78 суток под водой: врач советской атомной подлодки — у Гарри Табаха. Диалог двух морских волков

Today's conversation is special. This time, I'm not the one interviewing. Harry Tabakh is interviewing me. And the conversation turned out to be less about politics than about a world most people only know from films and novels. What's life like inside a Soviet nuclear submarine? What's life like for someone who lives for months inside a massive underwater nuclear weapon? Why should a doctor on a nuclear submarine know the reactor, hydraulics, and emergency systems almost as well as a mechanic? We're talking about: — how doctors were trained for the nuclear submarine fleet in the USSR — why service on a nuclear submarine was considered elite — how 78-day independent missions were conducted — how the Soviet system differed from the American one — how submariners perceived each other on both sides of the Cold War — why a submarine is essentially a separate underwater civilization The conversation unexpectedly intertwines: — Jules Verne and Captain Nemo — Kamchatka and closed garrisons — nuclear reactors — acoustic "portraits" of submarines — accidents and real-life tragedies — the lives of officers' families — the atmosphere of underwater brotherhood — and a strange mixture of romance, discipline, and constant risk. We'll be discussing separately: — the story of the possible transport of a reactor to North Korea — how difficult it is to build a real nuclear submarine — what happens during accidents in the reactor compartment — why Soviet submarines couldn't simply "surface and evacuate the patient" — how the air in a submarine works — why submariners were given red caviar and dry wine — and what happens if a person dies during a mission. This isn't a lecture or an official narrative. This is a lively conversation between two people who have seen a lot—each from their own side of the ocean and their own system. And perhaps the most important thing in this conversation is the sense that the submarine fleet creates a very special kind of people. People who live within a closed world, where a mistake can cost the entire crew their lives. If you find this topic interesting, perhaps this is just the beginning of a long series of memoirs about the submarine fleet, medicine, and life within one of the most closed systems in the USSR. Timecodes below. Transcript source: Timecodes 00:00 — Emergency broadcast and an unexpected topic 01:08 — The story of the sunken Russian vessel and the reactor 04:14 — North Korea and the attempt to create a nuclear submarine 06:19 — What is the most dangerous thing in a reactor disaster 08:38 — How the USSR trained Indian submariners 09:17 — Why submariners almost never talk 10:22 — "You live inside the weapon" 11:27 — Why I went to the Military Medical Academy 14:34 — Jules Verne, Captain Nemo, and the romance of the navy 17:55 — The Military Medical Academy as the Soviet "Harvard" 19:00 — Jews in the USSR Military Academy 22:24 — Why service on a nuclear submarine was considered elite 24:22 — First visit to a nuclear submarine 25:28 — What life is like inside a missile carrier 26:28 — The operating room between the missile silos 27:27 — The doctor had the most comfortable conditions on the submarine 28:23 — Why a doctor must know the layout of the entire submarine 31:25 — Salaries and privileges of Soviet submariners 33:03 — Autonomy: 78 days underwater 33:43 — Paratunka, crew rest, and life after a mission 35:20 — How much time did I actually spend underwater 36:10 — The life of an officer's family in Kamchatka 37:27 — What they fed on nuclear submarines 38:45 — "Akula" and huge Soviet submarines 39:17 — Harry Tabakh's first impression of the submarine 40:23 — The American commander refused to let the Russians on the submarine 42:04 — Acoustic portraits of submarines 44:39 — How air is created on a submarine 45:42 — What What happens when a submariner becomes seriously ill 47:28 — The history of the Kursk and emergency buoys 48:33 — What happens to those killed on a submarine 49:16 — Tragedy in the reactor compartment 51:34 — The life of a doctor among submariners 52:27 — The crew as a real family