02-02-2006, 10:55 AM
Those of you who are interested in Soviet maritime history, especially submarines, may have seen the excellent movie with H. Ford about the story of the K-19.
Here is something which could be of some interest...
Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has suggested nominating the crew of the Soviet K-19 nuclear sub for Nobel Peace Prize. In 1964 the crew fixed the nuclear reactor aboard the sub, averting a major environmental catastrophe and a possible World War III.
Gorbachev has filed the corresponding petition with the Nobel Committee, Interfax reported.
K-19 suffered a nuclear reactor breakdown in July 1964 in the Norwegian Sea, near a NATO base. When a catastrophe seemed inevitable, the mechanics managed to construct an extra pipeline and fill it with reserve drinking water, cooling the reactor down to normal temperature.
After working for hours in extreme heat and radiation levels, eight of the team died within weeks.
“These heroic sailors averted the explosion of the nuclear reactor that would have caused a major environmental catastrophe — the explosion would have been much more powerful that that at the Chernobyl Power Plant, and would have cause much more damage,” Gorbachev said in a letter to the Nobel Committee.
Moreover, Gorbachev argued, the K-19 crew averted not just an environmental catastrophe, but quite possibly a third world war.
“The incident took place during the Cold War, with Soviet and American ships and nuclear subs constantly on alert.
”An explosion on the K-19 could have easily been seen as a Soviet military provocation, an attempt to target the North American coastline. This would have brought an adequate response from the U.S. and NATO, sparkling a third world war,“ he said.
However, the sailors were never rewarded for what they did, Gorbachev added.
”Until 1990 the incident was kept secret. Nobody knew about it, none of the sailors who later died in terrible pain were rewarded by the state. They were even buried secretly, in special lead coffins, and their relatives were not told where their graves were.“
56 of the 139 K-19 crew are still living.
”Everyone who was on board the sub that day, everyone who did their job as usual, deserves to be recognized by society as people who did their best to preserve peace on earth. Awarding these people a Nobel Peace Prize would be an adequate reward for their unique heroic deed,“ Gorbachev concluded.
Here is something which could be of some interest...
Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has suggested nominating the crew of the Soviet K-19 nuclear sub for Nobel Peace Prize. In 1964 the crew fixed the nuclear reactor aboard the sub, averting a major environmental catastrophe and a possible World War III.
Gorbachev has filed the corresponding petition with the Nobel Committee, Interfax reported.
K-19 suffered a nuclear reactor breakdown in July 1964 in the Norwegian Sea, near a NATO base. When a catastrophe seemed inevitable, the mechanics managed to construct an extra pipeline and fill it with reserve drinking water, cooling the reactor down to normal temperature.
After working for hours in extreme heat and radiation levels, eight of the team died within weeks.
“These heroic sailors averted the explosion of the nuclear reactor that would have caused a major environmental catastrophe — the explosion would have been much more powerful that that at the Chernobyl Power Plant, and would have cause much more damage,” Gorbachev said in a letter to the Nobel Committee.
Moreover, Gorbachev argued, the K-19 crew averted not just an environmental catastrophe, but quite possibly a third world war.
“The incident took place during the Cold War, with Soviet and American ships and nuclear subs constantly on alert.
”An explosion on the K-19 could have easily been seen as a Soviet military provocation, an attempt to target the North American coastline. This would have brought an adequate response from the U.S. and NATO, sparkling a third world war,“ he said.
However, the sailors were never rewarded for what they did, Gorbachev added.
”Until 1990 the incident was kept secret. Nobody knew about it, none of the sailors who later died in terrible pain were rewarded by the state. They were even buried secretly, in special lead coffins, and their relatives were not told where their graves were.“
56 of the 139 K-19 crew are still living.
”Everyone who was on board the sub that day, everyone who did their job as usual, deserves to be recognized by society as people who did their best to preserve peace on earth. Awarding these people a Nobel Peace Prize would be an adequate reward for their unique heroic deed,“ Gorbachev concluded.
