On October 5, 1986, the United States received a shocking piece of news: a Soviet nuclear submarine surfaced in the Atlantic Ocean and seemed to have lost its combat capability.
The Americans panicked when they heard the news! Because since the Cold War, the Soviet Union has repeatedly sent nuclear submarines to patrol the east coast of the United States to deter the waters around the eastern United States and block the US Navy's route to Europe.
You must know that the big cities of the United States, such as Washington and New York, are located on the east coast, and if these places are attacked by Soviet nuclear submarines, it will undoubtedly be disastrous for the United States!
Soviet submarines have the ability to bomb the continental United States in an instant, and if the two countries go to war, the consequences will be unimaginable! To the horror of the Americans, their satellites, radars, and sonar systems did not detect the existence of this Soviet nuclear submarine for many days!
Since the Soviet nuclear submarine had lost its ability to move, the Americans decided to take the opportunity to threaten it and sent a nuclear submarine to demonstrate next to the Soviet submarine, only to accidentally crash it to the bottom of the sea!
But the Americans did not realize that the submarine was loaded with 50 nuclear bombs! Later, when they learned the truth, they couldn't regret it! These 50 nuclear bombs are like a sword hanging high, threatening the safety of Americans at all times.
1.The atomic bomb not only hastened Japan's surrender, but also made the world see the power of nuclear weapons, and countries have sought a way to possess nuclear weapons. 2.On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, codenamed "Little Boy", this fireball completely changed the fate of Japan, and also demonstrated the amazing power of the atomic bomb, triggering a global pursuit of nuclear **.
After the end of World War II, two major camps gradually formed in the world, namely the socialist camp led by the Soviet Union and the capitalist camp led by the United States. Tensions between the two camps are growing and they are engaged in a constant arms race, and the world is shrouded in the specter of the Cold War.
Since the United States possessed the atomic bomb before the Soviet Union, they built nuclear facilities on a large scale and made nuclear threats against other countries, which caused extreme panic among the leaders of the Soviet Union.
The emergency meeting, chaired by Stalin himself, the close contact between the atomic bomb research and domestic experts, marked the beginning of the nuclear race! Soviet experts did their best to finally test the first Soviet atomic bomb on August 23, 1949, breaking the nuclear monopoly of the United States and entering the multi-nuclear era in the world.
During the struggle for hegemony between the United States and the Soviet Union, the two countries were on edge, and allies Britain and France also quickly joined the ranks of nuclear research.
The Soviet Union began to assist China in building the atomic bomb, but it was unsuccessful due to the deterioration of Sino-Soviet relations. The Soviets chose to develop the atomic bomb themselves, becoming the country with the most nuclear bombs.
The arms race between the two countries has intensified, and the world is deeply worried about a future nuclear war. Albert Einstein once predicted: "The Third World War may use some unknown **, and the fourth may use the most primitive stone." ”
The power of nuclear bombs is well known, and people are afraid of it and do not dare to act rashly. However, against this background, the Cuban nuclear missile crisis broke out, which was probably the closest moment to a nuclear war during the US-Soviet struggle for hegemony.
Cuba's unique geographical location gave the Soviet Union the choice to establish a missile base there. Located in the northwestern Caribbean Sea, just over 200 kilometers from the continental United States, it is considered the backyard of the United States.
For a long time, the Soviet Union faced a problem in the confrontation between Europe and Western capitalism: in the event of a war, it would be difficult for the flames of war to reach the United States, but could be ignited in the Soviet Union.
The Soviet Union needed to have a foothold in North America in order to contain the United States. It just so happened that the Cuban Revolution succeeded in overthrowing the puppets supported by the United States, which led to a sharp deterioration in relations between Cuba and the United States.
Therefore, the Soviet Union chose to build a missile base in Cuba as an important means of containing the United States.
The Cuban Missile Crisis gave the Soviet Union an opportunity to plant missiles in America's backyard, but the United States struggled to accept the threat, and the incident almost triggered World War III.
In the end, the United States and the Soviet Union chose to compromise, and although Cuba failed to build a Soviet nuclear missile base, the United States built its own military base near Cuba. After that, the Soviet Union began to carry out nuclear submarine cruising missions on the east coast of the United States, which laid the hidden danger for the sinking of Soviet nuclear submarines later.
In the seventies, the USSR increased the number of cruises to the east coast of the United States, posing a great threat to the Americans. However, the Soviet Union's reckless militarism eventually led to chaos and misery in the country.
Against this background, after coming to power, Gorbachev decided to hold talks with the United States ** Reagan, hoping to improve relations with the United States.
The talks between Gorbachev and Reagan on reducing nuclear and military spending have opened the way for creating a peaceful and stable environment and improving the domestic economic situation.
Despite 1985"Fireside chat"There is a consensus on reducing nuclear weapons, but politicians are often duplicitous. Although Gorbachev reached a preliminary consensus with the Americans, he was worried that the United States would take the opportunity to infringe on the interests of the Soviet Union.
In response to a potential threat to the east coast of the United States, Gorbachev decided to increase cruising in the region. Due to the huge expenses for the maintenance and construction of new submarines, they decided to commission a group of old nuclear submarines, including the protagonist of this article"Yankee class"Nuclear submarine.
This submarine belongs"Old antiques"It was developed as early as 1963 and delivered in 1967. However, by 1974, the submarine was decommissioned.
The Soviet Union's choice to use such nuclear submarines clearly reflects that they cannot afford the high maintenance costs of submarines, and can only choose submarines that have been decommissioned for 10 years to carry out their tasks.
In order to maintain its presence under US deterrence, the Yankee-class nuclear submarine is equipped with 4 torpedo canisters, 2 torpedoes, 48 nuclear warheads, and 16 missiles, each of which can carry 3 nuclear warheads, which is quite powerful.
However, such a large bomb load is undoubtedly a huge burden on this aging nuclear submarine. The submarine has a length of 129 meters, a width of almost 12 meters, a displacement of 11,500 tons, and the ability to submerge underwater for 90 days.
Despite the acceptable performance, since cruising off the east coast of the United States was a routine mission, the latter had already departed from the Soviet Union when the former submarine was about to return. In late 1986, the Soviet Yankee-class nuclear submarine K-219 departed for patrol on the east coast of the United States according to the scheduled plan, the submarine was commanded by Britnev and had a crew of 119.
While the Yankee-class nuclear submarine was sailing, Britnev found some problems on the submarine: the nuclear reactor was aging, and one of the missile launch hatches was malfunctioning. He immediately reported to his superiors, who stubbornly demanded that they go to the East Coast of the United States, saying that these issues were irrelevant and that they were only for patrol demonstrations.
Britnev reluctantly piloted the problematic nuclear submarine to the vicinity of the United States, and confused the Americans' radar detection by following the large ship to ensure that the mission was completed.
The submarine operated in concealment, and Britnev repeatedly patrolled the waters north of the Atlantic Ocean during the three-week voyage. At that time, the sea was rough, and the huge hurricane brought thrilling waves.
In order to avoid detection by the enemy's sonar system, Britnev was forced to navigate in the area close to the water, which undoubtedly significantly increased the danger of the voyage. However, it was at this time that engineers Kabidulsky and Bikachekov stepped forward.
They found that there was a problem with the submarine, with a slight leak in one missile compartment and a slight leak in the fuel compartment in another.
The fuel tank of the submarine is very important, because once the fuel in it comes into contact with the seawater, it will produce a chemical reaction to form a bomb, and the consequences are unimaginable. Despite Britnev's desire to return home, the KGB ** Valery Shnyshny on board insisted on completing the last mission.
The mission was to get the aircraft carrier on a week-long cruise near Bermuda. Britnev felt that since the mission was about to be completed, it was better to complete the task first and then make a decision.
However, this decision left the submarine with no return.
On October 3, 1986, the nuclear submarine K-219 was caught in an accident while on patrol**. At that time, the submarine's radar detected a U.S. submarine nearby, and in order to avoid detection, the captain of the submarine, Britnev, ordered the submarine to dive rapidly and turn north.
The violent movement of the submarine caused the liquid fuel to be unstable and came into contact with seawater, which caused a large **. The Americans called the incident "Crazy Ivan".
When the distance between the two submarines was widened, Britnev breathed a sigh of relief, but there was a violent ** sound from the rear of the submarine. The nuclear submarine suffered a ** accident.
Britnev immediately ordered the opening of the tank to drain the water and bring the nuclear submarine to the surface. At this time, the temperature inside the submarine rose rapidly, and in some compartments it even soared to 40!
In order to survive, the crew sailed upwards with all their might. Despite the fact that a nuclear submarine is a strategic **, in this case it is more like a moving coffin, and in the event of an ** accident, the chances of escape are almost zero.
After the submarine was flooded with seawater, the reaction of seawater with liquid fuel produced a large amount of poison gas. More than 100 crew members were driven away by the poison gas, and finally trapped in a cabin, seeing that the poison gas was about to pounce, fortunately the submarine surfaced at this time.
After surfacing, the crew, under the guidance of Britnev, climbed step by step to the upper part of the submarine, taking a big breath of fresh air, but the danger was not lifted. There was still a massive flood of sea water in the cabin, and Britnev urgently contacted the relevant Soviet authorities, and the Soviet Navy made it clear that they would be rescued, but they would have to wait two days.
During a sudden storm, Reagan and Gorbachev's submarines were trapped in the sea **. Since there were no other Soviet submarines nearby to assist, they could only wait for the arrival of a large cargo ship.
However, the ship is not expected to arrive until two days later. At the critical moment, Britnev received instructions from his superiors and immediately organized a team to begin drainage operations on the submarine.
Despite their swift movements, four brave fighters, including engineer Bikachekov, died from overwork.
The comrade of the submarine Britnev has just died, but he is not immersed in grief, because the missile compartment in the middle of the submarine is not closed, which can provoke the ** of almost 50 nuclear bombs with unimaginable consequences.
Britnev ordered everyone to put on oxygen masks and re-enter the interior of the submarine in the heat to avoid the spread of fire in the missile bay. The temperature is as high as 100 degrees, which is unbearable for ordinary people.
In order to close the door of the missile bay, everyone had to wear heavy protective clothing and endure the heat. However, due to the torment of the heat, many fighters were unable to hold out and had to retreat to take refuge halfway through each time.
The captain of the nuclear submarine, Britnev, sent engineers Belikov and Prinnin to dive to shut down the nuclear reactor. Despite the high temperatures, they successfully completed the task and closed the hatch.
However, due to the high temperature, Prining passed out after persisting in the environment of more than 100 degrees for more than half an hour. Belikov tried to return to the surface, but his oxygen tubes were exhausted, and he had to block the hatch with his last strength, eventually suffocating in the water.
In the face of these sacrificed comrades, Britnev felt heartache, and his calmness could not hide the grief in his heart.
For the next two days, Britnev quietly waited for the Soviet rescue, however, instead of waiting for the help of the Soviets, they received assistance from the United States.
Despite the fact that the sea area where the K-219 is located is 1,200 kilometers southeast of the continental United States and only 480 kilometers from the Bermuda military base of the United States, it is surprising that this huge submarine is floating on the surface of the sea, and the Americans did not even detect it.
It was later learned that this was due to a strong hurricane in the nearby sea, which covered the area with clouds and made it impossible for satellites to pay attention to it. Therefore, the United States did not alert it and did not detect the submarine in time.
In a sea area, the US Navy suddenly spotted a Soviet nuclear submarine. The arrival of this submarine frightened them, and they could not determine the true intentions of the Soviet troops.
Eventually, the U.S. decided to send a fleet of ships to the scene to investigate. When the ship approached the submarine, they reported to the Americans: "This submarine has lost its ability to act." ”
The Americans breathed a sigh of relief from this news, and they decided to rescue the Soviet submariners as a way to demonstrate the generosity of the Americans and improve relations with the Soviet Union. However, the Americans have a more insidious plan: they want to tow the incapacitated submarine back to the continental United States for research in order to obtain key parameters for the Soviet construction of nuclear submarines.
In this way, they can have an advantage in future wars.
The captain of the K-219, Britnev, as a military man, was well aware of the sinister intentions of the Americans. He unswervingly rejected the advice of the Americans, insisting on waiting for the arrival of Soviet rescue ships.
He even warned the Americans: "If you act rashly, I will blow you up with a torpedo on a submarine and you will all die!" "The Americans, not getting anything good here, decided to provoke the USSR.
They believed that the appearance of Soviet nuclear submarines in their waters was in itself a provocation, so now they are also taking countermeasures, and this is not excessive.
On the second day, the American submarine USS Augusta departed, and their goal was to provoke the Soviets, deliberately cruising around the Soviet nuclear submarine as a way to humiliate the Soviets and obstruct their rescue operations.
At the same time, the USSR sent large cargo ships to the scene, rescued the soldiers on the submarine and tried to pull the submarine away with a tow rope. However, at this critical moment, American submarines reappeared, repeatedly patrolling near the nuclear submarines, and even deliberately surfaced, making the Soviet rescue operation even more difficult.
In the eyes of the Soviets, while the Americans were beaming with pride, the captain of the Augusta, James W. Susgier, made the absurd decision to order to approach the K-219 nuclear submarine in an attempt to threaten the Soviets.
However, this operation of the American submarine brought unforeseen consequences, they accidentally cut the rescue rope, causing the Soviet nuclear submarine to lose control in an instant. In the end, Soviet nuclear submarines could only sink to the bottom of the sea, and American submarines did not know that they had inflicted incalculable losses on the USSR.
After receiving the news that Soviet nuclear submarines were patrolling the coast near the United States, Reagan immediately contacted Gorbachev, the first secretary of the CPSU, and asked the Soviet Union to explain this behavior.
Reagan pointed out that the Soviet Union and the United States had promised to reduce nuclear ** during the fireside talks, and the Soviet Union sent nuclear submarines at this time, which was obviously not in line with the commitment. Gorbachev was so frustrated by this that he apologized to Reagan and agreed to hold a second meeting of the Soviet-American leaders in Reykjavik in November 1986.
In addition, Gorbachev also revealed that the nuclear submarine was carrying 50 nuclear bombs, and the consequences would be unimaginable in the event of an accident.
Reagan and Gorbachev broke out in a cold sweat after hearing this, and he tried to send people to salvage it, but the average water depth in the sea reached 5,000 meters, and even now, there is no way to achieve it.
Thus, 50 nuclear warheads sank forever in the waters southeast of the United States. The Americans feared that the Soviet Union might use some means to trigger a nuclear ** as a last resort, which would bring radiation hazards to the southeastern United States and irreparable effects on the countries bordering the Atlantic.
Although the sinking site is some distance from the continental United States, the United States is still wary of this hidden danger. If one day in the future, a nuclear bomb on the bottom of the sea will occur, it may cause disasters such as ** and tsunamis, and radiation will also affect the entire Atlantic Ocean.
The consequences are incalculable.
Under Gorbachev, those responsible were punished, the sacrificed fighters were honored, which curtailed patrols along the coast of the United States, and eventually canceled them altogether.
In November 1986, the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union took the opportunity to meet in Reykjavík, Iceland, and finally reached a consensus, and in 1987 a treaty was signed, which became known as the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.
However, in 2019, the United States announced that Trump would withdraw from the treaty, and then Russia's Putin also announced his withdrawal from the treaty, making the INF Treaty invalid.
At present, the global situation is tense, and the withdrawal of the United States and Russia from the INF Treaty has brought more uncertainty to world security. We call on all countries to live together in good faith and to resolve problems by peaceful means, because the world needs peace, not war.