Nuclear foxtrot (text + 8 photos) Bashny.Net

45 years ago the spy plane U-2 USAF during one of the regular overflights of Cuba discovered in the vicinity of the village of San Cristobal, Soviet medium-range missiles R-12 and R-14. According to the decision of US President John F. Kennedy was a special Executive Committee, to discuss possible solutions. For some time the meeting of the Executive Committee were secret, but on October 22 Kennedy addressed the nation, announcing the presence in Cuba of Soviet "offensive weapons", because of which the US immediately started to panic.

The former commander of sovetstkih submarine B-130 said unknown details of the Cuban missile crisis.




Only the vigilance shown by a Soviet submarine officer, saved the world from a devastating nuclear war during the Cuban missile crisis. This, according to the British newspaper «Daily Telegraph», became known over the weekend at an unprecedented international conference organized in Cuba by Fidel Castro in the fortieth anniversary of the tragic events, the fall of 1962 to bring the world to the brink of a general catastrophe. According to attend a meeting of the former US Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, the world for 13 days was on the verge of a third world war after a US spy plane confirmed that Moscow has placed Cuba missiles with nuclear warheads. But the main sensation of the conference was the story of a former member of the crew of the Soviet diesel submarine B-59 Vadim Orlov about the dangers of an incident that occurred on October 27 that nearly became fatal year.

According to the memoirs Orlov, an American destroyer, trying to get the float to break through to Liberty Island submarine, attacked her with depth charges. On board the B-59



It was a torpedo with a nuclear warhead. Apply it results in the British newspaper the performance of the former Soviet submariner, could be "in the case of the consent of the three senior officers on board." Between these commanders, according to Orlov, and the dispute has arisen. The two spoke "for" one - "against". As a result, "a guy by the name of Arkhipov saved the world," the newspaper quoted one of the organizers of the conference, Thomas Blanton of the George Washington University.

Surely the decision to use nuclear weapons by our submarines at that time could be taken as a simple, almost a partisan way? Alas, if such dispute in the Sargasso Sea under the keels of American destroyers actually took place, the participants do not ask. Senior aboard the B-59, running from the Arctic to Cuba was really Captain 2nd Rank Vasily Arkhipov, chief of staff of the 69th brigade of submarines that was based in the Arctic. Unfortunately, it is no longer alive. As commander of the submarine captain 2 rank Valentin Savitsky. Then the "Trud" addressed the participants of the campaign - Captain 1st Rank Nikolai Shumkova retired, former commander of a submarine - the B-130, which is the fall of 1962 broke through the American blockade parallel course.

 - Nikolai aboard our submarines in those days had nuclear weapons?

 - Yes. Total to Cuba were ordered to secretly go four submarines of our team - B-4,



B36,


B-59


and my B-130.


All ships - Project 641, according to NATO classification "Foxtrot". We're in the Navy, for brevity, we called them "little insects." At each before moving loaded 22 torpedoes, one of them with nuclear warheads battery compartment. They were normal caliber, so were charged in the same torpedo that and others. The only extra precaution: in the first compartment on the back cover of the device with a nuclear torpedo hung inlaid lock.

 - That what is now closed garages?

 - About. Code known only to the commander of the boat. Therefore, only he had the right to open the unit to gulp the rest freely opened torpedomen. And what are you surprised? We have in those years and on nuclear submarines Keys, which includes "Cloud" - the equipment of fire control ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads - the commanders were on the ropes on the "chest. As a pectoral cross.

 - At sea, the commander wanted dolbanut nuclear torpedo removed lock - and please?

 - Of course not. Order on the use of even conventional torpedoes could only give the commander in chief of the Navy. A nuclear - only the defense minister. If the expected outbreak of hostilities - by radio from Moscow we had to get an order to move to a continuous conversation. The boat surfaced to periscope depth with exposed above the water antennas. Decipher a telegram after cipher was supposed to check again political officer. If everything is correct, then the volley. Though simple torpedo, even nuclear. Independently make such a decision could not commander. And nothing like that in the campaign on any boat was not. As for Vadim Orlov, then he was at the time a lieutenant commander of osnaz (intelligence) on the B-59.



Even if the unthinkable: that the commander of the B-59 Arkhipov something like that and discussed - near Orlov could not be.

 - But then you had to hard?

 - Not that word. In Cuba, in the framework of the strategic operation "Anadyr" secretly broke, every boat in his band, and communication between them had not. When pop up from time to time to recharge the batteries, then fell into the gale. Watch officers and whistleblowers above, in cutting the fence, firefighters wearing seat belts were not to washed into the ocean.

Unknown: Did the Americans that we have on board a nuclear weapon? Nevertheless, we went out to meet several anti-carrier battle groups. Specifically against my B-130 operated aircraft carrier "Essex" from 8 - 10 escort ships. Up to 100 sorties a day looking for us commit base patrol aircraft. It was a challenge - to drive us to the point of exhaustion, to make emerge and do not let go to Cuba.



The first hundreds of kilometers from the coast of the United States we have detected laid on the ocean floor underwater hydrophones American system targeting SOSUS. And so it began ... Not that float to recharge the batteries - to breathe fresh air is not allowed. And without charging impossible. Therefore, hardly any Americans come off the night in the Sargasso Sea, I decided to float. Just started to charge the battery completely de-energized (and in this case it was necessary about 12 hours), the acoustics report to one bearing! Another! The third! The distance of about 8 miles. This came to me, "Essex" with a dozen destroyers. Weapons once they are unlikely to be used, and here the night the ram - it could well be. Then he'd given for simple navigation accident. After running lights neither they nor we have not included. I then: "Stop charge! Emergency dive! "

As soon plunged 17 meters, over the head - the noise of propellers destroyer. Prior to his keel was six meters, not more. Right - explosion. At intervals per minute - two. These were the grenades that the international Code of Signals meant orders emerge. But first a grenade ripped directly over the boat, and the overall impression was that we were attacked with depth charges.

I decided before dawn would never emerge, because the ships on us, and the night can easily collide. I started evasion. So till the morning and run most small - 1, 5-2 node. The energy savings. And at 8 am the battery completely "village". Even the light bulb in the compartments barely light. Or upward - or sink. He gave the "bubble" to designate their place - and rudders on the ascent. Front, rear, left, aft - destroyers. Nearest - 50 meters. From one - "Barry & quot; - We shoot camera. We then head to the fence cutting hid, look around through the windows. The carrier held on the horizon, afraid of our torpedoes. In the sort of slow speed escort, forced charging the battery, still go to Cuba. Then one of the destroyers unfolds, giving full stroke - and ram. A few dozen meters from our side turns away abruptly, and demolition wave effusions our "bug". Nerves experienced. Twitch I was useless, so just ordered a signalman give Americans a semaphore: "Please stop bullying!" Think again, they can go for boarding. Therefore ordered the lower watch armed with machine guns and pistols. If it were not repulsed, I was even willing to flood the boat.

When the battery is charged - again I went to the underwater breakthrough to Cuba. And so until 27 October, while Khrushchev and Kennedy have agreed. Only then turned home.

 - But let's go back to nuclear weapons. Not only will your crew in those days was in a critical situation. Do you exclude that on the brink of ruin any commander, say the same Sawicki, could, without waiting for orders from Moscow, to decide to remove from the lock of the torpedo? ..

 - From a technical point of view, he could. A little ... Our nuclear torpedoes intended only to destroy onshore facilities or major goals. For example, aircraft carriers. Firing range is not greater than 15 kilometers. But I have already said, its aircraft carriers, just in case the Americans were holding us much further. So what sense there was no lock to shoot.