Cuban Missile Crisis - At the Edge of Nuclear War

Unknown to President Kennedy, or any of his advisors, four Soviet “Foxtrot-class” submarines (of the Sixty-ninth Submarine Brigade) have left their base (at Murmansk) and are en route to Cuba where they will establish a secret submarine base. Each submarine is carrying a nuclear-tipped torpedo, capable of eliminating an entire aircraft carrier group.

The sub commanders - Alexei Dubivko (B-4), Ryurik Ketov (B-36), Valentin Savitsky (B-59) and Nikolai Shumkov (B-130) - have been told they can fire those weapons (without prior approval from Moscow) if their ships are attacked. The four officers, according to Captain Ketov, have agreed that if one of them fires his torpedo, the other three will do the same.

By the time the nuclear-equipped submarines near Cuba, the American navy has implemented a naval quarantine (blockade). The U.S. objective is to prevent any more Soviet ships from reaching the island.

In an effort to identify Soviet subs, and force them to surface, U.S. naval personnel use practice depth charges. Tension aboard Soviet submarine B-59 increases, and Captain Savitsky comes very close to firing his torpedo.

Meanwhile, another U-2 spy plane is flying a reconnaissance mission over Cuba. Ignoring Soviet orders not to shoot-down those planes, the Cubans fire their anti-aircraft weapons. The plane crashes, and the American pilot is killed.

The world was at the brink of nuclear war.