsequently, the Americans discovered K-129 and recovered it in 1974.
September 8, 1967 In the Norwegian Sea, on the submarine K-3 Leninsky Komsomol, a fire occurred in two compartments while underwater, which was localized and extinguished by sealing the emergency compartments. 39 crew members were killed. The submarine returned to base under its own power.
January 11, 1962 at the Northern Fleet naval base in the city of Polyarny. A fire started on the submarine standing at the pier, followed by an explosion of torpedo ammunition. The bow of the boat was torn off, the debris scattered over a radius of more than a kilometer.
The nearby S-350 submarine suffered significant damage. As a result of the emergency, 78 sailors were killed (not only from the B-37, but also from four other submarines, as well as from the reserve crew). There were also casualties among the civilian population of the city of Polyarny.
July 4, 1961 during the Arctic Circle ocean exercises of the main power plant. A pipe in the cooling system of one of the reactors burst, causing a radiation leak.
For an hour and a half, the submariners repaired the emergency cooling system of the reactor without protective suits, with their bare hands, and wearing military gas masks. The crew members said the ship remained afloat and was towed to base.
From the received doses of radiation in a few days.
January 27, 1961 The diesel submarine S-80, part of the Northern Fleet, sank in the Barents Sea. On January 25, she went to sea for several days to practice improving the tasks of solo navigation, and on January 27, radio contact with her was interrupted. The S-80 did not return to the base in Polyarny. The search operation yielded no results. S‑80 was found only in 1968, and was later raised from the bottom of the sea. The cause of the accident was the flow of water through the valve of the RDP (a retractable device of a submarine for supplying when the submarine is in a periscope position atmospheric air into its diesel compartment and removal of diesel exhaust gases). The entire crew died - 68 people.
September 26, 1957 in the Tallinn Bay of the Baltic Sea from the Baltic Fleet.
A fire broke out on a submarine that was measuring underwater speeds on a measuring line at the training ground of the Tallinn naval base. Having surfaced from a depth of 70 meters, M‑256 anchored. Brought to the upper deck due to heavy gas pollution interior spaces the crew did not stop fighting for the survivability of the boat. 3 hours 48 minutes after surfacing, the submarine suddenly sank to the bottom. Most of the crew died: out of 42 submariners, seven sailors survived.
November 21, 1956 Not far from Tallinn (Estonia), the M-200 diesel submarine from the Baltic Fleet sank as a result of a collision with the destroyer Statny. Six people were immediately rescued from the water. The accident killed 28 sailors.
In December 1952 The diesel-electric submarine S-117 from the Pacific Fleet was lost in the Sea of Japan. The boat was supposed to take part in the exercises. On the way to the maneuver area, its commander reported that due to a breakdown of the right diesel engine, the submarine was going to the designated point on one engine. A few hours later he reported that the problem had been fixed. Bigger boat didn't get in touch. The exact cause and place of death of the submarine are unknown.
There were 52 crew members on board the boat, including 12 officers.
The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources
On the night of February 4, 2009, two nuclear-powered missile submarines collided at great depths in the Atlantic Ocean. nuclear weapons on board are the British HMS Vanguard and the French Le Triomphant. Both carried approximately 250 crew members and 16 intercontinental ballistic missiles.
The British ship lost speed, surfaced and was towed to the pier of the Faslane naval base in Scotland. The French reached Brest on their own.
The next day, the London Sun newspaper commented on this incident: “It’s hard to even imagine the possible consequences. It is unlikely that the collision would cause nuclear explosion, but there could have been a radiation leak,” a senior British Navy source told the newspaper. “Worse, we could lose the crew and the nuclear warheads.” It would be a national disaster."
Alas, collisions between giant nuclear-powered ships loaded with nuclear warheads in combat service in the ocean have not been all that uncommon in recent decades. Moreover, such dangerous accidents, fraught with unpredictable consequences, are occurring more and more often. Reason: submarines of all countries of the world are becoming more and more silent, they are difficult to detect by the sonars of nuclear-powered ships of a potential enemy. Or they are detected at such distances when it is too late to do anything to safely disperse at depth.
Little of. In peacetime, the essence of the combat service of multi-purpose submarines of all fleets of the world often lies precisely in continuous and, if possible, multi-day monitoring of nuclear submarine missile cruisers strategic purpose potential enemy. The task is formulated extremely simply: in the event of a sudden outbreak of war, the enemy submarine cruiser must be destroyed by torpedoes before it has time to open the hatch covers of its silos with intercontinental ballistic missiles and strike from under water. But at the same time, in the depths of the ocean, boats are forced to chase each other at a distance of only a few cables (1 cable is 185.2 m). Is it strange that nuclear-powered ships sometimes collide?
Here are the five most dangerous incidents in naval history:
1. March 8, 1974 in the northern part Pacific Ocean At a depth of approximately 5,600 meters, the Soviet diesel-electric submarine K-129 of Project 629A sank with ballistic missiles on board. The entire crew died - 98 people. The circumstances of her death are unknown. However, a number of domestic experts are confident that the cause of the disaster was a sudden collision with the American nuclear submarine Swordfish. She soon returned to own base with serious damage to the hull. But the Pentagon tried to explain them as a blow to an ice floe.
A member of the Submariners Club, Vladimir Evdasin, who previously served on the K-129, has this version of the tragedy: “I think that shortly before the scheduled communication session on the night of March 8, 1968, the K-129 surfaced and was on the surface. In the surface position on the bridge, which is in the wheelhouse enclosure, along staffing table Three people got up and kept watch: the watch officer, the steering signalman and the “looker looking aft.” Since hydroacoustics lose control over the situation under water when diesel engines are operating, they did not notice the noise of a maneuvering alien submarine. And she was diving transversely under the bottom of the K-129 at a critically dangerous distance and unexpectedly caught the hull of our submarine with her wheelhouse. It toppled over without even squeaking a radio signal. Water poured into the open hatch and air intake shaft, and soon the submarine fell to the bottom of the ocean.”
2. On November 15, 1969, the US Navy nuclear submarine Getow in the Barents Sea at a depth of 60 meters collided with the Soviet nuclear submarine K-19, which was practicing combat exercises in one of the Northern Fleet training grounds. Moreover, until the moment of the accident, our sailors did not even suspect that the Americans were nearby and were tracking them. The Soviet crew was having breakfast when a powerful blow hit the hull of the K-19, which was traveling at a speed of only 6 knots. The boat began to sink into the depths. The ship was saved by the competent actions of the senior captain on board 1st rank Lebedko, who instantly ordered full speed, blowing out the ballast and shifting the horizontal rudders to ascent.
A huge dent was found in the base in the bow of the K-19 cylindrical. But only years later it became clear that this mark was precisely from the “Getow”, which secretly spied on the Soviet ship.
As it turned out, the US Navy command did everything to hide its involvement in the incident. The fact is that the accident occurred 5.5 km from the island of Kildin, that is, in the territorial waters of the USSR, where foreign ships are prohibited from entering by international law. Therefore, in the documents on the combat patrol of the “Getow” it was written that she allegedly returned from a combat patrol to the base two days before the collision. And only on July 6, 1975, the New York Times wrote what really happened.
3. On June 24, 1970, in the Sea of Okhotsk at 04.57 at a depth of 45 meters, the Soviet nuclear submarine K-108 of Project 675 collided with the US Navy nuclear submarine Totog. As a result strong blow On the K-108, the emergency protection of the reactors on both sides was activated. The boat lost speed and began to quickly fall into the depths with a large trim on the bow. However, by energetic measures, the ship’s commander, Captain 1st Rank Baghdasaryan, prevented a disaster. K-108 surfaced. Her right propeller was jammed, so tugs had to be called.
4. On May 23, 1981, at one of the Northern Fleet’s training grounds near the Kola Bay, the Soviet strategic nuclear submarine of the Northern Fleet K-211 of Project 667 BDR “Kalmar” (from 1984 to 2010 - as part of the Pacific Fleet) collided with an American nuclear-powered ship Sturgeon class. The commission of the General Staff of the USSR Navy, which investigated the incident, came to the conclusion that the Americans were secretly monitoring our nuclear submarine cruiser, being in its aft heading corners in the acoustic shadow. When the K-211 changed course, the pursuers lost sight of the Soviet nuclear-powered ship and blindly crashed into its stern with its wheelhouse.
Both ships reached their bases under their own power. K-211 - to Gadzhievo, where she was docked. At the same time, during the inspection of our nuclear-powered vessel, holes were found in two aft tanks of the main ballast, damage to the blades of the right propeller and the horizontal stabilizer. Bolts with countersunk heads, pieces of metal and plexiglass from the wheelhouse of an American submarine were found in the damaged main ballast tanks.
And the heavily dented “American” in a submerged position had to “stomp” into Holy Loch (Britain). There it was impossible to hide the huge dent in his wheelhouse.
5. On February 11, 1992, the Soviet nuclear submarine of the Northern Fleet K-276 of project 945 “Barracuda” (commander - captain 2nd rank Loktev) was in the combat training area near the coast of the Rybachy Peninsula at a depth of 22.8 meters. The actions of our sailors were secretly observed by the crew of a nuclear submarine " Baton Rouge"Los Angeles class" of the US Navy. Moreover, this “American” was walking above our ship - at a depth of 15 meters.
At some point, the Baton Rouge acoustics lost sight of the Soviet ship. As it turned out, they were disturbed by the noise of the propellers of five fishing vessels that were nearby. To understand the situation, the Baton Rouge commander ordered to float to periscope depth. But on K-276, where they did not suspect that a potential enemy was nearby, the time came for a communication session with the fleet headquarters and there they also shifted the horizontal rudders to ascent. The Barracuda rushing upward crashed into the American nuclear-powered ship. Only the low speed of the K-276 allowed the American crew to avoid death.
This time everything was so obvious that the Pentagon was forced to admit the violation of our country's territorial waters.