Boris Alexandrovich Korchilov (; November 17, 1937,

Leningrad Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

, USSR – July 10, 1961,

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

, USSR) was a Soviet naval officer, engineer-lieutenant, and commander of the remote-control group of the submarine

K-19 K19 may refer to: * K-19 (Kansas highway) * ''K-19: The Widowmaker'', an American historical drama film * K19 pipe, a diatreme in Northern Alberta, Canada * Albany Municipal Airport (Missouri) * Keratin 19, a human protein * , a Soviet submarine * S ...

. He died during the liquidation of a nuclear reactor accident in July 1961, preventing a technological catastrophe.

Biography

Boris Korchilov was born in 1937 in Leningrad and spent his early years in the

besieged city ''Besieged City'' () is a 2008 Hong Kong film directed by Lawrence Ah Mon. It has a Category III rating in Hong Kong. Elizabeth Kerr wrote in ''The Hollywood Reporter'', " esieged Cityis a quasi- realist Hong Kong urban drama", and film critic ...

during World War II. He attended the 5th High School in Leningrad. In 1960, he successfully graduated from the Dzerzhinsky Naval Academy. Following the completion of his studies, Boris Korchilov assumed the role of the remote-control group commander on the submarine K-19.

Nuclear accident

The K-19 submarine accident occurred on July 4, 1961, at 4:07. A crack appeared in the pipeline leading from the first circuit of the

nuclear reactor A nuclear reactor is a device used to initiate and control a Nuclear fission, fission nuclear chain reaction. They are used for Nuclear power, commercial electricity, nuclear marine propulsion, marine propulsion, Weapons-grade plutonium, weapons ...

to the pressure sensor, causing a rapid rise in reactor temperature. The crew attempted to increase pressure, but the reactor's temperature continued to rise. During a meeting with the commander of the K-19 submarine, Captain 2nd Rank Nikolay Zateyev, the decision was made to manually create a cooling system to prevent a meltdown. Lieutenant Korchilov volunteered to enter the reactor compartment to conduct welding work. At 6:50, Boris Korchilov's emergency group descended into the compartment. When they entered the compartment, they saw a blue glow emanating from the pipes of the damaged reactor. They thought a fire had started, but it was shining from the ionized hydrogen radiation. The crew faced lethal radiation doses, but Korchilov, as the senior officer, provided moral support to the sailors installing the emergency cooling system. After hours of strenuous efforts, the temperature was stabilized, Korchilov's actions in averting a nuclear disaster were crucial during this critical operation. When Boris Korchilov climbed out of the reactor and took off the gas mask, yellowish foam bubbled on his lips, and he immediately vomited. Almost ten hours passed as the submarine sailed to the area where Soviet ships could be located. The submarine eventually made contact with a Soviet diesel submarine, S-270, which reported the accident to the fleet command. Korchilov was transferred to S-270 and then to Moscow for medical treatment. Korchilov received a radiation dose of 54 Sv (5400

rem Rem or REM may refer to: Music * R.E.M., an American rock band * ''R.E.M.'' (EP), by the band Green * "R.E.M." (song), by Ariana Grande Science and technology * Rapid eye movement sleep, a phase of sleep * Roentgen equivalent man (rem), a unit ...

). He died on July 10, 1961, in Moscow at Hospital No. 6. The accident on board the submarine K-19 was classified as a

top secret Classified information is confidential material that a government deems to be sensitive information which must be protected from unauthorized disclosure that requires special handling and dissemination controls. Access is restricted by law or ...

. The irradiated sailors were buried in lead coffins, secretly, without disclosing the burial location even to their relatives. One of the surviving crew members accidentally discovered the burial site (he came to bury a relative and stumbled upon inconspicuous graves). Boris Korchilov was reburied at Krasnenky Cemetery in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

. Academician A. P. Alexandrov recognized the actions of the crew and Korchilov's group in creating the emergency reactor cooling system as correct and selfless. The system, installed by Boris Korchilov's group on July 4, 1961, in the damaged reactor compartment, was subsequently implemented in the design of all nuclear reactors on navy ships, as well as at nuclear power plants.

Awards

The commander of the K-19 submarine recommended Lieutenant Korchilov for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. However, Leader of the Soviet Union

Nikita Khrushchev Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (– 11 September 1971) was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and the Premier of the Soviet Union, Chai ...

commented on awarding submariners - ''We don't award for accidents''. Nevertheless, by a secret order of

Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union The Supreme Soviet of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (SSUSSR) was the highest body of state authority of the Soviet Union (USSR) from 1936 to 1991. Based on the principle of unified power, it was the only branch of government in the So ...

on August 5, 1961, Boris Korchilov was posthumously awarded the

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (, ) was an award named after Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the October Revolution. It was established by the Central Executive Committee on 6 April 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration bestowed by the Soviet ...

with the wording ''For Courage and Heroism''.

Memory

* An award named after Boris Korchilov was established in the submarine fleet of the Soviet Navy for crews demonstrating the best organization of military-technical propaganda. * In the city of

Zaozyorsk Zaozyorsk (), formerly known as Zaozyorny (), Severomorsk-7 (), and Murmansk-150 (), is a closed town in Murmansk Oblast, Russia. As of the 2010 Census, its population was 11,199; down from 12,687 recorded in the 2002 Census. History Bu ...

, one of the streets is named after Boris Korchilov. * St. Petersburg (former Leningrad) 5th High School has installed a memorial plaque and an exhibition dedicated to Korchilov. * On 1 February 2006, former President of the Soviet Union

Mikhail Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet and Russian politician who served as the last leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to dissolution of the Soviet Union, the country's dissolution in 1991. He served a ...

proposed in a letter to the

Norwegian Nobel Committee The Norwegian Nobel Committee () selects the recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize each year on behalf of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel's estate, based on instructions of Nobel's will. Five members are appointed by the Norwegian Parliament. ...

that the entire crew of K-19 be nominated for a

Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish language, Swedish and ) is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the Will and testament, will of Sweden, Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobe ...

for their actions on 4 July 1961.

In popular culture

* " K-19: The Widowmaker" is a 2002 historical submarine film directed by

Kathryn Bigelow Kathryn Ann Bigelow (; born November 27, 1951) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. Her accolades include two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award. ''Time'' magazine named her one of the 100 most i ...

. Actor

Peter Sarsgaard John Peter Sarsgaard (; born March 7, 1971) is an American actor. He studied at the Actors Studio, before rising to prominence playing atypical and sometimes villainous roles in film and television. He made his film debut with '' Dead Man W ...

played the role of reactor compartment commander engineer-lieutenant Vadim Radchenko, a prototype of Boris Korchilov. * // History Channel, December 21, 2016. (In Russian). * // History Internet, December 28, 2020. (In Russian).

References