Nuclear weapons do not go off accidentally

Rating: 1/10 (25 July 2002)

Okay, everyone, let's say it together and hopefully a cliché cold war plot line can be finally put to rest:
Nuclear weapons do not go off accidentally!
Nuclear weapons do not go off accidentally!
Nuclear weapons do not go off accidentally!
During the cold war the Soviets lost 8 nuclear submarines, all armed with nuclear weapons. They had fires, explosions, collisions and all sorts of accidents. How many accidental nuclear explosions were there? NONE! The US lost submarines and crashed several bombers loaded with nuclear weapons. Once, an American nuclear missile exploded in its silo, blasting the hardened lid off the silo and sending the charred warhead crashing to the ground several hundred yards away. There wasn't even a radiation leak. The US actually put nuclear weapon prototypes on rocket sleds and in fires to ensure their safety. I'm sure the Russians did the same. Movies like K19 continue to rely on the myth that a fire or other accident might set off the nuclear weapons, thus triggering World War III. In reality, K19 might have caused an environmental disaster, but it would not have destroyed a NATO ship and base due to the fire or the radiation. Nuclear weapons are complex devices that require a specific set of actions to detonate them. Were it possible to set one off by accident, it would have happened by now.
Before you see this movie, be sure to check out the comments of the actual crew of K19, who all condemn the movie as stupid, inaccurate, and insulting. As an example, they never called the K19 "The Widowmaker". After all, the average crew member was 20 years old and for all who died only one widow was left behind. Why make a "historical" film if it's all fiction?