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For a World War II Hero of the Soviet Union, see Vasili Sergeyevich Arkhipov.
Vasili Alexandrovich Arkhipov
Native name
Василий Александрович Архипов
Born(1926-01-30)30 January 1926
Zvorkovo, Moscow Oblast, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Died19 August 1998(1998-08-19) (aged 72)
Zheleznodorozhny, Moscow Oblast, Russia
Allegiance Union of Soviet Socialist Republics
Service/branch Soviet Navy
Years of service1945–1980s
Rank Vice Admiral
Battles/wars
Awards

Vasili Alexandrovich Arkhipov (Russian: Василий Александрович Архипов) (30 January 1926 – 19 August 1998) was a Soviet Navy officer credited with casting the single vote that prevented a Soviet nuclear strike during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Many scholars argue such an attack would have caused a major global thermonuclear response likely to destroy much of the civilized world.[1] As flotilla commander and second-in-command of the nuclear-missile submarine B-59, only Arkhipov refused to authorize the captain's use of nuclear torpedoes against the United States Navy, a decision requiring the agreement of all three senior officers aboard. In 2002 Thomas Blanton, who was then director of the US National Security Archive, said that "Vasili Arkhipov saved the world".[2]

Early life edit

Arkhipov was born into a peasant family near Moscow. He was educated in the Pacific Higher Naval School and participated in the Soviet–Japanese War in August 1945, serving aboard a minesweeper. He transferred to the Caspian Higher Naval School and graduated in 1947.[3]

Career edit

After graduating in 1947, Arkhipov served in the submarine service aboard boats in the Black Sea, Northern and Baltic Fleets.[3]

K-19 accident edit

Main article: Soviet submarine K-19

In July 1961, Arkhipov was appointed deputy commander or executive officer of the new Hotel-class ballistic missile submarine K-19.[3] After a few days of conducting exercises off the coast of Greenland the submarine developed an extreme leak in its reactor coolant system. This leak led to failure of the cooling system. Radio communications were also affected and the crew was unable to make contact with Moscow. With no backup systems, Commander Zateyev ordered the seven members of the engineer crew to come up with a solution to avoid nuclear meltdown. This required the men to work in high radiation levels for extended periods. They eventually came up with a secondary coolant system and were able to keep the reactor from a meltdown. Although they were able to save themselves from a nuclear meltdown the entire crew including Arkhipov were irradiated. 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. Over the course of two years fifteen more sailors died from the after effects.[4]

Involvement in Cuban Missile Crisis edit

Main article: Cuban Missile Crisis
 
Soviet submarine B-59, in the Caribbean near Cuba.[5]

On 27 October 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, a group of eleven United States Navy destroyers and the aircraft carrier USS Randolph located the diesel-powered nuclear-armed Soviet Foxtrot-class submarine B-59 near Cuba. Despite being in international waters, the Americans started dropping signaling depth charges, explosives intended to force the submarine to come to the surface for identification. There had been no contact from Moscow for a number of days and, although the submarine's crew had earlier been picking up U.S. civilian radio broadcasts, once B-59 began attempting to hide from its U.S. Navy pursuers, it was too deep to monitor any radio traffic. Those on board did not know whether war had broken out or not.[6][7] The captain of the submarine, Valentin Grigorievitch Savitsky, decided that a war might already have started and wanted to launch a nuclear torpedo.[8]

Unlike the other subs in the flotilla, three officers on board the B-59 had to agree unanimously to authorize a nuclear launch: Captain Savitsky, the political officer Ivan Semonovich Maslennikov, and the second-in-command Arkhipov. Typically, Russian submarines armed with the "Special Weapon" only required the captain to get authorization from the political officer to launch a nuclear torpedo. However, due to Arkhipov's position as flotilla commander, the B-59's captain also was required to gain Arkhipov's approval. An argument broke out, with only Arkhipov against the launch.[9]

Even though Arkhipov was only second-in-command of the submarine B-59, he was in fact commander of the entire submarine flotilla, including the B-4, B-36 and B-130, and equal in rank to Captain Savitsky. According to author Edward Wilson, the reputation Arkhipov had gained from his courageous conduct in the previous year's Soviet submarine K-19 incident also helped him prevail.[8] Arkhipov eventually persuaded Savitsky to surface and await orders from Moscow. This effectively averted the nuclear warfare which probably would have ensued if the nuclear weapon had been fired.[10] The submarine's batteries had run very low and the air-conditioning had failed, causing extreme heat and high levels of carbon dioxide inside the submarine. They were forced to surface amidst its U.S. pursuers and head home as a result.[11] Washington's message that practice depth charges were being used to signal the submarine to surface never reached B-59, and Moscow claims it has no record of receiving it either.[citation needed]

Aftermath edit

Immediately upon return to Russia, many crew members were faced with disgrace from their superiors. One Admiral told them “‘It would have been better if you’d gone down with your ship.”. Olga, Arkhipov's wife, even said "he didn't like talking about it, he felt they hadn't appreciated what they had gone through".[12] Each captain was required to present a report of the happenings during the mission to the defense minister Andrei Grechko. Grechko was infuriated in the crew's failure to follow the strict orders of secrecy, after finding out they were discovered by the Americans. A few officers even noted Grechko, "upon learning that it was the diesel submarines that went to Cuba, removed his glasses and hit them against the table in fury,breaking them into small pieces, and abruptly leaving the room after that." [13]

In 2002, retired Commander Vadim Pavlovich Orlov, a participant in the events, held a press conference, revealing the subs were holding nuclear missiles, and that Arkhipov was the reason those devices had not been fired. Orlov presented the events less dramatically, saying that Captain Savitsky lost his temper but eventually calmed down.[14]

When discussing the Cuban Missile Crisis in 2002, Robert McNamara, who had been U.S. Secretary of Defense at the time, stated "We came very close" to nuclear war, "closer than we knew at the time."[15] Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., an advisor for the John F. Kennedy administration and renowned historian, continued this thought by stating "'This was not only the most dangerous moment of the Cold War. It was the most dangerous moment in human history. [16]

Later life and death edit

Arkhipov continued in Soviet Navy service, commanding submarines and later submarine squadrons. He was promoted to rear admiral in 1975, and became head of the Kirov Naval Academy. Arkhipov was promoted to vice admiral in 1981 and retired in the mid 1980s.

He subsequently settled in Kupavna (which was incorporated into Zheleznodorozhny, Moscow Oblast, in 2004), where he died on 19 August 1998.[3] The radiation to which Arkhipov had been exposed in 1961 contributed to his kidney failure, like many others who were on-board with him in 1962.[8][12]

Nikolai Vladimirovich Zateyev, the commander of the submarine K-19 at the time of its onboard nuclear accident, died nine days later, on 28 August 1998. Both Arkhipov and Zateyev were 72 at the time of their deaths.

See also edit

  • Stanislav Petrov, a Russian duty officer at a missile warning station who averted a possible nuclear war in 1983

References edit

  1. ^ Noam Chomsky, in his book Hegemony or Survival: America's Quest for Global Dominance[1] cited we were "one word away from nuclear war" and "a devastating response would be a near certainty", and also noted that president Eisenhower stated "a major war would destroy the northern hemisphere"(Chomsky, pp. 74)
  2. ^ Lloyd, Marion (13 October 2002). "Soviets Close to Using A-Bomb in 1962 Crisis, Forum is Told". Boston Globe. pp. A20. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d Roberts, Priscilla Mary (2012). "Arkhipov, Vasili Alexandrovich". Cuban Missile Crisis: The Essential Reference Guide. Abc-Clio Inc. pp. 13–14. ISBN 9781610690652. Retrieved 11 May 2012.
  4. ^ "Vasili Arkhipov: Cold War Russian hero -- Sott.net". SOTT.net. https://google.com/+SottNet. Retrieved 2015-11-09. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ Burr and, William; Blanton, Thomas S., eds. (31 October 2002). "The submarines of October- U.S. and Soviet Naval Encounters During the Cuban Missile Crisis". National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book. No. 75. Archived from the original on 11 May 2012. {{cite journal}}: |volume= has extra text (help); Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  6. ^ Michael Dobbs, One Minute to Midnight, Vintage, Random House, 2009. Includes photograph of B-59 surfacing.
  7. ^ "Chronology of Submarine Contact During the Cuban Missile Crisis". National Security Archive of the George Washington University. Retrieved 15 November 2010.
  8. ^ a b c Edward Wilson (2012-10-27). "Thank you Vasili Arkhipov, the man who stopped nuclear war". The Guardian. Retrieved 2012-10-31.
  9. ^ Noam Chomsky (2004). Hegemony or Survival: America's Quest for Global Dominance. New York: Henry Holt. p. 74. ISBN 0-8050-7688-3.
  10. ^ Blanton, Thomas S. (16 October 2002). "The Cuban Missile Crisis: 40 Years Later" (Interview). Interviewed by The Washington Post; Forum users. Archived from the original on 2008-08-30. Retrieved 15 November 2010.{{cite interview}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: interviewers list (link)
  11. ^ Watson, Leon, & Duell, Mark (2012-09-25). "The Man Who Saved the World". Daily Mail. Retrieved 2012-10-12.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ a b "The Man Who Saved the World". Secrets of the Dead. PBS. 2012-10-24.
  13. ^ Savranskaya, Svetlana (Jan 24, 2007). "New Sources on the Role of Soviet Submarines in the Cuban Missile Crisis" (PDF). Journal of Strategic Studies. 28 (2): 248. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  14. ^ Isachsnkov, Vladimir (21 June 2002). "Russian Book Looks at Missile Crisis". johnson. Archived from the original on 2011-05-30. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
  15. ^ "'I don't think anybody thought much about whether Agent Orange was against the rules of war'". guardian.co.uk. May 19, 2002. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
  16. ^ Lloyd, Marion (October 13, 2002). "SOVIETS CLOSE TO USING A-BOMB IN 1962 CRISIS, FORUM IS TOLD". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 21 February 2017.

External links edit

Category:1926 births Category:1998 deaths Category:People from Orekhovo-Zuyevsky District Category:Soviet admirals Category:Soviet submarine commanders Category:People of the Cold War Category:Nuclear warfare Category:Cuban Missile Crisis Category:Soviet military personnel of World War II Category:Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner Category:Recipients of the Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd class Category:Recipients of the Medal of Zhukov Category:Recipients of the Medal "For Distinction in Guarding the State Border of the USSR" Category:Recipients of the Medal "In Commemoration of the 850th Anniversary of Moscow"

What’s Missing from the article? (will not be included in article) edit

Jackson Cassidy

I’ll be adding additional information to Arkhipov’s “Early Life” and finding new subcategories to go under “Career”. For his early life, I’d like to see if I can find more information about what he was doing during and after World War II. It only says he served aboard a minesweeper in the Soviet-Japanese War in 1945. I’d like to add the subcategories “Childhood” and “Education” as well. There’s also a gap of 14 years between 1947 and 1961 in his article which I’d like to fill. He supposedly served on various boats and submarines during this time, but the article is not specific. Also, something to look into would be public reaction in the USSR to the Cuban Missile Crisis, and see if Arkhipov is mentioned anywhere.

Steven Madden

My contribution will be to add a new section on for Arhkhipov’s “Personal Life” because there is very little of it in the existing article. Aspects of this article will include family (which there is some reference to already but very little), early hobbies, early education, and interests. Additionally, an explanation of his motives to pursue to career that he did will be included. I would also like to have accounts from those who knew him well and worked closely with him in order to have insight on Arkhipov’s personality.

Tom Price

My addition to the article will be the context of the time around Arkhipov’s time, especially during the reign of the soviet union. What sort of people didn’t want him to vote no, who else was in the room, what swayed his decision, and overall the effect it had on history.

Grayson Fleming

-- I also found out his wife's name was Olga Arkhipova

I would like to investigate the “aftermath” section more thoroughly, as well as the later life and death section. The reactions of others after finding out about the event should be included. The later life and death is lacking in  many respects, such as family, hobbies, other facts, and connection to radiation which contributed to his death.

Possible Sources so far:

Andrew, Christopher, and Vasilij Mitrokhin. The Mitrokhin Archive II: the KGB and the world. London: Penguin , 2006. Print. Savranskaya, S. V. (2005). New sources on the role of soviet submarines in the cuban missile crisis. Journal of Strategic Studies, 28(2), 233-259. doi:10.1080/01402390500088312


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