K-19 nuclear accident
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| History | |
|---|---|
 Soviet Union
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| Name: | K-19 |
| Laid down: | 17 October 1958 |
| Launched: | 8 April 1959 |
| Completed: | 12 November 1960 |
| Commissioned: | 30 April 1961 |
| Decommissioned: | 19 April 1990 |
| Nickname(s): | Hiroshima |
| Fate: | Recycled at Naval Yard 85 Nerpa. |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Hotel-class submarine |
| Displacement: |
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| Length: | 114 m (374 ft 0 in) |
| Beam: | 9.2 m (30 ft 2 in) |
| Draft: | 7.1 m (23 ft 4 in) |
| Propulsion: | 2 × 70 MW VM-A reactors, 2 geared turbines, 2 shafts, 39,200 shp (29 MW) |
| Speed: |
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| Range: |
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| Endurance: | 60 days (limited by food, and physical health) |
| Test depth: |
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| Complement: | 125 officers and men |
| Armament: | |
K-19 was one of the first two Soviet submarines of the 658 class (NATO reporting name Hotel-class submarine), the first generation nuclear submarine equipped with nuclear ballistic missiles, specifically the R-13 SLBM. The boat was hurriedly built by the Soviets, who were anxious to catch up with the United States' lead in nuclear submarines. Before it was launched, 10 civilian workers and a sailor died due to accidents and fires. After it was commissioned, it was plagued with breakdowns and accidents, several of which threatened to sink the sub.
On its initial voyage on 4 July 1961, it suffered a complete loss of coolant to its reactor. With no backup system, the captain ordered members of the engineering crew to find a solution to avoid a nuclear meltdown. Sacrificing their own lives, the engineering crew jury-rigged a secondary coolant system and kept the reactor from a meltdown. Twenty-two crew members died from radiation sickness during the following two years. The sub experienced several other accidents, including two fires and a collision. The series of accidents inspired crew members to nickname the sub Hiroshima.
In the late 1950s, the leaders of the Soviet Union were determined to catch up with the United States and began to build a nuclear sub fleet, pushing subs through production and testing so rapidly that many Russian naval officers felt that the ships were not fit for combat. The crew aboard the first nuclear submarines of the Soviet fleet was provided with a very high quality standard of food including smoked fish, sausages, fine chocolates and cheeses, unlike the standard fare given the crews of other naval vessels.
K-19 was ordered by the Soviet Navy on 16 October 1957. Her keel was laid on 17 October 1958 at the naval yard in Severodvinsk. Several workers died building the submarine: two workers were killed when a fire broke out, and later six women gluing rubber lining to a water cistern were killed by fumes. While missiles were being loaded, an electrician was crushed to death by a missile-tube cover, and an engineer fell between two compartments and died.
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Wikipedia