Was it British sub?

August 12 in Barents sea two nuclear powered submarines Kursk and British multi-purpose Trafalgar or Swiftsure (reported about presence at area of exercises S106 Splendid, whether but she has collided with Kursk - still a question) collided.

To a reasonable question - why British, instead of American? - I answer by a proverb - on the thief and the cap burns. Whose marine attaché has rushed in our Main Headquarters? Whose divers and recovery vehicle have begun to make dispositions for transportation in Barents Sea even on August 14? Whose naval officers were that days on the deck Peter Veliky? Who possesses the company " Stolt Offshore ", routed to the area of accident?

The cause of collision of both subs became interference at mutual maneuvering with the purpose of recovery of the lost acoustic contact - situation, in general, ordinary for modern lownoise submarines, therefore certainly there are no basis to blame the Englishmen in deliberate attack.

In collision there was a detonation of ammunition on the British sub (on Trafalgar - from 20 up to 30 (under the miscellaneous data) cruise-missile Sub-Harpoon UGM-84B and torpedoes Tigerfish Mk24 or Spearfish, on Swiftsure - up to 20 units of the same types - in the sum it is from 2,6 up to 6,8 tons of explosive. Besides it was possible the availability of 2-4 cruise missiles Tomahawk with nuclear warhead, but they didn't detonate, because they were in torpedo tubes, instead of in a compartment). It is necessary to mean that British sub patrolled close to the main bases of Russian strategic submarines and consequently most likely the large part of her weapons was torpedoes.

On Kursk, which sailed to sea only for two - three days, there were only dummy torpedoes (instead of explosive in warheads - autographs - recorders, light and radio beacons, especially if we speak the testing of engines of new torpedoes), which one, naturally, be could not explode. But it is true, that there could be an explosion of their solid-propellant engines (if we speak about jet torpedoes) or components of fuel (if the torpedoes were peroxide), but the power of such explosion would not be so great. As there was maximum two of these dummy torpedoes, and according to the published data, the specialists from DagDiesel tested for Kursk an electric torpedo, in which one in general there is nothing to blast out.

As a result of frontal impact (at the moment of collision the general speed of both submarines could reach 18-20 knots) and subsequent two explosions the bow part of Kursk (approximately up to a superstructure) was completely broken down, and British sub was simply pulled down into separate parts. The large wastes (actually it were pieces of hull of weight up to 1000 т) went along starboard of Kursk, tore her outer hull, having broken the upper cover of the floating up saving chamber, having damaged rescue buoy (it was filled in with water and consequently has not floated) and having wedged the upper cover of escape and rescue hatch of the 9-th compartment.

After that Kursk and remainings of British sub moved on inertia (Kursk recovered about 150 м of a soil) and laid down on bottom about 300 m from each other. At the moment of explosions on the British sub 2 signal radio beacons automatically have floated, which one have begun to transmit an encoded signal of disaster (then above the area of accident two NATO Orions appeared). An emergency hydroacoustic beacon started to work (by the way the similar device was on Kursk, but it has not worked, as, it used electric power from the battery of 1-st compartment, and in second, at a diving depth of the sub, it can be turned on only manually from central post, for that, certainly, nobody had time). If to believe the recent applications of Mr. Klebanov and admiral Popov, commander in chief of Northern fleet, the audio signals of this beacon were captured by the Russian ships.

By the moment, when Kursk laid down the bottom, the 2nd, 3rd and 4th compartments were completely flooded (there is nothing to say about the 1^st compartment), and possible the 5th and 5th-ex compartments (they are included in a structure of the bow unit of compartments and have a common system of a hull ventilation; it is possible, that at the moment of collision the ventilation worked in a mode of stirring of air between compartments or the ADU device (air delivery underwater) worked, as the telescopic devices were raised. At collision and explosions the hydraulic system was torn, and nobody had time to shut bulkhead flappers of air ducts (diameter up to half of meter) manually. The 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th compartments originally remained dry, but the personnel, found in them, was doomed (the only mean to escape was escape and rescue hatch of 9-th compartment, but its ventilator coming - site was deformed, the upper cover is wedged, and the trunked hatch has lost air-tightness and was flooded with water). Since any more deep divers, neither Bester, nor LR-5 could help. If everything known from the record written by commander of turbine group Dmitry Kolesnikov is true, the crew could really attempt to leave from sunk sub by the method of free emersion (personal saving equipment, having been available on Kursk, (immersion suit SGP with parachute system and respirator IDA-59М) allowed to make it from depth up to 250 м). However, having straightened out, that the mine of after hatch is drowned (that automatically did saving by the above-stated method impossible) people become vainly to wait the help from outside. Most likely they were all together in 9th compartment and have lived for about 3 days (under the informal data, last records made Dmitry Kolesnikov, are dated back to August 15, which is confirmed by nature of records - maiden be ordered "by calligraphic handwriting", last - to the touch and it that the fixed autonomous emergency lamps in compartments act at continuous combustion of lamps about 6 hours, and it is possible to disburse portable torches - about day, but energy of accumulators economically and then light will suffice on two - three day), then have perished, and is more possible from cool, than from an oxygen deficiency (temperature in compartments in some hours has gone down to overboard - about 0 degrees, from here and report, that the people were retrieved dressed in special warmers from saving immersion suits). Is possible that after their mors there was a local fire in 9th compartment (probably, because of water, filling in the compartment, with oil film on laminas of neogenesis (emergency unit of neogenesis of air) or into the opened device with regenerative laminas (complete set B-64). Perhaps, at the moment of fire, some persons were still alive and have found forces to go out in 8-th compartment, where the divers found their bodies later.

After November 13 Rescue and Search forces made detail examination of Kursk, and the attempt of landing of a saving shell on an after hatch was not done with success, the salvage operation was ceased, has turn into intelligence, what is more correct.

Till August 19 underwater vehicles (committed up to 10 immersions per day), nuclear control station Special Hydro unit GRU (according to the data of the western experts, Russia has at least four stations Uniform и X-Ray) and deep-divers (about which one, keeping secret, our MASS-MEDIA had to tell, that they have died out after 1991 as mammoths) conducted works on extraction from broken down 1st and 2nd compartments of Kursk of instrumentation of torpedo complex, devices of central post and safes with the secret documents. Then the ship log was raised also, about which one have said just now and which one, according to the legend, should be "found" in 4th compartment. Simultaneously we were deceived about a 60-degree roll and underwater currents, which one for some reason did not allow to work to our underwater vehicles, but after some days have not prevented the British divers to open the hatch of 9th compartments at all.

But main activities at this time were conducted on the British sub, from which one the documents, instrumentation and kept ammunition or their pieces (including nuclear warheads) were taken away. Simultaneously, the arrival of NATO "salvors" was delayed by all means

Only after both perished boats were examined, the Englishmen with "LR-5" were allowed in region of destruction. Last one has made one immersing on the their boat. Having convinced, that pile of metal lies at the bottom, the Englishmen temporarily have abandoned region. The truth, simultaneously they have helped us to open an afterhatch of Kursk (its upper cover was opened by the crane from vessel Seaway Eagle) and at the same time have acted in a role of the witness at the fact of an admission of destruction of our submariners.

It is curious, that at the first days after debacle information that originally near to Kursk the Russian salvors found certain " underwater object ", which one then has disappeared (by the way marshal Sergeev told about it, but rather hazily,) has come to MASS-MEDIA. On the ground of it the version about collision of our boat with foreign one has appeared, and they said that at first the foreign sub also laid down to the bottom, but then could repair damages and leave, unnoticed by the Russian ships. After on August 18 the American SSN Memphis arrived in the Norwegian naval base Haakonsvern (Bergen area), many started to speak that she rammed Kursk. This version seems quite very similar for an unsophisticated average citizen, however it is misinformation at close examination. The matter is that one of the basic differences of diesel boats from nuclear ones is that last never lay down the bottom. At sea nuclear powered submarines pumps every minute through itself tens tons of overboard water (it is necessary for cooling of propulsion plant). If nuclear sub in any cause will appear on the bottom, all her refrigerating systems in few seconds will be soiled, that will call automatic activation of emergency protection of steam-electric, and then of reactor installations. Certainly, after that the boat can float on a surface (then it is possible to start the emergency diesel engine - generator and in four hours to put into action the main power plant), but she will not leave anywhere when underwater.

As to "Мемphis", this boat - explorer (equipped by an air chamber and remote-controlled vehicles) really watched the exercises the of the Northern fleet. But the real cause of coming American sub to the Norwegian port was the necessity to install at her the air deep-diving vehicle DSRV Avalone (or Mystic) brought from USA. After that Memphis has gone to the sea and was routed to a place of debacle, where she has prolonged to be engaged in underwater reconnaissance (attempted to come closer to Kursk, as far as it was allowed by Russian ships).

After departure from region NATO vessels the underwater works practically did not cease. According to Norwegian sources, starting from September the Rescue and Search forces began to evacuate bodies from Kursk out of earlier opened 9-th compartment (possibly it cause the announcements of military and government representatives with promise "to raise all"). In the first half of October the deep-diving vehicle Mir and deep-divers worked on the sub (including from the Black Sea fleet), and, according to official reports, the opening of top hatch of structure pressure hull and inspection were made. At the same time the activities in 3rd compartment of Kursk were made, a communication apparatus (including cryptographic equipment of the secret government communication service), guided-missile system, safes with the documents were extracted. It was impossible to raise a part of the cumbersome equipment, which one was erased by destruct charges (them these explosions were fixed by Norwegian seismologists).

Now the main problem was the entombment of the reactor and equipment of 1-st contour of the British sub, injured at debacle and threatened by leakage of radioactivity, and also rising of the nuclear warheads, which have stayed and escaped at explosion. Besides at international level it was decided to hide the fact of collision of the Russian and British boats or "substitute tracks". This activity also was made in October - November by vessel Regalia (port of registration - Nassau), belonging to American corporation " Hallyburton Subsea " (headquarter in Houston, Texas). Except for Regalia the corporation has 4 similar vessels (Semi 1, Semi 2, Rockwater 1, Rockwater 2). Is remarkable, that only Regalia have the most potent crane (bearing capacity up to 450 tons). Most likely it utilized for rising and subsequent dumping in deep water of the reactor from the British sub. At the same time divers from Regalia opened the 8-th compartment of Kursk (after debacle there was the air cushion and our divers could not penetrate into it from 9-th compartment).

By the way there some words about the activities on Kursk. The reports on diving jobs in 8th and 9th compartments are not correct. The door between these compartments opens into the 8^th compartment (Rem. Not true), therefore misinformation was the report, that the divers in the 8th compartment could not open the door into the 9th, as there was any "springing interference". Everything should be done to the contrary - attempts to penetrate from the 9th compartment into the 8th. As to activities in the 3rd and the 4th compartments - nothing is clear. At first they have declared, that there is the floating up saving chamber in the 3rd compartment and consequently there should be most of people (though the chamber is in the 2nd compartment). Then the chamber "has gone" to the 4th compartment. Finally, in the 4th compartment they have found not a dump of corpses, as promised, but "records and log-book " (Here Mr. Klebanov obviously said nonsense, and when he was informed about it, he has declared, that he had been understood incorrectly). In general, all this October-November "rising of bodies" by Regalia is usual misinformation (the bodies from the 9th compartments were raised earlier), launched for concealment of the actual causes of her activities in the area. Anyway, we have only one documentary endorsement that in this period there were any activities on Kursk - that was photo of piece of submarine skin on the deck of Regalia (we can see on this piece the internal thermal insulation, kept by a tissue, technological port with a cover, emergency lamp and part of a cable - line). And then, why the activities had been refused in the 5th and the 5^th-ex compartments? Despite the fact that there is nuclear power plant control post in the 5th compartment and where there will be lot of records and log-books.

After completion of activities by Regalia the divers of the Navy of Russia on November 15 at the bottom the Barents Sea made a series of underwater explosions (fixed by Norwegians). They finally erased wreckage of the British boat, and at the same time and bow part of Kursk. The material evidences of the collision of two nuclear-powered ships do not exist any more. Therefore, even if they will raise Kursk in following year, Mr. Klebanov will again declare that "to establish the final cause of destruction of the submarine it impossible". Especially, the high-ranking officials already speak that only the part of the sub with reactor compartment will be raised, and the broken bow part will remain at the bottom of the Barents Sea.

Today the patrol term of British submarine has come to the end and soon we will hear news that one of Her Majesty ships was destructed somewhere in Southern Atlantic or in Indian Ocean. Maybe she will be sent to wreck without any information. The relatives of the perished seamen will receive "letters of excuse", the insurance and compensation and will not noise in MASS-MEDIA (it possible to criticize much in Great Britain, but not the fleet, and people (including the journalists) are more disciplined there). Besides the British Prime Minister, minister of a defense and more there are a lot of any grades who don't want to be retired.

Our chiefs, working for dollars (greens) obtained from West, will continue to misinform ordinary people with fairy tales about "collision with a unknown object", "firing on the mine of times of the Second World War" or "a contingency in the first compartment".

They will not say the truth about destruction of Kursk to us any more. However nothing can prevent us from finding it.

Dmitry

23.11.2000, 23:08