"Kursk": Echoes of Tragedy 25 Years Later

On August 12, 2000, a tragedy occurred during Northern Fleet exercises in the Barents Sea: the nuclear submarine "Kursk" sank. The catastrophe, caused by a chain of fatal technical errors, disregard for regulations, and human incompetence, led to the death of all 118 sailors on board.

The construction of the K-141 "Kursk" nuclear-powered missile submarine cruiser was carried out at the "Northern Machine-Building Enterprise" (Sevmash plant) in the city of Severodvinsk, located in the Arkhangelsk region. The keel was laid under factory number 662 on March 22, 1990. After being launched in May 1994, the submarine was commissioned on December 30, 1994. From 1995 to 2000, its service took place within the 7th Submarine Division of the Northern Fleet of Russia.

Nuclear submarine "Kursk" in the Barents Sea — Nuclear submarine "Kursk" in the Barents Sea
Image source Echosevera

Training and combat missions and missile launches

On August 10, 2000, the nuclear submarine "Kursk" set out to sea to perform a training and combat mission in the Kola Bay area. As part of the Northern Fleet exercises, the crew was to launch a cruise missile and conduct torpedo firing at a group of warships. On board were 24 P-700 "Granit" missiles and 24 torpedoes. The commander of the submarine was Captain 1st Rank Gennady Lyachin, and the senior officer on board was the Chief of Staff of the 7th Submarine Division, Captain 1st Rank Vladimir Tikhonovich Bagryantsev. According to the plan, on the morning of August 12, "Kursk" was to simulate an attack with a "Granit" cruise missile on a squadron led by the heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser "Admiral Kuznetsov" and the fleet flagship, the nuclear cruiser "Peter the Great".

At noon on August 12, at 11:28, the cruiser "Peter the Great" registered an explosion in the sea, which did not arouse any suspicion from the command. By the appointed time, torpedo attacks were not detected, and the expected surfacing of the "Kursk" submarine did not occur. By 14:50, searches in the supposed location of "Kursk" had yielded no results. The situation worsened at 17:30 when communication with the submarine was lost. By night, after it became clear at 23:00 that communication was still absent, at 23:30 a decision was made to declare the "Kursk" submarine in distress.

Catastrophe

Let's not hide the fact that we know the state the armed forces were in at that time. Frankly, there's nothing surprising. But the tragedy is colossal, so many people died... And of course, this cannot be forgotten

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, President of Russia

According to the official version, the catastrophe occurred due to a series of violations in the procedures for handling the 65-76A torpedo, which began as early as the preparation stage on shore. These violations led to an explosion of an oxygen-kerosene mixture in the first compartment, which caused a fire. As a result of the fire and explosion, the crew of the first three compartments, including the main command post, was disabled. The uncontrolled submarine sank, and the subsequent impact on the bottom caused the explosion of the entire torpedo ammunition, which led to the death of all 118 people on board.

It sank.

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, President of Russia

The causes of the sinking of the nuclear submarine "Kursk" remained unclear to the authorities for a long time. In September 2000, in a conversation with American journalist Larry King, Russian President Vladimir Putin, answering a question about the causes of the tragedy, limited himself to a brief statement: "It sank."

Memory

On June 15, 2009, a fragment of the conning tower of the nuclear submarine "Kursk" was placed on the observation deck at the Church of the Savior on Waters in Murmansk.