The idea of a submarine itself appeared in the 15th century. This idea came to the brilliant mind of the legendary Leonardo da Vinci. But, fearing the devastating consequences of such a secretive weapon, he destroyed his project.
But this is always the case; if an idea already exists, then sooner or later humanity will realize it. For more than half a century, submarines have been plying the seas and oceans. And, of course, they occasionally get into accidents. Nuclear submarines equipped with nuclear power plants pose a particular danger in this case. Let's talk about their crashes.
USS Thresher
The first sunken nuclear submarine in history was the American USS Thresher, which sank back in 1963. It was built three years earlier and was the first Thrasher-class submarine of its kind.
On April 10, USS Thresher was put out to sea to conduct test deep-sea dives and test the strength of the hull. For about two hours, the boat submerged and periodically transmitted data on the state of its systems to headquarters. At 09:17 USS Thresher stopped communicating. The last message read: “...maximum depth...”.
When she was found, it turned out that she had broken into six parts, and all 112 crew members and 17 researchers were killed. The cause of the boat's death is said to be a manufacturing defect in the welding of the hull, which could not withstand the pressure, cracked, and water that got inside caused a short circuit in the electronics. The investigation will establish that at the shipyards where the USS Thresher was serviced there was extremely low quality control, and in addition, deliberate sabotage may have occurred. This was the reason for the death of the submarine. Its hull still rests at a depth of 2,560 meters east of Cape Cod.
USS Scorpion
In its entire history, the US Navy has finally and irrevocably lost only two submarines. The first was the USS Thresher mentioned above, and the second was the USS Scorpion, which sank in 1968. The submarine sank in the Atlantic Ocean near the Azores. Literally five days after the accident, she was supposed to return to the base in Norfolk, but she did not get in touch.
60 ships and aircraft went in search of the USS Scorpion and found a lot of interesting things, including a sunken German submarine from World War II. But the desired boat was discovered only five months later at a depth of 3000 meters. The entire crew of 99 people died. The causes of the disaster are not fully known, but there is a theory that one of the torpedoes could have exploded on board the boat.
USS San Francisco
But the case of the American boat USS San Francisco is exactly the story of a miraculous rescue. On January 8, 2005, a collision occurred 675 kilometers southeast of Guam. At a depth of 160 m, San Francisco collided with an underwater rock.
The rock pierced the ballast tanks, so the ship could sink very quickly. But with the joint efforts of the team, they managed to maintain buoyancy and raise the USS San Francisco to the surface. The hull was not broken, and the nuclear reactor was not damaged.
At the same time, there were casualties. Ninety-eight crew members received various injuries and fractures. Machinist's Mate Second Class Joseph Allen died of head injuries the next day.
Let's move on to Soviet submarines. The K-8 submarine, which sank in the Bay of Biscay on April 12, 1970, was the first such loss of the Soviet fleet.
The cause of death was a fire in the sonar room, which began to quickly spread through the air ducts and threatened to destroy the entire ship. But simple human heroism saved him. When the sailors from the first shift of the main power plant realized that the fire was continuing to spread, they shut down the nuclear reactors and battened down all the doors to other compartments. The submariners themselves died, but did not allow the fire to destroy the submarine and kill the others. But the nuclear reactor did not release radiation into the ocean.
The surviving sailors were taken on board by the Bulgarian motor ship Avior, which was just passing nearby. Captain 2nd Rank Vsevolod Bessonov and 51 members of his crew died fighting the fire.
K-278 "Komsomolets"
The second sunken Soviet nuclear submarine. The K-278 Komsomolets was also destroyed by a fire that broke out on board on April 7, 1989. The fire broke the seal of the boat, which quickly filled with water and sank.
The sailors managed to send a signal for help, but due to damaged electronics, they were able to receive and decipher it only the eighth time. Some crew members managed to escape and swim to the surface, but they found themselves in icy water. As a result of the disaster, 42 sailors died, and 27 survived.
K-141 "Kursk"
We have already written in more detail about the mysterious death of the Kursk submarine, the strange behavior of the Russian authorities and questions to which no one has yet answered. Therefore, now let’s focus on the main points.
On August 2, 2000, at 11:28, the systems of the cruiser "Peter the Great" recorded a strong bang, after which the ship shook a little. The Kursk participated with the cruiser in Northern Fleet exercises and was supposed to get in touch with it six hours later, but disappeared.
Almost two days later, the submarine will be found at a depth of 108 meters, already at the bottom. All 118 crew members were killed. The reasons for the death of the Kursk still remain unclear, since the official version of a fire in the torpedo compartment raises too many questions.
Ukraine is beyond competition
If there is one conclusion that can be drawn from all these stories, it is that the work of submariners is harsh and dangerous. And Ukrainians know how to cope with any dangerous work. Therefore, despite the fact that we do not yet have a submarine fleet, it is a matter of time. As soon as Ukraine has free resources for its creation and development, it will be created.
And we have plenty of strong sailors, whose Cossack ancestors sailed on seagulls all the way to Turkey, and whose fathers and grandfathers served on Soviet submarines. Ukraine usually has no shortage of heroes.
100 great mysteries of the 20th century Nepomnyashchiy Nikolai Nikolaevich
DEATH OF THE SNAP "THRESHER"
DEATH OF THE SNAP "THRESHER"
(Material by A. Petrov)
On April 10, 1963, the whole world was shocked by the news of the sinking of the US Navy nuclear submarine Thresher. The boat disappeared without even having time to send a distress signal. None of the 129 crew members managed to escape. For America, this became a true national disaster.
Sitting in front of their televisions, the Americans asked only one question: “How could the best submarine in the world die overnight?” And this was not just about the usual praise for Americans of their achievements. The lead boat, which opened a whole series of 30 submarines, died, and at that time its tactical and technical characteristics were indeed the best. Nuclear submarines of this type had high speed - up to 30 knots - and a maximum diving depth of up to 360 m. The nuclear power plant made it possible to circle the equator 10 times Earth, and the cruising range at full power was 100,000 miles. In short, American designers and shipbuilders had something to be proud of. And such a ship, created taking into account the latest achievements of science and technology, perished. And in peacetime! By the pride of the Americans he was hit terrible power. For the first time, the question of how a nuclear installation will behave at depth and how this could end for humanity has become a full-blown question.
Why did the boat die?
The following is known for certain. Thresher went to sea for a two-day test. On board were 12 full-time officers, 96 petty officers and sailors, 4 officers from the shipyard and 17 civilian specialists.
The first day passed without incident. On the second, it was planned to dive to the maximum depth for a submarine, that is, 360 m. During such dives, the boat descends to depth in stages. Numerous measurements are taken at each to determine the strength of the hull and structures, as well as to check the correct operation of the mechanisms. Any deep sea dive is insured. In this case, this was done by the rescue ship Skylark. According to extracts from the logbook, events developed as follows:
8.00 - underwater communication was checked;
8.02 - depth 120 meters. Inspection of the robust hull;
8.09 - depth 180 meters;
8.24 - next communication session;
8.35 - depth 270 meters;
8.53 - the submarine approached the maximum depth;
9.02 - communication session, same course;
9.10 - The submarine did not answer the call.
At 9.12, a message was received from the Thresher that there was a problem. The boat was trimmed to the stern and was clearly trying to blow out the main ballast. Acousticists heard the sound of compressed air for 20–30 seconds. The captain's last distorted message was indistinct: "...maximum depth..."
At 9.17 a muffled roar was heard.
At 11.04, the Skylark commander sent a radiogram to headquarters: “I have not had contact with Thresher since 9.17.”
At 13.32, by order of the commander of the submarine forces of the US Atlantic Fleet, ships, planes and the Seawolf submarine were sent to the accident area.
At 15.30, the Chief of the US Navy General Staff reports to the Secretary of the Navy about what happened. And 15 minutes later, President Kennedy was informed about the emergency. The first question he asked was: “How many people are on board?” Military officials did not know the exact number and answered approximately 80–90 people. By 5 p.m., rescue vessels found oil stains and pieces of polyethylene on the sea surface. However, the military still had hope for a miracle, and in his evening speech, the Chief of the General Staff, Admiral Andersen, did not read the name list of the dead. But already in the morning news broadcast, the same admiral said: “It is with deep regret that I have to announce to you that a nuclear submarine with 129 people on board died ...”
On April 11, flags were flown at half-mast at all American naval bases around the world. And on the same day, compensation was paid to the families of the submariners.
To determine the causes of the disaster, the boat had to be found. More and more ships, submarines, and research vessels joined the search. The Trieste bathyscaphe, capable of diving to the extreme depths of the World Ocean, was delivered from the Pacific Ocean on a landing ship. The total number of ships collected in the search area reached 12–16 units. But even after a month the search remained fruitless.
It was important not only to find out the cause of the disaster, but also to “save face” of the nation and, of course, to understand what was happening with the reactor. Trieste made numerous dives until November 1963. Scientists took more than 250,000 images. A bulkhead door, pipes, and an air tank were found high pressure and boots from the workwear set. But neither the bodies of the submariners nor the boat were found.
The commission to investigate the causes of the disaster began its work on April 11, 1963, and included prominent submariners and shipbuilding specialists. The commission was headed by one of oldest submariners US Vice Admiral Bernard Austin. And in his worst nightmare he could not have dreamed that five years later he would be investigating the disaster of another nuclear submarine.
The work of the commission was difficult. The media circulated many rumors and versions, including the traditional “hand of Moscow.” They were generated, first of all, by an interdepartmental squabble “over the honor of the uniform.” From the pages of newspapers and from television screens, submariners furiously accused the shipbuilders, who in response threw mud at the military. However, in the end it was the Portsmouth shipyard that built the Thresher. Operation of the submarine during 12 warranty months revealed 875 defects, 130 of them were structural and 5 were related to the safety of the ship. Therefore, Thrasher was returned to the shipyard for modifications.
During this time, the ship's commander changed. The boat was offered to 35-year-old Lieutenant Commander John Harvey. Despite his relatively young age, he was an experienced submariner. Harvey quickly realized that the boat was not ready to go to sea. But it turned out that for “higher” reasons even an intelligent specialist can be silenced. The only thing the commander could do was write a letter to his father’s friend, Vice Admiral U. Smedberg. The latter served as chief of personnel of the US Navy. After the disaster, the Secretary of the Navy forbade the publication of the letter, but something was leaked to the press. It is known that Harvey asked the vice admiral to use his influence and put pressure on the specialists, since the quality of repair work on the submarine worries him. The Vice Admiral received the letter on the day when 129 people, along with the newest boat went to the bottom of the Atlantic.
We must pay tribute to the Americans - they did everything to avoid repeated accidents. Already in October 1963, the US Navy command announced the suspension of the construction of all nuclear submarines of this type to check the quality of work. The maximum diving depth was reduced, the tactical and technical characteristics and living conditions of the crew were improved. 12 days after the disaster, a research group was created, the main task of which was to organize the search and provide assistance to the sunken submarines. At that time, there were no reliable means of rescuing submarines and their personnel. However, many experts believe that they still don’t exist...
The investigative commission interviewed 120 witnesses. Their testimony, numerous photographs, maps and diagrams amounted to 12 volumes of the case. The commission’s conclusion was disappointing: “...the data obtained does not allow us to definitively say what actually happened to the submarine...”
The disaster, of course, attracted the attention of Soviet specialists. A book by A.A. has been published. Narusbaeva and T.P. Lisov “The Mystery of the Death of “Thresher”” (L., 1964). Here's what they write:
“About 9.12 something irreparable happened: colossal outboard pressure tore off the fittings or ruptured the pipeline in one of the aft compartments. The hole was not very big, otherwise the boat would have sank instantly. Harvey gave the necessary orders, called the Skylark and said in a calm voice: “We have encountered a small problem... We have a trim to the stern. We’re trying to get by.” Judging by his intonation, the commander did not yet realize the scale of the trouble.
Meanwhile, the situation in the stern was terrible. The stream of water literally mowed down people in its path. A dense fog enveloped the compartment, causing a short circuit. This disabled systems vital to controlling the ship. The rapidly increasing trim at the stern soon exceeded the permissible value, which led to the activation of the reactor protection. The ship lost speed.
Having received negative buoyancy and losing control, the boat began to fall beyond the maximum depth. The failed connection did not allow the captain to communicate anything to the Skylark.
The end of the tragedy came at 9.17, when one of the compartments collapsed under the influence of outboard pressure (a dull crack that was heard by the rescuers). In a matter of seconds, the water swept away all the watertight bulkheads and flooded the ship. The air trapped in the compartments was compressed to such an extent that fires broke out, which were immediately extinguished by the mass of incoming water. The death of the crew was instantaneous." The boat fell for more than two kilometers at a speed of 110–160 knots and upon impact may have sunk 150 meters into the ground...
This text is an introductory fragment.
From the book 100 Great Mysteries of the 20th Century author Nepomnyashchiy Nikolai NikolaevichTHE DEATH OF THE NUCLEAR SUBMARINE "THRESHER" (Material by A. Petrov) On April 10, 1963, the whole world was shocked by the news of the death of the US Navy nuclear submarine "Thrasher". The boat disappeared without even having time to send a distress signal. None of the 129 crew members managed to escape. For America it became real
From the book The Beginning of Horde Rus'. After Christ. The Trojan War. Founding of Rome. author2.15. The death of the Hun Etzel-Atli and the death of Khan Svyatoslav Khan (prince) Svyatoslav-Baldwin-Achilles was killed. As we see below, his partial reflection in the German-Scandinavian epic is also the Hun Etzel. It is believed, by the way, that his other name was Atli. Historians
From the book The Founding of Rome. The beginning of Horde Rus'. After Christ. Trojan War author Nosovsky Gleb Vladimirovich2.15. The death of the Hun Etzel-Atli and the death of Khan Svyatoslav Khan-Prince Svyatoslav-Baldwin-Achilles was killed. As we see below, his partial reflection in the German-Scandinavian epic is also the Hun Etzel. It is believed, by the way, that his other name was Atli. Historians identify
author Kubeev Mikhail NikolaevichThe death of the submarine “Thresher” The famous Russian “Tale of Ivan Tsarevich, the Firebird and the Gray Wolf” says: “On the third day, Voron Voronovich flew in and brought with him two vials: in one - living water, in the other - dead, and gave those bubbles to the Gray Wolf... Gray
From the book 100 great disasters author Kubeev Mikhail NikolaevichTHE DEATH OF THE SUBMARINE “THRESHER” The famous Russian “The Tale of Ivan Tsarevich, the Firebird and the Gray Wolf” says: “On the third day, Voron Voronovich arrived and brought with him two vials: in one - living water, in the other - dead, and gave those vials to the Gray Wolf. Gray wolf
From the book Secrets of Underwater Espionage author Baykov E ASearch for the sunken Thresher On April 10, 1963, one of the largest disasters in the US Navy occurred. While performing an experimental deep-sea dive to a depth of about 400 meters, the nuclear submarine Thresher was lost. There were 129 people on it - the crew,
author Nosovsky Gleb Vladimirovich10. The death of Dmitry - co-ruler of “Grozny” and the death of Smerdis, who took the throne “in a dream” of Cambyses 10.1. Herodotus' version According to Herodotus, King Cambyses, having killed Apis, as we described above, was immediately struck by madness. True, as noted, his madness had already manifested itself earlier.
From the book The Conquest of America by Ermak-Cortez and the Rebellion of the Reformation through the eyes of the “ancient” Greeks author Nosovsky Gleb Vladimirovich10. The death of three hundred famous Spartans of King Leonidas and the death of the medieval detachment of knights of Landmarshal Philip Bel 10.1. Herodotus about the battle of the Greeks with the Persians at Thermopylae and the death of the valiant Spartans. One of the most striking and famous events of Xerxes’ campaign on
From the book The Conquest of America by Ermak-Cortez and the Rebellion of the Reformation through the eyes of the “ancient” Greeks author Nosovsky Gleb Vladimirovich17. The death of the Persian commander Mardonius is the death of the famous Malyuta Skuratov. He is also the biblical Holofernes. At the very end of the Greco-Persian War, the outstanding Persian commander Mardonius, appointed by King Xerxes as commander of the rearguard, died. Herodotus
From the book The Conquest of America by Ermak-Cortez and the Rebellion of the Reformation through the eyes of the “ancient” Greeks author Nosovsky Gleb Vladimirovich14. The death of Khan Kuchum and the death of the Aztec Motekuhsoma Russian sources say that then Khan Kuchum abandoned his ingratiation to the conquerors and for quite a long time and stubbornly resisted the invasion of the Cossacks. However, he was defeated, after the death of Ermak, he fled and WAS KILLED. Fisher
From the book What Shakespeare Really Wrote About. [From Hamlet-Christ to King Lear-Ivan the Terrible.] author Nosovsky Gleb Vladimirovich14. The death of Gertrude is the death of the Roman Lucretia and the Assumption of the Virgin Mary Shakespeare reports that Queen Gertrude dies. This happens at the very end of the tragedy, during the duel between Hamlet and Laertes. The king and queen watch the battle with excitement. When Hamlet
author Nosovsky Gleb Vladimirovich20. The death of Nero and the death of Holofernes, the Assyrian commander How did Emperor Nero die? Suetonius talks about this. We will see that his story is very close to the biblical version of the same events. Namely, the death of Nero will be described in much the same way as the death of the Assyrian
From the book The Split of the Empire: from Ivan the Terrible-Nero to Mikhail Romanov-Domitian. [The famous “ancient” works of Suetonius, Tacitus and Flavius, it turns out, describe Great author Nosovsky Gleb Vladimirovich11. The death of Caligula and the death of Tsarevich Dmitry 11.1. Karamzin's story Let us briefly recall how Tsarevich Dmitry died. The Romanov version, condemning Godunov, is voiced in detail (and dutifully) by Karamzin. Tsarevich Dmitry was considered the son of Ivan IV the Terrible. Apparently he was standing in the way
From the book The Split of the Empire: from Ivan the Terrible-Nero to Mikhail Romanov-Domitian. [The famous “ancient” works of Suetonius, Tacitus and Flavius, it turns out, describe Great author Nosovsky Gleb Vladimirovich13. The death of Elena Voloshanka, that is, Esther = Judith, and the death of the “woman” Chaerea - another of her “ancient” reflections. We have already repeatedly noted that Elena Voloshanka was reflected on the pages of the Bible at least twice: as Esther and as Judith. She was described under the name Esther
From the book Tsarist Rome between the Oka and Volga rivers. author Nosovsky Gleb Vladimirovich10. Romulus (Christ) and Remus (John the Baptist) become popular leaders in Rome The death of Remus and the death of John the Baptist Plutarch reports that King Numitor was angry with Romulus and Remus. Probably, here Numitor is a reflection of the Gospel king Herod. "Not paying attention
From the book Submarines: Over 300 submarines from all over the world author author unknownTo rescue 44 sailors from the submarine San Juan, which went missing in the South Atlantic in mid-November. The search for the submarine itself will continue. The submarine's disappearance became known on November 17.
RBC recalled the largest accidents with foreign submarines after World War II
1951 British diesel submarine HMS Affray
April 16, 1951 The submarine Affray left its home port to participate in exercises. There were 75 people on board. Soon the submarine stopped communicating. It was discovered only two months later at a depth of about 90 m in the waters of the English Channel. There were no survivors on board. It was never possible to establish the final cause of the ship's death. An official investigation concluded that there was metal fatigue in one of the air supply units. According to another version, the cause was an explosion on board.
1953 Turkish submarine Dumlupinar
Photo: Sait Kucuk CPOS (Ret) / Turkish Navy
April 4, 1953 The Turkish submarine Dumlupinar collided with the Swedish cargo ship Naboland in the Dardanelles Strait, after which it quickly sank at a depth of 85 m. At the time of the collision, there were five submariners on the bridge, they managed to escape. The remaining crew members, 81 people, were killed.
1963 American lead nuclear submarine of the Thresher project
April 10, 1963 The lead nuclear submarine of the Thresher project went to sea to conduct deep-sea test dives. The tests turned into the largest accident in the history of the world submarine fleet. Due to the violation of the integrity of the hull and the entry of water into the engine room, the boat quickly sank to its maximum depth and began to fall apart. Its wreckage lies at a depth of 2560 m in the Atlantic Ocean. There were 129 people on board, all died. This disaster was the first loss of a nuclear submarine in history.
1968 Israeli diesel submarine "Dakar"
Photo: Havakuk Levison / FMS / Reuters
January 25, 1968 The Israeli diesel submarine Dakar sank in the Mediterranean Sea. The British-built submarine was traveling from Portsmouth to Haifa. The sunken submarine was discovered only 31 years later: it was found along the approved route at a depth of 3 km. Immediately after the sinking of the submarine, the Israeli military put forward the version that the Dakar was sunk by a Soviet submarine. After an examination, this suspicion was removed: in 2015, the media reported that a technical malfunction could have led to the loss of control over the submarine.
1968 US nuclear submarine USS Scorpion
Photo: U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command/AP
May 22, 1968 Another nuclear submarine, the American Scorpion, sank in the Atlantic Ocean. The cause of her death could not be established, as one of possible options called the explosion of a torpedo on board. The nuclear submarine itself lies at a depth of more than 3 km, and representatives of the US Navy periodically monitor the radiation background in the flooding area. In 2012, US Navy veterans called for the investigation into the causes of the disaster to be resumed and an underwater expedition to be conducted.
1971 Pakistani submarine Ghazi
Photo: LCDR Tomme J. Lambertson USN (RET)
December 3, 1971 The Pakistani submarine Ghazi sank off the southeast coast of India during the Indo-Pakistani War. There were 92 crew members on board, all of them died. The Indian military claimed that the boat was sunk by their destroyer Rajput. According to the Pakistani side, this was due to an explosion on board or a mine. The death of the Ghazi was the first combat loss of a submarine since World War II.
2003 Chinese submarine No. 361
April 16, 2003 Chinese submarine No. 361 sank in the Yellow Sea. There were 70 crew members on board, all of them died. Chinese authorities reported the disaster only on May 3, 2003. The cause was cited as a malfunction of the diesel shutdown system, which led to the production of all the oxygen on board. During the investigation into the disaster, four high-ranking military officials were dismissed.
The idea of the combat use of an underwater vessel was first expressed by Leonardo da Vinci. He subsequently destroyed his project because he feared the devastating consequences of submarine warfare. The idea of using a submarine in combat was popularized in Jules Verne's novel 20 Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, written in 1870. The novel describes the Nautilus submarine, which rams and destroys surface ships.
Although the most important tactical property and advantage of a submarine is stealth, until 1944 all submarines spent most of their time on the surface and were essentially submersible boats - surface ships.
Today we will remember major disasters submarines, because sometimes these metal monsters go under water forever...
US Navy submarine SS-109 (1927)
40 people died when the US submarine SS-109 (USS S-4) sank after it was rammed by a US Coast Guard ship off Cape Cod.
An amazing fact: the submarine returned to service a year after this accident and served actively until its decommissioning in 1936.
Soviet submarine S-117 "Pike", 1952
"Shch-117" is a Soviet diesel-electric torpedo submarine from the Second World War, belongs to the V-bis series of the Shch - "Pike" project. On June 10, 1949, renamed S-117.
Shch-117, 1930s:
By the early fifties, the S-117 was no longer a new ship, but it successfully performed the tasks assigned to it. In December 1952, in the Sea of Japan, the Pike was supposed to take part in exercises. On the way to the maneuver area, its commander reported that due to a breakdown of the right diesel engine, the submarine was going to the designated point on one engine. A few hours later he reported that the problem had been fixed. The boat never made contact again.
The exact cause and place of death of the submarine are unknown. It was as if she had disappeared.
There were 52 crew members on board the boat, including 12 officers. Searches for the C-117, carried out until 1953, yielded nothing. The cause and place of the boat's death are still unknown.
US Navy submarine USS Thrasher, 1963
An American submarine sank during a training exercise off the Cape Cod Peninsula off the coast of Massachusetts, killing 129 crew members.
Mechanical failure caused the boat to quickly sink and explode. According to the conclusions made by expert Bruce Rule, who examined the death of the boat, the final destruction of the Thresher’s hull occurred at a depth of 732 m and took no more than 0.1 seconds. Its wreckage was discovered at a depth of more than 2,500 meters. The boat's hull split into six main parts - the bow section, the sonar dome, the wheelhouse, the tail section, the engine room, and the command compartment, all located within a radius of 300 meters.
Photo of the Thrasher's vertical rudder lying on the bottom:
The sinking of the Soviet submarine K-129, 1968
The diesel submarine of the USSR Navy K-129, which, according to various sources, carried from 96 to 98 crew members, went on combat duty in the North Pacific Ocean in February 1968.
On March 8, 1968, the diesel-electric missile submarine K-129 from the Pacific Fleet, equipped with nuclear warheads, was lost. The submarine carried out combat service in the Hawaiian Islands, and since March 8 it has stopped communicating. According to various sources, there were from 96 to 98 crew members on board the K-129, all of them died.
The cause of the disaster is unknown. There are a number of theories regarding the accident, including a collision with an American ship, but Washington has consistently denied this, and, according to the official US Navy report, the sinking of the Soviet submarine was blamed on a “tragic explosion on board.” Subsequently, the Americans discovered K-129 and recovered it in 1974.
The Soviet side organized a search for the missing submarine, which did not bring any results. Subsequently, K-129 was discovered by the Americans, who organized its recovery.
Submarine K-129 at the bottom:
During the rise, the submarine broke in two, but several of its compartments were delivered to one of the US Navy bases. During their examination, the bodies of six Soviet submariners were discovered. The Americans gave military honors to the dead and buried the dead submariners at sea.
American USS Scorpion (SSN-589), 1968
The keel of the US Navy ship took place on August 20, 1958. The boat sank on May 21, 1968, 740 km southwest of the Azores at a depth of 3,000 meters, 5 days before returning to base in Norfolk. 99 people died.
They searched for the sunken boat for 5 months; more than 60 ships and vessels, and up to 30 aircraft were involved in the search. A week after the search began, a German submarine, sunk during the Second World War, was discovered 100 miles from Norfolk. The search was in vain for a long time.
Soon the boat was found at a depth of 3047 meters and photographed by the Mizar vessel. The cause of the ship's death has not yet been established; the most likely version is a torpedo explosion. But there are other versions...
For almost 40 years, by mutual agreement, the United States and Russia have been carefully concealing the fact of the destruction of the American nuclear submarine Scorpion by a combat torpedo fired by a Soviet submarine, says the author of the new investigative book “Scorpion Down” published in the United States, military journalist Ed Offley.
Offley claims that the destruction of the Scorpion was the “revenge” of Soviet submariners who believed that the United States was involved in the death of the Soviet submarine K-129, which sank to the bottom after an explosion on board with its entire crew of 98 people in the Pacific Ocean in March 1968.
The tragedies of 1968 were part of an underwater “reconnaissance war,” many of the details of which are still classified, the author of the book believes.
Fragment of a boat hull. Visible deformations from excessive pressure:
Soviet submarine K-8, 1970
The Soviet nuclear submarine K-8 of Project 627A “Kit” joined the Northern Fleet on August 31, 1960.
The submarine, which was on combat duty in the Mediterranean Sea, was sent to the North Atlantic region to participate in the largest exercise in the history of the Soviet Navy, Ocean-70, in which the forces of all USSR fleets participated. Its task was to designate the “enemy’s” submarine forces breaking through to the shores Soviet Union. The start of the exercises was planned for April 14, the end - for the 100th anniversary of the birth of V.I. Lenin - April 22, 1970.
The last hours of the life of K-8 and part of her crew:
The nuclear submarine K-8 was lost on April 12, 1970 in the Bay of Biscay of the Atlantic Ocean as a result of a severe fire, which led to the loss of buoyancy and longitudinal stability. The submarine sank at a depth of 4680 meters, 490 km northwest of Spain. 52 crew members were killed. While dying, they managed to shut down the nuclear reactors.
Monument to the K-8 crew:
The death of the K-8 and 52 crew members was the first loss of the Soviet nuclear fleet.
Nuclear submarine K-278 "Komsomolets", 1989
The Soviet 3rd generation nuclear submarine K-278 Komsomolets was the only submarine of Project 685 Plavnik. The boat holds the absolute record for diving depth among submarines - 1027 meters (August 4, 1985). The boat had six bow 533-mm torpedo tubes with a quick loader. Each TA had an autonomous pneumohydraulic firing device. Shooting could be carried out at all diving depths.
The nuclear submarine K-278 Komsomolets sank on April 7, 1989 in the Norwegian Sea. The submarine was moving at a depth of 380 meters at a speed of 8 knots. As a result of a fire in two adjacent compartments, the main ballast tank systems were destroyed, through which the boat was flooded with sea water. 42 people died, many from hypothermia.
Russian submarine "Kursk, 2000"
K-141 "Kursk" is a Russian nuclear submarine missile-carrying cruiser of Project 949A "Antey". Laid down at Sevmash in 1990 and put into operation on December 30, 1994.
The Russian submarine Kursk sank on August 12, 2000, at a depth of 108 meters during naval exercises in the Barents Sea, in waters between Norway and Russia, after two explosions occurred on board caused by a torpedo motor fuel leak.
Most of the 118 people on board were killed instantly. 23 people managed to get out into the rear compartment, but died of suffocation the next day.
In terms of the number of deaths, the accident became the second in the post-war history of the Russian submarine fleet after the explosion of ammunition on a B-37.
All stages of the operation to raise the Kursk were carried out over the course of a year. About 120 companies from 20 countries were involved in it. The cost of the work was estimated at 65 - 130 million US dollars. As a result of the operation of raising the Kursk boat, 115 bodies of dead submariners were found and buried. Three bodies were never found. A boat's potentially dangerous ammunition and two nuclear reactors were evacuated from the bottom of the Barents Sea
Chinese submarine "Min 361", 2003
The submarine was launched in 1995. Assigned to the Eastern Fleet of the People's Republic of China Navy
On April 16, 2003, a breakdown occurred during an exercise. diesel engine submarine "Min 361" when it was in Bohai Bay in the Yellow Sea off the northeastern coast of China. The breakdown led to a sharp decrease in oxygen on board and suffocation of all 70 crew members.
This was the first time China has made public the death of its diesel-electric submarine. According to Xinhua on May 2, 2003, the boat was discovered by Chinese fishermen on April 25, 2003, when they caught its periscope with nets. The submarine was later raised to the surface and towed away.
Argentine submarine "San Juan", 2017
The Argentine Navy submarine San Juan stopped communicating on November 15 while en route from the Ushuaia naval base to Mar del Plata. At the time of the last communication session, the submarine reported an accident. There were 44 people on board.
15 days after the disappearance of the submarine, the Argentine Navy announced that the operation to rescue the 44 crew members of the San Juan submarine was being stopped, but the search for the submarine itself would continue.
The captain of the missing Argentine Navy submarine San Juan promised her mother that it would be his last trip. That's how it happened.
As for nuclear submarines, a total of 8 nuclear submarines sank from 1955 to 2017: 4 Soviet, 2 Russian, 2 American. All of them died as a result of various accidents: three due to technical malfunctions, two as a result of fires, two due to problems with weapons, the cause of the death of one boat is not reliably known.
On October 6, 1986, the K-219 submarine sank near Bermuda. The cause of the disaster was an explosion in a missile silo. This post is dedicated to the memory of all submariners who died in disasters.
The pier is quiet at night.
You only know one
When the submarine is tired
Coming home from the depths
In December 1952, the diesel-electric boat S-117, preparing for exercises as part of the Pacific Fleet, crashed in the Sea of Japan. Due to a breakdown of the right diesel engine, the boat went to the designated point on one engine. A few hours later, according to the commander’s report, the malfunction was fixed, but the crew no longer contacted us. The cause and place of the submarine's death are still unknown. Presumably sank during a test dive after poor or unsuccessful repairs at sea due to faulty air and gas valves, due to which the diesel compartment was quickly filled with water and the boat was unable to surface. It should be taken into account that this was 1952. For the failure of a combat mission, both the commander of the boat and the commander of the BC-5 could be put on trial. There were 52 people on board.
On November 21, 1956, near Tallinn (Estonia), the M-200 submarine, part of Baltic Fleet, collided with the destroyer Statny. 6 people were saved. 28 died.
Another accident in the Gulf of Tallinn occurred on September 26, 1957, when the diesel submarine M-256 from the Baltic Fleet sank after a fire started on board. Although she was initially able to be raised, she sank to the bottom four hours later. Of the 42 crew members, 7 people were saved. The A615 project boat had a diesel engine-based propulsion system operating underwater in a closed cycle through a solid chemical absorber to remove carbon dioxide and enrich the combustible mixture with liquid oxygen, which sharply increased the risk of a fire. A615 boats were notorious among submariners; due to their high fire hazard, they were called “lighters.”
On January 27, 1961, the diesel submarine S-80 sank in the Barents Sea. She did not return to base from the training ground. The search operation yielded no results. Only seven years later the S-80 was found. The cause of death was the flow of water through the valve of the RDP (a retractable device of a submarine for supplying air to diesel engines in the periscope position of the submarine) into its diesel compartment. To date, there is no clear picture of the incident. According to some reports, the boat tried to evade the ramming attack of the Norwegian reconnaissance ship "Maryata" by urgently diving in circulation and, being heavily weighted so as not to be thrown to the surface (there was a storm), fell to depth with the shaft raised and the air flap of the RDP open. The entire crew - 68 people - died. There were two commanders on board.
On July 4, 1961, during the Arctic Circle exercise, a radiation leak occurred on the failed reactor of the K-19 submarine. The crew was able to fix the problem on their own, the boat remained afloat and was able to return to base. Eight submariners died from ultra-high doses of radiation.
On January 14, 1962, a diesel submarine B-37 from the Northern Fleet exploded at the Northern Fleet naval base in the city of Polyarny. As a result of the explosion of ammunition in the bow torpedo compartment, everyone on the pier, on the submarine and at the torpedo-technical base - 122 people - were killed. The nearby S-350 submarine was seriously damaged. The commission to investigate the emergency concluded that the cause of the tragedy was damage to the fairing of the combat charging compartment of one of the torpedoes during loading of ammunition. After which the commander of the warhead-3, in order to hide the incident on list No. 1 of emergency incidents in the fleet, tried to solder the hole, which is why the torpedo caught fire and exploded. The detonation caused the remaining combat torpedoes to explode. The commander of the boat, Captain 2nd Rank Begeba, was on the pier 100 meters from the ship, was thrown into the water by an explosion, was seriously injured, was subsequently put on trial, defended himself and was acquitted.
On August 8, 1967, in the Norwegian Sea, on the nuclear submarine K-3 Leninsky Komsomol, the first nuclear submarine of the USSR Navy, a fire occurred in compartments 1 and 2 while underwater. The fire was localized and extinguished by sealing the emergency compartments. 39 crew members were killed, 65 people were saved. The ship returned to base under its own power.
On March 8, 1968, the diesel-electric missile submarine K-129 from the Pacific Fleet was lost. The submarine carried out combat service in the Hawaiian Islands, and since March 8 it has stopped communicating. 98 people died. The boat sank at a depth of 6000 meters. The cause of the disaster is unknown. There were 100 people on board the boat, discovered in 1974 by Americans who unsuccessfully tried to raise it.
On April 12, 1970, the nuclear submarine K-8, Project 627A, from the Northern Fleet, sank in the Bay of Biscay as a result of a fire in the aft compartments. 52 people died, 73 people were saved. The boat sank at a depth of more than 4,000 meters. There were two nuclear weapons on board. Two nuclear reactors were shut down by standard means before the flooding.
On February 24, 1972, while returning to base from a combat patrol in the North Atlantic, a fire occurred in the ninth compartment on the K-19 Project 658 nuclear submarine. Later the fire spread to the eighth compartment. More than 30 ships and vessels of the Navy took part in the rescue operation. In conditions of a severe storm, it was possible to evacuate most of the K-19 crew, supply electricity to the boat and tow it to the base. 28 sailors were killed, 76 people were saved.
On June 13, 1973, in Peter the Great Bay (Sea of Japan), the nuclear submarine K-56, Project 675MK, collided with the research vessel Akademik Berg. The boat was on the surface heading to the base at night after performing firing exercises. At the junction of the first and second compartments, a four-meter hole was formed, into which water began to flow. To prevent the final sinking of K‑56, the commander of the boat decided to land the submarine on a coastal sandbank in the area of Cape Granitny. 27 people died.
On October 21, 1981, the diesel medium submarine S-178 Project 613B sank in the Sea of Japan as a result of a collision with the large refrigerated fishing trawler Refrigerator-13. The accident claimed the lives of 31 sailors.
On June 24, 1983, the nuclear submarine K‑429 Project 670A from the Pacific Fleet sank off the Kamchatka Peninsula. The disaster occurred when trimming the boat in an area where the depth was 35 meters, due to water entering the fourth compartment through the ship's ventilation shaft, which was mistakenly left uncovered when the boat was submerged. Some of the crew members were saved, but 16 people had previously died as a result of the explosion batteries and the struggle for survivability. If the boat had reached great depths, it would definitely have perished along with the entire crew. The death of the ship occurred due to the criminal negligence of the command, which ordered a faulty submarine with a non-staff crew to go to sea for shooting. The crew left the sunken boat using the locking method through torpedo tubes. The commander, who completely objected to the decision of the headquarters and only went to sea under the threat of deprivation of his position and party membership card, was subsequently sentenced to 10 years in prison, amnestied in 1987 and soon died. The direct culprits, as always happens with us, escaped responsibility. The boat was subsequently raised, but it sank again in the factory at the pier, after which it was written off.
On October 6, 1986, in the area of Bermuda in the Atlantic Ocean at a depth of 4000 meters, the nuclear submarine K‑219 project 667AU sank as a result of a rocket explosion in a mine. Both nuclear reactors were shut down with standard absorbers. On board were 15 ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads and two nuclear weapons. 4 people died. The remaining crew members were evacuated to the rescue ship "Agatan" that arrived from Cuba.
On April 7, 1989, in the Norwegian Sea, as a result of a fire in the tail sections at a depth of 1700 meters, the nuclear submarine K‑278 "Komsomolets" pr. 685 sank, receiving severe damage to the pressure hull. 42 people died. On board were two normally shut down nuclear reactors and two nuclear weapons.
On August 12, 2000, during naval exercises of the Northern Fleet in the Barents Sea, the Russian nuclear submarine Kursk suffered a disaster. The submarine was discovered on August 13 at a depth of 108 meters. The entire crew of 118 people died.
On August 30, 2003, the nuclear submarine K‑159 sank in the Barents Sea while being towed for dismantlement. There were 10 crew members on board the boat as an escort team. 9 people died.
On November 8, 2008, during factory sea trials in the Sea of Japan, an accident occurred on the nuclear submarine Nerpa, built at the Amur Shipyard in Komsomolsk-on-Amur and not yet accepted into the Russian Navy. As a result of the unauthorized activation of the LOX (boat volumetric chemical) fire extinguishing system, freon gas began to flow into the boat compartments. 20 people died, another 21 people were hospitalized with poisoning. In total, there were 208 people on board the submarine.
