The Russian submarine Kursk sank in 2000 with all 118 sailors and officers aboard dying. The cause was an accidental explosion during an exercise. Conspiracy theories have circulated, but investigations confirmed the explosion as the cause. Some sailors survived but died before rescue arrived. The Russian government’s preference for secrecy and refusal of international assistance has been criticized. The Kursk was recovered over a year later.
The Kursk disaster was an incident in 2000 in which the Russian submarine Kursk sank with all hands. The 118 sailors and officers aboard died, most within minutes of the crash. Many news outlets have been fascinated by the Kursk disaster and subsequent rescue attempts, and a number of conspiracy theories swirl around the chain of events that led to the sinking of the Kursk.
This Oscar II-class submarine was commissioned in 1994. On August 12, 2000, Kursk sailed to the Barents Sea together with another submarine for an exercise in which Kursk was to fire dummy torpedoes. Everything on Kursk appeared to be working, including her two nuclear reactors, but as the torpedo was readied for launch, an explosion occurred.
Although Kursk’s torpedo room could be sealed off with the use of a watertight door, it was usually left open. This proved deadly when the explosion occurred, with the door open allowing the explosion to rip through several compartments. Several sailors were killed outright and many more were seriously injured. Instead of surfacing, Kursk sank, possibly due to confusion on board making it difficult to carry out orders.
As the Kursk hit the seabed, another series of explosions tore the submarine apart. These explosions were strong enough to be recorded by seismographs in Europe and appear to have been caused by the detonation of additional torpedoes that were propelled as the submarine struck the ocean floor, 350 feet (108 meters).
At least 23 people survived, gathering in one compartment. The names of the survivors were recorded by an officer, who also made notes who grew increasingly desperate as the submarine’s life support systems failed. Initially, the sailors believed they would be rescued, but that was not the case. The Russian government first announced that the submarine was experiencing “technical difficulties”, later admitting that the Kursk had sunk and accepting assistance from the British and Norwegian governments when they offered to travel to the sinking site for a rescue operation.
It wasn’t until 20 August that rescue vessels arrived on the scene, and by this time, all aboard were dead. Evidence seemed to indicate that the surviving sailors could have accidentally started a fire that killed several sailors outright and caused others to suffocate as the fire consumed the available oxygen in the submarine. More than a year later, the Kursk was recovered by the Dutch and the sailors’ bodies were buried in Russia.
The events of the Kursk disaster intrigued the media as they provided a clear illustration of the Russian government’s preference for secrecy. Some people have suggested that if the Russians had called for help on 12 August, the site could have been reached earlier and some of the sailors could have been rescued. The United States also resented its offer of assistance being snubbed.
Conspiracy theorists have claimed that the Kursk actually sank due to a collision with another submarine, with the USS Memphis often singled out as the culprit. Others said the vessel may have been hit by a torpedo. However, the inspection of the vessel after the salvage operation confirmed that the Kursk sank as a result of an accidental explosion, which, although tragic, was far from sinister.
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