Kursk (submarine)

sister ship of the Kursk - submarine Omsk (K-186) of the oscar II class

the Kursk (Курск; K-141) a Russian submarine was, to 12. August 2000 sank.

The nuclear-powered submarine of the OSCAR ii-class (soot. Antej class) in Sewerodwinsk in threw Sewmaschpredprijatije built. The costsbut became estimated on 1 billion US Dollar. Designated after the Russian city Kursk, in which 1943 the Germans was struck, ran the ship in January 1995 from the pile. It was the flagship of the Russian submarine fleet. The Kursk was 154m long and became of2 reactors to ever 190 mega Watts propelled.

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happenings

on the misfortune day participated the “Kursk” in a maneuver of the Russian North Sea fleet in the Barentssee. At 11.28 o'clock Muscovite timein Norway in this sea-area an explosion with the strength 1.5 on the judge scale, at 11.30 o'clock one was noted further of the strength 3.5. A cause was the submarine.

There the engine of a exercise torpedo was probably turned on much too early. By the missing water resistance overheatedthe projectile, whereby a hydrogen peroxide line licked (hydrogen peroxide is needed for the drive). The chemical reacted strongly with brass and copper (both is in the torpedo) and forms thereby water (steam) and oxygen. Since thereby the volume became larger strongly, that burst to torpedo shortly thereafter andFire broke out, which reproduced itself fast up to the nose torpedo area and tore there by an enormous explosion of the Sprengköpfe (comparable with an earthquake of the stage 4 or 5) a large hole into the wall of the submarine. By thereupon penetrating water sank it 180Kilometer northeast from Murmansk on 108 meters of depth.

At least 23 crew members survived inside the boat, could not free itself however not from own Kraft from this depth. Found recordings prove this fact with the sailors.

Russian rescue parties tried among other things with rescue submarines of the praising class in vain oneTo accomplish rescue. The offered international assistance and others from Great Britain, Norway and the USA, even preparations in addition, from Russian side one had before rejected, so that of them possibly. punctual arrival was retarded. The media and the members of the crew became over the condition of theBoat and only dragging and contradictory informs the process of the rescue work. When Norwegian divers down-dipped over one week later to the wreck, they could find no more survivors. Meanwhile also the last 118 men crew had died.

At the first anniversary of the disaster forbadethe Kremlin journalist close-ups of mourning and interviews with them.

The ship became of the Netherlands companies Mammoet and Smit international to 8. October 2001 elevated. Before the nose with the torpedo section under water had been separated from the remainder of the ship. With the help of the pontoon “Giant-4” dragged the high sea-tractor “Singapore” the “Kursk” into the port of Rosljakowo.

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background

months-long maintained the Russian military that the “Kursk” was rammed by an American submarine (which the “Kursk” allegedly spied on) and it came in such a way to the misfortune. Collisions betweenAmerican and Soviet submarines there were actually several times during the cold war and also later. Thus collided at the 11. February 1990 the US submarine “Baton Rouge” with the Russian boat “K-239”.[1]

Only after substantial protests of the population the “Kursk” was lifted and afterwardsthe official reason for sinking changed. One assumes in the meantime a crew member started the engine of a torpedo propelled by hydrogen peroxide too early and this ran by the missing resistance of the water hot. Subsequently, withdrawing hydrogen peroxide reacted with metals inside of theTorpedo. This reaction let the torpedo explode and the fire resulted from it led also to the explosion of the torpedo blowing up heads.

Also a malfunctioning of a supercavitation torpedo of the type “Schkwal “is considered as possible, the testing of this secret weapon the restrictive information politics of the Russian military would nevertheless explain, as well asthe fact that before permitting a salvage through third only the torpedo section was separated from the trunk.

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Russian investigation report

in February 2002 presented the national commission of inquiry the result of their determinations. Defective exercise torpedoes in the long run the disaster caused. Prosecutor general Wladimir Ustinow designatedthe bosses of the North Sea fleet and the “Kursk” - crew under captain Gennadi Ljatschin as a responsible person for heavy carelessnesses. The criminal procedure against the naval guidance ended however in July 2002 without result and was adjusted. The documents are kept secret officially in the long run, excluded from 25 years the partover the conclusions of the investigation.

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see also

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