The writer Nikolai Cherkashin took the tragedy of the Komsomolets nuclear submarine seriously. As a former submariner, he understood well what the crew members had to endure. In addition, among the dead was Cherkashin’s comrade in the Red Banner Northern Fleet, Captain 1st Rank Talant Burkulakov. This documentary story, telling about the circumstances of the disaster near Bear Island, about the heroic struggle of the crew for the survivability of the submarine, about the troubles and problems of the rescue service, is the writer’s debt of memory to the submariners. Nikolai Cherkashin is a laureate of the Lenin Komsomol and the USSR Ministry of Defense awards.