{"id":207748,"date":"2024-11-03T13:46:10","date_gmt":"2024-11-03T19:46:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/?p=207748"},"modified":"2026-02-27T09:25:05","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T15:25:05","slug":"vasili-arkhipov-the-most-dangerous-day-in-human-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/vasili-arkhipov-the-most-dangerous-day-in-human-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Vasili Arkhipov and the Most Dangerous Day in Human History"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-estimated-reading-time yoast-reading-time__wrapper\"><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__icon\"><svg aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" data-icon=\"clock\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" style=\"display:inline-block;vertical-align:-0.1em\" role=\"img\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path stroke-linecap=\"round\" stroke-linejoin=\"round\" stroke-width=\"2\" d=\"M12 8v4l3 3m6-3a9 9 0 11-18 0 9 9 0 0118 0z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__spacer\" style=\"display:inline-block;width:1em\"><\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__descriptive-text\">Estimated reading time: <\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__reading-time\">12<\/span><span class=\"yoast-reading-time__time-unit\"> minutes<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m hardly a prophet in the same league as Elijah, Jeremiah, or Nostradamus, but I would like to hazard a prediction. I\u2019m 58 years old. I would opine that, before the terminus of my natural life, we will all see a video of a mushroom cloud some poor schmuck shot on his cell phone plastered across Fox News. Considering the unvarnished lunatics with whom we share the planet, I just think this it is inevitable. On one of the most dangerous days in human history, the steadfast Vasili Arkhipov defused an imminent nuclear showdown during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Arkhipov postponed that mushroom cloud for another day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><h2>Table of contents<\/h2><ul><li><a href=\"#h-let-s-not-forget-our-nuclear-past\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"vasili-arkhipov-the-most-dangerous-day-in-human-history\" title=\"Vasili Arkhipov and the Most Dangerous Day in Human History\" data-level=\"2\">Let&#8217;s Not Forget Our Nuclear Past<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-where-vasili-was-that-day\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"vasili-arkhipov-the-most-dangerous-day-in-human-history\" title=\"Vasili Arkhipov and the Most Dangerous Day in Human History\" data-level=\"2\">Where Vasili Was That Day<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-the-best-laid-plans\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"vasili-arkhipov-the-most-dangerous-day-in-human-history\" title=\"Vasili Arkhipov and the Most Dangerous Day in Human History\" data-level=\"2\">The Best-Laid Plans<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-things-get-real-for-vasili\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"vasili-arkhipov-the-most-dangerous-day-in-human-history\" title=\"Vasili Arkhipov and the Most Dangerous Day in Human History\" data-level=\"2\">Things Get Real For Vasili<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-the-cold-war-gets-hot\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"vasili-arkhipov-the-most-dangerous-day-in-human-history\" title=\"Vasili Arkhipov and the Most Dangerous Day in Human History\" data-level=\"2\">The Cold War Gets Hot<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-order-of-battle\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"vasili-arkhipov-the-most-dangerous-day-in-human-history\" title=\"Vasili Arkhipov and the Most Dangerous Day in Human History\" data-level=\"2\">Order of Battle<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-over-the-edge\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"vasili-arkhipov-the-most-dangerous-day-in-human-history\" title=\"Vasili Arkhipov and the Most Dangerous Day in Human History\" data-level=\"2\">Over the Edge<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-vasili-taps-the-brakes\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"vasili-arkhipov-the-most-dangerous-day-in-human-history\" title=\"Vasili Arkhipov and the Most Dangerous Day in Human History\" data-level=\"2\">Vasili Taps the Brakes<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-fallout-for-vasili\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"vasili-arkhipov-the-most-dangerous-day-in-human-history\" title=\"Vasili Arkhipov and the Most Dangerous Day in Human History\" data-level=\"2\">Fallout for Vasili<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"492\" height=\"704\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Vasili-Arkhipov-Young.jpg\" alt=\"Vasili Arkhipov black and white image\" class=\"wp-image-207754\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Vasili-Arkhipov-Young.jpg 492w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Vasili-Arkhipov-Young-210x300.jpg 210w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Vasili-Arkhipov-Young-105x150.jpg 105w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 492px) 100vw, 492px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This dapper lad is Vasili Arkhipov. He could legitimately say that he singlehandedly saved the <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/petty-officer-michael-thornton-quite-possibly-the-baddest-man-in-the-entire-world\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"vasili-arkhipov-the-most-dangerous-day-in-human-history\" title=\"Vasili Arkhipov and the Most Dangerous Day in Human History\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"3752\">entire world<\/a>. (Photo\/Public domain)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-let-s-not-forget-our-nuclear-past\">Let&#8217;s Not Forget Our Nuclear Past<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s just been too long. I think the world has, tragically, forgotten how horrible nuclear weapons are. Quite soon there will be no one left alive who was an adult in August of 1945 when last we touched one of these bad boys off for real. With distance comes a certain inevitable blissful ignorance. Combine that with the current sordid state of nuclear proliferation and you have the recipe for disaster.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"728\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-06-at-10.12.47\u202fPM-728x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Vladimir Putin\" class=\"wp-image-207757\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-06-at-10.12.47\u202fPM-728x1024.jpg 728w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-06-at-10.12.47\u202fPM-213x300.jpg 213w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-06-at-10.12.47\u202fPM-107x150.jpg 107w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-06-at-10.12.47\u202fPM-768x1081.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-06-at-10.12.47\u202fPM.jpg 924w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 728px) 100vw, 728px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">I had never noticed it before, but Vladimir Putin&#8217;s head looks a bit like a gourd. (Photo\/www.kremlin.ru)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Vladimir Putin has turned out to be positively Hitlerian. The Internet claims that the Iranians are two weeks away from the bomb. Their challenge is finding a way to get the thing to Israel. Every time they get frisky and start lobbing missiles, the Israelis shoot them all down and make the Iranian mullahs look like impotent rubes. Of course, that could all change with a headline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And then there\u2019s whatever Kim Jong Un is. That guy wouldn\u2019t know reality if it fell out of space and struck him on the head. Google claims the North Koreans have around fifty operational warheads with the capacity to build a further half dozen per year. I\u2019d honestly sooner they be left in the care of a typical hyperactive third-grader than that nutjob.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As unsettling as all that is, there was a time when things were markedly scarier. On 27 October 1962, the entire world tried desperately to immolate itself. The actions of a single man, the second-in-command of Soviet submarine B-59, stayed the Devil\u2019s hand. Every last one of us owes our way of life to that young stud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-where-vasili-was-that-day\">Where Vasili Was That Day<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The Cuban Missile Crisis has been exhaustively documented by much more adroit wordsmiths than I. Today the Russians call it the Caribbean Crisis. No matter what title you give it, however, it is shocking to appreciate with the benefit of hindsight how close the world actually came to dying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Soviet plan was audacious. Had they pulled it off, they would have irrevocably shifted the balance of power. They christened it Operation Anadyr. Anadyr is the name of a Russian town, the capital of Chukot Autonomous Okrug.<br \/><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1019\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-06-at-10.14.48\u202fPM-1024x1019.jpg\" alt=\"map of Cuban Missile Crisis\" class=\"wp-image-207759\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-06-at-10.14.48\u202fPM-1024x1019.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-06-at-10.14.48\u202fPM-301x300.jpg 301w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-06-at-10.14.48\u202fPM-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-06-at-10.14.48\u202fPM-768x764.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Screenshot-2024-10-06-at-10.14.48\u202fPM.jpg 1310w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Had the Russians successfully deployed their ordnance on the island of Cuba, most of the continental United States would have been short minutes away from nuclear devastation. (Photo\/Public domain)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Operation Anadyr involved the covert installation of some 100 tactical nuclear weapons, a further 60 intermediate-range ballistic missiles, and nearly 40,000 combat troops onto the island of Cuba. They also planned to establish a thriving Soviet submarine base at Mariel Bay. They nearly pulled it off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cuba is a mere 90 miles from the US at its closest point. The tactical nukes were to be used to defend the island in the event of an amphibious assault. The ballistic missiles were all topped with megaton-range thermonuclear warheads. These were city killers that could have been deposited onto American population centers with minimal warning. The soldiers were there for Lord-knows-what. I wouldn\u2019t put it past them to have been considering landing those guys in Miami.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Forget for a moment that touching off 100 tactical nukes in the defense of Cuba would have rendered Cuba pretty not awesome. This plan would have also placed all of North America in a nuclear stranglehold. JFK was having none of that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-best-laid-plans\">The Best-Laid Plans<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"678\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Foxtrot-Class-Submarine-1024x678.jpg\" alt=\"WW2 Russian Foxtrot-class submarine above water\" class=\"wp-image-207774\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Foxtrot-Class-Submarine-1024x678.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Foxtrot-Class-Submarine-400x265.jpg 400w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Foxtrot-Class-Submarine-150x99.jpg 150w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Foxtrot-Class-Submarine-768x508.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Foxtrot-Class-Submarine-1536x1017.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Foxtrot-Class-Submarine-2048x1356.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Russian Foxtrot-class patrol submarine was an advanced diesel-electric boat that used many WW2-era design features. (Photo\/Public domain)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>A small part of Operation Anadyr entailed the deployment of four diesel-electric Foxtrot-class submarines of the 69th&nbsp;Submarine Torpedo Brigade from Sayda Bay destined for Cuba. Each of these boats was equipped with 21 conventional war shot torpedoes along with a single T-5 fish topped with a 10-kiloton nuclear warhead. In the event of an actual shooting war, the Soviet sub-commanders were trained to lead with the nuke. These monsters were the sort that would gobble up an entire carrier battle group in a huge bubble of nuclear fire.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not much went according to plan. The Brigade commander suffered some sort of medical event and had to be replaced right before the four boats sortied. Regardless, on the morning of 1 October, the subs&#8211;B-59,&nbsp;B-36,&nbsp;B-130, and&nbsp;B-4\u2014all chugged out into the North Sea at half-hour intervals. The entirety of NATO\u2019s antisubmarine force was anxiously awaiting them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-things-get-real-for-vasili\">Things Get Real For Vasili<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"681\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/ASW-Helicopter-1024x681.jpg\" alt=\"Anti submarine warfare helicopter flying above water\" class=\"wp-image-207775\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/ASW-Helicopter-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/ASW-Helicopter-400x266.jpg 400w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/ASW-Helicopter-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/ASW-Helicopter-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/ASW-Helicopter-1536x1022.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/ASW-Helicopter.jpg 1948w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">ASW (Anti-Submarine Warfare) helicopters like this one carried remote dipping sonars that could be deployed where needed to track Soviet submarines. (Photo\/Public domain)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The West had invested tremendous time and treasure in antisubmarine operations. The SOSUS (Sound Surveillance System) on the seabed heard the stealthy boats creeping by. In response, NATO forces deployed sonar-dipping helicopters, dedicated anti-submarine aircraft, covert intelligence vessels, and gobs of conventional surface warships. The only way for these Russian subs to advance undetected was to either remain submerged or surface during rough weather. Given the submarine technology of the day, neither option was terribly appealing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Russian skippers\u2019 orders were intentionally scant. The whole world was on the brink of nuclear annihilation, and they were given a fair amount of latitude in how they executed their mission. However, that relative paucity of information fomented a certain paranoia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Eventually, they lost comms with their higher command altogether. To make things worse, Hurricane Ella had set up shop between New York and Bermuda. The resulting battering left several crewmembers with broken ribs, scattered the pursuing warships, and significantly damaged three of the four Russian subs. It also left all the crews in a bit of an agitated state. Only B-59 came through the other side relatively unscathed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-cold-war-gets-hot\">The Cold War Gets Hot<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"390\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Cuban-Jungle-1024x390.jpg\" alt=\"Cuban landscape with mountains, clouds, and blue sky\" class=\"wp-image-207776\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Cuban-Jungle-1024x390.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Cuban-Jungle-400x152.jpg 400w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Cuban-Jungle-150x57.jpg 150w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Cuban-Jungle-768x292.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Cuban-Jungle-1536x585.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Cuban-Jungle-2048x779.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Cuba enjoys a balmy Caribbean climate. That&#8217;s great for a holiday on the beach. It was hellish in a poorly ventilated submarine bereft of drinking water. (Photo\/Wikipedia, by \u00d3\u00f0inn)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>These submarines were designed for quiet operation in arctic areas. Once B-59 got down around Cuban latitudes, they were sweltering. Interior temperatures ranged between 113 to 149 degrees, and the refrigerators failed. More importantly, the desalination equipment burned out, so each crew member was held to a cup of fresh water per day. In such a ghastly environment, this was simply inadequate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Protracted heat exposure, chronic dehydration, and the stress of being pursued by dozens of potentially hostile warships eventually took their toll. Fully five aircraft carriers and their support ships ran hither and yon looking for the squirter submarine. Then on 22 October 1962, the crew of B-59 heard President Kennedy\u2019s defiant speech broadcast in the clear over the radio. English speakers onboard the boat translated the bellicose words. B-59\u2019s skipper felt that war was mere moments away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-order-of-battle\">Order of Battle<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"779\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Nuclear-Bomb-1024x779.jpg\" alt=\"Nuclear Cloud in an orange sky above clouds\" class=\"wp-image-207778\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Nuclear-Bomb-1024x779.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Nuclear-Bomb-394x300.jpg 394w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Nuclear-Bomb-150x114.jpg 150w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Nuclear-Bomb-768x584.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Nuclear-Bomb-1536x1169.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Nuclear-Bomb.jpg 1664w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">In a simply insane demonstration of nuclear brinkmanship, the US and the USSR touched off three of these monsters in a single day. (Photo\/Public domain)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The aft hatch on B-4 was damaged in the storm so she could not submerge for long periods. B-36 was leaking as well. Three of the big diesels powering B-130 had sustained damage in the chaos of the hurricane. B-59\u2019s sundry mechanical failures had left it operational but insufferably hot. On 27 October, an antisubmarine airplane got a fix on B-59 and called in the cavalry. Mankind nearly packed it in on this day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Both sides bluffed the other. On that one day, we conducted two simultaneous nuclear tests, one in Nevada and the other on Johnston Atoll in the Pacific. The Soviets countered with a 262-kiloton aerial bomb delivered over their arctic test site. We readied some 3,000 operational nuclear devices for deployment against Soviet military and <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/utm-civilian-target-ammunition-the-indoor-training-alternative\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"vasili-arkhipov-the-most-dangerous-day-in-human-history\" title=\"Vasili Arkhipov and the Most Dangerous Day in Human History\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"3754\">civilian targets<\/a>. The CIA reported five ballistic missile sites operational on the island of Cuba. Then, Russian missile crews pulverized a U-2 spy plane flying at 70,000 feet over Cuban airspace, killing the pilot. Things were as bad as they could get short of all-out war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-over-the-edge\">Over the Edge<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"953\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Depth-Charge-953x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Black and white image of depth charges near a war ship\" class=\"wp-image-207779\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Depth-Charge-953x1024.jpg 953w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Depth-Charge-279x300.jpg 279w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Depth-Charge-140x150.jpg 140w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Depth-Charge-768x825.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Depth-Charge.jpg 1208w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 953px) 100vw, 953px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Depth charges are proven anti-submarine weapons. From Captain Savitsky&#8217;s perspective, he couldn&#8217;t tell if the weapons exploding around him were training rounds or war shots. (Photo\/Public domain)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>With all of this as a backdrop, the pursuing US vessels began dropping sounding charges in the water to help locate the Russian sub and force it to the surface. From a distance, these seemed like depth charges. Unable to come up for air without exposing themselves to the pursuing destroyers, the crew of B-59 baked. With only one hour\u2019s worth of battery power remaining, a decision had to be made. In his diminished state and with hostile warships all over the place, the Russian skipper of B-59, Captain Valentin Savitsky, decided to light off his nuke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Savitsky was later quoted as having said, \u201cThe war has already started up there, and we are down here doing somersaults. We\u2019re going to blast them now. We\u2019ll die, but we will sink them all. We won\u2019t disgrace our Navy or shame the fleet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-vasili-taps-the-brakes\">Vasili Taps the Brakes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"702\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Vasili-Arkhipov-Mid-career.jpg\" alt=\"Vasili Arkhipov sepia image\" class=\"wp-image-207753\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Vasili-Arkhipov-Mid-career.jpg 576w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Vasili-Arkhipov-Mid-career-246x300.jpg 246w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Vasili-Arkhipov-Mid-career-123x150.jpg 123w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">It took some pretty serious stones for Vasili Arkhipov to stand up to his Captain in the midst of what they believed to be a shooting war. (Photo\/Public domain)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Savitsky\u2019s second-in-command, Captain Second Rank Vasili Arkhipov, suspected something was amiss. He figured that, were the two superpowers actually at war, they would already be dead. Deploying the nuclear device required the unanimous consent of the Captain, the political officer, Ivan Semyonovich Maslennikov, and the XO, Vasili Arkhipov. Arkhipov adamantly refused. Just like a scene from a movie, he convinced his Captain to fire a single sonar ping before they ended the world.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A lot rode on this. An active sonar ping would invariably betray their location. It would also, however, communicate that they were not necessarily trying all that hard to hide.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"593\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Submarine-B-59-1024x593.jpg\" alt=\"black and white image of a B-59 submarine surfacing\" class=\"wp-image-207750\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Submarine-B-59-1024x593.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Submarine-B-59-400x232.jpg 400w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Submarine-B-59-150x87.jpg 150w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Submarine-B-59-768x445.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Submarine-B-59.jpg 1084w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">This B-59 was forced to the surface by pursuing American warships. In this picture, she carries a single T-5 nuclear torpedo. (Photo\/Public domain)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The skippers of the three pursuing destroyers read the simple signal for what it was and ceased their pursuit. B-59 surfaced amidst a dazzling array of flares, white phosphorus incendiaries, and loud jazz music blaring from one ship\u2019s speakers. One of the ASW airplanes loosed a burst of machinegun fire in the water alongside the surfaced boat. Captain Savitsky flashed, \u201cThis ship belongs to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Halt your provocative actions.\u201d The pursuing American sub-hunters responded with an apology and backed off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-fallout-for-vasili\">Fallout for Vasili<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"595\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/K19-1024x595.jpg\" alt=\"black and white image of k-19 soviet submarine surfacing\" class=\"wp-image-207756\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/K19-1024x595.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/K19-400x232.jpg 400w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/K19-150x87.jpg 150w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/K19-768x446.jpg 768w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/K19.jpg 1202w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A reactor leak onboard the Soviet nuclear submarine K-19 very nearly killed Vasili Arkhipov a year before he got the chance to save the world. (Photo\/Public domain)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Vasili Arkhipov had been onboard the nuclear-powered submarine K-19 the previous year when she had a reactor leak on her maiden voyage that irradiated the entire crew. The engineering watch took the highest dose and all died within thirty days. A further fifteen crew members perished over the next two years.&nbsp;The crew later nicknamed the boat, &#8220;Hiroshima.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>READ MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/marine-mgysgt-john-boitnott-the-apex-predator\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"vasili-arkhipov-the-most-dangerous-day-in-human-history\" title=\"Vasili Arkhipov and the Most Dangerous Day in Human History\">M1C Garand Sniper Rifle &amp; Marine MGySgt John Boitnott<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Had Captain Second Rank Vasili Arkhipov not survived the K-19 accident and subsequently remained steadfast in his convictions, B-59\u2019s nuclear torpedo would have consumed the pursuing battle group and inevitably conflagrated <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/diy-mk-iis-sten-gun-ultimate-vintage-world-war-ii-homebuilt\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"vasili-arkhipov-the-most-dangerous-day-in-human-history\" title=\"Vasili Arkhipov and the Most Dangerous Day in Human History\" data-wpil-monitor-id=\"3751\">World War<\/a> 3. Once B-59 limped back to port, Captain Savitsky disappeared never to be heard from again. Captain Second Rank Vasili Arkhipov simply continued his career. His family later reported that he never spoke of his experience that fateful day in the Sargasso Sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"704\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Vasili-Arkhipov-Old.jpg\" alt=\"black and white image of Vasili arkhipov \" class=\"wp-image-207752\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Vasili-Arkhipov-Old.jpg 512w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Vasili-Arkhipov-Old-218x300.jpg 218w, https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/Vasili-Arkhipov-Old-109x150.jpg 109w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Vasili Arkhipov went on to enjoy quite a successful career in the Soviet Navy.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Arkhipov continued in the Soviet submarine service, eventually rising to the rank of Vice Admiral in 1981. He retired from the Soviet Navy in 1988, settling with his wife Olga in Kupavna outside Moscow. Ten years later he succumbed to kidney cancer, likely stemming from the massive dose of radiation he received during the K-19 incident. Vasili Arkhipov died at age 72 indeed having singlehandedly saved the entire world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\" style=\"font-size:24px\"><strong><em>*** <a href=\"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"clickTracking\" campaign=\"vasili-arkhipov-the-most-dangerous-day-in-human-history\" title=\"Vasili Arkhipov and the Most Dangerous Day in Human History\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Buy and Sell on GunsAmerica!<\/a> ***<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On one of the most dangerous day in US history, Vasili ARkhipov diffused the eminent nuclear attack and saved the world from Soviet missiles and war.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":66,"featured_media":207951,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_specdata_upc":"","_specdata_placement":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4055,772],"tags":[102,636,2746,2836],"featured":[],"hunt365":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-207748","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-other-gear-reviews","8":"category-will-dabbs","9":"tag-feature-articles","10":"tag-history","11":"tag-russia","12":"tag-will-dabbs"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Vasili Arkhipov: The Most Dangerous Day In Human History<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Explore the heroic actions of Vasili Arkhipov, the man who averted a nuclear crisis on one of the most dangerous days in the world.\" 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However, shooting guns and claiming it was work seemed like a pretty sweet hustle. As a result, Will serendipitously transformed an avocation into a vocation. Raised in the Mississippi Delta, Will flew UH1H, OH58A\\\/C, CH47D and AH1S helicopters operationally as an Army Aviator. He is SCUBA-qualified and has parachuted out of perfectly good airplanes at 3 o'clock in the morning. Will has summited Mount McKinley, Alaska, six times\u2026always at the controls of an Army helicopter, which is the only way sensible folk climb mountains. Will has delivered sixty babies and occasionally wrung human blood out of his socks. He is married to his high school sweetheart and has three awesome adult children. Turn-ons include vintage German machineguns, flying his sexy-cool RV6A airplane, Count Chocula cereal and the movie \u201cAliens.\u201d www.word-monkey.com Experience: -Professional Writer-thousands of publishing credits for dozens of titles -Mechanical Engineer\\\/Practicing Physician -Instrument-rated Commercial Pilot -Sunday School Teacher\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/www.word-monkey.com\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/will.dabbs.9\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/drwildmanmd\\\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/gunsamerica.com\\\/digest\\\/author\\\/willdabbs\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Vasili Arkhipov: The Most Dangerous Day In Human History","description":"Explore the heroic actions of Vasili Arkhipov, the man who averted a nuclear crisis on one of the most dangerous days in the 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