[Fred Hayek]

Hotel (SSBN), Echo (SSGN), and November (SSN) had the same type power plant, kinda crude. The November class got most of its performance by brute power and by having no shielding around the reactor - the latter reduced the displacement. Getting billeted onto a November class boat was like a slow death sentence. As early as the late 1960's there were rumors reaching the West of November crews with no hair and leukemia. Of the three classes of Soviet first generation nuke boats, the Echo II's were the last to be operational, the last decommissioned in 1994. The last Hotel boat was decommisioned around 1989.

[judicial meanz]

I wonder if any mortality studies have been done of former Soviet submariners and their death rates from radiation related illness?

It would be interesting in reading.


Thanks for the info