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| Europe |
| Russia Orders Halt to Submarine Towing |
| 2003-09-01 |
| Sonofagun. Guess they do learn from their mistakes. MOSCOW (AP) - Russia’s defense minister blamed the sinking of a derelict nuclear submarine on a national trait of carelessness and ordered a temporary halt Sunday to the towing of decommissioned subs. The announcement raised the prospect of further delays in efforts to dispose of more than 100 rotting ships and their reactors, which have been a concern to environmentalists. At least til they figure out how to do it properly. The K-159 submarine sank Saturday in the Barents Sea as it was being towed to an Arctic scrapyard where its reactors were to be removed and dismantled. Nine of the 10 sailors aboard died. ``There were definitely elements of this frivolous Russian reliance on chance, that everything will work out,’’ Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said from a ship monitoring search operations. ’Frivolous Russian reliance on chance’? Just what I want to see in a military. Helps to explain Chechyna and other things. The sub went down in a storm, apparently after rough seas ripped off the pontoons that had been attached to it for towing. Russian news reports cited unidentified Navy sources as suggesting the pontoons had been placed improperly and Ivanov said the submarine went to the bottom with its conning tower open. ``This confirms yet again the simple truth that all instructions and orders must be taken seriously,’’ he said. Like not leaving the conning tower hatch open when being towed. Later, after meeting with surviving sailor Lt. Maxim Tsibulsky and families of the dead sailors, he said ``I have made a decision to ban the towing of such submarines to scrapyards in such a manner until further notice,’’ according to the Interfax news agency. However, Ivanov also said the men aboard the K-159 were not to blame. ``There are no complaints against you ... you were only a witness,’’ Ivanov said in a televised meeting with Tsibulsky, who lay in a Northern Fleet hospital bed appearing healthy but exhausted. He said the submarine will be raised from the 780-foot seabed but preparations could take several months. Bigger pontoons. Stronger chains. Russia has decommissioned about 189 nuclear-powered submarines over the past 15 years but officials say 126 of those still are at docks with nuclear fuel in their reactors, creating international concern about leaks and the possibility of nuclear materials being obtained by other nations or terrorists. It will cost an estimated $3.9 billion to scrap all the subs, Russian officials say. Yet last year, the Russian government budgeted just $70 million for improving nuclear safety in the country as a whole. Ivanov’s apparent frustration with procedure violations in the towing echoed the reaction of President Vladimir Putin, who said Saturday ``the sea demands discipline.’’ Vlad should require every sailor in the Russian navy to read "The Cruel Sea." The ship’s reactors were reportedly shut down when it was taken out of service. The submarine sank a few miles northwest of Kildin Island off the Kola Peninsula, where Russia abuts Norway and Finland. That is the same general area where the nuclear submarine Kursk sank almost exactly three years ago. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #8 Thanks, gentlemen! Chores kept me from revisiting the forum 'til now, but I appreciate the info! |
| Posted by: Dar 2003-9-2 11:29:14 AM |
| #7 Dar, the crew would be running the diesel-generator for onboard power, operating bilge pumps (old boats, many leaks), making sure running lights kept on, handling lines, lotsa stuff. |
| Posted by: Bubblehead 2003-9-1 6:58:17 PM |
| #6 Suba are hard to handle in the surfaced condition even in decent weather becasue the have no keel ( a heavy weight which keeps the center of gravity low and prevents rolling over.) Still it should be hard to actually sink a sub that is ballasted effectively. Bull Halsey learned how important ballasting was during a WWII typhoon that sprung up unexpectedly. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2003-9-1 5:02:51 PM |
| #5 Dar, The crew onboard is necessary to keep the generators running, steering, trimming the ballast tanks along with deck duties (lines, etc.) Also one is needed to pour the Vodka and coordinate the toasts to the mighty Peoples Navy. |
| Posted by: oldsalt 2003-9-1 2:29:02 PM |
| #4 Steve White---Thanks for mentioning "The Cruel Sea" by Nicholas Montserrat. That was one great book! I remember one part about the things one learned on convoy duty: stare for hours in thick fog, learned to endure incredible fatigue for hours on end, and learned to die without wasting other people's time (or something like that). |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-9-1 2:24:17 PM |
| #3 Could one of you all that's in the know chip in and inform me why a towed sub needs 10 sailors on board? The only thing my landlubber brain can think of is they're there to secure tow lines and, later, land lines. |
| Posted by: Dar 2003-9-1 1:03:17 PM |
| #2 I'm always reminded of this quote whenever I see this kind of farce out of the former Soviet Union. "The government pretends to pay us and we pretend to work". Utopia, whats not to like. |
| Posted by: Lucky 2003-9-1 12:57:45 PM |
| #1 close the screen door next time |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-9-1 10:13:58 AM |