November 8, 2008 occurred during factory sea trials in the Sea of Japan, built at the Amur Shipyard in Komsomolsk-on-Amur and not yet accepted into the Russian Navy. As a result of the unauthorized activation of the LOX (boat volumetric chemical) fire extinguishing system, freon gas began to flow into the boat compartments. 20 people died, another 21 people were hospitalized with poisoning. In total, there were 208 people on board the submarine.
August 30, 2003 in the Barents Sea while towing to the city of Polyarny for disposal. There were ten members of the mooring crew on board the submarine, nine of them died, one was rescued.
During a storm, with the help of which the K‑159 was towed. The disaster occurred three miles northwest of Kildin Island in the Barents Sea at a depth of 170 meters. The nuclear reactor on the nuclear submarine was in a safe condition.
August 12, 2000 during naval exercises of the Northern Fleet in the Barents Sea. The disaster occurred 175 kilometers from Severomorsk, at a depth of 108 meters. All 118 crew members on board were killed.
According to the Prosecutor General's Office, "Kursk" is inside the fourth torpedo tube, which resulted in the explosion of the remaining torpedoes located in the first compartment of the APRK.
April 7, 1989 upon returning from combat service in the Norwegian Sea in the area of Bear Island. As a result of a fire in two adjacent compartments of K‑278, the main ballast tank systems were destroyed, through which the submarine was flooded with sea water. 42 people died, many from hypothermia.
27 crew members.
© Photo: public domain Nuclear submarine K‑278 "Komsomolets"
October 6, 1986 in the area of Bermuda in the Sargasso Sea (Atlantic Ocean) at a depth of about 5.5 thousand meters. On the morning of October 3, an explosion occurred in a missile silo on board the submarine, and then a fire started that lasted for three days. The crew did everything possible to prevent a nuclear explosion and a radiation disaster, but they were unable to save the ship. Four people died on board the submarine. The surviving crew members were lifted onto the Russian ships "Krasnogvardeysk" and "Anatoly Vasilyev", which came to the aid of the submarine in distress.
© public domain
© public domain
June 24, 1983 4.5 miles from the coast of Kamchatka, the nuclear submarine K‑429 from the Pacific Fleet sank during a dive. K‑429 was urgently sent from repair to torpedo firing without checking for leaks and with an assembled crew (some of the staff were on vacation, the replacement was not prepared). During the dive, the fourth compartment flooded through the ventilation system. The boat lay on the ground at a depth of 40 meters. When trying to blow out the main ballast, due to the open ventilation valves of the main ballast tank, most of the air went overboard.
As a result of the disaster, 16 people died, the remaining 104 were able to reach the surface through the bow torpedo tubes and the aft escape hatch shaft.
October 21, 1981 diesel submarine S-178, returning to base after a two-day trip to sea, in the waters of Vladivostok with a transport refrigerator. Having received a hole, the submarine took on about 130 tons of water, lost buoyancy and went under water, sinking at a depth of 31 meters. As a result of the disaster, 32 submariners were killed.
June 13, 1973 occurred in Peter the Great Gulf (Sea of Japan). The boat was on the surface heading to the base at night after performing firing exercises. "Akademik Berg" hit "K-56" on the starboard side, at the junction of the first and second compartments, making a huge hole in the hull into which water began to flow. The submarine was saved from destruction at the cost of their lives by the personnel of the second emergency compartment, who battened down the bulkhead between the compartments. The accident killed 27 people. About 140 sailors survived.
February 24, 1972 when returning to base from combat patrol.
At this time, the boat was in the North Atlantic Ocean at a depth of 120 meters. Thanks to the selfless actions of the crew, K‑19 surfaced. Navy ships and vessels took part in the rescue operation. In conditions of a severe storm, it was possible to evacuate most of the K-19 crew, supply electricity to the boat and tow it to the base. As a result of the boat accident, 28 sailors were killed, two more died during the rescue operation.
April 12, 1970 in the Bay of Biscay of the Atlantic Ocean, which led to the loss of buoyancy and longitudinal stability.
The fire started on April 8 almost simultaneously in two compartments, when the boat was at a depth of 120 meters. K-8 floated to the surface, the crew courageously fought for the survivability of the boat. On the night of April 10-11, three ships of the USSR Marine Fleet arrived in the area of the accident, but due to a storm, it was not possible to take the submarine into tow. Part of the submarine’s personnel was transported to the Kasimov ship, and 22 people, led by the commander, remained on board the K-8 to continue the fight for the survivability of the ship. But on April 12, the submarine sank at a depth of more than 4,000 meters. 52 crew members were killed.
May 24, 1968 occurred, which had two reactors using liquid metal coolant. As a result of a violation of heat removal from the core, overheating and destruction of fuel elements in one of the submarine’s reactors occurred. All the boat's mechanisms were taken out of action and mothballed.
During the accident, nine people received lethal doses of radiation.
March 8, 1968 from the Pacific Fleet. The submarine carried out combat service in the Hawaiian Islands, and since March 8 it has stopped communicating. According to various sources, there were from 96 to 98 crew members on board the K-129, all of them died. The cause of the disaster is unknown. Subsequently, the Americans discovered K-129 and recovered it in 1974.
September 8, 1967 In the Norwegian Sea, on the submarine K-3 Leninsky Komsomol, a fire occurred in two compartments while underwater, which was localized and extinguished by sealing the emergency compartments. 39 crew members were killed. The submarine returned to base under its own power.
January 11, 1962 at the Northern Fleet naval base in the city of Polyarny. A fire started on the submarine standing at the pier, followed by an explosion of torpedo ammunition. The bow of the boat was torn off, the debris scattered over a radius of more than a kilometer.
The nearby S-350 submarine suffered significant damage. As a result of the emergency, 78 sailors were killed (not only from the B-37, but also from four other submarines, as well as from the reserve crew). There were also casualties among the civilian population of the city of Polyarny.
July 4, 1961 during the oceanic exercise "Arctic Circle" of the main power plant. A pipe in the cooling system of one of the reactors burst, causing a radiation leak.
For an hour and a half, the submariners repaired the emergency cooling system of the reactor without protective suits, with their bare hands, and wearing military gas masks. The crew members said the ship remained afloat and was towed to base.
From the received doses of radiation in a few days.
January 27, 1961 The diesel submarine S-80, part of the Northern Fleet, sank in the Barents Sea. On January 25, she went to sea for several days to practice improving the tasks of solo navigation, and on January 27, radio contact with her was interrupted. The S-80 did not return to the base in Polyarny. The search operation yielded no results. S‑80 was found only in 1968, and was later raised from the bottom of the sea. The cause of the accident was the flow of water through the valve of the RDP (a retractable device of a submarine for supplying atmospheric air to its diesel compartment during the periscope position of the submarine and removing diesel exhaust gases). The entire crew died - 68 people.
September 26, 1957 in the Tallinn Bay of the Baltic Sea from the Baltic Fleet.
A fire broke out on a submarine that was measuring underwater speeds on a measuring line at the training ground of the Tallinn naval base. Having surfaced from a depth of 70 meters, M‑256 anchored. The crew, brought to the upper deck due to heavy gas pollution in the interior, did not stop fighting for the survivability of the boat. 3 hours 48 minutes after surfacing, the submarine suddenly sank to the bottom. Most of the crew died: out of 42 submariners, seven sailors survived.
November 21, 1956 Not far from Tallinn (Estonia), the M-200 diesel submarine from the Baltic Fleet sank as a result of a collision with the destroyer Statny. Six people were immediately rescued from the water. As a result of the accident, 28 sailors were killed.
In December 1952 The diesel-electric submarine S-117 from the Pacific Fleet was lost in the Sea of Japan. The boat was supposed to take part in the exercises. On the way to the maneuver area, its commander reported that due to a breakdown of the right diesel engine, the submarine was going to the designated point on one engine. A few hours later he reported that the problem had been fixed. The boat never made contact again. The exact cause and place of death of the submarine are unknown.
There were 52 crew members on board the boat, including 12 officers.
The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources
On December 14, 1952, the submarine Shch-117 set out on its last voyage. She went missing.
The reasons for her death have not yet been established. On this occasion, we will talk about six submarines that died under unclear circumstances.
Soviet diesel-electric torpedo submarine of the Second World War, belongs to the V-bis series of the Shch project - “Pike”.
December 14, 1952 Shch-117 went on its last voyage as part of the TU-6 exercise to practice attacking targets with a group of submarines. Six submarines of the brigade were supposed to take part in the exercises, and Shch-117 was supposed to guide them towards ships of the mock enemy. On the night of December 14-15, the last communication session took place with the boat, after which it disappeared. There were 52 crew members on board, including 12 officers.
The searches for Shch-117, carried out until 1953, yielded nothing. The cause and place of the boat's death are still unknown.
According to the official version, the cause of death could have been a failure of diesel engines in a storm, an explosion on a floating mine, and others. However, the exact cause has never been established.
American nuclear submarine "Thrasher" sank in the Atlantic Ocean on April 9, 1963. The worst submarine disaster in peacetime claimed the lives of 129 people. On the morning of April 9, the boat left the harbor of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Then there were vague signals from the submariners that there were “some problems.” After some time, the US military stated that the boat, which was considered missing, sank. The causes of the disaster have not been fully established.
The Thresher nuclear reactor still rests somewhere on the ocean floor. Back on April 11, 1963, the US Navy measured the radioactivity of ocean water. The indicators did not exceed the norm. Senior American officers insist that the reactor is harmless. The depths of the sea cool it and prevent the core from melting, and the active zone is limited by a durable and stainless container.
Diesel-electric submarine of the "Pike" type, Shch-216, was presumed dead but undetected for many years. The submarine was lost on February 16 or 17, 1944. The submarine is believed to have been damaged but its crew struggled desperately to reach the surface.
In the summer of 2013, researchers discovered a boat near Crimea: they saw an exploded compartment and rudders set to the floating position. At the same time, apart from one destroyed compartment, the hull looked intact. Under what circumstances this boat perished has not yet been established.
S-2, a Soviet diesel-electric torpedo submarine of the IX series, set sail on 1 January 1940. The S-2 commander, Captain Sokolov, was given the following task: to break into the Gulf of Bothnia and operate on enemy communications. On January 3, 1940, the last signal from S-2 was received. The boat never made contact again; nothing was known for certain about its fate and the fate of the 50 members of its crew.
According to one version, the submarine died on a minefield laid by the Finns in the area to the pier of the lighthouse on Merket Island. The mine explosion version is official. In the history of the Russian fleet, until recently, this boat was listed as missing in action. There was no information about her, her location was unknown.
In the summer of 2009, a group of Swedish divers officially announced the discovery of the Soviet submarine S-2. It turns out that 10 years ago, the lighthouse keeper on the island of Merket Ekerman, who probably observed the destruction of S-2, showed his grandson Ingvald the direction with the words: “There lies a Russian.”
U-209- a medium-sized German Type VIIC submarine from World War II. The boat was laid down on November 28, 1940 and launched on August 28, 1941. The boat entered service on October 11, 1941 under the command of Lieutenant Commander Heinrich Brodda. U-209 was part of the "wolf packs". She sank four ships.
U-209 went missing in May 1943. Until October 1991, historians believed that the cause of death was the attack of the British frigate HMS Jed and the British sloop HMS Sennen on May 19, 1943. However, it later turned out that U-954 was actually killed as a result of this attack. The cause of the death of U-209 remains unclear to this day.
"Kursk"
K-141 "Kursk"- Russian nuclear submarine missile-carrying cruiser Project 949A “Antey”. The boat was put into operation on December 30, 1994. From 1995 to 2000 it was part of the Russian Northern Fleet.
The Kursk sank in the Barents Sea 175 kilometers from Severomorsk, at a depth of 108 meters on August 12, 2000. All 118 crew members were killed. In terms of the number of deaths, the accident became the second in the post-war history of the Russian submarine fleet after the explosion of ammunition on a B-37.
According to the official version, the boat sank due to the explosion of torpedo 65-76A (“Kit”) in torpedo tube No. 4. The cause of the explosion was a leak of torpedo fuel components. However, many experts still disagree with this version. Many experts believe that the boat could have been attacked by a torpedo or collided with a mine from World War II.
Post-war losses of the USSR submarine fleet
After the end of the Second World War, a new confrontation began - the Cold War. The guns did not fire, the planes did not bomb the enemy, and the ships did not exchange artillery and rocket salvoes, but this did not protect against losses involving dozens of human lives. And some of the biggest losses on the Cold War fronts were suffered by submariners.
In the post-war period, the Soviet fleet lost nine boats, including three nuclear-powered ones. In addition, many boats received serious damage, and the nuclear-powered K-429 sank, but was subsequently raised and put back into operation. At first, the destruction of submarines in the USSR concerned only diesel submarines. Between 1952 and 1968, six boats died from various causes, including one at the base, and several more boats were damaged in the explosion. A total of 357 people died. Accidents also occurred on nuclear boats during this period, but all of them were accomplished without “irretrievable losses” in technology.
The sunken submarines of the USSR belonged to different fleets: two boats each from the Northern, Pacific and Baltic fleets. On April 12, 1970, the Soviet nuclear submarine K-8 was lost, on board of which there was a fire during a military campaign. It was fires that became the main problem of Soviet submariners, regularly breaking out on boats of various projects. The crew fought the fire for four days, but were unable to save the boat, and the flames “took” the lives of 52 crew members.
The following year, the nuclear boat K-56 miraculously escaped death, having received a hole as a result of a collision with the scientific vessel Akademik Berg. The accident cost the lives of 27 sailors who battened down the compartment and saved the lives of others. This was followed by a long period of calm. The largest number of sunken submarines of the USSR occurred in the 80s, marked by glasnost and perestroika. And if the death of the diesel boat S-178 on October 21, 1981 did not cause a resonance (collision with a cargo ship), then the death of the nuclear-powered K-219 in October 1986 had great publicity. For three days in the Sargasso Sea, the crew fought the fire, but the boat could not be saved. Fortunately, only four people died.
In the interval between the two accidents, on June 24, 1983, K-429 sank, which went out for testing after repairs. As a result, the boat took on water during the dive, and incorrect actions by the crew led to the boat sinking to the bottom. 104 people made it to the surface, and another 16 died. The boat was later raised and returned to service.
But the most famous sinking of a submarine in the USSR occurred on April 7, 1989, when the newest submarine Komsomolets, returning from combat duty, sank as a result of a fire and subsequent flooding. 42 sailors were killed in the accident. It is worth noting that the death of submarines in the USSR occurred much more often than in the United States, which lost only two of its nuclear submarines.
There were also losses in Russian times. And if the K-159 towed for scrapping cannot be considered a full-fledged combat boat, then the death on August 12, 2000 of the Project 945A nuclear submarine cruiser Kursk was a real tragedy, which led to the death of 118 submariners.
Finally, we note that sunken Soviet submarines are located in all parts of the world, from their native shores to the Sargasso Sea, Hawaii and the Bay of Biscay, indicating the location of the Cold War front line.
The sunken nuclear submarines of the USSR and Russia are a topic of ongoing debate. During the Soviet and post-Soviet years, four nuclear submarines (K-8, K-219, K-278, Kursk) were lost. The sunken K-27 was sunk independently in 1982 following a radiation accident. This was done because the nuclear submarine could not be restored, and dismantling was too expensive. All 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 ship's death on April 12, 1970 was a fire that broke out during its stay in (Atlantic). The crew struggled for a long time for the survivability of the submarine. The sailors were able to shut down the reactors. Part of the crew was evacuated on board a Bulgarian civilian ship that arrived in time, but 52 people died. This sunken submarine was one of the first nuclear-powered ships of the USSR.
Submarine K-219Project 667A was at one time one of the most modern and survivable ships of the submarine fleet. It sank on October 6, 1986 due to a powerful ballistic missile explosion in its silo. As a result of the accident, 8 people died. In addition to two reactors, the sunken submarine had at least fifteen and 45 thermonuclear warheads on board. The ship was badly damaged, but demonstrated amazing survivability. It was able to emerge from a depth of 350 meters with terrible damage to the hull and a flooded compartment. The nuclear-powered ship sank only three days later.
This sunken Project 685 submarine died on April 7, 1989 as a result of a fire that broke out during a combat mission. The ship was located near the (Norwegian Sea) in neutral waters. The crew fought for the survivability of the submarine for six hours, but after several explosions in the compartments, the submarine sank. There were 69 crew members on board. Of these, 42 people died. Komsomolets was the most modern submarine of that time. His death caused great international resonance. Before this, the sunken submarines of the USSR did not attract so much attention (partly due to the secrecy regime).
This tragedy is probably the most famous disaster involving the loss of a submarine. The "Aircraft Carrier Killer", a formidable and modern nuclear-powered cruiser, sank at a depth of 107 meters, 90 km from the coast. 132 submariners were trapped at the bottom. Efforts 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, there is still a lot of uncertainty about the death of the Kursk. According to other versions (unofficial), the nuclear-powered submarine sank due to a collision with the American submarine Toledo, which was nearby, or due to being hit by a torpedo fired from it. The unsuccessful rescue operation to evacuate the crew from the sunken ship was a shock for all of Russia. 132 people died on board the nuclear-powered ship.
Submarine accidents (1945-2009) The list of submarine accidents since 1945 documents incidents that occurred after World War II. Among the sunken submarines were at least nine nuclear submarines, some with missiles or torpedoes equipped with nuclear warheads, and at least two diesel boats with nuclear weapons. Some currently available data on environmental contamination by radioactive materials are also presented. The class of incident is indicated by codes: NS - emergency situation; Emergency - emergency; NS - accident; A - accident; K - disaster. .== List == Date Name NATO Classification State Lost Saved Class Notes 12/15/1952 C-117 (former Shch-117 “Mackerel”) “Pike” series V-bis USSR 52 0 K Diesel-electric submarine from the Pacific Fleet died in the Sea of Japan. The exact cause and place of death are unknown. 08/12/1956 M-259 Project A615, Quebec USSR 4 A→NS Diesel-electric torpedo submarine of the Baltic Fleet. Diesel explosion and fire in the engine room. The fire was extinguished, the boat surfaced and returned to base. 1956 M-255 Project A615, Quebec USSR 7 A→NS Diesel-electric torpedo submarine of the Baltic Fleet. Fire in the engine room. 11/23/1956 M-200 “Revenge” “Malyutka” XV series USSR 28 6 K Diesel submarine from the Baltic Fleet. She died in the Suurup Strait of the Baltic Sea as a result of a collision with the destroyer Statny of the Baltic Fleet. 08/22/1957 M-351 Project A615, Quebec USSR 0 A Diesel-electric torpedo submarine of the Black Sea Fleet. While practicing the command “Urgent dive!” The air ducts to the diesel engines were not closed. As a result, up to 40 tons of water entered the diesel compartment and the boat sank almost vertically under the water and stuck into the ground at a depth of 83 meters. On August 26 it was raised to the surface, the crew was rescued. 09/26/1957 M-256 Project A615, Quebec USSR 35 7 K Diesel submarine from the Baltic Fleet. She died in the Tallinn Bay of the Baltic Sea as a result of a diesel explosion, which caused a leak in the pressure hull. 10/13/1960 K-8 Project 627A, November USSR A→NS Nuclear submarine. A cooling pipe ruptured in one of the reactors, resulting in a leak of coolant. Three crew members showed visible signs of acute radiation sickness, and 10 crew members received significant doses of radiation. 01/26/1961 S-80 Project 644, Whiskey Twin-Cylinder USSR 68 0 K The Project 644 diesel-electric missile submarine from the Northern Fleet sank in the Barents Sea as a result of compartments being flooded with sea water through the RDP device. It was raised on July 24, 1969. 06/01/1961 K-8 Project 627A, November USSR A→NS Nuclear submarine. During combat training tasks, the steam generator ruptured. One person was discharged with an acute form of radiation sickness. Some of the personnel received various doses of radiation. 04/12/1961 K-19 Project 658, Hotel-I USSR 0 Emergency On Cosmonautics Day, K-19 almost collided with the world's first nuclear submarine USS "Nautilus" (SSN-571). As a result of the evasive maneuver, the boat hit the ground with its bow. There was no significant damage. 1961 K-19 Project 658, Hotel-I USSR 1 NS Even before the boat left on its first ill-fated voyage, it lost a crew member. While loading missiles into the silos, a sailor was crushed to death by a hatch cover. 07/03/1961 K-19 Project 658, Hotel-I USSR 8 96 A→NS Nuclear submarine with ballistic nuclear missiles. During the Arctic Circle exercise, when the nuclear submarine was heading to the North Atlantic for firing practice. In the area of the Norwegian island of Jan Mayen, the emergency protection of the port side reactor was activated. The cause of the accident was a sharp drop in water pressure in the reactor cooling system. During emergency work to create a backup cooling system for the reactor, 8 crew members received doses of radioactive radiation that became fatal. They died from radiation sickness, having lived from one to three weeks after the accident. Another 42 people received significant doses of radiation. 10/08/1961 K-8 Project 627A, November USSR 0 A Nuclear submarine. While practicing an attack by a group of ships for the Navy championship, a leak from the steam generator re-opened. 01/11/1962 B-37 and S-350 Project 641, Foxtrot and Project 633, Romeo USSR 122 (59 on B-37 + 11 on S-350 + 52 on shore) K Diesel submarine B-37 from the Northern Fleet was lost as a result of a fire and explosion of the entire ammunition of the first compartment. The submarine stood at the pier in the Ekaterininskaya harbor of the base of the village of Polyarny; the crew carried out a routine inspection and check of weapons and technical equipment. Bulkhead hatches in all compartments were open. The two bow compartments of the boat were completely destroyed. The entire crew of the B-37 (59 people) died instantly as a result of exposure to the shock wave and poisoning by gaseous products of the explosion. The second hull to the B-37 was the S-350 submarine. After the explosion, a crack formed in the durable hull of the first compartment of the S-350, and the first and second compartments filled with water. 11 people died. During the explosion on the B-37, drill training was taking place directly on the pier. 52 sailors and midshipmen were killed. This accident in terms of the total number of victims (122) still remains the largest in the domestic submarine fleet and the second in the world in post-war history (after the American Thrasher in 1963). 02/12/1965 K-11 Project 627A, November USSR? ? A→NS On 02/07/1965, at the plant in the city of Severodvinsk, reloading of the reactor core began. When the reactor lid was blown up, a release of steam-air mixture from under the lid and a sharp deterioration in the radiation situation were recorded. No work was carried out for five days; specialists tried to find out the cause of the incident. Having made the wrong conclusions, on February 12, 1965, they began to blow up the lid again, and again violated the technology (they used a non-standard system for fixing the compensating grids). When the lid was separated from the body, a radioactive vapor-air environment was released from under the lid and a fire started. As a result, part of the nuclear submarine personnel died, the rest received large doses of radiation. Official data on the levels of radioactive contamination and exposure of personnel has not yet been published. The reactor compartment was cut out of the boat and sunk in the Novaya Zemlya area, and the boat was transferred to the Pacific Fleet. 09.25.1965 M-258 Project A615, Quebec USSR 4 38 A→NS Diesel-electric torpedo submarine of the Baltic Fleet. A battery explosion in the hold of the sixth compartment. The bulkhead hatch killed 4 sailors in the seventh compartment. The fire was extinguished and the boat was towed to the base. 11/20/1965 K-74 Project 675, Echo-II USSR 0 A Nuclear-powered missile submarine. Broken main turbine blades. 07/15/1967 B-31 Project 641, Foxtrot USSR 4 71 A→NS Diesel submarine B-31 from the Northern Fleet. During the Six Day Arab-Israeli War, she patrolled the coast of Egypt. In the Tunis Strait of the Mediterranean Sea, a fuel fire occurred in the hold of the central post. Due to a malfunction of the fire extinguishing equipment, the compartment was abandoned by the crew and battened down. 4 sailors died in the smoke. 09/08/1967 K-3 “Leninsky Komsomol” Project 627A, November USSR 39 65 A→NS Nuclear submarine. Fire in compartments I and II while on combat duty in the Norwegian Sea. I returned to the base on my own. It was discovered that in the fitting of the hydraulic machine, instead of the standard sealing gasket made of red copper, there was a washer, roughly cut from paronite. Someone's hand changed the gaskets during the dock repairs of the ship. Red copper, although not a precious metal, was highly valued among craftsmen. All kinds of crafts were made from it. A copper ring worth thirty-nine lives... . 03/08/1968 K-129 Project 629A, Golf-II USSR 97 0 K A diesel-electric missile submarine from the Pacific Fleet died at a point with coordinates 40°06′ N. w. 179°57′W d. (G) (O), 750 miles from the island of Oahu. It was armed with nuclear weapons (torpedoes and missiles). Partially recovered on August 12, 1974 as a result of the secret CIA operation “Project Azorian” from a depth of about 5,000 meters. 05/24/1968 K-27 Project 645 ZhMT, November USSR 9 (in other sources - 5 within a month). Emergency→NS Nuclear submarine. The first serious incident with the ship was the release of radioactive gas into the reactor compartment. While correcting the problems, many crew members received various doses of radiation; it is difficult to clearly judge the causes of their subsequent death. 10/09/1968 K-131 Project 675, Echo-II USSR 0 Emergency Collision with an unknown foreign submarine. 11/15/1969 K-19 and Gato (SSN-615) Project 658M, Hotel-II and Thresher (Permit) USSR and USA 0 A Nuclear submarine with ballistic nuclear missiles. While practicing training tasks at a training ground in the White Sea (Western sources talk about the Barents Sea), at a depth of 60 m it collided with the American nuclear submarine Gato (SSN-615). After an emergency ascent, she returned to base under her own power. 04/12/1970 K-8 Project 627A, November USSR 52 73 A→K A nuclear-powered missile submarine from the Northern Fleet died in the Bay of Biscay. The first loss of the Soviet nuclear fleet. The fire started almost simultaneously in compartments 3 and 7 on April 8 at about half past 11 at night. Several days of struggle for the survivability of the boat led to nothing. The emergency crew (22 people), by order of commander Bessonov, remained on the boat on the night of April 12; everyone died along with the boat, not counting those killed in the fire. There is still debate about the presence and quantity of nuclear weapons on board the boat. According to Soviet data, two shutdown reactors and 4 nuclear torpedoes sank with the boat. 06/20/1970 K-108 and Totor (SSN-639) Project 675, Echo-II USSR and USA 0 109 (104?) A nuclear submarine with cruise missiles. At a depth of 45 meters, it collided with the US nuclear submarine SSN-639 “Totor”. She quickly began to fall into the depths with a large trim on the bow, but was soon able to maintain the depth, then surfaced. The reactors, which had been shut down by automatic protection, were started up, but when they tried to start, it turned out that the right propeller was jammed. An approaching tug brought the boat to the base, where damage was discovered to the stabilizer, light hull in the area of the 8-10th compartment and a dent in the durable hull in the 9th compartment. On the American boat, the fence and hatch of the wheelhouse were damaged, the strong wheelhouse itself filled with water, and there were no casualties. 02/24/1972 K-19 Project 658M, Hotel-II USSR 30 (28 and 2 rescuers) 76 A→NS Nuclear submarine with ballistic nuclear missiles. While returning to base from a combat patrol in the North Atlantic, a massive fire occurred in the ninth compartment. In the 10th compartment, 12 people were cut off. They were only released at the base 23 days after the fire. 06/14/1973 K-56 Project 675, Echo-II USSR 27 140 A→NS A nuclear-powered missile submarine from the Pacific Fleet died as a result of a collision with the research vessel (in foreign sources - electronic intelligence vessel) "Akademik Berg" during its return to the database. The captain saved the crew by throwing the boat onto the sandbank. The collision of the “Akademik Berg” with the K-56 was classified as a “navigation accident with serious consequences.” 16 officers, 5 midshipmen, 5 sailors, and one civilian specialist from Leningrad were killed. At the burial site of 19 sailors in the center of the cemetery in Shkotovo-17 (now Fokino) a memorial “Grieving Mother” was erected 01/25/1975 K-57 (later K-557, B-557 Project 675, Echo-II USSR 2 A→ NS Nuclear missile submarine with cruise missiles. After painting work was carried out inside the submarine, the fire extinguishing system of the fifth compartment occurred, as a result, two submariners were poisoned by a mixture of ethylene varnish and freon vapors 12/11/1975 K-447 "Kislovodsk" Project 667B "Murena" , Delta USSR 6 Emergency The nuclear missile submarine was at the base. A hurricane suddenly hit. The boat was removed from the moorings and went out to sea. The mooring crews were still cleaning the lines when the boat was covered by several powerful waves; the bodies were found only the next morning. 03/30/1976 K-77 Project 651, Juliett USSR 2 76 A Diesel boat with cruise missiles (renamed B-77 in 1977). A fire occurred in the 5th compartment, extinguished by the LOC system (boat volumetric chemical using freon). But freon was also mistakenly supplied to compartment 7, where 2 people died; the ship’s doctor managed to save 9 more people from this compartment. The cause of the fire was a wrench forgotten on the switch, the cause of the freon supply error was incorrect markings on the LOX system. The shipyard was found to be the culprit. 09/24/1976 K-47 Project 675, Echo-II USSR 3 101 A Nuclear missile submarine. Fire on board while sailing in the North Atlantic. 10/18/1976 K-387 Project 671RT, "Salmon", Victor-II USSR 1 A Nuclear torpedo submarine. Power plant failure (main capacitor rupture). 01/16/1977 K-115 Project 627A, "Kit", November USSR 1 103 A→NS Nuclear torpedo submarine. As a result of oil getting into the IDA regenerator cartridge, it ignited. One person suffered burns to 60% of his body and died. 12/11/1978 K-171 Project 667B "Murena", Delta USSR 3rd state of emergency→NS The nuclear missile submarine returned after firing to the base on the surface. As a result of incorrect actions by the crew, several tons of water spilled onto the reactor lid. The commander of the warhead-5 did not report to the commander of the boat and tried to evaporate the water and ventilate the compartment. To check the situation, he and two other submariners entered the compartment and battened down, after which, due to the increase in temperature and pressure, they were unable to open the hatch and died. 08/21/1980 K-122 Project 659T, Echo-I USSR 14 A→NS Nuclear torpedo submarine. Fire in compartment 7 east of the Japanese island of Okinawa. After the repair, the condition of the boat was regarded as unsatisfactory, it never went to sea again and after 15 years of slumber was cut into metal in 1995. 05/23/1981 K-211 Project 667BDR “Squid”, Delta III USSR 0 Emergency While submerged, a collision occurred with an unknown submarine , which, without surfacing, left the accident area. The Soviet commission then, based on the nature of the debris stuck in the hull, concluded that this was an American Sturgeon-class submarine. Later there were allegations that it was the English HMS Sceptre (S104). Neither one nor the other has been officially confirmed. 10/21/1981 S-178 Project 613, Whiskey USSR 34 (31 bodies found + 3 missing) 31? The Project 613B diesel medium submarine from the Pacific Fleet was lost as a result of a collision with the RFS Refrigerator-13 in the narrow Zolotoy Rog Bay in sight of Vladivostok. The submarine tried to avoid the collision. The submarine was mistaken for a fishing ship. Due to a poorly organized rescue operation, many people froze and died in the water near Vladivostok and the Refrigerator-13 RVS. When part of the crew tried to escape independently through the torpedo tubes, three disappeared without a trace. The main blame belongs to RFU Refrigerator-13. The commander of S-178 and the first mate of RFS-13 were sentenced to 10 years. On November 15, 1981, the S-178 was raised to the surface, after draining the compartments and unloading the torpedoes, the boat was towed to the Dalzavod dry dock. Restoring the boat was considered impractical. 10.27.1981 S-363 Project 613, Whiskey USSR 0 Emergency Diesel medium submarine of Project 613. As a result of a serious error by the navigator in calculating the location of the boat (the error was 57 miles), the boat ran aground on the surface at night in Swedish territorial waters, several dozen meters from the shore. There were no casualties, but the incident received unpleasant international publicity. Navy wits nicknamed the boat “Swedish Komsomolets”. She was refloated by an auxiliary vessel on November 6 and returned to base on November 7. Subsequently, after decommissioning and dismantling of the equipment, it was sold to Sweden. 12.1981 BS-486 "Komsomolets of Uzbekistan" Project 940 "Lenok", India USSR 2 103 A Diesel rescue boat. While sailing in the Sea of Okhotsk, the exhaust valve sealing ring burned out and carbon monoxide leaked into the compartments. 86 people out of 105 on board lost consciousness, two died. 04/08/1982 K-123 (later renamed B-123) Project 705K, "Lira", Alfa USSR 0 32 A Nuclear torpedo high-speed anti-submarine submarine. During the BP, in the area of Bear Island (Barents Sea), a power plant accident occurred with the release of liquid metal coolant into the reactor compartment. The boat lost power and was towed to the base. Crew members received varying doses of radiation. 08/15/1982 KS-19 Project 658C, Hotel-II USSR 1 Emergency→NS There are different data on the date of the accident - August 15 or 17. This is the infamous K-19 Hiroshima again, but reclassified from a cruiser to a communications boat. During maintenance work in the battery compartment, a foreign object came into contact with the bipolar contacts. 2 or 3 people were seriously burned by the electric arc. One of them died in hospital on August 20. 01/21/1983 K-10 Project 675, Echo-II USSR 0 A Nuclear missile submarine. While underwater, she collided with an unknown object. After surfacing, nothing other than diesel fuel stains were found. None of the countries in the Pacific region reported accidents on their submarines. Only two years later, an obituary appeared in the Chinese press regarding the death on that day of a group of scientists on a submarine. These events were not officially compared. 06/24/1983 K-429 Project 670, Charlie USSR 16 102 K Nuclear-powered missile submarine with cruise missiles from the Pacific Fleet. The cause of the submarine's death was the lack of repairs to the faulty submarine. In addition, the main crew was mostly on vacation, and it was decided to send the boat on a voyage “at any cost.” As a result, the crew was urgently formed from different boats in the last 24 hours, not paying attention to the commander’s protests. He was later sentenced to prison as a result. On August 6, 1983, the boat was raised. Restoring the boat was considered impractical. 06/18/1984 K-131 Project 675, Echo-II USSR 13 A→NS During the return of a nuclear submarine from the Northern Fleet from combat duty to the base on the Kola Peninsula, a fire broke out in the eighth compartment, which spread to the adjacent, 7th compartment. 10.23.1984 K-424 Project 667BDR “Squid”, Delta III USSR 2 A While preparing to go to sea, the airborne propulsion pipeline ruptured due to incorrect actions of the crew. Many wounded, two dead. 08/10/1985 K-431 (K-31) Project 675, Echo-II USSR 10 (ship repair plant workers) A→NS Nuclear submarine with cruise missiles. At the ship repair plant in Chazhma Bay (the village of Shkotovo-22) in the Primorsky Territory (55 km from Vladivostok), while reloading nuclear fuel, due to a violation of nuclear safety requirements, an explosion occurred that tore off the reactor cover and threw out all spent nuclear fuel. Main article: Radiation accident in Chazhma Bay As a result of the accident, 290 people were injured - 10 died at the time of the accident, 10 suffered from acute radiation sickness, and 39 had a radiation reaction. A significant part of the victims were military personnel. 10/03/1986 K-219 Project 667AU, “Navaga”, Yankee USSR 4 + 3 died from wounds K Strategic nuclear-powered missile submarine from the Northern Fleet. Died due to fire during a combat patrol in the Sargasso Sea of the Atlantic Ocean, 770 km northeast of Bermuda. The cruiser sank while towing in a storm at a depth of 5,500 m, taking with it 48 nuclear warheads of RSM-25 ballistic missiles and two nuclear torpedoes. At the cost of his life, sailor Preminin, Sergei Anatolyevich, shut down the reactor and prevented a nuclear accident. By Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 844 of August 7, 1997, he was awarded the title Hero of the Russian Federation (posthumously). 02/18/1987 B-33 Project 641, Foxtrot USSR 5 A While working on a course task at a depth of 10 meters, a fire broke out due to a short circuit in the electrical panel in the 2nd compartment. The fire was not extinguished by the LOX system; in order to avoid an explosion of the ammunition in compartment 1, the commander ordered it to be flooded. In addition to the dead, 15 people were poisoned by combustion products. 01/25/1988 B-33 Project 658M, Hotel-II USSR 1 A Fire on board while at the base. The fire extinguishing system was turned on late. 02/12/1988 K-14 Project 627A, “Kit”, November USSR 1 A Fire in the hold of the 7th compartment while in the base. The fire was extinguished, but one person died. 03/18/1989 B-81 Project 651K, Juliett USSR 1 NS Diesel boat with cruise missiles. In stormy conditions, the submarine commander was washed off the bridge and killed. 1st rank Nekrasov A. B. 04/07/1989 K-278 “Komsomolets” Project 685 “Plavnik”, Mike USSR 42 30 K Nuclear torpedo submarine from the Northern Fleet died in the Norwegian Sea southwest of Medvezhiy Island while returning from combat duty to as a result of a massive fire in two adjacent compartments. The boat lies at a depth of 1,858 meters. The boat's reactor was securely shut down, but two torpedo tubes contained torpedoes with a nuclear warhead. In 1989-1998, seven expeditions were carried out with the participation of the Mir deep-sea manned vehicles, during which the torpedo tubes containing torpedoes with nuclear warheads were sealed in order to ensure radiation safety. 09/05/1990 B-409 Project 641, Foxtrot USSR 1 A While loading torpedoes, the cable broke and the torpedo sailor died. 02/11/1992 USS Baton Rouge (SSN-689) and K-276 (later B-276, “Crab”, “Kostroma”). Los Angeles and Project 945 Barracuda, Sierra-I USA, Russia 0 A Collision of two nuclear submarines off Kildin Island, in Russian territorial waters, K-276 collided with an American nuclear submarine trying to covertly track Russian ships in the exercise area . As a result of the collision, the Russian boat suffered damage to its wheelhouse. After the collision, a fire broke out on the American boat, there were casualties among personnel, but it still returned to base on its own, after which it was decided not to repair the boat, but to withdraw it from the US Navy.. 05/29/1992 B-502 (formerly K -502) Project 671RTM “Pike”, Victor-III Russia 1 A During the trip, a malfunction of the compressor was noticed in compartment 1. After returning to the base, when trying to launch it, an explosion occurred and a fire started. Five people were injured, one died on the way to the hospital. 03/20/1993 USS Grayling (SSN-646) and K-407 “Novomoskovsk” Sturgeon and Project 667BDRM “Dolphin”, Delta IV USA, Russia 0 A Collision of two nuclear submarines in the Barents Sea. Despite serious damage, both were able to return to base on their own. After minor repairs, the Russian boat returned to service, but the American submarine was removed from the fleet and scrapped due to the impracticality of restoration. 01/26/1998 B-527 (formerly K-527) Project 671RTM “Pike”, Victor-III Russia 1 A During the repair of the reactor, radioactive water began flowing into the compartment from the primary circuit. Five people received acute poisoning, one died in the hospital 6 hours later. 08/12/2000 K-141 “Kursk” 949A “Antey”, Oscar-II Russia 118 0 K Nuclear submarine with cruise missiles. Sank in the Barents Sea, 137 km from Severomorsk, at a depth of 108 meters as a result of a disaster that occurred during an exercise. Raised October 10, 2001. Disposed of after unloading nuclear weapons in May 2002. . 08/30/2003 B-159 (before 1989 -K-159) November Russia 9 1 K Nuclear submarine. Sank near Kildin Island at a depth of 240 meters while being towed from Gremikha Bay for disposal at shipyard number 10 "Shkval" in Polyarny. The boat was planned to be raised. As of 2008, the boat has not been raised.. 11/14/2004 K-223 “Podolsk” Project 667BDR, Delta-III Russia 1 A→NS Strategic nuclear missile submarine. The boat was moored to the pier and routine work was being carried out on board. A 19-year-old sailor working near a fresh water tank noticed a malfunction of the high-pressure pressure reducing valve supplied to the tank, which he warned his comrades about and they managed to leave the compartment; he himself was wounded in the head by a metal fragment from an exploding tank and died an hour later in the hospital. 09/06/2006 “Daniil Moskovsky” (B-414) Project 671RTM(K), Victor-III Russia 2 A→NS Nuclear torpedo submarine of the project from the Northern Fleet. While at the test site in the Barents Sea, a fire broke out in the electromechanical compartment of the boat. The fire was extinguished and the boat was towed to the Vidyaevo base with the help of surface vessels. 11/08/2008 K-152 “Nerpa” Project 971I, Akula-II Russia 20 (3 military personnel and 17 civilian specialists) 188 Emergency → NS According to the official version, the emergency fire extinguishing system on the submarine was activated unauthorized. The nuclear power plant on board the boat was not damaged, the radiation background on the ship was normal. Based on the K-19 disaster, the film K-19: Leaving Widows was made. At different times, three incidents occurred with this boat, leading to numerous casualties and a terrifying name: “Hiroshima”.
