K-306 (Victor I Class) : The Soviet Sub That Ambushed A US Navy Nuclear Sub

In 1974, a Soviet Victor I attack submarine (K-306) ambushed the USS James Madison right outside the British naval base at Holy Loch. The collision scraped the hull of the American nuclear missile submarine, missing the propellant tanks by inches.

This Apex Engineering documentary reveals the secrets hidden in the 2017 CIA declassified "Scowcroft Cable." We analyze the failure of the Soviet acoustic decoy tactic, the physics of the "raking collision," and the terrifying "Chimney Effect" scenario—where a Solid Fuel fire in a Poseidon C-3 missile tube could have dispersed Plutonium-239 dust over the city of Glasgow.

Learn why the Royal Navy failed to detect the intruder, how journalist Jack Anderson scooped the US intelligence community, and why the Soviets laughed off the incident while the West panicked.

📂 SOURCES & METHODOLOGY NOTES This video reconstructs the 1974 Holy Loch collision using a combination of declassified government records, contemporary news reports, and engineering analysis.

► PRIMARY SOURCES (THE FACTS) The collision itself, the involvement of the USS James Madison and a Soviet Victor-class submarine, and the subsequent government cover-up are confirmed by:

The "Scowcroft to Kissinger" Cable: Declassified by the CIA in Jan 2017.

CIA National Intelligence Daily: Declassified Jan 2017 (Confirming the leak).

The Washington Post: "Soviet Sub Bumps U.S. Sub" by Jack Anderson (Jan 1, 1975).

The Guardian: "Scottish Cold War Nuclear Submarine Collision Kept Secret" (Jan 25, 2017).

► ENGINEERING ANALYSIS (THE THEORIES) Certain tactical and physical details in this video are deductions based on naval doctrine and physics:

The "Acoustic Decoy" Scenario: The use of acoustic countermeasures (like the MG-74 Korund) was standard Soviet doctrine for breaking contact during this era.

The "Glasgow Plume" Scenario: The radiological consequences described are a theoretical model based on the known combustion properties of Poseidon C-3 solid propellant and the instability of LX-09 explosives in W68 warheads.

► IMAGE CREDITS & ATTRIBUTION The following images are used under Creative Commons or Open Government Licenses:

Cod War Collision: Collision between HMS Scylla and Odinn by Issac Newton - www.hmsbacchante.co.uk (CC BY-SA 2.5) https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...

K-306 Monument (Ufa): Rubka K-306 by Mike1979 Russia - Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...

Poseidon C-3 Missile: Poseidon C-3 Missile Display by Cliff - originally posted to Flickr (CC BY 2.0) https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...

RAF Nimrod/Maritime Patrol: Photo by Sgt Andy Malthouse RAF/MOD (OGL v1.0) https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...

► HISTORICAL ARCHIVES & FOOTAGE This documentary utilizes declassified files and public domain records from the following institutions:

US National Archives (NARA): Archival footage of USS James Madison (SSBN-627), USS Canopus (AS-34), and Holy Loch operations (Source: "Ninety Days to Somewhere" & "41 For Freedom").

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA): Declassified "CREST" database records, specifically the Scowcroft-Kissinger cable (Nov 1974).

Department of Defense (DOD): Historical footage of Soviet naval operations from "Rise of the Soviet Navy" and "Exercise Okean."

► VISUAL NOTES

Forensic Reconstruction: Scenes depicting the underwater collision, the "Shipyard Leak," and the CIA conference room are artist depictions/animations created for narrative illustration.

Sister Ship Imagery: Due to the classified nature of the event, some sequences utilize footage of general Lafayette-class and Victor-class submarines as historical stand-ins for the specific vessels involved.

► COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER This video is a documentary film created for educational and historical purposes.

Fair Use: Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.

News Reporting: Screen recordings of articles (The Guardian, Metro) and news broadcasts (NTV) are used specifically for the purpose of historical commentary and media critique.

Transformative Nature: The archival footage has been significantly transformed with original graphical overlays, sound design, and forensic engineering analysis to create a new educational work.

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