siteoften writes aboutaccidentsIon thedomestic submarines. The goal is clear: to pay tribute to the dead and injured sailors and their courage. But if you look, then the most emergency fleet in the world abelongs to the USA. And not only because it is the largest in the world. Or, as they like to state the Americaniejournalists, "The most powerful".

Or, as even some US economists say, the most expensive. Or the funniest fleet in the world - this is how regulars of Russian naval Internet forums very often express themselves. At the same time, in the environment, so to speak, of the world naval community, the phrase very often sounds in many languages ​​that the US fleet is the most stupid and ineffective among similar forces of other developed countries (meaning the ratio of financial costs and combat effectiveness). It also seems that respected Yankees in uniform have a rare talent for miscalculations that are inexplicable from the point of view of the logic of an ordinary military man.

It turned out, by the way, back in the years of the Second World War. Thus, the Americans did not notice the flash and did not hear the thunder of Japanese 203-mm guns from a distance of 20 miles. After that, the so-called night pogrom near Savo Island, better known in the history of the Pacific War as the "second Pearl Harbor", happened. The Japanese simply went around the island counterclockwise, shooting down the sleeping cruisers of the US Navy one by one.

Or how is it possible, after successful defensive battles, having every chance of winning, to suddenly surrender the impregnable "concrete battleship" Corregidor, ten times inferior in number to the enemy? For 43 years, the Americans have been preparing for this battle, concreted and armored a small island, they have almost won ... and surrendered to the mercy of the Japanese. To their genuine amazement, and also having fulfilled many very strict conditions of surrender. Of course it's a tragedy and everlasting memory to all citizens of the United States and other countries that fought for peace. But some strange, absurd tragedy ...

But back to the submarine fleet. "Real open statistics on the accident rate of the US Navy in general and in the nuclear submarine fleet of this country in particular simply do not exist., - says a longtime Pravda contributor. Ru, expert on international maritime law, publicist and historian captainIrank Sergey Aprelev. — The fact is that for three decades in the United States, data on accidents in the fleet have practically not been published, and press access to such facts is prohibited. Of course, there are leaks of information - but most often accidental.

And the leadership of the Navy still comments on what happened, only when it is no longer possible not to do this, when the facts themselves already become known to the general public. Freedom of speech there is very peculiar. Publications that publish "inconsistent" data on incidents in the fleet can run into big trouble. That is why the open press contains only very scarce information about the accident rate of the US Navy, and we really know little about it ... ".

But although we do not know much about the Americans, according to at least the available statistics, Russia is still inferior to the "leadership" of the US Navy in the total number of known incidents and accidents of its nuclear submarines. If we take another additional criterion - the accident rate, that is, the ratio of the total number of submarine accidents to the number built, then for the US Navy the result looks even more pessimistic.

In the Russian submarine fleet, this coefficient is 0.2, and in the US it is 0.3. In other words, for every 100 nuclear submarines in the Russian fleet, there are about 20 accidents and incidents, and in the US - about 30. The ratio, you see, is not in favor of the United States. And if the Americans also "discover" their "closed" accident statistics, yes, we will add it to the already available data ...

More than 190 submarines with nuclear power plants were built by American shipyards in the 20th century. For comparison: during the same period, 261 nuclear submarines went to sea from Soviet shipyards, 25 in the UK, 12 in France, and six in China. By the way, the US abandoned the construction of diesel submarines more than half a century ago.

Traditionally, the submarine fleet enjoys the special disposition of the first persons of the United States. For example, US Vice President Al Gore himself made a trip to the Arctic in 1993 on the Pargo nuclear submarine. At the same time, for the entire period of operation in the US Navy of submarines with nuclear power plants, in addition to two disasters that ended in the death of nuclear submarines, there were also about 60 serious incidents and accidents. As a result, the ships received various damage to their hulls, mechanisms and outboard devices.

The greatest number of accidents "with them" are caused by navigational causes, including violations of navigation safety, loss of situation by operators in difficult hydrological conditions, errors in the use of technical means.

Finally, just a few selected, accidents and incidents in the US Navy that have gone down in history. Some of the facts below are only in the English language press, and Pravda. Ru publishes them for the Russian-speaking audience for the first time.

In 1963, the thickness sea ​​water crushed the most modern American submarine "Thresher". Who could have imagined that a simple two-day test voyage escorted by the Skylark rescue tug could end in such a disaster? The cause of the Thresher's death remains a mystery.

The main hypothesis: when diving to the maximum depth, water entered the strong hull of the boat - the reactor was automatically shut down, and the submarine, deprived of its course, fell into the abyss, taking 129 human lives with it.

Soon the terrible story was continued - the Americans lost another nuclear-powered ship with a crew: in 1968, the Scorpion multi-purpose nuclear submarine disappeared without a trace in the Atlantic. The official version connects the death of the boat with the detonation of the torpedo ammunition (practically, like our Kursk!).

There is a more exotic legend, according to which the Scorpion was sunk by the Russians in retaliation for the death of the K-129 submarine. The mystery of the death of the Scorpion still haunts the minds of sailors - for example, in November 2012, the United States Navy Submarine Veterans Organization proposed a new investigation to establish the truth about the death of the American boat.

On February 11, 1998, the American submarine La Jolla, seven kilometers from the coast of the Republic of Korea, sank the South Korean fishing vessel Yang Chang as a result of a collision.

On March 19, 1998, Kentucky and San Juan collided near Long Island, New York. Both boats were sent to the Groton base for dock repairs.

The US Navy's billion-dollar cruiser Port Royal ran aground off the Hawaiian Islands on February 5, 2009. The investigation established the causes of the accident: the navigation equipment on the ship was faulty, the watchmen lost their vigilance, the echo sounder did not work, and no one could determine the depth under the keel.

On February 9, 2001, the USS Greenville rammed the Japanese fishing schooner Ehime Maru. 9 Japanese fishermen were killed, the US Navy submarine fled the scene without providing any assistance to those in distress.

In 1986, the USS Nathaniel Green crashed on rocks in the Irish Sea. Damage to the hull, rudders and ballast tanks was so great that the boat had to be scrapped.

On February 11, 1992, in the Barents Sea, the multi-purpose nuclear submarine Baton Rouge collided with the Russian titanium Barracuda. The boats collided successfully - the repair of our ship took six months, and the history of the American submarine turned out to be much sadder. The collision with the Russian titanium boat led to the appearance of stresses and microcracks in the strong hull of the submarine. "Baton Rouge" hobbled to the base and soon ceased to exist.

In 1969, the American nuclear submarine "USS Guitarro" sank at a depth of 10 meters right at the quay wall. The accident occurred as a result of uncoordinated actions of two groups of specialists: one of them filled the bow ballast tanks with water, and the other - the stern ones. Each of these standard operations is necessary to calibrate the instruments, but the simultaneous execution of them by crews, even unaware of each other, led to the sinking of the ship. The operation to raise and restore the submarine cost the US $20 million. It is interesting that this submarine bore tail number 665 - almost, excuse me, "three sixes" ...

On February 9, 2001, the Greenville multi-purpose nuclear submarine, while practicing an emergency ascent (which was not necessary) near the Hawaiian island of Oahu, collided with the Japanese training fishing schooner Eksi Maru. The schooner sank, but the Americans did nothing to save the drowning fishermen.

On March 20, 1993, a Russian strategic submarine and an American multi-purpose submarine collided in the Barents Sea. Despite serious damage, both were able to return to their bases under their own power. After a minor repair, the Russian boat returned to service, while the American submarine was withdrawn from the fleet and scrapped due to the inexpediency of restoration.

On May 14, 1989, a nuclear submarine of the Los Angeles project, returning, interestingly, after filming The Hunt for Red October, to the base, near Santa Catalina Island in California, hooked on a cable on which a small tug pulled barges. The boat then sank, dragging the tugboat with it, killing one of the crew members. By court decision, the relatives of the deceased received $ 1.4 million from the Navy ...

In 1959, the Soviet diesel-electric submarine S-360 in the Mediterranean Sea secretly penetrated the combat maneuvering area of ​​the Roosevelt aircraft carrier, remaining unnoticed. In the same campaign, our submariners literally put the entire US Sixth Fleet on their ears: the S-360 freely "walked" under the combat guards of the heavy cruiser Des Moines.

Submarine accidents (from 1945-2009) The list of submarine accidents since 1945 documents accidents that occurred after World War II. Among the sunken submarines were at least nine nuclear-powered submarines, some of them with missiles or torpedoes equipped with nuclear warheads, and at least two diesel-powered boats with nuclear weapons. Some currently available data on environmental contamination with radioactive materials are also presented. The class of the incident is indicated by codes: NSh - emergency situation; PE - an emergency; NS - accident; A - accident; K is a disaster. .== List == Date Name NATO Classification State Killed Saved Class Notes 12/15/1952 C-117 (former Shch-117 "Mackerel") "Pike" series V-bis USSR 52 0 K Diesel-electric submarine from the Pacific Fleet died in the Sea of ​​Japan. The exact cause and place of death are unknown. 08/12/1956 M-259 Project A615, Quebec USSR 4 A→NS Diesel-electric torpedo submarine of the Baltic Fleet. Explosion of a diesel engine and a fire in the engine room. The fire was extinguished, the boat surfaced and returned to base. 1956 M-255 Project A615, Quebec USSR 7 A→NS Diesel-electric torpedo submarine of the Baltic Fleet. Fire in the engine room. 11/23/1956 M-200 "Revenge" "Malyutka" XV series USSR 28 6 K Diesel submarine from the Baltic Fleet. She died in the Suurup Strait of the Baltic Sea as a result of a collision with the destroyer "Statny" of the Baltic Fleet. 08/22/1957 M-351 Project A615, Quebec USSR 0 A Diesel-electric torpedo submarine of the Black Sea Fleet. During the training of the command "Urgent dive!" air ducts to diesels were not closed. As a result, up to 40 tons of water entered the diesel compartment and the boat almost vertically went under water and sank into the ground at a depth of 83 meters. On August 26, she was raised to the surface, the crew was rescued. 09/26/1957 M-256 Project A615, Quebec USSR 35 7 K Diesel submarine from the Baltic Fleet. She died in the Tallinn Bay of the Baltic Sea as a result of a diesel engine explosion, which caused a violation of the tightness of the pressure hull. 10/13/1960 K-8 Project 627A, November USSR A→NS Nuclear submarine. In one of the reactors, a rupture of the cooling pipe occurred, as a result of which there was a leak of the coolant. Three crew members showed visible signs of acute radiation sickness, 10 crew members received significant doses of radiation. 01/26/1961 S-80 Project 644, Whiskey Twin-Cylinder USSR 68 0 K A project 644 diesel-electric missile submarine from the Northern Fleet sank in the Barents Sea as a result of flooding of the compartments with outboard water through the RDP device. It was raised on July 24, 1969. 06/01/1961 K-8 Project 627A, November USSR A→NS Nuclear submarine. During the development of combat training tasks, a steam generator ruptured. One person was booked out with an acute form of radiation sickness. Part of the personnel received various doses of radiation. 04/12/1961 K-19 Project 658, Hotel-I USSR 0 State of emergency On Cosmonautics Day, K-19 almost collided with the world's first nuclear submarine USS "Nautilus" (SSN-571). As a result of the evasive maneuver, the boat hit the bow on the ground. There was no significant damage. 1961 K-19 Project 658, Hotel-I USSR 1 NS Even before the boat went on its first ill-fated trip, it lost a crew member. When loading rockets into the mines, a sailor was crushed to death by a manhole cover. 07/03/1961 K-19 Project 658, Hotel-I USSR 8 96 A→NS Nuclear submarine with ballistic nuclear missiles. During the Arctic Circle exercises, when the nuclear submarine was heading to the North Atlantic for firing practice. In the area of ​​the Norwegian island of Jan Mayen, the emergency protection of the port side reactor went off. The cause of the accident was a sharp drop in water pressure in the reactor cooling system. In the process of emergency work to create a backup cooling system for the reactor, 8 crew members received doses of radioactive exposure that became fatal. They died from radiation sickness, having lived after the accident from one to three weeks. Another 42 people received significant doses of radiation. 10/08/1961 K-8 Project 627A, November USSR 0 A Nuclear submarine. While practicing the attack of a group of ships on the championship of the Navy, a leak from the steam generator reopened. 01/11/1962 B-37 and S-350 Project 641, Foxtrot and Project 633, Romeo USSR 122 (59 on B-37 + 11 on S-350 + 52 on shore) K Diesel submarine B-37 from the Northern Fleet was lost as a result of a fire and explosion of the entire ammunition of the first compartment. The submarine stood at the pier in the Ekaterininskaya harbor of the base of the village of Polyarny; the crew carried out a scheduled inspection and check of weapons and technical equipment. Bulkhead hatches in all compartments were open. Two bow compartments of the boat were completely destroyed. The entire crew of the B-37 (59 people) died instantly as a result of the impact of the shock wave and poisoning by the gaseous products of the explosion. The second hull to the B-37 was the submarine S-350. After the explosion, a crack formed in the pressure hull of the first compartment of the S-350, and the first and second compartments filled with water. 11 people died. During the explosion on the B-37, drills were taking place directly on the pier. 52 sailors and midshipmen died. This accident, in terms of the total number of victims (122), is still the largest in the domestic submarine fleet and the second in the world in post-war history (after the American Thresher in 1963). 02/12/1965 K-11 Project 627A, November USSR? ? A→NS On 02/07/1965 at the plant in the city of Severodvinsk, the reactor core was restarted. When the reactor lid was blown up, the release of a steam-air mixture from under the lid and a sharp deterioration in the radiation situation were recorded. No work was carried out for five days, experts tried to find out the cause of the incident. Having drawn the wrong conclusions, on February 12, 1965, they began to re-explode the cover, while again violating the technology (they used an abnormal system for fixing the compensating grids). When the lid was separated from the body, a radioactive vapor-air medium was released from under the lid and a fire started. As a result, part of the personnel of the nuclear submarine died, the rest received large doses of radiation. Official data on the levels of radioactive contamination and exposure of personnel has not yet been published. The reactor compartment was cut out of the boat and flooded in the area of ​​Novaya Zemlya, and the boat was transferred to the Pacific Fleet. 09/25/1965 M-258 Project A615, Quebec USSR 4 38 A→NS Diesel-electric torpedo submarine of the Baltic Fleet. The explosion of the storage battery in the hold of the sixth compartment. The bulkhead hatch killed 4 sailors in the seventh compartment. The fire was extinguished, the boat was towed to the base. 11/20/1965 K-74 Project 675, Echo-II USSR 0 A Nuclear-powered missile submarine. Broken main turbine blades. 07/15/1967 B-31 Project 641, Foxtrot USSR 4 71 A→NS Diesel submarine B-31 from the Northern Fleet. During the six-day Arab-Israeli war, she patrolled the coast of Egypt. In the Tunis Strait of the Mediterranean Sea in the hold of the central post, a fuel fire occurred. Due to a malfunction of fire extinguishing equipment, the compartment was abandoned by the crew and battened down. 4 sailors died in the smoke. 09/08/1967 K-3 "Leninsky Komsomol" Project 627A, November USSR 39 65 A→NS Nuclear submarine. Fire in I and II compartments while on combat duty in the Norwegian Sea. She returned to the base on her own .. It turned out that in the fitting of the hydraulic machine, instead of the standard sealing gasket made of red copper, there is a washer roughly cut from paronite. Someone's hand changed the gaskets during the ship's dock repairs. Red copper, although not a precious metal, was highly valued among craftsmen. All sorts of crafts were carved out of it. A copper ring worth thirty-nine lives... . 03/08/1968 K-129 Project 629A, Golf-II USSR 97 0 K A diesel-electric missile submarine from the Pacific Fleet sank at a point with coordinates 40°06′ N. sh. 179°57′ W (G) (O), 750 miles from Oahu. It was armed with nuclear weapons (torpedoes and rockets). Partially raised on August 12, 1974 as a result of a covert CIA operation "Project Azorian" from a depth of about 5,000 meters. 05/24/1968 K-27 Project 645 ZhMT, November USSR 9 (in other sources - 5 during the month). ChP→NS Nuclear submarine. The first serious incident with the ship was the release of radioactive gas into the reactor compartment. When correcting problems, many crew members received various doses of radiation, it is difficult to unequivocally judge the causes of their subsequent death. 10/09/1968 K-131 Project 675, Echo-II USSR 0 Emergency Collision with an unknown foreign submarine. 11/15/1969 K-19 and Gato (SSN-615) Project 658M, Hotel-II and Thresher (Permit) USSR and USA 0 A Nuclear submarine with nuclear ballistic missiles. While working out training tasks at a training ground in the White Sea (Western sources talk about the Barents Sea), at a depth of 60 m it collided with the American nuclear submarine Gato (SSN-615). After an emergency ascent, she returned to base under her own power. 04/12/1970 K-8 Project 627A, November USSR 52 73 A→K A nuclear-powered missile submarine from the Northern Fleet sank in the Bay of Biscay. The first loss of the Soviet nuclear fleet. The fire started almost simultaneously in compartments 3 and 7 on April 8 at about half past 11 at night. Several days of struggle for the survivability of the boat did not lead to anything. The emergency team (22 people), on the orders of Commander Bessonov, remained on the boat on the night of April 12, everyone died along with the boat, not counting those killed in the fire. There are still disputes about the presence and quantity of nuclear weapons on board the boat. According to Soviet data, two muffled reactors and 4 nuclear torpedoes sank with the boat. 06/20/1970 K-108 and Totor (SSN-639) Project 675, Echo-II USSR and USA 0 109 (104?) A submarine with cruise missiles. At a depth of 45 meters, she collided with the US nuclear submarine SSN-639 "Totor". She began to quickly sink into the depths with a large trim on the nose, but soon she was able to keep the depth, then surfaced. The reactors, muffled by automatic protection, were launched, but when they tried to start, it turned out that the right screw was jammed. The approaching tug delivered the boat to the base, where damage was found to the stabilizer, the light hull in the area of ​​8-10 compartments and a dent in the strong hull in the 9th compartment. On the American boat, the fence and the cabin hatch were damaged, the strong cabin itself was filled with water, and there were no casualties either. 02/24/1972 K-19 Project 658M, Hotel-II USSR 30 (28 and 2 rescuers) 76 A→NS Nuclear submarine with nuclear ballistic missiles. While returning to the base from combat patrols in the North Atlantic, a massive fire broke out in the ninth compartment. In the 10th compartment, 12 people were cut off. They were released only in the base 23 days after the fire. 06/14/1973 K-56 Project 675, Echo-II USSR 27 140 А→NS A nuclear-powered missile submarine from the Pacific Fleet was lost as a result of a collision with a research vessel (in foreign sources - an electronic intelligence vessel) "Akademik Berg" during the return to the base. The captain saved the crew by throwing the boat into the shallows. Collision "Academician Berg" with the K-56 was classified as a "navigational accident with serious consequences." 16 officers, 5 midshipmen, 5 sailors, one civilian specialist from Leningrad were killed. At the burial site of 19 sailors in the center of the cemetery in the city of Shkotovo-17 (now the city of Fokino), a memorial “Grieving Mother” was erected 01/25/1975 K-57 (later K-557, B-557 Project 675, Echo-II USSR 2 A → 11.12.1975 K-447 "Kislovodsk" Project 667B "Murena" , Delta USSR 6 PE Nuclear-powered missile submarine was at the base.Suddenly a hurricane swooped in.The boat took off the mooring lines and went to sea.The mooring crews were still cleaning up the lines when several powerful waves covered the boat.Six people were overboard, the bodies were not found until the next morning 03/30/1976 K-77 Project 651, Juliett USSR 2 76 A Diesel boat with cruise missiles (renamed B-77 in 1977). freon ionization). But freon was also erroneously supplied to the 7th compartment, where 2 people died, another 9 people from this compartment the ship's doctor managed to save. The cause of the fire is a wrench forgotten on the switch, the cause of the freon supply error is incorrect marking on the LOH system. The shipyard was found to be the culprit. 09/24/1976 K-47 Project 675, Echo-II USSR 3 101 A Nuclear-powered missile submarine. Fire on board while sailing in the North Atlantic. 10/18/1976 K-387 Project 671RT, "Syomga", Victor-II USSR 1 A Nuclear-powered torpedo submarine. Power plant failure (rupture of the main capacitor). 01/16/1977 K-115 Project 627A, "Kit", November USSR 1 103 A→NS Nuclear torpedo submarine. As a result of oil getting into the IDA regenerator cartridge, it ignited. One person received burns to 60% of the body and died. 12/11/1978 K-171 Project 667B "Murena", Delta USSR 3rd Emergency→NS The nuclear-powered missile submarine was returning to the base after firing on the surface. As a result of incorrect actions by the crew, several tons of water spilled onto the reactor lid. The BC-5 commander did not report to the boat commander and tried to evaporate the water and ventilate the compartment. To check the situation, he and two more divers entered the compartment and battened down, after which, due to the increase in temperature and pressure, they could not open the hatch and died. 08/21/1980 K-122 Project 659T, Echo-I USSR 14 A→NS Nuclear-powered torpedo submarine. Fire in the 7th compartment east of the Japanese island of Okinawa. After the repair, the condition of the boat was regarded as unsatisfactory, it no longer went to sea and after 15 years of sedimentation it was cut into metal in 1995. 05/23/1981 K-211 Project 667BDR Kalmar, Delta III USSR , which, without surfacing, left the area of ​​the accident. The Soviet commission then, based on the nature of the debris stuck in the hull, concluded that it was an American Stegen-class submarine. Later, there were claims that it was the English HMS Sceptre (S104) Officially, neither one nor the other has been confirmed. 10/21/1981 S-178 Project 613, Whiskey USSR 34 (31 bodies found + 3 missing) 31? A Project 613V diesel medium submarine from the Pacific Fleet was lost as a result of a collision with the RFS Refrigerator-13 in the narrow Zolotoy Rog Bay in full view of Vladivostok. The submarine tried to avoid the collision. The submarine was mistaken for a fishing ship. Due to a mediocrely organized rescue operation in the water near Vladivostok and the Refrigerator-13 RVS, many people froze and died. When part of the crew tried to independently exit through the torpedo tubes, three disappeared without a trace. The main fault belongs to the RFU "Refrigerator-13". The commander of the S-178 and the first officer of the RFU-13 were sentenced to 10 years. November 15, 1981 C-178 was raised to the surface, after draining the compartments and unloading torpedoes, the boat was towed to the dry dock of Dalzavod. The restoration of the boat was deemed inappropriate. 10/27/1981 S-363 Project 613, Whiskey USSR 0 Emergency Project 613 diesel medium submarine. meters from the coast. There were no casualties, but the incident received nasty international publicity. Naval wits nicknamed the boat "Swedish Komsomolets". She was refloated by an auxiliary vessel on November 6, returned to base on November 7. Subsequently, after decommissioning and dismantling of the equipment, it was sold to Sweden. 12.1981 BS-486 "Komsomolets of Uzbekistan" Project 940 "Lenok", India USSR 2 103 A Diesel rescue boat. While sailing in the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, the sealing ring of the exhaust valve burned out and carbon monoxide went into the compartments. 86 people out of 105 on board lost consciousness, two died. 04/08/1982 K-123 (later renamed B-123) Project 705K, Lira, Alfa USSR 0 32 A High-speed nuclear-powered anti-submarine torpedo submarine. During a power failure in the area of ​​Medvezhiy Island (Barents Sea), an accident occurred in a power plant with the release of liquid metal coolant into the reactor compartment. The boat lost its course, was towed to the base. The crew members received varying doses of radiation. 08/15/1982 KS-19 Project 658С, Hotel-II of the USSR 1 ChP → NS There are different data on the date of the accident - August 15 or 17. This is again the infamous K-19 Hiroshima, but reclassified from a cruiser to a communications boat. When carrying out maintenance work in the battery compartment, a foreign object got on the bipolar contacts. 2 or 3 people were seriously burned by an electric arc. One of them died on August 20 in the hospital. 01/21/1983 K-10 Project 675, Echo-II USSR 0 A Nuclear-powered missile submarine. While submerged, she collided with an unknown object. After surfacing, nothing but sunbed spots were found. None of the countries of the Pacific region reported about the accidents of their submarines. Only two years later, an obituary appeared in the Chinese press about the death of a group of scientists on the submarine that day. These events have not been officially compared. 06/24/1983 K-429 Project 670, Charlie USSR 16 102 K Nuclear-powered missile submarine with cruise missiles from the Pacific Fleet. The reason for the death of the submarine was the lack of repair of the faulty submarine. In addition, the main crew was mostly on vacation, and it was decided to send the boat on a trip "at any cost", as a result, the crew was urgently formed from different boats in the last 24 hours, ignoring the commander's protests. He was later sentenced to prison as a result. August 6, 1983 the boat was raised. The restoration of the boat was deemed inappropriate. 06/18/1984 K-131 Project 675, Echo-II USSR 13 A→NS When a nuclear submarine from the Northern Fleet returned from combat duty to the base on the Kola Peninsula, a fire broke out in the eighth compartment, which spread to the adjacent, 7th compartment. 10/23/1984 K-424 Project 667BDR "Kalmar", Delta III USSR 2 A While preparing to go to sea due to incorrect actions of the crew, the VVD pipeline ruptured. Many wounded, two dead. 08/10/1985 K-431 (K-31) Project 675, Echo-II USSR 10 (workers of the shipyard) A→NS Nuclear submarine with cruise missiles. At the shipyard in Chazhma Bay (Shkotovo-22 village) of Primorsky Krai (55 km from Vladivostok), when nuclear fuel was refueled, due to a violation of nuclear safety requirements, an explosion occurred that tore off the reactor cover and threw out all the spent nuclear fuel. Main article: Radiation accident in Chazhma Bay As a result of the accident, 290 people were injured - 10 died at the time of the accident, 10 had acute radiation sickness, and 39 had a radiation reaction. A significant part of the victims were military personnel. 10/03/1986 K-219 Project 667AU, "Navaga", Yankee USSR 4 + 3 died of wounds K Nuclear-powered strategic missile submarine from the Northern Fleet. Killed by fire while on combat patrol in the Sargasso Sea of ​​the Atlantic Ocean, 770 km northeast of Bermuda. The cruiser sank while being towed in a storm at a depth of 5,500 m, taking with her 48 RSM-25 nuclear warheads and two nuclear torpedoes. At the cost of his life, sailor Sergei Anatolyevich Preminin shut down the reactor and prevented a nuclear accident. By Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 844 of August 7, 1997, he was awarded the title Hero Russian Federation (posthumously). 02/18/1987 B-33 Project 641, Foxtrot USSR 5 A While working out the course task at a depth of 10 meters, a fire broke out due to a short circuit on the electrical panel in the 2nd compartment. It was not possible to eliminate the fire with the LOH system, in order to avoid an explosion of ammunition in the 1st compartment, the commander ordered to flood it. In addition to the dead, 15 people were poisoned by combustion products. 01/25/1988 B-33 Project 658M, Hotel-II USSR 1 A Fire on board while in base. The fire extinguishing system was turned on late. 02/12/1988 K-14 Project 627A, "Kit", November USSR 1 A Fire in the hold of the 7th compartment while in the base. The fire was extinguished, but one person died. 03/18/1989 B-81 Project 651K, Juliett USSR 1 NS Diesel boat with cruise missiles. In stormy conditions, the commander of the submarine capt. was washed off the bridge and died. 1st rank Nekrasov A. B. 04/07/1989 K-278 "Komsomolets" Project 685 "Plavnik", Mike USSR 42 30 K as a result of a massive fire in two adjacent compartments. The boat lies at a depth of 1,858 meters. The boat's reactor was securely shut down, but two of the torpedo tubes contained torpedoes with a nuclear warhead. In 1989-1998, seven expeditions were carried out with the participation of the Mir deep-sea manned submersibles, during which torpedo tubes containing torpedoes with nuclear warheads were sealed in order to ensure radiation safety. 09/05/1990 B-409 Project 641, Foxtrot USSR 1 A When loading torpedoes, a cable burst, killing a torpedo pilot. 02/11/1992 USS Baton Rouge (SSN-689) and K-276 (later B-276, Crab, Kostroma). Los Angeles and Project 945 Barracuda, Sierra-I USA, Russia 0 A Collision of two nuclear submarines off Kildin Island, in Russian territorial waters, K-276 collided with an American nuclear submarine that was trying to covertly monitor Russian ships in the exercise area . As a result of the collision, the Russian boat received damage to the cabin. After the collision, a fire broke out on the American boat, there were casualties among the personnel, but she nevertheless returned to the base on her own, after which it was decided not to repair the boat, but to withdraw it from the US Navy .. 05/29/1992 B-502 (formerly K -502) Project 671RTM "Pike", Victor-III Russia 1 A During the campaign, a compressor malfunction was noticed in 1 compartment. After returning to the base, when trying to start it, an explosion occurred, a fire started. Five people were injured, one died on the way to the hospital. 03/20/1993 USS Grayling (SSN-646) and K-407 Novomoskovsk Sturgeon and Project 667BDRM Delfin, Delta IV USA, Russia 0 A Collision of two nuclear submarines in the Barents Sea. Despite serious damage, both were able to return to their bases under their own power. After a minor repair, the Russian boat returned to service, while the American submarine was withdrawn from the fleet and scrapped due to the inexpediency of restoration. 01/26/1998 B-527 (formerly K-527) Project 671RTM "Pike", Victor-III Russia 1 A During the repair of the reactor, radioactive water began to enter the compartment from the primary circuit. Five people received acute poisoning, one died in the hospital 6 hours later. 08/12/2000 K-141 Kursk 949A Antey, Oscar-II Russia 118 0 K Nuclear submarine with cruise missiles. It sank in the Barents Sea, 137 km from Severomorsk, at a depth of 108 meters as a result of a disaster that occurred during the exercises. Raised October 10, 2001. Dismantled after unloading nuclear weapons in May 2002. . 08/30/2003 B-159 (until 1989 -K-159) November Russia 9 1 K Nuclear submarine. It sank near Kildin Island at a depth of 240 meters while being towed from Gremikha Bay for disposal at shipyard No. 10 Shkval in Polyarny. The plan was to raise the boat. As of 2008, the boat has not been lifted. The boat was moored to the pier, scheduled work was carried out on board. A 19-year-old sailor working near a fresh water tank noticed a malfunction of the VVD pressure reducing valve supplied to the tank, which he warned his comrades about and they managed to leave the compartment, while he himself was wounded in the head by a metal fragment of an exploding tank and died an hour later in the hospital. 09/06/2006 Daniil Moskovsky (B-414) Project 671RTM(K), Victor-III Russia 2 A→NS Project nuclear torpedo submarine from the Northern Fleet. While at the training ground in the Barents Sea, a fire broke out in the electromechanical compartment of the boat. The fire was extinguished and the boat was towed to the Vidyaevo base with the help of surface vessels. 11/08/2008 K-152 Nerpa Project 971I, Akula-II Russia 20 (3 servicemen and 17 civilian specialists) 188 Emergency → NS According to the official version, the emergency fire extinguishing system on the submarine went off without authorization. The nuclear power plant on board the boat was not damaged, the radiation background on the ship is normal. Based on the K-19 disaster, the movie K-19: The Widowmaker was made. At different times, three incidents occurred with this boat, which led to numerous victims and a frightening name: "Hiroshima".

In the mid 1980s Soviet Union built a superboat, the like of which was nowhere to be found. This submarine "Komsomolets", accepted into the fleet in 1984, had high speed and could fight at great depths. A new era has begun in the Soviet Navy.

But five years passed, and Komsomolets with its nuclear weapons was at the bottom of the ocean, and two-thirds of its crew died due to another manifestation of Soviet incompetence.

The history of Komsomolets began in 1966. The team of the design bureau "Rubin" under the leadership of N. A. Klimov and the chief designer Yu. deep dive. Research and development work continued for eight years. Obviously, this was due to the lack of a suitable metal that could withstand the colossal pressure at depth. But in 1974, the construction of a double hull was completed, and its inner part was made of a titanium alloy.

The project 685 boat (aka K-278) was supposed to become a prototype for testing as part of the construction of deep-sea Soviet submarines of the future. Construction began at the Sevmash plant on April 22, 1978, and was officially completed on May 30, 1983. The unusually long period of construction was due to the difficulties that arose in the processing of titanium.

Context

For 10 years, there were no plans to raise the sunken nuclear submarine

Russian submarines have no equal

For the first time in the recent history of Russia

The boat was equipped with a pressurized water reactor OK-650B-3 with a thermal power of 190 MW, which powered two steam generators with a capacity of 45 thousand horsepower on the shaft. This allowed the boat to develop an underwater speed of 30 knots, and a surface speed of 14 knots.

The submarine was equipped with the MGK-500 Skat low-frequency passive-active hydroacoustic system, the same one that is currently used in attack submarines of the Yasen project. He transmitted data to the Omnibus-685 combat information and control system. The armament of the boat consisted of six standard 533 mm torpedo tubes with ammunition from 22 type 53 torpedoes and Shkval anti-submarine missile torpedoes moving in the cavitation cavity.

The submarine Komsomolets entered service with the Red Banner Northern Fleet in January 1984 and began a series of deep-sea diving experiments. Under the command of Captain 1st Rank Yuri Zelensky, she set an absolute world diving depth record - 1027 meters. This was an outstanding achievement, considering that the American submarine of its class "Los Angeles" had a maximum diving depth of 450 meters. The estimated diving depth of this submarine was approximately 1370 meters. The boat had a special Iridium ascent system with gas generators to purge ballast systems.

In the Soviet Navy, the K-278 boat was considered invulnerable at depths of more than a thousand meters. At such depths, it is extremely difficult to detect any enemy torpedo, especially the American Mark 48, which has a maximum depth of 800 meters. Initially, the boat was planned to be a test boat, but by 1988 it had become a fully combat-ready ship. She was given the name "Komsomolets", as the members of the Communist Youth Union were called.

April 7, 1989, being at a depth of 380 meters, "Komsomolets" ran into problems right in the middle of the Norwegian Sea. According to Norman Polmar and Kenneth Moore, there was a second crew on board who had just completed training. In addition, it was a test boat, and therefore there was no emergency team on it to ensure damage control.

A fire started in the seventh compartment aft, and the flames damaged the air supply valve, due to which compressed air began to flow into the fire. Measures to combat the fire did not give results. The reactor was shut down and the ballast tanks were purged to make the boat float. But the fire continued to spread, and the crew fought it for another six hours before the command was given to abandon the boat. According to Polmar and Moore, the fire was so intense that due to the high temperature, the rubber coating plates began to peel off from the outer hull, increasing the stealth of the ship.

The ship's commander, Captain First Rank Evgeny Vanin, together with four crew members, returned inside the boat in search of those crew members who might not have heard the evacuation order. Far Vanin with his rescue team failed to advance, because the boat gave a trim to the stern of 80 degrees, and he was forced to climb into the rescue chamber. At first, the camera could not undock from the mortally wounded boat, but then broke away from it. When she was on the surface, the hatch was torn off from the difference in pressure and two submariners were thrown into the sea. The camera, where the commander and members of the rescue team were located, went under water.

At that time, only four people died, but after the boat sank, many sailors underwent hypothermia in the water, the temperature of which was only two degrees Celsius. An hour later, the floating base "Aleksey Khlobystov" and the fishing vessel "Oma" approached, which saved 30 people. Some of them later died from hypothermia and from wounds. Of the 69 crew members on board, 42 people died, including the boat commander, Captain 1st Rank Vanin.

"Kosomolets" sank to the bottom to a depth of 1600 meters, along with a nuclear reactor and two "Shkval" torpedoes in nuclear equipment. Between 1989 and 1998, seven expeditions were carried out to secure the reactor and isolate the torpedo tubes. Russian sources claim that during these expeditions traces of unauthorized entry into the boat by "foreign agents" were found.

Kyle Mizokami lives and works in San Francisco and writes on defense and national security. His articles have appeared in The Diplomat, Foreign Policy, War is Boring and The Daily Beast; he is also a founding member of Japan Security Watch, a defense and security blog.

November 8, 2008 during factory sea trials in the Sea of ​​Japan, it happened, built at the Amur Shipyard in Komsomolsk-on-Amur and not yet accepted into the Russian Navy. As a result of unauthorized operation of the fire extinguishing system LOH (boat volumetric chemical), freon gas began to flow into the compartments of the boat. 20 people died, 21 more people were hospitalized with poisoning. In total, there were 208 people on board the nuclear submarine.

August 30, 2003 in the Barents Sea while being towed to the city of Polyarny for disposal. On board the submarine were ten members of the mooring team, nine of them died, one was rescued.
During a storm, with the help of which the K-159 was towed. The accident occurred three miles northwest of Kildin Island in the Barents Sea at a depth of 170 meters. On the nuclear submarine, the nuclear reactor was in a safe condition.

August 12, 2000 during the naval exercises of the Northern Fleet in the Barents Sea. The accident occurred 175 kilometers from Severomorsk, at a depth of 108 meters. All 118 crew members on board were killed.
According to the Prosecutor General's Office, the Kursk was inside the fourth torpedo tube, which caused the explosion of the rest of the torpedoes in the first compartment of the APRK.

April 7, 1989 when returning from military service in the Norwegian Sea in the area of ​​Bear Island. As a result of a fire in two adjacent compartments of K-278, the main ballast tank systems were destroyed, through which the submarine was flooded with outboard water. 42 people died, many from hypothermia.
27 crew members.

October 6, 1986 in the Bermuda region in the Sargasso Sea (Atlantic Ocean) at a depth of about 5.5 thousand meters. On the morning of October 3, an explosion occurred in the missile silo on board the submarine, and then a fire broke out that lasted for three days. The crew did everything possible to prevent an explosion of nuclear weapons and a radiation catastrophe, but they could not save the ship. Four people died on board the submarine. The surviving crew members were taken to the Russian vessels Krasnogvardeysk and Anatoly Vasilyev, which came to the rescue of the submarine in distress.

© public domain

© public domain

June 24, 1983 4.5 miles from the coast of Kamchatka, during the dive, the nuclear submarine K-429 from the Pacific Fleet sank. K-429 was urgently sent from repair to torpedo firing without checking for leaks and with a combined crew (part of the staff was on vacation, the replacement was not prepared). When diving through the ventilation system, the fourth compartment was flooded. The boat lay on the ground at a depth of 40 meters. When trying to blow out the main ballast due to the open ventilation valves of the main ballast tank, most of the air went overboard.
As a result of the disaster, 16 people died, the remaining 104 were able to surface through the bow torpedo tubes and the aft escape hatch shaft.

October 21, 1981 diesel submarine C-178, returning to the base after a two-day trip to the sea, in the waters of Vladivostok with a transport refrigerator. Having received a hole, the submarine took about 130 tons of water, lost its buoyancy and went under water, sinking at a depth of 31 meters. As a result of the disaster, 32 submariners died.

June 13, 1973 in the Gulf of Peter the Great (Sea of ​​​​Japan) happened. The boat sailed on the surface at night to the base after firing practice. "Akademik Berg" hit "K-56" on the starboard side, at the junction of the first and second compartments, making a huge hole in the hull, into which water began to flow. The submarine was saved from death at the cost of their lives by the personnel of the second emergency compartment, who battened down the bulkhead between the compartments. The accident killed 27 people. About 140 sailors survived.

February 24, 1972 when returning to base from combat patrols.
At this time, the boat was in the North Atlantic Ocean at a depth of 120 meters. Thanks to the selfless actions of the crew, K-19 surfaced. Navy ships and vessels took part in the rescue operation. In a severe storm, it was possible to evacuate most of the K-19 crew, apply electricity to the boat and tow it to the base. As a result of the accident on the boat, 28 sailors died, two more died during the rescue operation.

April 12, 1970 in the Bay of Biscay of the Atlantic Ocean, which led to the loss of buoyancy and longitudinal stability.
The fire started on April 8 almost simultaneously in two compartments, when the boat was at a depth of 120 meters. K-8 surfaced, the crew courageously fought for the survivability of the boat. On the night of April 10-11, three vessels arrived in the area of ​​the accident Marine fleet USSR, but because of the storm that broke out, it was not possible to take the submarine in tow. Part of the personnel of the submarine was transferred to the Kasimov ship, and 22 people, led by the commander, remained on board the K-8 to continue the struggle for the survivability of the ship. But on April 12, the submarine sank at a depth of more than 4,000 meters. 52 crew members were killed.

May 24, 1968 occurred, which had two reactors on a liquid metal coolant. As a result of a violation of heat removal from the core, overheating and destruction of fuel elements in one of the submarine's reactors occurred. All mechanisms of the boat were taken out of action and mothballed.
During the accident, nine people received lethal doses of radioactive exposure.

March 8, 1968 from the Pacific Fleet. The submarine was in combat service in the Hawaiian Islands, and from March 8 it stopped communicating. According to various sources, from 96 to 98 crew members were on board the K-129, all of them died. The cause of the crash is unknown. Subsequently, the K-129 was discovered by the Americans and in 1974 they raised it.

September 8, 1967 in the Norwegian Sea on the nuclear submarine K-3 "Leninsky Komsomol" in a submerged position, a fire broke out in two compartments, which was localized and extinguished by sealing the emergency compartments. 39 crew members were killed. The submarine returned to base under its own power.

January 11, 1962 at the naval base of the Northern Fleet in the city of Polyarny. A fire started on the submarine, which was standing at the pier, after which an explosion of torpedo ammunition occurred. The bow of the boat was torn off, the wreckage scattered over a radius of more than a kilometer.
Submarine S-350 standing nearby received significant damage. As a result of the incident, 78 sailors were killed (not only from the B-37, but also from four more submarines, as well as from the reserve crew). There were victims among the civilian population of the city of Polyarny.

July 4, 1961 during the ocean exercises "Arctic Circle" of the main power plant. A pipe burst in the cooling system of one of the reactors, causing a leak of radiation.
For an hour and a half, the submariners were repairing the emergency cooling system of the reactor without protective suits, with their bare hands, in army gas masks. The crew members, the ship remained afloat, and it was towed to the base.
From received doses of radiation in a few days.

January 27, 1961 in the Barents Sea, the diesel submarine S-80, which was part of the Northern Fleet, sank. On January 25, she went to sea for several days to practice improving the tasks of solo navigation, and on January 27, radio contact with her was interrupted. S-80 did not return to the base in Polyarny. The search operation yielded no results. C-80 was found only in 1968, and was later raised from the bottom of the sea. The cause of the accident was the flow of water through the RDP valve (submarine retractable device for supplying atmospheric air to the submarine's periscope position in its diesel compartment and removing diesel exhaust gases). The entire crew was killed - 68 people.

September 26, 1957 in the Tallinn Bay of the Baltic Sea from the Baltic Fleet.
A fire broke out on a submarine that was measuring underwater speeds on a measuring line at the training ground of the Tallinn Naval Base. Having surfaced from a depth of 70 meters, the M-256 anchored. The crew, brought to the upper deck due to the strong gas contamination of the interior, did not stop fighting for the survivability of the boat. After 3 hours 48 minutes after surfacing, the submarine suddenly sank to the bottom. Most of the crew died: out of 42 submariners, seven sailors survived.

November 21, 1956 near Tallinn (Estonia), a diesel submarine M-200 from the Baltic Fleet sank as a result of a collision with the destroyer Stateny. Six people were immediately rescued from the water. The accident killed 28 sailors.

In December 1952 in the Sea of ​​Japan, the diesel-electric submarine C-117 from the Pacific Fleet was lost. The boat was supposed to take part in the exercises. On the way to the maneuver area, its commander reported that due to a breakdown in the right diesel engine, the submarine was heading to the designated point on one engine. A few hours later, he reported that the problem had been fixed. The boat was no longer in touch. The exact cause and place of the sinking of the submarine is unknown.
There were 52 crew members on board the boat, including 12 officers.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources

The idea of ​​a submarine itself appeared in the 15th century. This idea came to the brilliant head of the legendary Leonardo da Vinci. But, fearing the devastating consequences of such a hidden weapon, he destroyed his project.

But this always happens, if the idea already exists, then sooner or later humanity will embody it. For more than half a century, submarines have been plying the seas and oceans. And, of course, from time to time they get into accidents. Of particular danger in this case are nuclear submarines equipped with nuclear power plants. Let's talk about their failures.

USS Thresher

The first nuclear submarine to sink in history was the American USS Thresher, which sank in the already distant 1963. Built three years earlier, she was the first Thrasher-class submarine of its kind.

On April 10, the USS Thresher was taken out to sea to test deep-sea dives and test the strength of the hull. For about two hours, the boat sank and periodically transmitted data on the state of its systems to headquarters. At 09:17 USS Thresher stopped communicating. The last message read: "... limiting depth ...".

When they found it, it turned out that it fell apart into six parts, and all 112 crew members and 17 researchers died. The reason for the death of the boat is called a factory marriage in the welding of the hull, which could not withstand the pressure, cracked, and the water that got inside caused a short circuit in the electronics. The investigation will establish that the shipyards where the USS Thresher was serviced had extremely low quality control, and in addition, deliberate sabotage could occur. This was the reason for the death of the submarine. Her hull still rests at a depth of 2560 meters east of Cape Cod.

USS Scorpio

In the entire history of the US Navy, only two submarines have been definitively and irrevocably lost. The first was the USS Thresher mentioned above, and the second was the USS Scorpion that 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.

In search of the USS Scorpion, 60 ships and aircraft set off, which found a lot of interesting things, including a sunken German submarine from World War II. But the sought-after boat was discovered only five months later at a depth of 3000 meters. The entire crew of 99 perished. The causes of the disaster are not completely known, but there is a version that one of the torpedoes could explode on board the boat.

USS San Francisco

But the case of the American boat USS San Francisco is just 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.

At the same time, there were victims. Ninety-eight crew members received various injuries and fractures. Mate Second Class Joseph Allen died of head injuries the next day.

Let's move on to the Soviet submarines. The submarine K-8, 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 hydroacoustic cabin, which began to spread rapidly through the air ducts and threatened to destroy the entire ship. But he was saved by simple human heroism. When the sailors from the first shift of the main power plant realized that the fire continued to spread, they drowned out the nuclear reactors and battened down all the doors to other compartments. The submariners themselves died, but did not let the fire destroy the submarine and kill the rest. A 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 sailing 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. K-278 "Komsomolets" also destroyed the fire that broke out on board on April 7, 1989. The fire broke the tightness 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 from the eighth time. Some crew members managed to get out and swim to the surface, but they ended up 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 sinking of the Kursk submarine, the strange behavior of the Russian authorities and questions that no one has yet answered. So now let's focus on the main points.

On August 2, 2000 at 11:28 a.m., the systems of the cruiser Pyotr Veliky recorded a strong bang, followed by a slight shake of the ship. "Kursk" participated with the cruiser in the exercises of the Northern Fleet and six hours later was supposed to get in touch with him, but disappeared.

Ukraine is out of competition

If any conclusion can be drawn from all these stories, it is to understand 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, this 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, we will find in abundance. Ukraine usually has no shortage of heroes.