14 August 2000

The Russian submarine Kursk is one of 12 Oscar II class cruise missile submarines, designed in the Cold War to counter the US Navy's nuclear-powered aircraft carrier-led strike groups. It would normally be armed with 24 "Shipwreck" (Granit is the Russian term) supersonic cruise missiles which can carry a 750kg high explosive or a 500 kT nuclear warhead to a range of 300 nautical miles. These missiles are carried in banks of 12 outside the pressure hull.

Submariners will be concerned however to hear that the Kursk's forward weapon compartment, where there are six torpedo and missile tubes, has been flooded. This compartment is within the submarine's pressure hull and would seem to indicate a trim problem with the submarine, preventing the captain from surfacing to effect repairs. This compartment would normally have 28 torpedoes or anti-ship missiles aboard, some of which may be nuclear-tipped.

The Kursk would normally have a crew of 107 officers and men aboard. It is possible to rescue the crew of a submarine, depending on the right equipment being made available, the surface weather and the depth of the submarine on the bottom. The Barents Sea is not particularly deep and the submarine is claimed to be capable of diving to 600 metres (2000 feet).

The remedies include a "salvage blow", using all available high pressure air in the submarine itself, or connecting a high pressure hose from the surface and blowing out the water in the flooded compartment, allowing a damage control team in to seal the bulkheads or hatches. The submarine could then make the surface under its own power, but it does depend on the damage which has been caused.

Rescuing the crew and abandoning the submarine is the last option. The two pressurised water reactors will be made safe and experience has shown that there is negligible risk of leakage. The Russians claim that there are no nuclear warheads aboard, but the depth will be a critical factor. US Navy and other NATO submarines have worked together on rescue techniques and it is understood that the...

Russians have common "collars" for escape trunks on their submarines as well. Russia and America have small rescue submarines.

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