Posted on 01/25/2002 7:00:04 PM PST by ex-Texan
The Storm over the Squall
It has all the elements of a Tom Clancy thriller: a sunken Russian submarine with all hands lost, sophisticated Western naval surveillance, spies versus counterspies, high-level Kremlin intrigue, and a revolutionary secret-weapons technology that could turn battles. Although the story of the Russian VA-111 Shkval (Squall) supercavitating torpedo had been percolating in the West for years, it was really only last August 12 when the high-speed undersea missile splashed into the news. On that day the K-141Kursk, an Oscar II-class nuclear-powered submarine, sank mysteriously with 118 people on board in 354 feet of the icy waters of the Barents Sea.
More than twice the length of a jumbo jet, the undersea behemoth was one of the most modern subs in the Russian navy. It had been built with a single primary mission in mind--to attack NATO aircraft carrier groups. The Kursk's double-hull titanium construction and internal compartmentation made it extremely resistant to damage; only a very serious mishap could have sent it to the bottom.
The Kursk had been taking part in the largest Russian Northern Fleet exercise in a decade. Western naval intelligence assets were out in force to monitor the maneuvers. Not only were two U.S. Los Angeles-class attack subs on the scene to eavesdrop, but so was the USNS Loyal, a surface spy ship that tows a sensitive sonar array of listening devices. At least one British submarine was cruising nearby as well.
It soon became clear that the Kursk's tragic end was causing East-West political friction when word came that the U.S. had presented the Russian government with detailed surveillance data collected on the day of the incident. Such an exchange was unusual, to say the least, given that it would provide the Russians with the dimensions of the American secret monitoring effort. Whatever the case, it's clear that the U.S. Department of Defense believed the Kursk's mission to be highly significant. The question was why?
Although the Russian government claimed at first that the calamity had been caused by a collision with one of the foreign subs in the vicinity, this assertion was dismissed as disinformation in the West. The scuttlebutt in Pentagon circles was that the sinking was precipitated by an explosion during a test of an improved version of the Shkval torpedo, a unique device that manages to defeat hydrodynamic drag and achieve extremely high subsea speeds by traveling inside a cavity of water vapor. America and the European powers have been seeking information on this novel weapons technology ever since news of it arrived after the fall of the Soviet Union.
Read Rest of Article and View Graphic of Torpedo Scientific American
UNDERWATER MISSLE. The VA-111 Shkval (Squall) supercavitating torpedo, shown here being launched from a Russian Navy Oscar II-class submarine, rockets to a speed over 200 mph, which would give a targeted vessel little chance to evade it.
This is my favorite theory. Russia initially gave a false
timeline for the disaster, saying it had occurred much
later than it actually did. This was to give the Peter the Great
time to steam away from the accidental launching, and
be out of the area when the explosion was to have happened.
There are statements from people, including non-Russians, aboard
the Peter the Great at the time to give this credence. The initial
mistiming needs explaining, and this does it.
The Kursk could have sunk because some crewman in the torp room had to smoke when they were transfering liquid Ox.
Rest in peace, Russ.
China would love to sink a U.S. carrier if we move to defend their invasion of Taiwan. There are even more terrible plans going on in Beijing ..... at least I believe so.
E.g. Scenario -- terror attacks weaken U.S. and China decides to test us on the Wesy Coast.
Ya'll stay safe !
Than all of China becomes *Boomer Bait*.
Sounds like you are ready to pack it in. What should we do first, surrender or learn Chinese?
Attack them first? I dunno. You tell me.
Regards,
Los Angeles may become the next Ground Zero.
1. There are weapon systems onboard surface ships designed to defend against missle threat (the last ditch one being the CIWS gattling gun)
2. There is no counter to a 200 mph torpedo - I can't even think of what the counter would be aside from not letting the submarine get into range in the first place.
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