"Leave widows"

Sailors say the ships are lucky and unlucky. The first missile nuclear submarine Soviet numbered "K-19", it seems, was destined to become some kind of a record, to go through all imaginable and unimaginable misery.



Even before launching the boat in 1959 at painting holds a fire broke out, two people were killed. Following the resumption of paint work gasped female painter. When "K-19" was taken out of the stocks management, its board on the first try did not break a bottle of champagne, which is considered among the sailors is very bad omen.
And then off we go. When you place the submarine sank immediately .... Present at the shore began to catch at heart, climb into his pocket for validol. Under water urgently sent divers. Those determined that the submarine stuck to the bottom of the trigger cars, which forget the bed properly lubricated.
The boat finally emerged. But that was only the beginning of her misadventures. Already during the first start-up of the reactor accident occurred. As a result, outright bungling forget to connect devices featuring the pressure in the primary circuit of the reactor, and gave to the pipeline pressure of twice the norm. Accident fled, pipes patched ...
They went on sea trials, during which the boat was almost stuck in the ground at a speed of 20 knots due to incorrect installation depth rudders. Submarine sailor rescued Stanislav Kuritsyn, gave time back up.
But on that adventure is not over. In November 1960, a boat with an interval of a week killed two sailors. One crushed head cover missile silo, another tightened when turning the main shaft.
However, the boat is still included in the Soviet Navy and sent to the doctrine of the North Atlantic.
And July 4, 1961 in the primary circuit is opened again to flow. Because of the sharp drop in water pressure reactor went hawking. Alarm system because of the factory marriage did not work either. As a result, in order to cool the reactor, which threatened to explode the sailors had to quickly mount the system to the cold water supply.



The reactor compartment, the dramatic events took place here.



This work required a long finding divers in the area of ​​radiation exposure. They coped with the task, but strongly irradiated. Already out of the compartment they came out with the yellow foam on his lips. Eight people have died in a week ...
Commander Nikolai Zateev decided to emerge and give a signal of distress.
To help the Premier League come the first diesel-electric submarine S-270 under the command of Jean Sverbilova. His boat was in the "curtain" - a group of other diesel boats - search and tracking US aircraft carriers. When the C-270 went to the emergency submarines at a distance of 1 cable, it dosimetrist recorded radiation 0, 4-0, 5 p / h. When mooring boats radiation level exceeds all acceptable norms.



Darken at least the C-270 crew took on board 11 irradiated sailors. Incidentally, at this time with the flagship command post commander requested C-270: "What are you doing at the side of K-19? Why without permission left the "veil"? Responsible for arbitrariness! »
I had to send a coded message Zateeva commander in chief of the state of his boat and crew. And only then it was ordered two more diesel submarines to go to the aid of nuclear-powered ships.
Sailors from the K-19 transplanting to other boats, stripped naked - all clothing "fonila." Money, Party and Komsomol cards laid in a sealed container. Total transported 68 people and bags of secrets.



Samuel-270 began to deactivate on the approach to the Arctic. When the boat began to unload sacks of classified documents, "they fonili" so that they decided to burn. And when the commander of a political officer brought to the political party and Komsomol tickets crew K-19, head of the political terror stared at them, and then called a young civilian secretary and ordered to lock them in the safe. He himself to touch the documents simply afraid.
Meanwhile, to the scene of the accident was sent to a government commission. She had to decide what to do with the boat: tow or flooding? On the boat went to 12 people. According to them it was clear that the crew were hastily fees, but do not panic. The radiation level was very high, and growing as we approach the reactor compartment. Log in the 7th compartment was impossible dosimetrist warned that in this case the radioactive burns, do not avoid it. It became clear that the people on the boat may not be, but because the reactor is no longer threatened by explosion, decided not to flood the boat, and towed to the dock for repairs.
At the K-19 produced refurbishment, but naval wits have already nicknamed her "Hiroshima." Still on the submarine sent new crew. He and the boat continued to serve. Continue and chain of unfortunate events.
In 1969 it was "Hiroshima" has faced in the Barents Sea with the American submarine "Geto", to carry out tasks of the CIA. L. Burkhard submarine commander was ordered to move closer to our shore for 4 miles, to produce radio intercepts and to monitor Soviet submarines. In the case of the persecution of the commander-offending boats were allowed to use weapons of war.
On this, the submarine and we ran our "Hiroshima", November 15, 1969 to fulfill its mission on the training ground. As the two submarines managed to miss each other, and to this day remains a mystery. But at 7 o'clock 13 minutes of "Hiroshima" hit "Geto" in the area of ​​the reactor compartment. The commander decided to surface, to understand what was happening. And he was an ideal target for the American submarine, the more that his own torpedo tubes were damaged in a collision.
They say that the commander of the torpedo warhead "Geto" even gave the order to prepare for firing three rockets and raketotorpedu "Sabrok" ​​with nuclear warheads. But, fortunately, the American commander of the boat appeared sensible of his subordinate, order canceled, and hurried to leave the area of ​​the collision.
According to specialists of the 1st Institute of the Navy, "Geto" lucky: if the "K-19" had the speed to 1-2 knots more it would cut in half the American boat.
But why did the collision occurred? There is speculation that hydroacoustics heard "Geto" because the American submarine was not moving.
But this was still not the end of misadventures "Hiroshima." The submarine was repaired, and she again began to walk into the sea.



In late February 1972, "K-19" back from the far avtonomki difficult in the North Atlantic, in the submarine base on the Kola Peninsula. 10 hours 35 minutes on the ship's translation sounded the emergency alarm. A special panic signal is called: during the voyage it was the third alarm in the previous two cases, all went well.
However, this time it was much more serious. Appliance caught fire for the destruction of carbon monoxide. The sailor, who discovered the fire, rather than to grab a fire extinguisher and ran to wake the unit responsible for. Time has been lost. Compartment quickly filled with combustion products, and many of tushivshih fire poisoned by carbon monoxide. In the hold of the 9th compartment burst pipe. Oil hit on the air filter cleaning, in which the operating element temperature (chemical reaction accelerator) was more than 120 degrees.
Danced the flames, the smoke. Fire melted PTFE gaskets in pipelines of high pressure air, and fire, fanned by a jet of 200 atmospheres, buzzed the furious hurricane. Imagine March at the metallurgical enterprise - and all will understand ...
The surest way to extinguish a fire on the submarine - sealed compartment. After the announcement of alarm all the compartments on a submarine tightly closed the doors. And in the same neighboring 8th hear heart-rending cries of dying in the 9th comrades. But to help them there is no way! And let the 8th they can not. In the 10th the same thing through the bulkhead heard screams dying comrades, but to let them into his compartment can not be categorically prohibited the instructions!
The smoke still penetrated from the burning of the 9th to 8th, I had to leave. Then the submarine left the 7th, the reactor compartment, then the 6th ... K-19 has emerged with the announcement of an emergency alarm from the depths of the ocean to the surface for 24 minutes. But in those moments the nuclear submarine crew has missed 28 people. Nothing was known about the fate of 12 divers, cut off by a fire in the aft compartment of the 10th. Telephone communication with them was lost.
Ocean surfaced met without progress, no electricity, no heat and long-distance submarine violent storm. Fate felt as if the strength of the Soviet seamen. First approached them ship US Coast Guard. But divers from the US refused to help. Then arrived cargo ship "Angarles" large antisubmarine ship "Vice Admiral Drozd", a unique rescue operation began.



With great difficulty, "K-19" in tow along with the dead brought to the Arctic, where the bodies of submariners were interred. But for two sailors grave became the Atlantic. March 8, 1972 a ceremony was held in the ocean burial senior sailor Casimir Maracha. Four minutes later, the ocean waves took the body of Lieutenant-engineer Vyacheslav Hrychikova.
It is necessary to pay tribute to the courage and 12 submariners who lived for 23 days in the end, the 10th submarine compartment, knowing that nearby, in the 9th, buried their dead comrades ...





In three weeks, the transition from tug eight times wound up to the electrical power supply ends of the submarine. Seven times they broke off the storm.
But on March 18 the submarine still got home. It passed since the accident 24 days. On the boat killed 28 sailors, two more died during the rescue operation.
Only after that in the history of "Hiroshima" has come to an end. Submarines decommissioned and sent to the scrap.





Some of the sailors wrote a song dedicated to the tragedy, called "Avtonomka."

Avtonomke the end, the path to the base, home.
Peacefully boat depth swing.
Sleeps ninth compartment, sleeps nine residential.
Just watch the eye never sleeps.

What did he think then maybe recalled home,
His mother, a friend or loved eyes,
Only the smell of someone else's thoughts are dispersed.
What? Bears like smoke.

To report - nonsense, will not go anywhere,
And in the center because people - not gods.
Too late, the flame roars late soul tears
Chime emergency alarm.

All those who were sleeping in the compartment and stood on watch,
Following the War fled,
And in the ninth, who stood up, who heard the signal,
For myself and for the boat fought.

But those who did not get up, someone fell asleep forever,
Not feeling like dying,
What kind of sleep before they had a while,
Never and no one will know.
Well, all the smoke coming down, no longer have power.
Hydraulic pipe bursting.
Fear of death and opened the bulkhead eighth -
And, as you can see the new company.

Already entered the IDPs, but the fire did not wilted.
In vain they seek refuge in the ninth.
Through strikes breaks out a cry:
Well keep you bastards, you bastards?

Heart responds to every stroke,
Near killed by his own guys,
Glad to be open, but no, death will come, and here,
And the sound of turning gray in the 10th.

Not afraid of silence, there is no silence.
So remember people live:
Twenty-eight men without guilt, without war
We die to live more.

Stand with those who are now peacefully eats or drinks,
Remember and drink standing,
Our underwater missile,
Our nuclear fleet
To honor the fallen heroes.

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The crew of the K-19 participated in the campaign in 1972

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