RUSSIA-KURSK/ANNIVERSARY Russia marks 15th anniversary of Kursk nuclear submarine sinking

Record ID: 144336

  • Title: RUSSIA-KURSK/ANNIVERSARY Russia marks 15th anniversary of Kursk nuclear submarine sinking
  • Date: 12th August 2015
  • Summary: BARENTS SEA, RUSSIA (FILE - JULY 2000) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS) TOP VIEW OF THE KURSK SUBMARINE ABOVE WATER AND STEAMING AHEAD KURSK CREW ON TOP OF SUBMARINE DURING ROUTINE CHECK KURSK CAPTAIN TAKING SALUTE AT HARBOUR WITH FELLOW OFFICER VARIOUS OF KURSK CREW ON HARBOUR SIDE
  • Embargoed: 27th August 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA11HCBR0LQMAI5TNJ2PDX4XD9D
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS CONVERTED 4:3 MATERIAL
    Russia marked the 15th anniversary of the sinking of the Kursk nuclear powered submarine on Wednesday (August 12) in which 118 sailors, the entire crew of the vessel, perished at the bottom of the Barents Sea.
    Commemoration ceremonies were held in St. Petersburg, where most of the crew members were buried.
    Family members, friends, naval officers attended a prayer at the St.Nicholas Naval Cathedral.
    118 Russian sailors died after the Kursk submarine sank to the bottom of the Barents Sea during naval exercises on August 12, 2000. An official investigation and final report into Russia's worst naval accident blamed the sinking on a faulty torpedo that exploded in its chamber.
    "There were so many tragedies after ours, in the army, in the navy and in the air force. It seems to me that after Kursk tragedy people affected by them started receiving material and social assistance. I guess it is good," said Irina Lyachina, widow of Kursk commander Gennady Lyachin.
    After the Kursk disaster, the Russian naval command were severely criticised when it became apparent that the navy did not possess the modern rescue equipment needed to deal with submarine accidents.
    "I think there is no doubt that 15 years ago, during Kursk catastrophe not everything possible had been done to rescue the crew. There was nothing to rescue them with. The only rescue vessel Mikhail Rudnitsky was standing at the pier at Severomorsk and wasn't even getting ready to go into the sea despite the fact that wide-scale drill of the Northern Fleet was underway," said Igor Kurdin, chairman of club of submarine officers in St. Petersburg.
    "But the most important is that we rejected and we've been thinking for too long whether we should accept foreign help", Kurdin added.
    At the time of the disaster Norwegian and British rescue teams rushed to the aid of the Kursk crew, but said Moscow gave them the wrong information and hampered their rescue mission.
    Fifteen years after the Kursk disaster, the problem of submarines rescue is still unresolved, said Kurdin.
    "On Monday rescue vessel Igor Belousov headed for Atlantics for the fourth stage of tests. It was designed and built at St. Petersburg dock yard. This is a modern submarine rescue ship, that can rescue submarines from certain depths if they lay on bottom. Some time ago a decision was made to build four of those vessels for each navy, because each navy has submarines. And I feel really sorry for submarines staff of Pacific Navy because for them such rescue vessel has not even been t even planned," he said after presenting a daughter of one of Kursk crew members with a submarine model.
    After the prayer at St.Nicholas Naval Cathedral family members and colleagues of Kursk crew held another prayer at the cemetery and laid flowers to the tombs of their loved ones.
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