Soviet hero saved the world from nuclear disaster

The world today would be very different without Vasili Arkhipov - a Soviet Navy officer during the Cold War, whose strength and determination saved the world from a terrible nuclear disaster. The world today would be very different without Vasili Arkhipov - a Soviet Navy officer during the Cold War, whose strength and determination saved the world from a terrible nuclear disaster.

Vasily Aleksandrovich Arkhipov (1926-1998)

Cuban Missile Crisis

To understand Arkhipov's actions, it is necessary to go back to 1962, the peak of the Cuban missile crisis. That year could have been humanity's last. Lasting from October 12 to 28, 1962, the crisis was a confrontation between the Soviets and Americans over plans to deploy ballistic missiles in Cuba.
Tensions escalated to the point where the crisis nearly turned the Cold War into a nuclear war. During the Cold War, Cuba was influenced by the United States, but the whole country followed the path of communism under the guidance of leader Fidel Castro and leaned towards the Soviet Union. Relations between Cuba and the United States deteriorated after it was reported that the United States was backing an invasion of Cuba with Cuban exiles in 1961. That same year, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev agreed to secretly name nuclear missile in Cuba, can hit US targets.
In October 1962, an American spy plane discovered these missiles. The US government is angry because it believes security is being seriously threatened. Under pressure from the opposition, US President John Kennedy blockaded Cuba to prevent any future arms shipments. He also demanded that leader Khrushchev remove the weapons installed in Cuba. Tensions escalate, the world moves towards a destructive war. All 42 Soviet missiles are pointing toward the United States. US allies with nuclear weapons such as Türkiye and Italy also threatened to hit Moscow in less than 16 minutes. The Soviet Union did not back down. They have enough nukes to not only destroy most major cities in America, but also enough to destroy all of America's allies. In that context of boiling water, Vasili Arkhipov appeared.

Soviet submarine B-59 after surfacing on October 27, 1962

Silent hero

Arkhipov was on board the Soviet submarine B-59 in the Caribbean when this submarine was discovered by the US Navy in the context of the US blockade of Cuba, not allowing any vehicles to pass through. The US Navy dropped anti-submarine bombs on the left and right sides of the ship's hull. Inside, the ship shook violently after each explosion. What the Americans did not know was that this submarine carried strategic nuclear torpedoes in a state of readiness. Submarine captain Valentin Savitsky was in a state of anxiety, exhaustion, and lack of information during the month-long trip under the sea. He believes that there has been a nuclear war on the ground and is thinking about the possibility of launching torpedoes. According to previous instructions, in case of loss of contact with the ground, the submarine has the right to launch torpedoes carrying nuclear missiles if all three authorized persons on board agree.

The temperature in the submarine reached nearly 38 degrees Celsius. The air conditioning system was broken, but the ship could not surface without being detected. The captain felt that the final moment had come. Vadim Orlov, an intelligence officer on the submarine, recalled: “The Americans used something stronger than grenades to attack us, clearly a submarine bomb. We think that's the end."

For his part, Captain Savitsky decided to launch and ordered the nuclear missile to be ready. The first mate also agreed with Mr. Savitsky's order. Eleven US Navy ships hovering nearby were all possible targets of the missile. The rocket's nucleus has the same power as the American bomb dropped on Hiroshima. The captain shouted: “The war may have already begun up there. We'll explode it right now. We will die but we will sink with everyone. We will not become an embarrassment to the fleet.”

If Captain Savitsky launched a torpedo carrying a nuclear missile, he would vaporize an American destroyer or aircraft carrier. Then the US may respond with nuclear bombs to destroy submarines, triggering a series of developments that will have devastating consequences.

However, that did not happen because of the appearance of Vasili Arkhipov. At that time, this officer was 34 years old, commanded a small flotilla responsible for protecting three Soviet submarines on a secret mission to Cuba and was on the same level as Captain Savitsky. Arkhipov may be one of the most unsung heroes in modern history. On the submarine at that time, besides a political official, Arkhipov was the only person with the right to veto Captain Savitsky's decision. And he vetoed it while the other two both agreed.

According to Arkhipov's explanation, without receiving orders from Moscow, the extreme act of launching nuclear missiles could be disastrous. He wanted to get to the surface and contact Moscow for instructions. Furthermore, the submarine was not in danger because the Americans only dropped bombs on the left and right sides of the ship's hull to send warning signals and to force the ship to surface, not that they attacked the ship. A heated argument happened. However, they eventually came to an agreement. The submarine rose to the surface. The Americans demanded that the submarine return to the Soviet Union. The Soviet submarine agreed and could do nothing else because the ship was having technical problems. Their actions were considered cowardly because they had technically surrendered to the Americans and their actions were ridiculed. It is rumored that a Soviet admiral even told the submarine crew: "It would be better if you went down with the ship." However, Arkhipov's decision not to launch nuclear missiles can be considered to have saved all humanity. Although some Soviets saw it as bowing to the Americans, what Arkhipov did that day made peace-loving people around the world grateful to him.