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----- Original Message -----
From: Gene
Cramer
Sent: Thursday, July 18, 2002 2:22 PM
Subject: K-19 WIDOWMAKER 4 July 1961 USSR SUBMARINE REACTOR
LEAK K-19 WIDOWMAKER 4 July 1961 USSR SUBMARINE REACTOR LEAK The movie “K-19 The Widowmaker “ will be released July 16, 2002. It will star Harrison Ford as the Captain and Liam Neeson at the Executive Officer of the ill-fated Soviet Ballistic Missile Submarine K-19. This week on TV, there has been saturation advertising featuring Harrison Ford's now-grim visage and the fear of a nuclear meltdown. . The movie is based on the real life K-19, the first Soviet Ballistic Missile Submarine, which suffered a primary coolant leak on 4 July 1961 during the first real sea voyage enroute to their first long-range test launch. K-19 “The first nuclear accident to occur on a Russian submarine was on the Northern Fleet's ballistic missile submarine K-19 (Project 658 - Hotel class). On July 4, 1961, during exercises in the North Atlantic, a leak developed in an inaccessible part of the submarine K-19's primary cooling circuit. The leak was specifically located to a pipe regulating the pressure within the primary cooling circuit. The leak caused a sudden drop in pressure, setting off the reactor emergency systems.[580] “To prevent overheating of the reactor, superfluous heat must be removed, and this is done by continually circulating coolant through the reactor. There was no built-in system for supplying coolant to the primary circuit, and it was feared that an uncontrolled chain reaction might start. An improvised system to supply coolant to the reactor was devised. This required officers and midshipmen to work for extended periods under radioactive conditions in the more remote areas of the reactor compartment as they attended to the leak in the primary circuit.[581] The radiation in this case came from noxious gases and steam. All of the crew were exposed to substantial doses of radiation, and eight men died of acute radiation sickness after having undergone doses of 50 to 60 Sv (5000 - 6000 rem). The crew was evacuated to a diesel submarine, and K-19 was towed home to base on the Kola Peninsula.[582] “ http://www.bellona.no/imaker?id=11084&sub=1#O20 The story line is expected to emphasize the interaction between Captain (strong commanding officer) and Executive Officer (crew-welfare focused) before and during the attempt to fix the leak. 1) The National Geographic Book “K-19 the Widowmaker”. 2) Why did National Geographic sponsor this book? 3) What has been the Soviet Union’s experience in submarine construction and maintenance? 4) What has been the United State’s experience in submarine construction and maintenance? 5) Belona -- a website devoted to the USSR’s nuclear waste disposal in Arctic waters. A Google search 2 June 2002 on “K-19 Widowmaker” brought up 87 hits, mostly film industry cursory announcements of the movie’s stars and date of release. ………………………………………………………………….. 1) The National Geographic Book “K-19 the Widowmaker”. ISBN 0-7922-6472-N published by The National Geographic Society in May 2002 $16.00 softcover. Peter Huchthausen, Capt. USNavy Ret, authors “K-19”. Capt. Huchthausen was Senior U.S. Naval Attaché in Moscow 1987 to 1990, and made research visits to Russia during 1991 to 1996. Apparently he was able to interview and to obtain the candid opinions of top leaders in submarine design and building during the twilight years of the Soviet Navy, as well as the last Commander-in-Chief of the Soviet Navy and other senior staff. The book itself is about half the unpublished diary of K-19’s Captain Nicholai Zateyev who kept detailed narrative of his daily experience. The rest is explanatory contextual material, including a chapter describing the layout and functioning of a Soviet Submarine as well as other submarines’ problems. 2) Why did National Geographic sponsor this book? I don’t know. 3) What has been the Soviet Union’s experience in submarine construction and maintenance? Nuclear submarine accidents -- The Russian Northern Fleet -- Nuclear submarine accidents http://www.bellona.no/imaker?id=11084&sub=1#O7 Scroll to the top for the complete rundown. 4) What has been the United State’s experience in submarine decommissioning? Unlike the Russian Navy, the USNavy's decommissioned nuclear submarines are defuelled and the reactor sections cut out for disposal in shallow land burial as low-level waste. This is a prime example of working in small tight quarters. Quite an United States experience base -- 86 have been scrapped and 35 are pending. http://www.mindspring.com/~marc832/DD&R/subsusa.htm The first nuclear submarine 'under way under nuclear power' ---SSN 571 NAUTILUS - is open to tourists at the USNavy (New London) Submarine Force Museum in Groton CT. Take a virtual tour now! - (www.ussnautilus.org). A listing of dismantled United States Navy submarines is available on US NAVY NUCLEAR SUBMARINES DECOMMISSIONED AND SCRAPPED http://www.hazegray.org/worldnav/usa/decom.htm . 5) Belona -- a website devoted to the USSR’s nuclear waste disposal in Arctic waters. http://www.bellona.no/ Bellona Foundation Bellona Web brings you news and background on important environmental issues |