K19

[Kapitan]

The first soviet nuclear submarines were now at sea, K3 had had already an accident, and the soviets were now starting to put missiles into diesel submarines for proper patrols not normal test runs.

Then began in 1959 project 658 code named Hotel by NATO, the first submarine to be nuclear powerd and carry three ballistic missiles, this would be the soviets first SSBN.

Work began in 1959 at break neck pace litteraly, no fewer than 10 men died constructing K19 alone, back up systems were never installed and the boat was never ready for sea at any time in her long career.

K19 was finaly ready for her premature sea trial's, her captain was 33 year old Captain 1st rank Nikolai Zatayev.

Zateyev was well liked by his crew, a fair but firm captain, he also was one who used to always put the pollitical officers in sticky spots, which won him favour through out the northern fleet and also high up in the admiralty.

Zatayev was not a nuclear sea captain, in his days all he ever commanded was small whiskey class diesel boats, he recieved his first command around the age of 26, which even by todays standards is young.

K19 put to sea on her maiden deployment in 1961 after being at sea for some time, the crew turned around heading back to the barnets sea via rounding iceland.

K19's goal was to pretend to be an america SSBN trying to get in close to soviet waters and to fire thier missiles, however early morning on the 4th of july problems began the nuclear reactor was heading for melt down.

Zatayev surfaced but the radio mast broken, no message could be sent or recieved via the long range radio, the only hope was to send men to coll the rector in which he did.

K19 now had a split choice head for jan myen and scuttle K19 or take a gambel and head away from certain saftey and try to locate a pack of Diesel submarines to the south, zatayev gambled.

Not long after it paid off S270 had arrived along with another submarine, men were off loaded and then rushed back home, S270 remained with K19 with her tube doors open and wepons ready to fire should anyone try and board her.

After this first tragerdy Zatayev was relieved of command, K19 was repaired and put back to sea, many of the men lived for a few days many years later more would die including in the 1990's zatayev.

The K19 was out of action for some 3 years upon returning to service she was dubbed "hiroshima".

In 1972 K19 sufferd a fire not far from the american coast, the painstaking task of towing the sub home was left to merchant vessel, again the captain was relieved.

Many more minor accidents took place untill K19 was final decommissioned and laid up in 1991, after a long and worrying career.

In 2003 the russian government annouced that K19 was to be scrapped, today very little remains of the K19, the K19 was built at a time when one up man ship was common place, and when russia despratly needed to catch americans, something they done with K19's sucsessors the yankee.

The K19 was heavily modified converted to a Hotel II she carried 6 missiles and could fire them submerged, later she was re designated as a communications submarine, some others as radar pickets, but none the less K19 served the soviet union well.

The thoughs of what happend are still hard to remove from former crew members who watched their friends die infront of them.

Question is should the soviets have done more to stop this?


K19 with some important woman during the filming of K19 the widowmaker


K19 laid up she will wait here for 12 years before being scrapped


K19 as she was back in 1961


K19 after her heavy modification


All that remains of K19 is here some where