Komsomolets is a submarine about which much has been written. The submarine had a large number of technical innovations in comparison with analogues. For example, its designers decided to abandon the huge loading hatch, which reduced the strength of the vessel. In addition, a system for blowing tanks from gas generators was installed here, which significantly accelerated the ascent from great depths. Komsomolets is a submarine that set the world record for diving, which amounted to 1032 meters and is not surpassed to this day. In order to ensure the safety of the crew, the submarine was equipped with a rescue chamber, which could emerge from a depth of one and a half kilometers and accommodate all personnel. Moreover, all seven compartments received fire extinguishing equipment, and in the second and third rescue zones were organized.
Despite such serious measures that were taken by the builders, on April 7, 1989, the death of the Komsomolets submarine took place. It happened in the Norwegian Sea, at a distance of about 180 km from Bear Island. As a result of this tragedy, 27 of the 69 crew members were saved. All the rest died. To investigate, they created a government group that was supposed to shed light on the causes of the incident. However, the result of this work was the conclusion that the Soviet champion drowned in connection with the banal ignition of electrical wiring, which led to a fire in the aft compartment. Now the ship lies in the same place, at a depth of about 1,600 meters.
At the same time, many scientists are still trying to understand why the Komsomolets submarine sank. The mystery of the death of the submarine and now causes active controversy throughout the world. Rescue pilots say that they initially saw two rafts that sailed near the crash site. The sailors were dropped an inflatable boat, which they did not find the next time they entered. Moreover, one of the rafts also turned over, and at 17.08 the ship completely went under water. About half an hour after that, the first part of the crew was raised by a floating fishing base. The rest were recovered from cold water one by one.
Komsomolets is a submarine whose death caused a real information war between representatives of the military and industrial sectors. There are a number of documents according to which sailors found serious flaws already at the first dive. For example, the water pressure tore off the rescue chamber, which then had to be found at the bottom and remodeled. According to the builders, this led only to the actions of the crew of the submarine, which were incorrect.
From 1989 to 1998, seven expeditions were carried out in the area of the death of the submarine, using Mir submersibles for diving. The aim of these works was the sealing of some compartments in which torpedoes with nuclear heads were located, as well as the installation of measuring equipment. During the last dive, recording and measuring instruments were not detected. From them there were only anchors with traces of neat slices. There is reason to believe that they were removed at the expense of robots. And, most likely, this is the work of Western intelligence agencies. Be that as it may, the Komsomolets is a submarine, the date of whose death in Russia became Memorial Day for the dead sailors and submariners.