"An Answer to Imperialists": K-19 - The First Soviet Nuclear-Powered Missile Submarine

The history of the Russian submarine fleet is inextricably linked to the construction of the first Soviet nuclear-powered missile submarine K-19 (Project 658). The submarine was launched from the stocks of Plant No. 402 (now Sevmash) in Severodvinsk on October 11, 1959.

Arms Race

In June 1959, the first nuclear-powered missile submarine, the George Washington, was launched in the United States. The Soviet leadership tasked the shipbuilders with putting the K-19 into operation as quickly as possible. This was a kind of "answer to the imperialists." As a result, both submarines went on combat duty almost simultaneously.

K-19 joined the Northern Fleet on July 12, 1960. The missile carrier's crew performed combat missions for almost two decades. From 1979, the submarine served as a communications boat. In 1990, the K-19 was decommissioned.

K-19 Characteristics

The submarine received three R-13 ballistic missiles. Each of them was equipped with a nuclear warhead with a capacity of one megaton. K-19 became part of the USSR's nuclear triad.

• Length - 114 m
• Width - 9.2 m
• Underwater speed - 26 knots
• Maximum immersion depth - 300 m
• VM-A type nuclear reactor
• Crew - 104 people

The construction of the K-19 gave Soviet engineers invaluable experience, which they later used to develop improved and powerful nuclear weapons carriers.

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