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2 Die When Russian Nuclear Submarine Sinks
"Oops, there goes another nuclear sub" apologies to the Chairman of the Board A Russian nuclear-powered submarine sank in the Barents Sea on Saturday morning as it was being towed to a scrapyard, killing at least two of the 10 sailors on board, the Defense Ministry said. The nuclear reactor of the 40-year-old K-159 was shut down at the time the vessel sank at about 4 a.m. about 3 miles northwest of Kildin Island, the Defense Ministry said. No weapons were aboard the sub, the ministry said. How about the reactor vessel?
Condolences to the families of each and every one. The K-159, a November-class attack submarine, was decommissioned on July 16, 1989. It was being towed on four floating hulls from its base in the town of Gremikha to a plant in Polarnye to be scrapped. The hulls were torn off on Friday night during a fierce storm, and the submarine sank in 560 feet of water, the ministry said. Memo to: CinC, Russian Submarine ServicesNovember-class submarines entered service between 1958-1963, according to Janeâs Fighting Ships. They carried 86 crew members and low-yield nuclear torpedoes. Russia has about 200 decommissioned submarines, which clutter harbors and pose an increasing environmental risk. Russian President Vladimir Putin was in Sardinia for meetings with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. It was unclear whether he had been informed of the subâs sinking. Posted by: Steve White & Pete Stanley 2003-08-30 |
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