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16 December 2020Vladimir Romanov, a former submarine sailor who served aboard the K-19 in the 1960s, who has become a millionaire in the meantime, has purchased the command tower of the legendary nuclear submarine.
The man paid $ 500,000 for the bulky souvenir of the K-19, which became famous to the general public thanks to the film of the same name starring Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson. To be transported, the control tower, which weighs 40 tons, from Murmansk, port of registry, in the Moscow province, where the owner resides, was divided into dozens of pieces and required the use of three railway platforms.
Vladimir Romanov wanted to make a monument of it and, at first, he allowed those who wanted to visit it free access to the interior, including the area of the launch pads. But then it was necessary to weld the doors to prevent injuries. In the meantime, however, the local authorities have made it known that they are not willing to grant the use of the land to house the turret and there is strong opposition even from local residents who fear radiation, even if the last time the K- 19 sailed was 30 years ago.
The K-19 did not have a particularly lucky life. In 1961, a nuclear accident occurred which cost the lives of 8 Soviet sailors. In 1969 there was a collision with a US submarine. In 1972 a fire broke out on board which killed 30 Soviet sailors. For this series of events, the submarine was nicknamed "Hiroshima Navigator".