A Soviet nuclear submarine nearly triggered a catastrophe north of Bermuda

History · Published 8 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: In October 1986, the K-219 submarine suffered a missile tube explosion while carrying 30 nuclear warheads. Instead of the secrecy seen during the Chernobyl disaster, the Soviet government chose transparency, informing the United States of the accident as they fought for three days to save the vessel.

The K-219, a 667-A project Yankee-class submarine, experienced a crisis on October 3, 1986, when missile fuel leaked into a tube and caused an explosion. The incident occurred near the shores of the United States, north of Bermuda, during a period of high tension as Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan prepared for their summit in Reykjavik, Iceland. The crew faced immediate peril, with three sailors dying in the resulting blast and fire. Among them was Senior Seaman Sergey Preminin, who remained in the reactor compartment to manually shut down the nuclear reactors after command-and-control equipment failed, preventing his evacuation.

The struggle to save the vessel lasted three days. The submarine was initially attached to the Soviet commercial ship Krasnogvardeisk for towing, but the tow cord snapped for unknown reasons, causing the submarine to sink. Captain Second rank Igor Britanov remained with the vessel until its final moments. While Britanov initially faced investigation upon his return, all charges against him were removed in 1987.

Despite the presence of 16 ballistic missiles and 16 torpedoes, the submarine did not pose a threat of radioactive contamination or nuclear explosion, contradicting earlier reports by the New York Times. Notably, the Soviet leadership's response marked a shift in diplomatic transparency. According to Politburo transcripts, the Soviet government proactively informed the U.S. side of the accident. Gorbachev later noted that Reagan expressed gratitude for this quick and transparent communication, suggesting the USSR had learned lessons from the previous Chernobyl disaster.

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