Vasily Arkhipov facts for kids

Vasily Aleksandrovich Arkhipov (Russian: Василий Александрович Архипов, born January 30, 1926 – died August 19, 1998) was a Soviet Naval officer. He is famous for preventing a nuclear torpedo from being launched during the Cuban Missile Crisis. This brave decision likely stopped a huge nuclear war that could have destroyed much of the Northern Hemisphere.

Arkhipov was a senior officer, known as a flotilla Commodore. He was also the executive officer of the submarine B-59. During a tense moment, he refused to let the captain and another officer fire nuclear torpedoes at the United States Navy. To launch the torpedo, all three officers needed to agree. In 2002, Thomas S. Blanton, who led the U.S. National Security Archive, called Arkhipov "the man who saved the world."

Early Life and Naval Training

Vasily Arkhipov was born into a farming family in a town called Staraya Kupavna, near Moscow. He went to the Pacific Higher Naval School. In August 1945, he took part in the Soviet–Japanese War while serving on a ship that cleared mines. He later moved to the Caspian Higher Naval School and finished his studies in 1947.

Starting His Career in Submarines

After graduating in 1947, Arkhipov began working on submarines. He served in the Black Sea, Northern, and Baltic Fleets.

The K-19 Submarine Incident

In July 1961, Arkhipov became the second-in-command of a new submarine called K-19. This was a ballistic missile submarine. After a few days of training near Greenland, the submarine had a serious problem. Its reactor cooling system started leaking badly and stopped working. The crew also lost radio contact with Moscow.

With no other way to cool the reactor, Captain Nikolai Zateyev ordered seven engineers to fix the problem. They had to work in very high radiation levels. They managed to create a new cooling system and stopped the reactor from melting down.

However, the entire crew, including Arkhipov, was exposed to radiation. All the engineers and their officer died within a month from high levels of radiation. Over the next two years, 15 more sailors died from the effects of the radiation.

Arkhipov's Role in the Cuban Missile Crisis

Soviet submarine B-59, in the Caribbean near Cuba.

On October 27, 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, a group of 11 United States Navy destroyers and the aircraft carrier USS Randolph found the Soviet submarine B-59 near Cuba. This submarine was powered by diesel and carried nuclear weapons. The U.S. Navy started dropping signaling depth charges. These were meant to force the submarine to come to the surface.

The crew of the B-59 had not heard from Moscow for several days. They did not know if a war had started. The submarine's captain, Valentin Grigoryevich Savitsky, thought war might have begun. He wanted to launch a nuclear torpedo.

On most Soviet submarines, only the captain and a political officer needed to agree to launch a nuclear weapon. But on the B-59, all three senior officers had to agree. This was because Arkhipov was the Commodore of the entire submarine group. The three officers were Captain Savitsky, political officer Ivan Semyonovich Maslennikov, and executive officer Arkhipov. A big argument started between them. Only Arkhipov was against launching the torpedo.

Even though Arkhipov was only second-in-command of the B-59, he was the leader of the whole submarine group. This group included other submarines like the B-4, B-36, and B-130. Arkhipov's brave actions during the K-19 incident the year before helped him in this debate. He eventually convinced Captain Savitsky to bring the submarine to the surface. They would wait for orders from Moscow. His actions stopped a nuclear war that would likely have happened if the weapon had been fired.

The B-59 had very low battery power. Its air conditioning also failed, making the inside of the submarine extremely hot and full of carbon dioxide. It surfaced among the U.S. warships. After talking with a U.S. destroyer, the B-59 was ordered by the Russian fleet to return to the Soviet Union.

In 1997, Arkhipov wrote that after surfacing, American planes fired at his submarine. He said the plane "turned on powerful searchlights and blinded the people on the bridge." He added that the plane was "firing past and along the boat."

What Happened After

When the crew returned to Russia, many faced disapproval from their commanders. One admiral even told them, "It would have been better if you'd gone down with your ship." Arkhipov's wife, Olga, said he "didn't like talking about it." She felt they were not appreciated for what they had gone through.

In 2002, a retired commander named Vadim Pavlovich Orlov, who was there, held a press conference. He revealed that the submarines had nuclear torpedoes. He also said that Arkhipov was the reason these weapons were not fired.

Robert McNamara, who was the U.S. Secretary of Defense during the Cuban Missile Crisis, said in 2002, "We came very, very close [to nuclear war], closer than we knew at the time." Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., a historian and advisor to President John F. Kennedy, added, "This was not only the most dangerous moment of the Cold War. It was the most dangerous moment in human history."

Later Life and Death

Arkhipov continued to serve in the Soviet Navy. He commanded submarines and later groups of submarines. He was promoted to rear admiral in 1975. He then became the head of the Kirov Naval Academy. Arkhipov was promoted to vice admiral in 1981 and retired in the mid-1980s.

He lived in Kupavna. He died there on August 19, 1998. The radiation he was exposed to in 1961 might have caused his kidney cancer. Many others who served with him during the K-19 accident also suffered similar health problems.

Nikolai Vladimirovich Zateyev, the commander of the K-19 during its nuclear accident, died shortly after Arkhipov, on August 28, 1998. Both Arkhipov and Zateyev were 72 years old when they passed away.

Personal Life

Vasily Arkhipov was married to Olga Arkhipova until his death in 1998. They had a daughter named Yelena.

Arkhipov was known to be a quiet and humble person. In a 2012 documentary called The Man Who Saved the World, his wife described him as smart, polite, and very calm. Much of what we know about his personality comes from her. She said he liked to find newspapers during their vacations. He tried to stay updated with the world as much as possible. Olga also mentioned that her husband might have had some superstitious beliefs. She remembered finding Vasily burning their love letters. He claimed that keeping the letters would bring "bad luck."

Awards and Recognition

For his actions on the B-59, Arkhipov received the first "Future of Life Award." This award was given to his family after his death in 2017. The Future of Life Institute gives this award to people who take special steps to protect the future of humanity. They often do this despite personal risks and without expecting a reward.

In 2002, Thomas S. Blanton, the director of the U.S. National Security Archive, said that Arkhipov "saved the world."

See also

In Spanish: Vasili Arjípov para niños

• Stanislav Petrov, a Soviet officer who also helped prevent a possible nuclear war in 1983.
• National Security Archive, an organization that has researched Arkhipov's role in the Cuban Missile Crisis.
• List of nuclear close calls