The sunken nuclear submarines of the USSR and Russia are the subject of unceasing discussions. During the Soviet and post-Soviet years, four nuclear submarines were killed (K-8, K-219, K-278, Kursk). The sunken submarine K-27 was flooded on its own in 1982 in the Kara Sea after a radiation accident. This was done because the submarine was not recoverable, and the disposal was too expensive. All of these submarines were assigned to the Northern Fleet.
Nuclear submarine K-8
This sunken submarine is considered the first officially recognized loss in the Union’s nuclear fleet. The cause of the death of the ship on April 12, 1970 was a fire that occurred during his stay in the Bay of Biscay (Atlantic). The crew for a long time fought for the survivability of the submarine. The sailors were able to shut down the reactors. Part of the crew was evacuated on board on time the approaching Bulgarian civilian vessel, but 52 people were killed. This sunken submarine was one of the first nuclear powered ships of the USSR.
Submarine K-219This project 667A nuclear-powered submarine was at one time one of the most modern and surviving submarine ships. He sank on October 6, 1986 due to a powerful ballistic missile explosion in a mine. The accident killed 8 people. In addition to two reactors, the sunken submarine had at least fifteen ballistic missiles and 45 thermonuclear warheads on board. The ship was badly crippled, but showed amazing survivability. It was able to emerge from a 350-meter depth with terrible damage to the hull and a flooded compartment. The atomic ship sank only after three days.
Komsomolets ( K-278)This project 685 sunken submarine died on April 7, 1989 as a result of a fire that occurred during a combat mission. The vessel was located near the Bear Island (Norwegian Sea) in neutral waters. The crew fought for six hours for the survivability of the submarine, but after several explosions in the compartments, the submarine sank. On board were 69 crew members. Of these, 42 people died. The Komsomolets was the most modern submarine of the time. His death caused a great international response. Prior to that, the sunken submarines of the USSR did not attract so much attention (partly due to the secrecy regime).
KurskThis tragedy is probably the most famous catastrophe associated with the death of a submarine. The Aircraft Carrier Killer, a formidable and modern nuclear-powered cruiser, sank at a 107-meter depth 90 km from the coast. At the bottom, 132 submariners were locked. Activities to rescue the crew were unsuccessful. According to the official version, the nuclear submarine sank due to the explosion of an experimental torpedo that occurred in the mine. However, the death of Kursk is still a lot of unclear. According to other versions (unofficial), the nuclear submarine sank due to a collision with an American submarine "Toledo", which was nearby, or due to a torpedo fired from it. The unsuccessful rescue operation to evacuate the crew from the sunken ship was a shock for the whole of Russia. 132 people died on board the nuclear powered ship.