I am a frustrated cook who always got scolded by my wife for leaving the kitchen a mess. He always thought that he did what he had to do and never considered his actions as heroism. . Had he assented to the decision to fire a nuclear torpedo, likely vaporizing a US aircraft carrier and killing thousands of sailors, it would have been far more difficult for Kennedy and Khrushchev to step back from the brink. But he may well be, as FLI president Max Tegmark said at the award ceremony, arguably the most important person in modern history.. As a result, the situation in the control room played out very differently. Six decades ago, the Cuban missile crisis brought the world to the very brink of nuclear holocaust. Arkhipov's submarine captain, thinking their sub was under attack by American forces, wanted to launch a nuclear weapon at the ships above. Vasili Alexandrovich Arkhipov (Russian: ) was a Soviet Navy officer who is credited with averting nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 by preventing the launch of a nuclear-armed torpedo from the Soviet submarine on which he served. [5][6], By then, there had been no contact from Moscow for a number of days, and although the B-59's crew had been picking up U.S. civilian radio broadcasts earlier on, the submarine was too deep to monitor any radio traffic, as it was busy trying to hide from its American pursuers. 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. 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. In 2006, former President of the USSR, Mikhail Gorbachev, nominated the whole crew of K-19 for the Nobel Peace Prize for preventing a nuclear disaster. 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. Kaarst - Germany Initiative Gesichter des Friedens | Faces of Peace The nuclear torpedo armed submarine he was a crew member of came under depth charge attack from the U.S. Navy. This was not an attack - these were non-lethal signaling depth charges, intended to prompt the Soviet sub to surface and identify itself. Those who are free from their shifts, are sitting immobile, staring at one spot. Whats more, the officers had permission to launch it without waiting for approval from Moscow. You can now buy a fraction of a house. It seems that Arkhipov talked Savitsky down from his decision and was rewarded for his actions, back in his homeland. The Americans had no idea that B-59 was armed with nuclear weapons, and started to drop depth charges in order to force the submarine to the surface. It was then they learned that no shooting war had broken out between the US and Soviet forces, but by arguing against the launching of the nuclear-tipped torpedo, Arkhipov in effect had averted the start of a nuclear war between the two superpowers. "[20] Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., an advisor for the John F. Kennedy administration and a historian, continued this thought by stating "This was not only the most dangerous moment of the Cold War. All three senior officers had to agree, and Vasili Arkhipov, the 36-year-old second captain and brigade chief of staff, refused to give his assent. Trapped in a diesel-powered submarine thousands of miles from home, buffeted by exploding depth charges and threatened with suffocation and death, Arkhipov kept his head. 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 operation was top secret and took around two months. The story of Vasili Arkhipov was shown on BBC's documentary "Vasili Arkhipov: the Man who Saved the World." . E-Mail: info@faces-of-peace.org [7][8] The captain of the submarine, Valentin Grigoryevich Savitsky, decided that a war might already have started and wanted to launch a nuclear torpedo. The subs captain, Valentin Savitsky, tried to contact Moscow, but there was no line open. He lay in a Navy hospital in Leningrad, having survived the events unhurt. Get the week's best stories straight to your inbox. george washington niversitesi ulusal gvenlik arivi yneticisi thomas s. blanton'un aklad belgelere gre, o subayn ad . Fax: 202/994-7005Contact by email. In the conning tower were the Captain Valentin Savitsky and Vasili Arkhipov, of equal rank, but crucially, also the Flotilla Commander. Verantwortlich gem 5 Abs. They had received an order from Soviet leadership to stop in the Caribbean short of the American blockade around Cuba. He was educated in the Pacific Higher Naval School and participated in the SovietJapanese War in August 1945, serving aboard a minesweeper. Were gonna blast them now!, Savitsky reportedly said. The three men were captain Savitsky, political officer Ivan Semyonovich Maslennikov, and executive officer Arkhipov. This required the men to work in high radiation levels for extended periods. This inspired Thomas Blanton, director of the National Security Archive, to declare "the lesson . To the most powerful leaders in the world I want to say: Stop the nuclear arms race! Then, experience the best photos and stories from the Cold War. Speaking to Tegmark, Arkhipovs daughter Elena Andriukova said the family were grateful for the prize, and its recognition of Arkhipovs actions. [30], For the Soviet general twice awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union, see, Last edited on 11 February 2023, at 01:17, "Arkhipov, Vasily Alexandrovich (1926-1999)", "Chronology of Submarine Contact During the Cuban Missile Crisis", "Thank you Vasili Arkhipov, the man who stopped nuclear war", Hegemony or Survival: America's Quest for Global Dominance, "About participation of submarines "B-4," "B-36," "B-59," "B-130" of the 69th submarine brigade of the Northern Fleet in the Operation "Anadyr" during the period of OctoberDecember, 1962/CARIBBEAN CRISIS/", "The Cuban Missile Crisis: 40 Years Later", "A Russian submarine had a 'Crimson Tide' moment near Cuba", "Vice-Admiral Vasili Arkhipov | National Security Archive", "The Underwater Cuban Missile Crisis at 60 | National Security Archive", "New Sources on the Role of Soviet Submarines in the Cuban Missile Crisis", "Soviets Close to Using A-Bomb in 1962 Crisis, Forum is Told", "Gorbachev Proposes Soviet Sub Crew For Nobel Peace Prize", "Soviet submarine officer who averted nuclear war honoured with prize", "55 Years After Preventing Nuclear Attack, Arkhipov Honored With Inaugural Future of Life Award", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vasily_Arkhipov&oldid=1138687379, This page was last edited on 11 February 2023, at 01:17. Arkhipov was a Soviet submarine officer. The musical group Converge dedicated a composition called "Arkhipov Calm" to Arkhipov in 2017. It was the height of the Cuban missile crisis, which began earlier that month when a US U-2 spy plane spotted evidence of newly built installations on Cuba, where it turned out that Soviet military advisers were helping to build sites capable of launching nuclear missiles at the US, less than 100 miles away. I won an ASUS Premium phone last year which motivated me more to pursue mobile photography. His persuasion effectively averted a nuclear war which would have likely ensued if the nuclear weapon had been fired. Kirov Naval Academy (National Naval Academy, Baku) website, downloaded in 2014, National Security Archive In 1961, he was serving as executive officer (Riker, Pippen) aboard a nuclear submarine near Greenland. One admiral told them "It would have been better if you'd gone down with your ship." For a brief, pivotal moment, Arkhipov's presence of mind was all that would stand between humanity's existence and its annihilation. The Man Who Saved the World--Vasili Arkhipov "Vasili Arkhipov is arguably the most important person in modern history, thanks to whom October 27, 2017 isn't the 55th anniversary of WWIII." . The captain and the political officer were in favor of firing. [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. On October 13, 2002, on the 40th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the director of the National Security Archive . The US Navy ships began dropping depth charges around the submarine, called the B-59, rocking it violently from side to side. We will die, but we will sink them all we will not become the shame of the fleet.. Should you. We will die, but we will sink them all we will not become the shame of the fleet.. That included its captain, Valentin Savitsky, who according to a report from the US National Security Archive, exclaimed: Were gonna blast them now! Arkhipov was right. Robert McNamara acknowledged, after a reevaluation of the circumstances and the risks of confrontation during those fateful days that the United States and the U.S.S.R. were closer [to nuclear war] than we knew at the time.. Mr. Arkhipov had come a long way from the peasant family that lived near Moscow in which he had grown up. In July 1961, Arkhipov was appointed deputy commander and therefore executive officer of the new Hotel-class ballistic missile submarine K-19. [10], Although Arkhipov was only second-in-command of the B-59, he was the Commodore of the entire submarine flotilla, which included the B-4, the B-36 and the B-130. Vasili Aleksandrovich Arkhipov ( ting Nga: ; sinh ngy 30 thng 1 nm 1926 - mt ngy 19 thng 8 nm 1998) l mt s quan hi qun Lin X. In 2002, Thomas S. Blanton, then director of the U.S. National Security Archive, credited Arkhipov as "the man who saved the world". The most dangerous of all those days the day when our species likely came closer than any other to wiping itself off the face of the Earth came 60 years ago today, on October 27, 1962. Along with three other submarines, it was forced to leave Cuban waters and went back to the USSR. Vasili Arkhipov (1960's). During the Cuban Missile Crisis 58 years ago the world was facing nuclear war. The 139-man-strong crew among whom was my father prevented an ecological catastrophe of unimaginable magnitude and saved the world from nuclear disaster. Deeply impressed, Thomas Blanton, director of the U.S. National Security Archive, said: The lesson from this is that a guy called Vasily Arkhipov saved the world. The conference participants agreed, but no one would ever hear Arkhipovs viewpoint. Why a Soviet submarine officer might be the most important person in modern history.. Vasili Arkhipov was aboard the B-59 Soviet submarine when an American destroyer, the USS Beale began to drop depth charges. Wikimedia CommonsThe Soviet B-59 submarine in the Caribbean near Cuba. All rights reserved. Two years later he graduated from the Caspian Higher Naval School, serving in the Black Sea and . 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. V asili Arkhipov was one of three commanders of a B-59 Soviet . Vasili Arkhipov, a senior officer on a Soviet submarine, refused to launch a nuclear torpedo in October 1962 perhaps preventing WWIII As one man on board, Anatoly Andreev, wrote in his journal: For the last four days, they didnt even let us come up to the periscope depth My head is bursting from the stuffy air. 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. PCSO LOTTO RESULTS. 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 knew that the other three submarines had agreed to launch their own nuclear weapons if B-59 did, and that nuclear mutual destruction with America was imminent. Conditions inside the submarines were terrible. Arkhipov received no praise after the crisis was resolved at least officially. The same day, US U-2 pilot Maj. Rudolf Anderson was shot down while on a reconnaissance mission over Cuba. Historians posted . The U.S. demanded the removal of Soviet nuclear missiles from Cuba, while Moscow insisted that Washington should first remove its missiles from Turkey. [26] Leon Ockenden portrayed Arkhipov in Season 12 Episode 1 of Secrets of the Dead, titled "The Man Who Saved the World". Vasili Arkhipov was a Soviet naval officer who refused to allow a Soviet nuclear attack on a U.S. aircraft carrier during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. As the risk of nuclear war is on the rise right now, all states must urgently join the treaty on the prohibition of nuclear weapons to prevent such catastrophe.. Only after his return did my father tell my mother where he had been, but without giving any details. My father was the conscience of our homeland! Consequently, nuclear technology should be used solely for peaceful purposes namely purposes that benefit mankind! Online. Ms. Andriukova, thank you very much for the interview! (5 votes) Very easy. After a typical public-school education, Arkhipov enrolled in the Pacific Higher Naval School - a facility that . Savitsky had his men ready the onboard missile, as strong as the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, planning to aim it at one of the 11 U.S. ships in the blockade. Suite 701, Gelman Library Sat 27 Oct 2012 06.00 EDT. 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. They had received an order from Soviet leadership to stop in the Caribbean short of the American blockade around Cuba. Financial contributions from our readers are a critical part of supporting our resource-intensive work and help us keep our journalism free for all. One of the American spy plane images photographs missile sites in Cuba that helped instigate the crisis. By Gabriela Rivas. As second-in-command of a nuclear-armed submarine during the Cuban Missile Crisis, Arkhipov blocked the captain's decision to launch a nuclear torpedo against the US Navy, likely averting a large-scale nuclear war.Reflecting on this incident forty years later, Thomas Blanton, director of the . The lesson from this is that a guy called Vasili Arkhipov saved the world, Thomas Blanton, director of the National Security Archive at George Washington University, told the Boston Globe in 2002, following a conference in which the details of the situation were explored. Vasili Alexandrovich Arkhipov and Stanislav Yevgrafovich Petrov were two Soviet soldiers, members of the armed forces. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. Click here to find out more. In der Rubrik Sieben Fragen an stellen wir zudem regelmig interessanten Persnlichkeiten sieben Fragen zu den Themen Friedensschaffung und Friedenserhaltung, Sicherheitspolitik sowie Konfliktprvention. And its officers had permission from their superiors to launch it without confirmation from Moscow. [2], After graduating in 1947, Arkhipov served in the submarine service aboard boats in the Black Sea, Northern and Baltic Fleets.[2]. Vasily Aleksandrovich Arkhipov (Russian: , IPA: [vsilj lksandrvt arxipf], 30 January 1926 - 19 August 1998) was a Soviet Naval officer who prevented a Soviet nuclear torpedo launch during the Cuban Missile Crisis.Such an attack likely would have caused a major global thermonuclear response, destroying . Vasili Arkhipov is arguably the most important person in modern history, thanks to whom October 27, 2017 isn't the 55th anniversary of WWIII. It was the most dangerous moment in human history."[21]. Easy. Educated in the Pacific Higher Naval School of the Soviet Union, he would serve in the closing month of World War II aboard a minesweeper during the Soviet campaign against the Empire of Japan. At the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis on 27 October 1962, the US Navy detected a Soviet submarine near the blockaded island of Cuba. In 1962, during the Cold War, the Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev did something very risky. The whole story remained classified. After discussions with the ship, B-59 was then ordered by the Russian fleet to set course back to the Soviet Union. One evening she was preparing dinner, as she waited for my father, when the doorbell rang. 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. Orlov reported that Savitsky, nervous and sure that war had started already, shouted: We're going to blast them now! [29], In 2002, Thomas S. Blanton, the director of the U.S. National Security Archive, said that Arkhipov "saved the world". Much of what is known about his personality comes from her. After this look at Vasili Arkhipov, read up on Stanislav Petrov, another Cold War hero who saved the world from nuclear annihilation. In a 2012 PBS documentary titled The Man Who Saved the World,[22] his wife described him as intelligent, polite and very calm. VASILI ARKHIPOV: THE GUY WHO SAVED THE WORLD. [11] It surfaced amid the US warships pursuing it and made contact with a US destroyer. Moderate. Vasily Sergeyevich Arkhipov (Russian: ; 29 December [O.S. Soviet Naval officer Vasili Arkhipov, 34, was one of the three commanders aboard the B-59 submarine near Cuba on Oct. 27. 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. Although they were able to save themselves from a nuclear meltdown, the entire crew, including Arkhipov, were irradiated. Cut off from communication with the outside world, the panicked Soviet sailors feared that they were now under attack. Millions turn to Vox to educate themselves, their family, and their friends about whats happening in the world around them, and to learn about things that spark their curiosity. 35+ YEARS OF FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACTION, The Underwater Cuban Missile Crisis at 60, FOIA Advisory Committee Oversight Reports. That was 1945 and my father was deputy commander of Military Brigade 1. When they did so on the B-59, the captain Valentin Grigorievitch Savitsky believed that war had broken out and accordingly wanted to fire a nuclear torpedo at the vessels firing them on. We should not destroy this life. As flotilla Commodore as well as executive officer of the diesel powered submarine B-59, Arkhipov refused to authorize the captain and the political officer's use of nuclear torpedoes against the United States Navy, a decision which required the agreement of all three officers.