in the mid 50's america launched nautilus this was the true begining of the undersea cold war now russia was to make her move and some of her moves were shocking.
in the late 50's the soviet union launched its 1st submarine K3 lennisky komsomol, she out classes nautilus in almost every way she was faster could dive deeper and carry more weapons (quoted from norman polmar).
along side K3 a new bread of submarine was launched K19 project number 658 NATO named HOTEL she was to be the first nuclear powerd nuclear missile submarine later called SSBN's.
russia had built the first submarine to carry ballistic missiles she was a converted zulu class known as zulu V by the west the first firing came in the mid to late 50's the first ever firing of a ballistic missile from a submarine was watched by admirals and chief of staff notibly premier Nikita Kreschev the submarines commanding officer was Victor Degyalo (his son is now an admiral in the navy)
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"nikita kreschev came up to me he being shorter than i he embraced me kissed me and said you do not know what you have done for your mother land today you have done a great thing later i heard the chief of staff say you know when you fired that missile kreschev began dancing some old russian folk dance at that moment i knew this was the sign of things to come"
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Admiral Degaylo in an interview (he was also command of a submarine squadron who he was in control of submarine K129 when she dissapeard in 1968
the K19 began her most ambitious exercise code named arctic circle she was under command of captain nikolai zatayev (who died in 1999 of cancer aged 61) all exercises and drill were going well and the captain pleased with his boat and its crew.
early hours of july 4th 1961 captain zateyev is woken in his cabin the nuclear reactor has failed few hours later he orders surface and to send a message to moscow but the anntenna has shorted and thier on thier own knowing a meltdown is highly possible zatayev orders men into the contaminated compartment
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you know its not easy sending a man to his death
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Captain zatayev shortly before his death.
all the men who went in to the compartment died with in days of returning home more die in the years following.
when K19 returned to base she contaminated everything within a 700 meter radius it took three years and a team of thousands to decontaminate and rebuild K19 for sea again fate would play again
in 1972 a fire broke out while K19 was at sea 28 men die as a result this fire was cause by a hydralics leak spreading toxic fumes and flames into the submarine.
again the boat was repaired and converted to fire missiles under the sea as a proper SSBN again another fire puts her out of action and when she returns she again is converted this time into a radar and comunications ship or SSQN
but yet again another fire breaks out no casualties are recorded but K19 is returned to service.
after the fall of the berlin wall and the collapse of communism the need for K19 deminished and in 1991 the submarine is finaly decommissioned after 30 years service.
most of her crew from the fateful 1961 voyage are among those at the attendance of the ceramony it wasnt only celebrating the decommissioning but also a reunion for the crew and a celebration of the fall of communist russia.
K19 finaly tied up in gremikha awaiting her fate many wanted her to be truned into a museam but it was never going to be in 2002 K19 was towed to the white sea and to a special dismantlement base where she was cut up and scrapped.
the K19 left behind many scars stories and memorys that will live on, her 41 years of existance proved that russia was so desperate to keep something that carried nuclear weapons at sea they went to extreme lengths to catch up with america.
K19 as she was in 1961
K19 after her rebuild and bough up to project 701 or HOTEL II standard
30 years of hard work misery and pain ends for K19 here she is moored at gremikha along side other submarines she waited here for 11 years untill 2002 when she was towed for scrapping
a hotel class being cut up possibly K19 but i dont know