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From what little they knew of what was happening above the surface, it seemed possible that nuclear war had already broken out. Most people today may not know the name Vasili Arkhipov. They had received an order from Soviet leadership to stop in the Caribbean short of the American blockade around Cuba. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. 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. 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. After retirement he quietly lived with his family in the Moscow Region. 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 . 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. 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. Vasili Aleksandrovich Arkhipov was a Soviet Navy officer credited with preventing a nuclear strike and potentially all-out nuclear war and the total destruction of the world during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, when he refused to launch a nuclear torpedo from submarine B-59 as flotilla chief of staff, going the against the orders of submarine captain Valentin Grigorievitch . With no backup systems, captain Nikolai Zateyev ordered the seven members of the engineer crew to come up with a solution to avoid nuclear meltdown. In the Seven questions to category we furthermore put seven questions on the issues of peace-building and peace-keeping, security policy and conflict prevention to interesting personalities. 2023 Initiative Gesichter des Friedens | Faces of Peace, Vasili Arkhipov (72), Chief of Staff of the 69th Submarine Brigade of the Northern Fleet, https://www.faces-of-peace.org/wp-content/themes/blade/images/empty/thumbnail.jpg, https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/89f8bcb53e45adc60699ad1be4fef89d?s=96&d=mm&r=g, Ich bin ausdrcklich damit einverstanden Pressemitteilungen zu erhalten und wei, dass ich mich jederzeit wieder, Steve Killelea, Creator of the Global Peace Index (GPI), Sir Nigel Sheinwald, Chair of Chatham House Council, Farzana Kochai, Mitglied des afghanischen Parlaments, Jody Williams, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Die missbrauchten Frauen des Krieges (Teil 2) Interview mit Prof. Dr. Stefanie Bock, The Abused Women of War (Part 1) Interview with Vasfije Krasniqi Goodman, Die missbrauchten Frauen des Krieges (Teil 1) Interview mit Vasfije Krasniqi Goodman, Detlef Dzembritzki, Bundesvorsitzender DGVN, Im Visier Die Bedrohung aus dem Cyberraum, Chief of Staff of the 69th Submarine Brigade, Man kann uns nicht mehr ignorieren, deswegen werden wir bekmpft!, Diplomacy in the modern age can never afford to stand still!, Die Welt ist verantwortlich dafr, was in Afghanistan passiert!, We need to focus on human security for sustainable peace!, Die Prozesse sind komplex und zeitaufwendig!, For me that was my day of apocalypse the day that felt like the last of my life!, Fr mich war es der Tag der Apokalypse der Tag, der sich wie der letzte meines Lebens anfhlte!, Knnen nur hoffen, dass Donald Trump nicht erneut zum US-Prsidenten gewhlt wird!, Jeder kann einen Cyber-Angriff fr weniger als 18 Euro beauftragen!. Arkhipov continued his naval service, reaching the rank of vice admiral in 1981. Chapter Five Vasili Arkhipov: The Man Who Prevented World War Three By Ron Ridenour . With no orders or news from Moscow for a week, under tremendous strain and in the appalling conditions, Captain Savitsky suddenly cracked and announced that he was going to use the Special Weapon. A midshipman stood there with my fathers uniform jacket a warm leather military jacket that was lined with fur. It seemed like youre sitting in an iron barrel and someone is hitting it with a sledgehammer Vadim Orlov, who was on B-59 as an intelligence officer, recalled later. WHAT IS VASILI ARKHIPOV FAMOUS FOR? National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book, No. But Soviet naval officer Vasili Arkhipov was, in the words of a top American, the guy who saved the world.. THE STORY OF AN IMPORTANT INCIDENT IN HUMAN HISTORY. [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. 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." . Please enter a valid email and try again. It was the most dangerous moment in human history."[21]. [12] The B-59's batteries ran very low and its air conditioning failed, which caused extreme heat and generated high levels of carbon dioxide inside the submarine. All rights reserved. One evening she was preparing dinner, as she waited for my father, when the doorbell rang. The true story of Russian naval officer Vasili Arkhipov who stopped a nuclear firestorm and saved the United States, and the world. Wikimedia CommonsVasili Arkhipov in 1960. The Man Who Saved the World: With Jay O. Sanders, Viktor Mikhailov, Olga Arkhipova, Andy Bradick. Arkhipov was right. 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. Mobil: +49 (0) 177-3132744. Vasili Arkhipov was a Soviet Union Naval Officer who prevented the launch of a nuclear torpedo and therefore a possible nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis. If the nuclear torpedo had been fired, Kennedy would have had little . Vasily Arkhipov facts. While investigating facts about Vasili Arkhipov Interview and Vasili Arkhipov Wiki, I found out little known, but curios details like:. Setiap lu nonton film atau anime tertentu, pasti ada salah satu tokoh yang memiliki peran yang amat krusial dalam cerita, seperti naruto yang menghentikan perang dunia ninja ke-4 dalam serial Naruto Shippuden, Mikasa yang menghentikan rumbling titan Eren dalam serial Attack on Titan, dan Tony . While the action was designed to encourage the Soviet submarines to surface, the crew of B-59 had been incommunicado and so were unaware of the intention. On October 13, 2002, on the 40th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the director of the National Security Archive Thomas Blanton remarked that a guy called Vasili Arkhipov saved the world.. Such an attack likely would have caused a major global thermonuclear response, destroying large parts of the Northern Hemisphere.[1]. But as tensions between the US and Russia only grow over the war in Ukraine, and as Russian President Vladimir Putin makes veiled threats about wielding his countrys nuclear arsenal, we should remember the awful power of these world-ending weapons. Difficult. After that, he spent two years in the Caspian Higher Naval School and went on to do submarine service on vessels from the Soviet Navys Black Sea, Baltic, and Northern Sea fleets. My father, Vasili Arkhipov, was Chief of Staff of the 69th Submarine Brigade of the Northern Fleet when, in October 1962, he was commissioned by the Navy High Command to undertake a top secret mission. 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. Arkhipov, K-19s deputy captain was among the few who remained calm, maintained order and helped to organize a proper evacuation. That led to the Cold Wars most volatile confrontation between the US and the Soviet Union 13 days of high-stakes brinkmanship between two nuclear powers that seemed one misstep away from total war. A special kind of private club where members receive offers and experiences from hand-picked, premium brands, as well as invites to exclusive events and the Bookazine delivered directly to their door. In a 2012 PBS documentary titled The Man Who Saved the World,[22] his wife described him as intelligent, polite and very calm. 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. President Kennedy decided against a direct attack on Cuba, opting instead for a blockade around the island to prevent Soviet ships from accessing it, which he announced on Oct. 22. ARKHIPOV chronicles the journey of B-59, the vessel at the center of the opera, and the events leading up to the fulcrum of the Cuban Missile Crisis. But there was an important caveat: all three senior officers on board had to agree to deploy the weapon. via 3D Juegos. It is a great miracle that life exists in our universe, that life exists on Earth. Vasili Alexandrovich Arkhipov (30 January 1926 - 19 August 1998) was a Soviet military officer. - May 11, 2021. As the U.S. Navy pursued Soviet submarines armed with nuclear torpedoes off the coast of Cuba, only the composure of Captain Vasily Arkhipov saved the world. As such, he shared all of his knowledge and experience with people irrespective of their nationality and origin. His persuasion effectively averted a nuclear war which would have likely ensued if the nuclear weapon had been fired. Broicherdorfstrae 53 "A guy called Vasili Arkhipov saved the world." - Thomas Blanton in 2002 (then director of the National Security Archive) Last month, October 27, 1962 marked the 50th anniversary of an event too important in world history for it to get lost amid the Halloween and other "trivial" holiday-related notifications. Vasili Aleksandrovit Arhipov (ven. ) (30. tammikuuta 1926 Moskovan alue - 19. elokuuta 1998 Moskovan alue) oli venlinen Neuvostoliiton laivaston sukellusveneupseeri, arvoltaan vara-amiraali.Arhipov osallistui nuoresta istn huolimatta toiseen maailmansotaan ja palveli muun muassa K-19-sukellusveneell. The officers had to decide whether to fight back or not. One officer even noted Grechko's reaction, stating that he "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. When detected, Americans were horrified to find that their key cities could be taken out in a Soviet first-strike attack. Between October 16 and October 28, 1962, the Cuban Missile Crisis saw the United States and the Soviet Union engaged in a potentially cataclysmic standoff. 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 . Elena Andriukova: To those people who consider my father a coward I want to say: You havent experienced what he had to go through. Arkhipov was appointed deputy commander of the K-19 in its maiden voyage in July 1961, under the command of Captain Nikolai Zateyev. a report from the US National Security Archive. That doesnt make it true. Vasili Arkhipov was born on January 30th, 1926 to a poor, peasant family near Moscow in the town of Staraya Kupavna. Temperature in the sections is above 50 [122F].. The Soviets and their fellow communist allies in Cuba had secretly reached a deal to place those missiles on the island in July. 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.. This period made a strong impression on him and it made a significant contribution to the development of his personality, the formation of his character and his feeling of responsibility towards the lives of other people. My mother always protected him with her love. 35+ YEARS OF FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACTION, The Underwater Cuban Missile Crisis at 60, FOIA Advisory Committee Oversight Reports. She was his lifelong guardian angel! Difficult. Through a series of tense negotiations over the coming days, the Americans and the Soviets worked out a deal to end the conflict. February 18, 2023. His heroic moment during the Cuban Missile Crisis didnt become public knowledge until 2002. The photograph above shows Vasili Arkhipov in 1953 when he was officer aboard the M . With tensions running high (and the air conditioning out), the conditions inside the sub had begun to deteriorate quickly as the crew grew ever more fearful. 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. Over the course of two years, 15 more sailors died from the after-effects. 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. Pronunciation of Vasili Alexandrovich Arkhipov with 2 audio pronunciations. At the age of 16, he began his education at the Pacific Higher Naval School. The two superpowers were never closer to nuclear war than they were during those 13 days. The three officers who were authorized to launch this torpedo, which included Arkhipov, the captain, and the vessels political officer, Ivan Semonovich Maslennikov, quickly reviewed their options. He had passed away four years earlier, in 1998. 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. Kirov Naval Academy (National Naval Academy, Baku) website, downloaded in 2014, National Security Archive Tom Rodriguez Deactivates IG Account After Carla Abellana Interview. It was fall and it was cold. 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. She was his lifelong guardian angel! Thomas Blanton, former director of the National Security Archive, said, 'This guy called Vasili Arkhipov saved the world.''. Something went wrong. Copyright 2012-2023 The Gentleman's Journal. President John F. Kennedy had ordered what he called a quarantine of Cuba, stationing a flotilla of naval ships off the coast of the island to prevent Soviet ships from carrying weapons to Cuba and demanding that the USSR remove the missiles. [29], In 2002, Thomas S. Blanton, the director of the U.S. National Security Archive, said that Arkhipov "saved the world". In his lecture my father spoke about the submarine escort deployments in connection with operation Kama. If you experience a barrier that affects your ability to access content on this page, let us know via ourContact form. 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. Maybe World War III had started already? Those on board did not know whether war had broken out or not. But Arkhipovs actions still deserve special praise. Soviet naval officer Vasili Arkhipov (1926-1998) was second in command of the Soviet nuclear submarine B-59 during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. . As for Arkhipov, after those two dangerous episodes in the early 1960s, he continued to serve in the Soviet Navy, eventually being promoted to rear admiral and becoming head of the Kirov Naval Academy. 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. Here is the story and biography of the Soviet Naval Officer who saved the world from nuclear war during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crises between the US and the Soviet Union. Elena Andriukova: I wish for peace, mutual understanding and friendship between nations for myself and for people worldwide. As flotilla commander and second-in-command of the diesel powered submarine B-59, Arkhipov refused to . That money should be used to improve peoples lives. Arkhipov was promoted to vice admiral in 1981 and retired in the mid-1980s. Arkhipovs story shows how close to nuclear catastrophe we have been in the past, she said. In recognition of his actions onboard B-59, Arkhipov received the first "Future of Life Award," which was presented posthumously to his family in 2017. We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and [11] According to author Edward Wilson, the reputation Arkhipov had gained from his courageous conduct in the previous year's K-19 incident played a large role in the debate to launch the torpedo. Cut off from communication with the outside world, the panicked Soviet sailors feared that they were now under attack. The same day, US U-2 pilot Maj. Rudolf Anderson was shot down while on a reconnaissance mission over Cuba. "[18], In 2002, retired commander Vadim Pavlovich Orlov, a participant in the events, held a press conference revealing the submarines were armed with nuclear torpedoes and that Arkhipov was the reason those weapons had not been fired. Unraveling The Deadly Legend Of The Pacific's Own Bermuda Triangle, Fatal Hit-And-Run Driver Arrested After Blatantly Admitting Guilt In Local News Interview, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. I worry when I see news about the arms race escalating. As a result, the situation in the control room played out very differently. Collection of photos of Brigade Chief of Staff on B-59 Vasili Arkhipov, 'The Man Who Saved the World', from the personal archive of his widow Olga Arkhipova. President Kennedy had been very worried about the possibility of a clash between American warships and Soviet submarines in the Caribbean, and it is absolutely clear that his fears were justified, Colman added, noting that certain decisions at the operational level were out of his control. He acted like a man who knew what kind of disasters can come from radiation, she said. Rate the pronunciation difficulty of Vasili Arkhipov. The situation then became even hotter. Arkhipov was a Soviet submarine officer. The Future of Life award is a prize awarded for a heroic act that has greatly benefited humankind, done despite personal risk and without being rewarded at the time, said Max Tegmark, professor of physics at MIT and leader of the Future of Life Institute. Vasili Arkhipov was aboard the B-59 Soviet submarine when an American destroyer, the USS Beale began to drop depth charges. It seems that Arkhipov talked Savitsky down from his decision and was rewarded for his actions, back in his homeland. That close call sobered both leaders, leading them to open back-channel negotiations that eventually led to a withdrawal of Soviet missiles in Cuba, a later pullback of US missiles in Turkey in response, and the end of the closest the world has yet come to total nuclear war. At a time when the U.S. and the Soviets were locked in a costly arms race, the K-19 was a new vessel the Soviets hoped would provide them with the ability to launch their missiles at their Cold War rival. [3], On 27 October 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, a group of 11 United States Navy destroyers and the aircraft carrier USSRandolph located the diesel-powered, nuclear-armed Foxtrot-class submarine B-59 near Cuba. We thought, Thats it, the end, crew member Vadim Orlov recalled to National Geographic in 2016. Already at 19 years of age Vasili Arkhipov was fighting in the war against Japan. Had Vasili Arkhipov not been there to prevent the torpedo launch, historians agree that nuclear war would likely have begun. Namun, perwira bernama Vasili Arkhipov . The long-range radio had also been disabled during another incident, rendering the sub unable to contact its HQ in Moscow. Arkhipov eventually persuaded Savitsky to surface the submarine and await orders from Moscow. Sat 27 Oct 2012 06.00 EDT. Despite being in international waters, the United States Navy started dropping signaling depth charges, which were intended to force the submarine to come to the surface for identification. This presentation is the only known public statement by Vasily Arkhipov about the events on submarine B-59 during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Alex Murdaugh stands guilty of killing his wife and son. 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. Whats more, the officers had permission to launch it without waiting for approval from Moscow. During Oct. 22-28 1962, Washington and Moscow sparred on the edge of thermonuclear war. On that day, Arkhipov was serving aboard the nuclear-armed Soviet submarine B-59 in international waters near Cuba. [2], After graduating in 1947, Arkhipov served in the submarine service aboard boats in the Black Sea, Northern and Baltic Fleets.[2]. The sub was running out of energy and air, and to recharge it needed to surface, but the crew didnt know if American ships would attack or not. Ba nm k t sau khi Vasili Arkhipov mt . vasili arkhipov. As the crisis escalated, U.S. naval vessels, clearly unaware of the fact that Soviet submarines operating in the area were carrying nuclear torpedoes, dropped depth charges on those vessels in a bid to get them to surface so that they would not break the United States naval blockade on Cuba. He died an unsung hero and even to this day the fateful decision he took on October 27, 1962, is relatively unacknowledged and not widely known. With Cuba a mere 90 miles from the U.S. mainland, missiles launched from there would be able to strike most of the eastern United States within a matter of minutes. During exercises in the North Atlantic, the K-19 suffered a major leak in its reactor coolant system. Arkhipov, with the power of veto . : Vasili Alexandrovich Arkhipov, : , 1926130 - 1998819 . How, during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, a Soviet submarine fleet commander and K-19 survivor, Vasili Arkhipov, kept his cool under enormous pressure and prevented his men from starting WWIII after being surrounded by the US fleet. Elon Musk thinks were close to solving AI. Vasili Arkhipov. According to her, he enjoyed searching for newspapers during their vacations and tried to stay up-to-date with the modern world as much as possible. Who? turned on powerful searchlights and blinded the people on the bridge when [the commander] blinked and blinked his eyes and could see again, it became clear that the plane was firing past and along the boat. My mother had no idea either of where my father had been sent or of what his orders were. 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. Initiative Gesichter des Friedens | Faces of Peace We will die, but we will sink them all we will not become the shame of the fleet.. He knew what he was doing. No, not at all really. In a situation as complex and pressured as the Cuban missile crisis, when both sides were operating with limited information, a ticking clock, and tens of thousands of nuclear warheads (most, it should be noted, possessed by the US), no single act was truly definitive for war or peace. Cut off from outside contact, buffeted by depth charges, its air conditioning broken, and temperatures and carbon dioxide levels rising in the sub, the most obvious conclusion for the officers of B-59 was that global war had already begun. 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. They had a daughter named Yelena. Such an attack likely would have caused a major global thermonuclear response. Aptly, the U.S. National Security Archive has dubbed Arkhipov a man who " saved the world.". Very difficult. Arkhipov sangat aktif dalam bidang kemiliteran Uni Soviet saat remaja. Much of what is known about his personality comes from her. He was educated in the Pacific Higher Naval School and participated in the SovietJapanese War in August 1945, serving aboard a minesweeper. Vasili Arkhipov was born on January 30, 1926, to a peasant family in Staraya Kupavna - a small town on the outskirts of Moscow. 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. Indeed it was retrospectively appreciated just how close nuclear war really was during that time. To those people who consider my father a coward I want to say: You havent experienced what he had to go through! Knowledge is power or so they say. It was posthumous Arkhipov died in 1998, before the news of his actions was widely known. All That's Interesting is a Brooklyn-based digital publisher that seeks out stories that illuminate the past, present, and future. . Only Vasili Arkhipov, Chief of Staff of the 69th Submarine Brigade of the Northern Fleet, hesitated, before taking probably the most difficult and momentous decision of his life: On October 27, 1962, he refused to press the red button, thereby preventing a nuclear chain reaction leading to all-out nuclear war. The captain and the political officer were in favor of firing. Vasili Arkhipov l mt s quan Hi qun Lin X, ngi c coi l c quyt nh mang tnh sng cn khi cu nhn loi khi mt cuc chin tranh ht nhn - iu m nhn loi lun lo s trong sut thi gian din ra Chin tranh Lnh. The US Navy ships began dropping depth charges around the submarine, called the B-59, rocking it violently from side to side. (5 votes) Very easy. They include difficulty of securing accurate intelligence, and the unpredictability of events. The 139-man-strong crew among whom was my father prevented an ecological catastrophe of unimaginable magnitude and saved the world from nuclear disaster. Why a Soviet submarine officer might be the most important person in modern history.. Easy. She always awaited him with love in her heart and protected him with her love. [9], Unlike other Soviet submarines armed with the "Special Weapon", where only the captain and the political officer were required to authorize a nuclear launch, the authorization of all three officers on board the B-59 were needed instead; this was due to Arkhipov's position as Commodore of the flotilla. But, unknown to the US forces, they had a special weapon in their arsenal: a ten kilotonne nuclear torpedo. While accounts differ about what went on on board the B-59, it is clear that Arkhipov and the crew operated under conditions of extreme tension and physical hardship. Very difficult. According to Orlov, Captain Savitsky was ready to strike, and so was the zampolit (political officer). [2] The radiation to which Arkhipov had been exposed in 1961 may have contributed to his kidney cancer, like many others who served with him in the K-19 accident.[16]. The nuclear torpedo armed submarine he was a crew member of came under depth charge attack from the U.S. Navy. Arkhipov backed Captain Nikolai Vladimirovich Zateyev, who feared that the crew would mutiny out of sheer desperation, by helping him dump most of the ships small arms arsenal overboard in order to avert the possibility that this potential mutiny would be an armed one. What the U.S. Navy didnt realize was that the B-59 was armed with a nuclear torpedo, one theyd been instructed to use without waiting for approval if their submarine or their Soviet homeland was under fire. We thought thats it the end., Vasili Arkhipov became a Rear-Admiral and died in 1998. For a brief, pivotal moment, Arkhipov's presence of mind was all that would stand between humanity's existence and its annihilation. During the Cuban Missile Crisis a false alarm of nuclear war almost made a Soviet nuclear submarine near the U.S launch it's nukes. Nevertheless, my mother wondered why she had been brought his jacket.