Knowra Vasily Arkhipov Vasily Arkhipov Vasily Arkhipov (1926–1998) was a Soviet naval officer whose refusal to approve a nuclear torpedo launch aboard submarine B-59 during the Cuban Missile Crisis helped prevent a possible nuclear escalation.
B-59 submarine incident : A 1962 confrontation in which U.S. forces signaled and attacked Soviet submarine B-59, whose crew carried a nuclear torpedo. Arkhipov was aboard B-59 when its officers debated launching the torpedo.
Soviet nuclear command and control : The Soviet procedures and institutions governing authorization, custody, and use of nuclear weapons. Understanding launch authority clarifies what Arkhipov could approve or prevent.
Valentin Savitsky : A Soviet naval officer who commanded submarine B-59 during the Cuban Missile Crisis. As B-59’s captain, Savitsky was among the officers involved in the torpedo-launch decision.
Soviet Navy : The naval service of the Soviet Union, which operated its fleet from 1918 to 1991. Arkhipov’s career and wartime responsibilities developed within this institution.
Nuclear brinkmanship : A strategy of escalating threats that risks war to pressure an adversary into concessions. The B-59 encounter shows how brinkmanship could bring nuclear weapons close to use.
Cuban Missile Crisis : A 1962 confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union over Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba. The submarine encounter unfolded during this wider nuclear crisis.
Foxtrot-class submarine : A Soviet diesel-electric attack submarine class designed for long-range patrols and torpedo attacks. B-59’s design shaped the cramped, overheated conditions facing its officers.
Ivan Maslennikov : A Soviet naval officer who served as political officer aboard submarine B-59 in 1962. He was the third senior officer whose agreement was associated with the launch decision.
Pacific War : The Second World War in Asia and the Pacific, fought between Japan and the Allied powers from 1941 to 1945. Arkhipov’s naval training began near the end of this war.
Nuclear near miss : An event in which accident, misperception, or restraint prevents a possible nuclear detonation or exchange. Arkhipov’s episode is often presented as a near miss, though details of the decision are debated.
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