The Soviet nuclear submarine K-19, despite its legendary history, risked being scrapped in 2003 if former sailor Vladimir Romanov had not bought it. On his own, he transported the remaining cabin of the submarine from the Murmansk region to the Moscow region, installed it on the banks of the Pyalovsky reservoir, and equipped the memorial.
It is strange, however, that the state did not take up this, because the K-19 is the first Soviet nuclear missile carrier. At the same time, it had the nickname "Hiroshima": the submarine attracted too many troubles
The construction of K-19 began in 1958 and a year later it was launched. When, according to tradition, they wanted to break a bottle of champagne on it, the bottle did not break, which was already considered a bad sign
And just two years later, the right reactor of the submarine crashed, and the crew had to be evacuated due to the deterioration of the radiation situation. And yet, due to strong exposure, 9 people died after a while, while others underwent serious treatment for radiation sickness. The story of this accident was featured in the 2002 American film “K-19: The Widowmaker”.
In 1963, K-19 was repaired, upgraded, and launched again. And in 1969, it collided with the American submarine “USS Gato”, but there were no casualties. There were damages, but the submarine was able to return to base on its own.
In 1972, another disaster overtook K-19 - there was a fire that claimed the lives of 30 sailors. In addition, accidents often occurred on the submarine, so it was not for nothing that it was considered cursed.
In 1979, the missile carrier was converted into a communications boat. In 1990, it was taken out of service already under the name BS-19, and in 2003 they decided to dispose of it - the aforementioned Romanov managed to save only the wheelhouse
Today, the K-19 monument serves as a meeting place for its former submariners and as a memory of all those who died.
