The [Hotel class submarine]
? K-19 (SSBN) suffered a major leak in her reactor coolant system
July 4,
1961. The resulting radiation levels and contamination were so severe that the crew was evacuated and
K-19 was towed to her homeport. Eight men died of radiation poisoning. The damaged reactors were removed and replaced, a process that took two years.
The movie K-19: Widowmaker, starring [Harrison Ford]? and [Liam Neeson]?, tells the story of this submarine.