00:00This video is sponsored by War Thunder.
00:07July 4th, 1961.
00:10A Soviet submarine drifts beneath the Atlantic.
00:13Inside, three maintenance lights are flashing,
00:15each signaling an issue that needs immediate attention.
00:19If the Soviet Union is attacked and their most advanced submarine isn't ready to strike back,
00:23Captain Zetayev will become a traitor destined for life in prison.
00:27There is no time to waste.
00:30The K-19 submarine is made up of nine compartments divided into three key sections.
00:36The first light is at the front in the captain's quarters and operations.
00:39The secret communication line linking them to Moscow is offline and needs to be reconnected.
00:45Midship holds the nuclear weapons.
00:47A fault here means the missiles can't be armed.
00:50If attacked, they'll have no way to respond.
00:53At the back are the nuclear reactors with the third warning light.
00:57This is the most serious failure yet.
01:00If it worsens, it could be fatal.
01:03Captain Zetayev starts at the front of the submarine.
01:06It's quiet, but that won't last.
01:08In front of them are six torpedo tubes on storage racks, each with the force of 1,500 sticks of dynamite.
01:15These may be powerful, but the strongest weapons are in the middle of the submarine.
01:19There are a few temporary beds, housing the most junior members of the crew.
01:24The best living cabins of the high-ranking officials are in the next room, where the first error code is.
01:30In a submarine, very few people have their own private area.
01:34Zetayev's room has a picture of his family.
01:37Life on a Cold War submarine is the most dangerous post in the Soviet military.
01:42One fault can be fatal.
01:44In the corner is the intercom radio.
01:46He inspects to see what the problem might be.
01:48It seems to be a blown fuse.
01:51This is a quick fix.
01:52Zetayev gets the engineer to make the change and heads towards the control room to see if this first light has gone out.
01:58He knows that fixing the next two maintenance lights won't be so easy.
02:03Here are the officers' rooms.
02:05Despite being shared, they are still considered luxury.
02:08The same can't be said for the crew's living quarters at the back of the submarine.
02:13Officers sleep near the control room, since that's where they spend the majority of their time.
02:18The captain heads inside to check if the first maintenance light has gone off.
02:22Everything from the ship's navigation, sonar detection, and torpedo targeting are all controlled through the periscope.
02:29The captain looks at the maintenance board and sees that the radio light has gone out.
02:33One down, two more to go.
02:36The threat of war is constant, but so is the fear of Moscow.
02:40If high command hears about unready weapons, someone will take the fall.
02:44The second light needs to be fixed immediately.
02:48Anything shown up on the radar?
02:49Zetayev asks.
02:51All's clear, answers the soldier.
02:53Captain Zetayev enters the middle section, the part of the submarine that holds its steadliest and most classified secrets, alongside the second maintenance light.
03:02Three 13-meter-tall silos.
03:04Inside are R-13 ballistic missiles fitted with nuclear warheads.
03:10Each of these has over 66 times the explosive power of Hiroshima, enough to erase New York City in seconds.
03:17Now the Soviet Union can launch nuclear missiles right from America's coast, making an attack faster, harder to detect, and more difficult to stop.
03:27But right now, they are defenseless.
03:32Why is there an error for the missiles in the control room?
03:34Says Zetayev.
03:36The silos are overheating, so we switch them off.
03:39We've searched everywhere, but can't identify the problem.
03:41If the problem is not here, then where is it?
03:45Responds the captain.
03:46It must be due to a malfunction in another area, says the soldier.
03:51Pipes and wiring being exposed might not look pretty, but it makes it easy to spot problems and make instant repairs.
03:58Normally it's quick, predictable.
04:00This time, it's not.
04:02In the back of the captain's mind, his worst fear begins to take shape.
04:07This isn't just a missile problem.
04:08Well, this could be the result of that third maintenance light in the reactor room.
04:14And if he's right, this submarine is more than defenseless.
04:17It's a ticking time bomb.
04:20Suddenly, Volkov rushes through the door.
04:23The nuclear reactors, I have never seen anything like this before.
04:26You must come immediately.
04:28All it takes is one overlooked component, and everyone's life is at risk.
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05:51On his way to the reactor room, Zetayev walks past the diesel fuel generators.
05:57They are switched off for now, but should both nuclear reactors fail, they'll provide enough power to get the submarine home.
06:05Due to the advancement from diesel generators to nuclear power, submarines can now stay submerged underwater for up to 20 years.
06:12If not for the crew's mental health, need for food, and oxygen.
06:15The captain enters the reactor room, the location of the third maintenance light.
06:22Volkov points at the dial.
06:24The nuclear reactor is at 300 degrees.
06:26If we reach 600, the reactor will explode.
06:33If something is not fixed soon, a full nuclear meltdown is imminent.
06:38A Chernobyl, but underwater.
06:40Nobody would survive.
06:42But it gets worse.
06:44It's the height of the Cold War, and an explosion of this size so close to a NATO base could be mistaken for an enemy attack, risking the start of World War III.
06:55What about the backup, replies the captain?
06:58Due to the rush construction, there isn't one.
07:01We need Korchulov.
07:02He knows the reactors best, and we'll be able to figure out the problem.
07:06Although, he is sleeping in the crew compartment right now, replies Volkov.
07:10Let's get him, replies Zetayev.
07:11He presses the emergency button, and sirens start blaring, waking everyone up.
07:17This is not a drill.
07:20These two reactors work like small nuclear power plants.
07:23They split atoms of radioactive material, which releases heat.
07:26This heat turns water into high-pressure steam.
07:30The steam flows through the turbines in the next room, spinning them to generate electricity and provide energy for the entire submarine.
07:37The turbines then connect to the propellers, which allows the submarine to travel.
07:42But all this only works if the reactor is controlled at a stable temperature.
07:47Right now, the balance is collapsing, and they don't have much time left.
07:51Before reaching the crew's quarters, they walk into the auxiliary compartment.
07:56This section is often the difference between life and death.
08:00There are tools stacked away in case fixes need to be made, alongside backup toggles for the control room in case the main room gets damaged.
08:07The alarm is loud, and everyone is rushing to their stations.
08:12Underwater, sound travels over four times faster than in air.
08:16A single dropped wrench could give away their position to sonar arrays listening hundreds of miles away.
08:21But right now, giving away their position is the least of their problems.
08:25They enter the crew's living quarters.
08:29Multiple hard, triple-stacked bunk beds are hanging on the wall, maximizing space.
08:34Only a couple of toilets and wash basins.
08:37There are no showers, meaning the crew goes months without bathing.
08:42We need Korchulov immediately, shouts Zateyev.
08:45Here, Captain, Korchulov responds.
08:47They rush back to the reactor room to identify the problem.
08:50Time is running out.
08:51Korchulov inspects the reactor, and it's not good news.
08:57One of the reactor's cooling pipes is broken.
08:59If the temperature does not decrease soon, we are all dead, says Korchulov.
09:06Zateyev grabs a nearby radio.
09:08He immediately turns on the distress signals in case anyone is nearby and puts in the commands to connect with Moscow.
09:14Are you hearing me, says Zateyev.
09:16No command, no rescue, no hope.
09:23The worst time possible, the submarine's long-range radio systems are not working.
09:27The ship, now a ticking radioactive time bomb.
09:32Unexpectedly, a nearby vessel picks up the distress signals.
09:36This is a United States Navy warship.
09:38You require assistance. Over.
09:41We are saved, suggests Nikolai Korchulov.
09:43A lifeline from the enemy.
09:46In his hands lies the power to save 139 lives, ensuring every man on board sees their family again.
09:54Zateyev radios back to the ship.
09:56No assistance required.
09:58Situation is under control.
10:00The K-19 is carrying top-secret nuclear technology and warheads.
10:04If the U.S. boarded the submarine, then they could gain intelligence on Soviet reactor and weapon systems.
10:09Surrendering military secrets could mean treason for the entire crew.
10:15They are on their own.
10:16And now, everyone knows it.
10:20Captain Zateyev calls an emergency meeting.
10:23What he's about to ask is unthinkable.
10:26They are running out of time.
10:28The plan is to go into the reactor chamber and connect the drinking water supply to the air vent valve.
10:33This will cool the core, stabilizing the reactor.
10:37There is no plan B.
10:40I need volunteers, Zateyev says.
10:43The engineer crew are the only ones with the expertise to safely carry off this job.
10:4723-year-old Korchulov steps forward.
10:50Before the voyage, he was with his family, playing volleyball and enjoying life.
10:55Do you know where you're going?
10:56Ask Zateyev.
10:57I know, comrade, he replies.
11:01Going inside the radioactive reactor is a death sentence.
11:05And still, seven more men follow.
11:09The engineers work in teams, rotating every ten minutes to limit their exposure.
11:14The first group goes into the reactor.
11:16Captain Zateyev starts his stopwatch.
11:18They start cutting a hole in the air vent valve.
11:24The pipe is thick.
11:26The components around the nuclear reactor are all designed for safety.
11:30The first group stumbles out.
11:33They vomit over the submarine floor.
11:35Radiation is already burning their skin.
11:38Get them to the medbay, Zateyev orders.
11:42Next group get ready.
11:43Inside, they have created a hole in the air vent valve.
11:47But it's not big enough yet.
11:49The second man is cutting the water pipe from the wall.
11:52Two more rotations fly by.
11:54The vent is finally big enough for welding to begin.
11:57But it's taken longer than expected.
12:04The men have just 75 minutes before the reactor will explode.
12:08They are running behind schedule.
12:10After connecting the water pipe to the air vent valve, they start welding them together.
12:1645 minutes pass, and another four rotations.
12:19The weld is getting closer to completion.
12:22They might just do it.
12:24There's hope.
12:25We have a problem, Captain.
12:27Korchulov says.
12:29There's little ventilation, and moisture is forming.
12:32Condensation is making it harder for us to weld.
12:35We risk making a weak bond that could easily break.
12:37A solution must be found.
12:40Or time will run out.
12:46The next team swaps in, carrying torn clothes and towels.
12:50This will hopefully keep the surface dry enough to create a strong weld.
12:55While Evgeny exits, he falls to the ground and vomits, spitting blood.
12:59His organs are failing.
13:01He doesn't have long left.
13:02The final group rushes in.
13:15The weld connecting the drinking water to the air vent valve is complete.
13:19The pair exit the reactor.
13:21But has it worked?
13:22The only thing left to do is wait.
13:26To see if the weld holds.
13:29Korchulov and the others are taken straight to the med bay.
13:32His face is blistered, and the skin is peeling off.
13:36Here they have tools.
13:37However, nothing can stop this intense level of radiation.
13:42The doctor gives him morphine and a picture of his wife.
13:45Nothing is stronger than the weld to survive.
13:47In the reactor room, a shout breaks out.
13:55Then another.
13:56It's cooling.
13:58Captain Zetayev rushes to the control room to see if the error lights have gone.
14:02They're still on.
14:08They have done it.
14:10Against all odds.
14:11But at what cost?
14:14They saved 131 lives.
14:16They stopped a nuclear war.
14:18But they couldn't save themselves.
14:20Exposure to 400 Rintgen can be fatal.
14:24Korchulov and the other engineers endured 5,400.
14:27More than 13 times the lethal limit.
14:30Several engineers lost all their skin and hair.
14:33While others were too weak to stand by day two.
14:37All eight men died within days.
14:38Even the crew who did not go into the reactors suffered the radiation with 14 more deaths within the next two years.
14:48At the height of the Cold War, a disaster like the K-19 would damage the Soviet image.
14:53So, the cover-up began.
14:56Families were given vague or false explanations.
14:59Medical reports were sealed.
15:01Survivors were ordered to stay silent with threats of prison for speaking out.
15:05The men who saved their ship and possibly the world erased from history.
15:10For decades, the story remained hidden.
15:13Only in the 1990s did survivors begin to speak.
15:17In 2006, the crew finally received medals for their bravery.
15:22They were never meant to be remembered.
15:24But now, they are.
15:25Not just as sailors, but as heroes who gave their lives to stop a catastrophe the world never even knew had narrowly escaped.
15:33Remember to sign up to play War Thunder for free, and claim your exclusive bonuses with the links in the comments section below.
15:43I'm up.
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