reactor chamber to complete the reactor SCRAM. They dropped three of four rods, but because of the high temperature (about 70°C or 158°F) Belikov lost consciousness. Preminin had to put the fourth rod in place. This was a job that required great physical strength, as the holders of the rods were now severely deformed by the heat. When he tried to leave the reactor chamber, he could not open the hatch, as a pressure difference had been established between the reactor chamber and the reactor control station. After further attempts from other colleagues to force open the hatch from outside, Preminin died in the hot reactor chamber, as the rest of the crew had to move further towards the rear to escape the poisonous gases that spread out in the boat. In film The sinking of the submarine and Preminin's feat were the subject for the book Hostile Waters, written by Peter Huchthausen, Igor Kurdin and R. Alan White. The BBC produced a television film of the same name in the same year, under the direction of David Drury of Warner Bros. Rob Campbell played the role of Preminin. Honors Military awards Order of the Red Star (posthumously) by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR (23 July 1987) Hero of the Russian Federation (posthumously), Medal #409, President's decree number 844 of 7 August 1997 Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" I degree (31 October 2003, posthumously) Monuments In the city of Gadzhiyevo, a monument was erected, and a road and two schools were named after him. In the city of Krasawino, a monument was erected in his honor. In Preminin's native Skornyakovo, a marble plaque commemorates his heroism with an inscription that reads: "To Russian Seaman Sergei Preminin, who has saved the world from a nuclear catastrophe." Other In Vologda in 2004 named a street in south part of city in memory of Sergei. In Vologda Oblast there are 2 schools named in memory of Sergei (including one school in his hometown, Krasavino). In 2015, in a letter to the Naming and Recognition Committee for National Heroes Day Preminin was also nominated as a national hero of Bermuda. References 1965 births 1986 deaths People from Vologda Oblast Heroes of the Russian Federation Soviet Navy personnel Submariners Recipients of the Order of the Red Star Recipients of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 1st class