Igor Britanov - The Incident On K-219

The Incident On K-219

That day, while on patrol 680 miles (1,090 km) northeast of Bermuda, K-219 suffered an explosion and fire in a missile tube. The seal in a missile hatch cover failed, allowing seawater to leak into the missile tube and react with residue from the missile's liquid fuel. The Soviet Navy claimed that the leak was caused by a collision with USS Augusta (SSN-710). Augusta was certainly operating in proximity, but the United States Navy denies any collision. K-219 had previously experienced a similar casualty; one of her missile tubes was already disabled and welded shut.

Britanov was ordered to have his ship towed to Gadzhievo, her homeport, which was 7,000 kilometers (about 4,300 miles) away. The attempts to tow the ship were unsuccessful, and poison gas began to leak in the aft compartments. Against orders, Britanov ordered the crew evacuated to the towing ship, while he remained onboard K-219. Seeing that Britanov - in their judgement - was not acting efficiently enough, the Soviet Navy's high command ordered the security officer, Valery Pshenichny, to assume command and resume the patrol. Before that order could be carried out, K-219 sank to the bottom of the Hatteras Abyss. The cause is unknown, but it is presumed that Captain Britanov may have scuttled the ship.

Upon his return to the Soviet Union, Britanov was dismissed from the Soviet Navy and charged with negligence, treason and sabotage. While waiting for his trial in Sverdlovsk in May 1987, Defense Minister Sergei Sokolov resigned and was replaced by Dmitry Yazov; subsequently, the charges against Britanov were dropped.