And the person who likely did more than anyone else to prevent that dangerous day from becoming an existential catastrophe was a quiet Soviet naval officer named Vasili Arkhipov. To receive the latest in style, watches, cars and luxury news, plus receive great offers from the worlds greatest brands every Friday. Vasily Aleksandrovich Arkhipov. Already at 19 years of age Vasili Arkhipov was fighting in the war against Japan. After weeks of U.S. intelligence gathering that pointed toward a Soviet arms buildup in Cuba, the inciting incident came on Oct. 14 when an American spy plane flying over the island photographed missile sites under construction. And its officers had permission from their superiors to launch it without confirmation from Moscow. Homo sapiens have existed on the planet for about 300,000 years, or more than 109 million days. The nuclear torpedo armed submarine he was a crew member of came under depth charge attack from the U.S. Navy. Commander Nikolai Shumkov commanded the K-19s maiden voyage, and his task was to test a torpedo fitted with a nuclear warhead. The K-19 finally made it to another Soviet submarine and its crew was evacuated. The situation then became even hotter. If you experience a barrier that affects your ability to access content on this page, let us know via ourContact form. Whatever reasons the Soviets and Cubans had, the Americans now needed to deal with this tremendous perceived threat to their national security. On October 27, the Russian sub B-59, which had been running submerged for days, was cornered by 11 US destroyers and the aircraft carrier USS Randolph. Google Analytics knnen Sie hier deaktivieren. My fathers decision is a sign of his strength, not his weakness! Support our mission, and make a gift today. In reaction to the bombardment of the U.S. Navy, two of the three officers in command of the Soviet B-59 submarine decided to launch a nuclear torpedo. Arkhipov was promoted to vice admiral in 1981 and retired in the mid-1980s. In 2002, during a conference dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the Cuban missile crisis, intelligence officer Vadim Orlov revealed details of those events, including how close the world came to a nuclear holocaust and Arkhipovs role in preventing it. Unknown to the world, Russian officer Vasili Arkhipov single-handedly averted nuclear war at the height of the Cuban missile crisis The world only found out about Arkhipov's heroics 50 years later . Suite 701, Gelman Library The National Security Archive is committed to digital accessibility. A BIOGRAPHY OF THE MAN WHO STOPPED WORLD WAR III. Now, 55 years after he averted nuclear war and 19 years after his death, Arkhipov is to be honoured, with his family the first recipients of a new award. THE STORY OF AN IMPORTANT INCIDENT IN HUMAN HISTORY. The second captain, Ivan Maslennikov, approved the strike. Details of "B-59 incident" seeped out like myths: a sailor's letter home, an interview, a reunion, a document declassification, a poke and a prod. Arkhipov was right. Vasili Arkhipov, who family will receive the posthumous award on his behalf. Through a series of tense negotiations over the coming days, the Americans and the Soviets worked out a deal to end the conflict. When detected, Americans were horrified to find that their key cities could be taken out in a Soviet first-strike attack. As flotilla commander and second-in . She was his lifelong guardian angel! He had passed away four years earlier, in 1998. That close call sobered both leaders, leading them to open back-channel negotiations that eventually led to a withdrawal of Soviet missiles in Cuba, a later pullback of US missiles in Turkey in response, and the end of the closest the world has yet come to total nuclear war. On 27 October 1962, Vasili Alexandrovich Arkhipov was on board the Soviet submarine B-59 near Cuba when the US forces began dropping non-lethal depth charges. All rights reserved. My mother always protected him with her love. And the most dangerous day in human history may well have been one of our last. Arkhipov continued his naval service, reaching the rank of vice admiral in 1981. 16 December] 1906 - 13 June 1985) was an officer in the tank troops of the Red Army who was twice awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union for his actions in the Winter War and World War II. "[14][15], Immediately upon return to Russia, many crew members were faced with disgrace from their superiors. B-59 hadnt received that message as they were too deep to pick up radio signals. Such an attack likely would have caused a major global thermonuclear response. In this same interview, Olga alluded to her husband's possible superstitious beliefs as well. President John F. Kennedy had ordered what he called a quarantine of Cuba, stationing a flotilla of naval ships off the coast of the island to prevent Soviet ships from carrying weapons to Cuba and demanding that the USSR remove the missiles. To the most powerful leaders in the world I want to say: Stop the nuclear arms race! Vasili Alexandrovich Arkhipov (Russian ) IPA vsilj lksandrvt arxipf (30 January 1926 19 August 1998) was a Soviet Navy officer credited with casting the single vote that prevented a Soviet nuclear strike (and, presumably, allout nuclear war) during . He retired in the mid-1980s and died in 1999. Two years later he graduated from the Caspian Higher Naval School, serving in the Black Sea and Baltic submarine fleets - just in time for the start of the Cold War, which would stay with him for the rest of his service. The sub was running out of energy and air, and to recharge it needed to surface, but the crew didnt know if American ships would attack or not. Vasily Arkhipov, an officer who prevented nuclear confrontation during Cuban missile crisis. The Man Who Saved the World: With Jay O. Sanders, Viktor Mikhailov, Olga Arkhipova, Andy Bradick. B-59 surfaced, demanding the American ships to stop their provocations. Vasili Arkhipov, a senior officer on a Soviet submarine, refused to launch a nuclear torpedo in October 1962 perhaps preventing WWIII President John F. Kennedy ordered the U.S. Navy to blockade Cuba, and Nikita Khrushchev reacted by sending four diesel-powered Foxtrot submarines, each equipped with a nuclear torpedo, to Cubas waters. : Vasili Alexandrovich Arkhipov, : , 1926130 - 1998819 . He then presented the Soviets with an ultimatum, demanding that they remove the nuclear missiles from Cuba. Oops. They set out on October 1, 1962, and returned at the beginning of December 1962. The torpedo was never fired. [11] According to author Edward Wilson, the reputation Arkhipov had gained from his courageous conduct in the previous year's K-19 incident played a large role in the debate to launch the torpedo. During World War two he served on a minesweeper fighting against the Japanese in the Pacific and after attending the Caspian Higher Naval School from . During the Cuban Missile Crisis a false alarm of nuclear war almost made a Soviet nuclear submarine near the U.S launch it's nukes. It is clear that he is very unhappy about journalist Alexander Mozgovoy's revelation (based on Vadim Orlov's account) of the near-use of the nuclear torpedo, which he sees as part of the plot to "denigrate and defame prominent Soviet military and . Historians posted . While the action was designed to . This presentation is the only known public statement by Vasily Arkhipov about the events on submarine B-59 during the Cuban Missile Crisis. The three officers who were authorized to launch this torpedo, which included Arkhipov, the captain, and the vessels political officer, Ivan Semonovich Maslennikov, quickly reviewed their options. Trapped in the sweltering submarine the air-conditioning was no longer working the crew feared death. This presentation is the only known public statement by Vasily Arkhipov about the events on submarine B-59 during the Cuban Missile Crisis. According to a report from the US National Security Archive, Savitsky exclaimed: Were gonna blast them now! One of the American spy plane images photographs missile sites in Cuba that helped instigate the crisis. This website uses cookies. At a time when the U.S. and the Soviets were locked in a costly arms race, the K-19 was a new vessel the Soviets hoped would provide them with the ability to launch their missiles at their Cold War rival. Had it been launched, the Guardian wrote, the fate of the world would have been very different: the attack would probably have started a nuclear war which would have caused global devastation, with unimaginable numbers of civilian deaths.. The US Navy ships began dropping depth charges around the submarine, called the B-59, rocking it violently from side to side. The detonation of this weapon formed a huge plume of radioactive water from its detonation force of some 4.8 kilotonnes. He was invited to speak at the scientific-practical conference 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis: The Strategic Military Operation Anadyr. As I already mentioned at the beginning, my father was also able to demonstrate precisely these character traits during the accident aboard the K-19 submarine during the Polar Circle exercise. The 139-man-strong crew among whom was my father prevented an ecological catastrophe of unimaginable magnitude and saved the world from nuclear disaster. While accounts differ about what went on on board the B-59, it is clear that Arkhipov and the crew operated under conditions of extreme tension and physical hardship. For world peace! One admiral told them "It would have been better if you'd gone down with your ship." So this guy is the only reason why all of us are still alive today Vasili Arkhipov. American warships that had heard the subs desperate short-range distress calls came to the area and offered assistance. Somehow keeping a level head in the midst of chaos, Arkhipov reportedly managed to convince Savitsky that the Americans were not actually attacking them and that they were only firing depth charges in order to get the Soviets attention and merely draw them to the surface. In 1961, Arkhipov served on K-19, a nuclear submarine infamous among Soviet officers for its breakdowns and accidents it even had the nickname, Hiroshima. In July 1961, K-19 was conducting exercises in the North Atlantic when its reactor broke down, losing coolant. Moreover, I was still small at the time and I practically never saw my father. But there was an important caveat: all three senior officers on board had to agree to deploy the weapon. We will die, but we will sink them all we will not become the shame of the fleet.. Namun, perwira bernama Vasili Arkhipov . That doesnt make it true. Conditions inside the submarines were terrible. He had previously experienced very hard times. On October 27, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the crew of B-59 became alarmed when U.S. Navy destroyers began dropping depth charges. He was promoted to rear admiral in 1975, and became head of the Kirov Naval Academy. We will die, but we will sink them all we will not become the shame of the fleet.. 35+ YEARS OF FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACTION, The Underwater Cuban Missile Crisis at 60, FOIA Advisory Committee Oversight Reports. When he was home he would return very late, and then hed leave the house very early again the next morning in his military capacity. Vasili Arkhipov was born on January 30, 1926, to a peasant family in Staraya Kupavna - a small town on the outskirts of Moscow. Today three sailors fainted from overheating again The regeneration of air works poorly, the carbon dioxide content [is] rising, and the electric power reserves are dropping. Online. He joined the Soviet navy at 16 and attended the Pacific Higher Naval School. In July 1961, Arkhipov was appointed deputy commander and therefore executive officer of the new Hotel-class ballistic missile submarine K-19. Arkhipov was known to be a shy and humble man. Konflik memuncak pada 27 Oktober 1962, ketika kapal selam Soviet B-59 berniat menghancurkan kapal musuh pakai torpedo nuklir dari kedalaman Samudra Atlantik. [11] It surfaced amid the US warships pursuing it and made contact with a US destroyer. Arkhipov eventually persuaded Savitsky to surface the submarine and await orders from Moscow. The long-range radio had also been disabled during another incident, rendering the sub unable to contact its HQ in Moscow. Vasili Arkhipov (1960's). Gentlemen's Journal is happy to partner with The Princes Trust RISE campaign, which is working to create a network of young adults aged between 21-45, who are passionate about social mobility. They then dove deep to conceal their presence after being spotted by the Americans and were thus cut off from communication with the surface. Fleet chief of staff Vasili Arkhipov was aboard B-59. My father was the conscience of our homeland. Russia was never an aggressor and never will be. He lay in a Navy hospital in Leningrad, having survived the events unhurt. The radiation level jumped dangerously; many crew members and officers were in panic, and tried to riot. It is fitting to begin three years after Mr. Arkhipov's death. We should not destroy this life. Loved it, even more, when I won a flagship phone from Huawei last May. Were gonna blast them now!, Savitsky reportedly said. He convinced the subs top officers that the depth charges were indeed meant to signal B-59 to surface there was no other way for the US ships to communicate with the Soviet sub and that launching the nuclear torpedo would be a fatal mistake. He rose to the rank of colonel general during the Cold War. Who? a report from the US National Security Archive, Nobel peace prize-winning organisation, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, all states must urgently join the treaty on the prohibition of nuclear weapons. Moderate. Vasili Arkhipov was aboard the B-59 Soviet submarine when an American destroyer, the USS Beale began to drop depth charges. It is with this in mind, Gentlemen, that we introduce you to our new contributor, Donough OBrien, who will be imparting his wisdom on obscure and unknown Gentlemen from throughout history withextractsfrom his book Who? The most remarkable people youve never heard of. After discussions with the ship, B-59 was then ordered by the Russian fleet to set course back to the Soviet Union. [26] Leon Ockenden portrayed Arkhipov in Season 12 Episode 1 of Secrets of the Dead, titled "The Man Who Saved the World". The George Washington University The true story of Russian naval officer Vasili Arkhipov who stopped a nuclear firestorm and saved the United States, and the world. That was 1945 and my father was deputy commander of Military Brigade 1. Soviet Naval officer Vasili Arkhipov, 34, was one of the three commanders aboard the B-59 submarine near Cuba on Oct. 27. Circa Oct. 28-29, 1962. But he may well be, as FLI president Max Tegmark said at the award ceremony, arguably the most important person in modern history.. Fifty years ago, Arkhipov, a senior officer on the Soviet B-59 submarine, refused permission to launch its nuclear torpedo. He acted like a man who knew what kind of disasters can come from radiation, she said. That gave the commander of the submarine task force, Vasili Arkhipov, who was behind him, the chance to countermand the order. It seemed like youre sitting in an iron barrel and someone is hitting it with a sledgehammer Vadim Orlov, who was on B-59 as an intelligence officer, recalled later. Vasili Arkhipov was a Soviet naval officer who, upon making a split second decision, prevented the Cuban Missile Crisis from escalating into a nuclear war. Beatrice Fihn, executive director of the Nobel peace prize-winning organisation, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, said Arkhipovs actions were a reminder of how the world had teetered on the brink of disaster. Arkhipov was a Soviet submarine officer. A midshipman stood there with my fathers uniform jacket a warm leather military jacket that was lined with fur. EZ2 RESULT Today, Sunday, February 19, 2023. While politici. The K-19 was then towed home. The U.S. demanded the removal of Soviet nuclear missiles from Cuba, while Moscow insisted that Washington should first remove its missiles from Turkey. But the sub had a weapon at its disposal that US officers didnt know about: a 10-kiloton nuclear torpedo. Only years later did other officers reveal what went on in those few frightening moments. For his courage, Arkhipov was the first person to be given the Future of Life award by the Cambridge-based existential risk nonprofit the Future of Life Institute (FLI), in 2017. Vasili Arkhipov is arguably the most important person in modern history, thanks to whom October 27, 2017 isn't the 55th anniversary of WWIII. Elena Andriukova: Thats right, my father spoke in public about the events aboard the B-59 for the first time on October 14, 1997, at the Institute of Military History of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. Schreiben Sie uns hier sicher und mit automatischer Ende-zu-Ende-Verschlsselung. Dia dilatih di Sekolah Tinggi Angkatan Laut Pasifik dan berpartisipasi dalam Perang Soviet-Jepang pada bulan Agustus 1945, yang saat itu dia bertugas di . In 1947, he graduated from the Caspian . In 1961, he became deputy commander of the new Hotel-class missile submarine K-19. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. With tensions running high (and the air conditioning out), the conditions inside the sub had begun to deteriorate quickly as the crew grew ever more fearful. The captain and the political officer were in favor of firing. Unraveling The Deadly Legend Of The Pacific's Own Bermuda Triangle, Fatal Hit-And-Run Driver Arrested After Blatantly Admitting Guilt In Local News Interview, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. Soviet Navy officer Vasili Arkhipov, 1955. In 2002, Thomas S. Blanton, then director of the U.S. National Security Archive, credited Arkhipov as "the man who saved the world". Arkhipov was a Soviet hero, and an unsung hero to other nations as well. Born in 1926, Arkhipov saw action as a minesweeper during the Soviet-Japanese war in August 1945. Soviet naval officer Vasili Arkhipov (1926-1998) was second in command of the Soviet nuclear submarine B-59 during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. . Peta Stamper. By Oct. 28, the Americans had agreed to remove their missiles from Turkey and the Soviets had agreed to remove their missiles from Cuba. [23], The character of Captain Mikhail Polenin, portrayed by Liam Neeson, in the 2002 film K-19: The Widowmaker was closely based on Arkhipov's tenure on Soviet submarine K-19. The prior year, Arkhipov was deputy commander of the new Hotel-class ballistic missile submarine K-19, where he survived the radiation spread throughout the ship due to the jury-rigged cooling water system that successfully reduced the temperature in the reactor after the primary coolant system developed a major leak.He then helped to quell a potential mutiny, backing Captain First Rank . Here is the story and biography of the Soviet Naval Officer who saved the world from nuclear war during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crises between the US and the Soviet Union. My father was deputy commander under the command of Nikolai Zateyev. Elena Andriukova: Thank you very much for not forgetting the events or my father. In the conning tower were the Captain Valentin Savitsky and Vasili Arkhipov, of equal rank, but crucially, also the Flotilla Commander. It was posthumous Arkhipov died in 1998, before the news of his actions was widely known. They had a daughter named Yelena. Arkhipov gives his audience a hypothetical: the commander could have instinctively, without contemplation ordered an emergency dive; then after submerging, the question whether the plane was shooting at the submarine or around it would not have come up in anybodys head. Vasili Arkhipov was a Soviet Navy officer who is credited for 'saving the world' from a nuclear war by casting the decisive vote that prevented a Soviet nuclear strike on U.S. aircraft carrier USS Randolph during the Cuban Missile Crisis. How, during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, a Soviet submarine fleet commander and K-19 survivor, Vasili Arkhipov, kept his cool under enormous pressure and prevented his men from starting WWIII after being surrounded by the US fleet. He did his part for the future so that everyone can live on our planet.. In accordance with our guiding principle Sign for Peace and Security! we want to take a stand on the issue of protecting and strengthening peace, security and stability. By Gabriela Rivas. WHAT IS VASILI ARKHIPOV FAMOUS FOR? [2] After a few days of conducting exercises off the south-east coast of Greenland, the submarine developed an extreme leak in its reactor coolant system. Easy. As a result, the situation in the control room played out very differently. Two of the vessels senior officers including the captain, Valentin Savitsky wanted to launch the missile. All members of the engineer crew and their divisional officer died within a month due to the high levels of radiation they were exposed to. Only Vasili Arkhipov, Chief of Staff of the 69th Submarine Brigade of the Northern Fleet, hesitated, before taking probably the most difficult and momentous decision of his life: On October 27, 1962, he refused to press the red button, thereby preventing a nuclear chain reaction leading to all-out nuclear war. To close I would like to add a few words: The history of the Russian State demonstrates the peaceful nature of our people. Vasili Arkhipov and wife Olga Arkhipova. It felt like you were sitting in a metal barrel, which somebody is constantly blasting with a sledgehammer.. No, not at all really. Historians posted . This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. He is considered to be a world hero who is credited with casting the single vote that prevented a Soviet nuclear strike, which would have caused a major global thermonuclear response and most likely destroyed much of the world. Savitsky was one of the Soviet commanders above Vasili in the Soviet Navy,and who ordered the launch of the missile to the Americas during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Vasili Arkhipov lahir pada tanggal 30 Januari 1926 dalam keluarga petani sederhana di kota Staraya Kupavna, dekat Moskow.