On Claims of Commander of Submarine Grounded off Sweden in 1981

This document is a compilation of reports from the Joint Publications Research Service (JPRS) dated January 29, 1992, concerning the 1981 grounding of the Soviet submarine U-137 in Swedish waters. The text explores the controversy surrounding whether the submarine was carrying nuclear-tipped torpedoes and whether the crew had received orders to destroy the vessel to prevent its capture. The narrative centers on conflicting testimonies from former crew members, including deputy commander Vasiliy Besedin and former commander Anatoliy Gushchin, as well as comments from former KGB official A. Bulakhtin and Captain 1st Rank Vladimir Vazhov. Gushchin claimed that the submarine was indeed carrying nuclear weapons and that orders to scuttle the ship existed, a claim disputed by other officials who argue such an order would have been impossible to execute or unnecessary. The document also details the diplomatic tensions between Sweden and the Soviet Union/Russia, noting that Swedish experts were planning to visit Moscow to investigate the incident further. Additionally, the report provides technical details regarding Soviet 'minisubmarines' developed in the early 1980s, which were often the subject of speculation in the Swedish press. The authors note that these small vessels were largely unsuccessful and were being phased out. The document serves as a historical record of the lingering questions and political fallout resulting from the U-137 incident, emphasizing the difficulty of verifying historical events involving classified military operations.