Update on Russian Sub -- Russia asking for Salvage Help

Is it just me, or does this seem a little rediculous?

I think that any country able to operate a nuclear sub, much less a fleet of them, should be able to salvage them. It's silly to depend on other countries to provide rescue crews, and then pay to salvage the ships.

And a note from MSNBC -- they are still making this model -- This one in 1995, one in 1997, and one scheduled to be released this year. If they are so strapped, why would they sink additional funds into a ship which they admit is outdated. (The sole function for the Oscar class subs was to break up U.S. Carrier groups -- they carry anti-ship missiles).

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http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/topstory2/639916

Divers finally open sub's hatch, find water -- Aug. 21, 2000, 8:26AM

MOSCOW (AP) -- Norwegian officials said today there was no hope of finding any survivors alive on a sunken Russian submarine after divers finally opened a rear hatch had determined that the badly-damaged vessel was completely flooded, ending faint hopes of finding any survivors aboard. Norwegian divers who have spearheaded the rescue effort in recent days had determined that nothing more could be done, said Norwegian spokesman Capt. Rune Fredheim. "The divers have determined that the submarine is full of water. That is sad," he said.

The nuclear submarine Kursk was lost in the Barents Sea with 118 officers and sailors Aug. 12 during naval exercises. The submarine was shattered by an enormous explosion.

Russian navy spokesman Capt. Igor Babenko insisted that rescue operations would continue and an underwater video camera would be sent into the Kursk to inspect the interior. The Norwegian rescue teams would be pulled out unless government officials decide they should stay for other reasons, Fredheim said. "That in practice means the rescue effort is over," he added.

After a 10-day rescue operation, the Norwegian divers managed Monday to open an escape hatch at the rear of the Kursk, but found no sign of survivors, officials said. An inner hatch was then slightly opened, but it became clear that the submarine was flooded, they said. Babenko confirmed that the compartment below the escape hatch was flooded.

Rescue officials said there were no plans to deploy a British rescue mini-submarine which was standing by on a ship at the rescue scene. The divers had determined the British vessel could do nothing, they said. Russian officials had said earlier today that the emphasis of the rescue operation was turning to raising the Kursk and recovering its two nuclear reactors. The Norwegian divers found no sign of radiation leaks on Monday.

Deputy Prime Minister Ilya Klebanov said Moscow would make an international appeal for funds to raise the Kursk because of the enormous expense. He indicated it would take weeks just to draw up plans for the salvage operation. "Not a single country on its own can handle such an operation," he was quoted as saying by the ITAR-Tass news agency.

The rescue operation continued today to be surrounded by conflicting reports from Russian and Western officials. The Russians had insisted for days that the escape hatch could not be opened, but the Norwegians had said they were confident of success and refused to give up.

Strong criticism continued in the Russian media and among many ordinary people of the way the government has handled the rescue operation. Moscow initially refused to accept Western aid and gave contradictory reports, claiming for days that it was in touch with the crew only to later back down.

Much of the criticism centered on President Vladimir Putin because he did not interrupt his summer vacation and return to
Moscow when the disaster broke. The president, looking tired and under pressure, has been trying to show that he is now playing a major role, saying rescue efforts would continue until the last moment.

New details continued to emerge of how severely the Kursk was damaged when it sank during naval exercises with reports from the sea bottom that large parts of the hull were literally ripped apart. RTR television showed film Sunday of one diver grabbing a shattered fragment of the hull, about the size of a loaf of bread, and showing it to the camera.

The Kursk's hull is built of very strong steel so that it can operate far below the surface. The hull would have contained the explosion that ripped through the submarine, making damage inside even worse, according to analysts. "Water almost instantly flooded the submarine's hull up to the fifth or sixth compartments. The crew in those sections died almost instantaneously and the submarine became uncontrollable," Klebanov said.

Klebanov said Sunday that a Second World War mine or a collision with a foreign submarine were possible scenarios. The U.S. and British navies, which often have submarines in the area, denied their vessels were involved. A probable scenario was that a torpedo in the Kursk's forward compartment exploded, setting off a much bigger explosion. U.S. and Norwegian authorities detected two explosions in the area at the time the Kursk was lost.

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