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General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: T0J0 on September 16, 2003, 04:20:06 PM

Title: K-19 Widowmaker
Post by: T0J0 on September 16, 2003, 04:20:06 PM
K-19 Widowmaker I saw last night for the first time, I had fricken nightmares all night after the reactor scenes...
 Was the real story as gruesome as the hollywood version?


T0J0
Title: K-19 Widowmaker
Post by: fd ski on September 16, 2003, 04:21:31 PM
prabably more so.

Pretty good movie i though. They called the ship "Hiroshima" following that incident i believe.
Title: K-19 Widowmaker
Post by: Ripsnort on September 16, 2003, 04:27:52 PM
Within days eight veterans of K-19’s inaugural mission died of radiation poisoning. Fourteen more died within two years. The remaining 117 suffered varying degrees of radiation-related illness.

:(

I'm sure Boroda will be along shortly to tell us the non-propagandized side of the story.
Title: K-19 Widowmaker
Post by: Dune on September 16, 2003, 04:37:09 PM
How do you tell if someone was a sailor in the Soviet Black Sea fleet?  They glow in the dark.

- old joke told to me by a friend stationed on boomers.
Title: K-19 Widowmaker
Post by: flakbait on September 16, 2003, 05:08:38 PM
Yup, they nicknamed the sub Hiroshima after that incident. Blind Man's Bluff has some info about it that wasn't covered in the movie (saw it in the theaters). The original eight men into the reactor compartment died before the week was out. All were burried in lead coffins to keep the radiation down. Captain Yuri Posetiev lasted three weeks before expiring. People who got too close to the aft bulkhead lasted longer, ranging from a month to two years, before passing on. Ivan Kulakov volunteered to jurry-rig the jurry-rig and rework some of the plumbing. He went back inside the reactor twice to repair the repairs, and actually lived longer than most of his shipmates; though he was crippled for life from severe steam and radiation burns. If you haven't seen the movie, K-19 was never given a complement of radiation suits. Only chemical suits were onboard; think primative Hazmat suit.

The K-19's first disaster happened in the summer of 1961. In 1969 she had an underwater fender-bender with the USS Gato that knocked out the forward sonar dome and crushed the outer torpedo tube doors. In 1972 a fire broke out and killed 26 of her crew 600 miles off Newfoundland. Another dozen survived in an aft compartment for 23 days while she limped home.




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Title: K-19 Widowmaker
Post by: Boroda on September 17, 2003, 05:49:15 AM
The real name of first K-19 commander was N.V. Zateyev.

The worst thing about the film is that Russians never smile there.

A drunk officer at the reactor watch is a nonsence.

Sailors showing naked butts to US chopper is a nonsence too. It's too much for political department. The whole crew must be Party members or at least in Comsomol (Young Communists).

The situation when political officer tries to arrest commander is a complete nonsence. It's simply impossible. Commander has the right to shoot the bastard immediately.

Former K-19 sailors and officers who consulted the film-makers made a communique, stating that the whole film is a fiction story, and the whole conflict was sucked out of the finger. They simply performed their duty and followed orders and regulations.

OTOH, without this conflict the film could become just a boring story full of technical details, looking like Soviet movie about constant heroism of our seamen...

In one of the first scenes in Navy HQ Ford is wearing a modern Russian sub commander pin, with Russian tricolor...

I doubt that sub crew wore everyday uniform in the sea, they usually wear more comfortable "working robes".
Title: K-19 Widowmaker
Post by: Ripsnort on September 17, 2003, 07:29:26 AM
Welcome to Hollywood, Boroda. :)
Title: K-19 Widowmaker
Post by: Boroda on September 17, 2003, 11:00:20 AM
Quote
Originally posted by Ripsnort
Welcome to Hollywood, Boroda. :)


I didn't expect anything like Das Boot, and it was better then Soviet films like "Commader of a lucky "pike-fish"".

In fact it was maybe the best thing Hollywood can make about Soviet servicemen. Stereotypes. Like in many Soviet/Russian films an American officer must be a neurotic Vietnam vet with some psychological problems...

I just tried to point at obvious nonsence, that perfectly fits into Western stereotypes about Soviet army and navy.

The honorable title of the worst movie about Soviet army pretending to be "serious and historically accurate" belongs to "Enemy at the Gates". :(
Title: K-19 Widowmaker
Post by: Martlet on September 17, 2003, 11:08:10 AM
Quote
Originally posted by Boroda

Sailors showing naked butts to US chopper is a nonsence too. It's too much for political department. The whole crew must be Party members or at least in Comsomol (Young Communists).



I'm not sure if you're saying that didn't happen on that sub, or on subs in general.   I've SEEN it myself on subs more than once.
Title: K-19 Widowmaker
Post by: Boroda on September 17, 2003, 11:20:56 AM
Quote
Originally posted by Martlet
I'm not sure if you're saying that didn't happen on that sub, or on subs in general.   I've SEEN it myself on subs more than once.


You mean you saw surfaced Soviet subs with crew on deck more then once from US chopper?

:eek:

(http://forum.wbfree.net/forums/images/graemlins/pray.gif)
Title: K-19 Widowmaker
Post by: Martlet on September 17, 2003, 11:29:50 AM
Quote
Originally posted by Boroda
You mean you saw surfaced Soviet subs with crew on deck more then once from US chopper?

:eek:

(http://forum.wbfree.net/forums/images/graemlins/pray.gif)


Only once was it a Soviet sub.  The other two times I've been mooned from a sub, they were both British.
Title: K-19 Widowmaker
Post by: Nefarious on September 17, 2003, 11:52:40 AM
My dad was on the Kitty Hawk in 84 when it ran over a Russian Viktor Class Submarine in the Sea of Japan, It caused massive damage to the Submarine and it was beleived to be carrying at least 14 Nuclear weapons. Fortunatley, the Sub managed to return to Russia I beleive. Boroda could you shed some more light on this?

I have the T-Shirt.

It is priceless, It has the "Tomcat" (the F14 mascot) leaning over the Kitty Hawk, directly below it in the water is the Viktor, Cut in two.

"We don't brake for Russian Subs"
Title: K-19 Widowmaker
Post by: T0J0 on September 17, 2003, 12:17:08 PM
Borodo
 I didn't really pay to much attention to the stereo typing.
 My impression was they looked similar to what any other navies
 sub crew would have been like.. If anything the film portrayed
 a sense of duty to crew and country that was admirable.. If thats stereotyping then I could think of worse issues :)
 If that had been an American sub would the crew have gone into the reactor with chemical suits on knowing they were going to die.. That question had crossed my mind!
 I only have known one person who served on a Boomer, He wouldn't ever talk about it even when drinking large amounts of beer...
T0J0
Title: K-19 Widowmaker
Post by: Boroda on September 17, 2003, 12:18:33 PM
Quote
Originally posted by Nefarious
My dad was on the Kitty Hawk in 84 when it ran over a Russian Viktor Class Submarine in the Sea of Japan, It caused massive damage to the Submarine and it was beleived to be carrying at least 14 Nuclear weapons. Fortunatley, the Sub managed to return to Russia I beleive. Boroda could you shed some more light on this?

I have the T-Shirt.

It is priceless, It has the "Tomcat" (the F14 mascot) leaning over the Kitty Hawk, directly below it in the water is the Viktor, Cut in two.

"We don't brake for Russian Subs"


It happened on March, 21 1984, the boat was K-314, commander - A.M. Yevseyenko. Together with big anti-submarine vessel "Vladivostok" it was observing the maneuvers of CV battlegroup of "Kitty Hawk" and 7 other ships. Surfacing to check the situation it's stern hit the Kitty Hawk's bottom, tearing it apart for about almost 40 meters. American maneuvers were abandoned, and a CV crawled to the port, losing fuel through the hole. K-314 lost it's propeller skrew and was towed to Chazhma base.

Source: http://www.submarina.ru/sub.php?671

K-314 was indeed one of the three Viktor-1 (project 671 "Yorsh", "Ruff" in English) class subs equipped with "Vyuga" missile-torpedoes, capable of carying nuclear warheads.

Martlet, I'll talk to some former submariners, but maybe you confused Soviet sub for, hmm, French? :D Looks like you don't see much difference, eh? ;)
Title: K-19 Widowmaker
Post by: Martlet on September 17, 2003, 12:25:48 PM
Quote
Originally posted by Boroda
Martlet, I'll talk to some former submariners, but maybe you confused Soviet sub for, hmm, French? :D Looks like you don't see much difference, eh? ;)


I'll admit it's easy to confuse French subs with Russian.  Both smell horribly and are usually found well off course.
Title: K-19 Widowmaker
Post by: Jack55 on September 17, 2003, 12:27:45 PM
I recently toured the "K-19" from the movie.  It was interesting walking through a boat that was tasked to patrol off the American east coast and nuke our cities if ordered to.  Later, it was a Finnish restaurant.  Now it's the first boat of a fledgling naval museum.

http://www.juliett484.org/juliett/about/about.html
Title: K-19 Widowmaker
Post by: Airscrew on September 17, 2003, 12:33:40 PM
Quote
I didn't really pay to much attention to the stereo typing


Stereo Typing,  Is that when you type with both hands?:)
Title: K-19 Widowmaker
Post by: Boroda on September 17, 2003, 12:39:36 PM
Quote
Originally posted by Jack55
I recently toured the "K-19" from the movie.  It was interesting walking through a boat that was tasked to patrol off the American east coast and nuke our cities if ordered to.  Later, it was a Finnish restaurant.  Now it's the first boat of a fledgling naval museum.

http://www.juliett484.org/juliett/about/about.html


Juliett class (project 651) were diesel boats, and were not used against American coast, mostly operating in Black, Baltic and Barenz seas.

There were serious differences between interiors of nuclear and diesel subs. Nuclear subs were mush more comfortable for the crew. For example, every sailor had a personal bed, not shared with someone from other watch.
Title: K-19 Widowmaker
Post by: Boroda on September 17, 2003, 12:46:11 PM
Quote
Originally posted by Martlet
I'll admit it's easy to confuse French subs with Russian.  Both smell horribly and are usually found well off course.


Martlet, you are a gem of this BBS!

(http://forum.wbfree.net/forums/images/graemlins/pray.gif)

Surely, Russian submarines are always off course, because they are always in the place where you don't expect them :D

BTW, did you really try to find them by the smell? Must be hard when they are submerged ;)
Title: K-19 Widowmaker
Post by: T0J0 on September 17, 2003, 02:02:47 PM
Quote
Originally posted by Boroda
Martlet, you are a gem of this BBS!

(http://forum.wbfree.net/forums/images/graemlins/pray.gif)

Surely, Russian submarines are always off course, because they are always in the place where you don't expect them :D

BTW, did you really try to find them by the smell? Must be hard when they are submerged ;)


 It would be easier to follow the trail of dead irradiated sea creatures..... Its kinda of a glowing trail...
Title: K-19 Widowmaker
Post by: Martlet on September 17, 2003, 02:25:23 PM
Quote
Originally posted by Boroda
Martlet, you are a gem of this BBS!

(http://forum.wbfree.net/forums/images/graemlins/pray.gif)

Surely, Russian submarines are always off course, because they are always in the place where you don't expect them :D

BTW, did you really try to find them by the smell? Must be hard when they are submerged ;)


It would be pretty hard to see them mooning while they were submerged now, wouldn't it.
Title: K-19 Widowmaker
Post by: Jack55 on September 17, 2003, 04:29:38 PM
Quote
Originally posted by Boroda
Juliett class (project 651) were diesel boats, and were not used against American coast, mostly operating in Black, Baltic and Barenz seas.

There were serious differences between interiors of nuclear and diesel subs. Nuclear subs were mush more comfortable for the crew. For example, every sailor had a personal bed, not shared with someone from other watch.


I did not say the sub was nuclear powered.  The restaurant tables were in the battery decks according to photos of its time in Finland.  All the batterys were removed.  It's diesel engines are huge.

The Museum said that they were first deployed to attack the US east coast.  As more capable subs became available, they were tasked with duty closer to home and shadowing US carriers on occasion because under battery power it was very quite.  They also said the sub needed to be on the surface for 14 minutes to launch cruise missiles.  I think it needed to stay on the surface to guide the missiles too.  It has a big retractable RADAR dish in the sail, was much more fulnerable to counterattack than later ballistic missile armed subs.
Title: K-19 Widowmaker
Post by: Nefarious on September 19, 2003, 12:05:51 AM
Thanks Boroda,

My dad tells me about all the "games" we played when he was in the Navy from 1972 to 1992.

he served on 5 Carriers-

John F Kennedy
Connstellation
Kitty Hawk
Nimitz
America

He mostly served with the Attack Squadrons, (A-6's) but he also enjoyed one S-3 squadron.

He likes to tell me the story about loading Nukes onto A-6's under watch from Marine rifles. Preparing themselves for the war that never happened.
Title: K-19 Widowmaker
Post by: Twist on September 20, 2003, 02:46:57 AM
Games were not limited to just sub's. I was stationed in Iceland where we often played a game of chicken with Bear bombers. They would make 'attack' runs at Reykavik/Keflavik NAS and our F-15's would go up and show them the way back home.

I also had the privilege to work closely with Navy personnel stationed next door at a listening post. Sure was a lot of deep sea traffic between Iceland and the Faroe islands. ;)

Here, read this, I found it interesting;

http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/cno/n87/history/cold-war-asw.html