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In pictures: Kursk on the surface
bbcnews.com ^
| oct-24-2001
| bbcnews
Posted on 10/25/2001 12:40:04 AM PDT by green team 1999
Wednesday, 24 October, 2001, 16:34 GMT 17:34 UK
In pictures: Kursk on the surface
The dangerous mission to raise the Russian submarine Kursk from the Barents Sea is over - but the investigation into what caused the giant nuclear vessel to sink, with the loss of 118 lives, is far from complete.
Now the boat is in dry dock in Roslyakovo, investigators can begin picking through the shattered compartments looking for anything which might shed light on the causes and aftermath of the disaster.
Submerged for over a year, the Kursk shows visible signs of damage (Picture: Mammoet Smit)
A net covers the forward part of the boat: the wrecked bow section was cut off by divers and remains on the sea bed
Smashed windows in the Kursk's giant 'sail' hint at the chaos inside
The conning tower still carries its brightly painted emblems
Investigators will begin by examining the conning tower - other parts of the Kursk will take several days to be made safe
On the deck, investigators held a moments silence. More bodies are expected to be recovered from the hull
A more hazardous task will be to recover the Kursk's nuclear arsenal. Constant radiation checks are being made.
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TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
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To: green team 1999
Just out of curiosity, how would "windows" stand the pressure while submerged? Must have been pretty cool to look out of while under though.
2
posted on
10/25/2001 12:51:28 AM PDT
by
paul544
To: paul544
IIRC, the 'sail' floods when under water, so pressure would be equal on both sides of the windows.
Only the areas inside the pressure hull is occupiable when submerged.
3
posted on
10/25/2001 1:28:37 AM PDT
by
Da_Shrimp
To: paul544
Those windows are big indeed. I did not know military subs had windows. Is this to help targeting?
4
posted on
10/25/2001 2:21:50 AM PDT
by
lavaroise
To: Da_Shrimp
bet it was the torp fuel that exploded.
randystone
To: Da_Shrimp
"IIRC, the 'sail' floods when under water, so pressure would be equal on both sides of the windows."
Not a submariner, but i've seen people play them on tv...I thik the Kursk actually had a large escape capsule at the rear of the sail- don't know for sure? Can any of our faithful squidlies help out??
To: fourdeuce82d
This is from my husband who spent 10 years as a Navy Submariner.
Subs (American at least and Fast Attack Subs) have escape hatches in the engine room as well as in the front of the sub. The sail is not used to escape from.
7
posted on
10/25/2001 4:36:38 AM PDT
by
Brytani
To: Da_Shrimp
The 'sail' or fairwater, is mostly a free flood area. I suspect the windows shown here are for use while piloting on the surface from the bridge. Since the areas where Kursk would operate has pretty COLD weather most of the year I would guess they have an protected area to use. The Officer of the Deck would command from there during surface transit.
Speaking from personal experiance, sitting exposed on top of the sail making 18 - 20kts on the surface in < 20 degree air in miserable...
To: PogySailor
Yeah,...and about that screen door.....:^)
9
posted on
10/25/2001 5:11:07 AM PDT
by
Cvengr
To: Da_Shrimp
Whats the short stubby item protruding from a dome like bulge on the sail,...almost looks like a WWII gunner's turret. I would think maybe an antenna, but it isn't a self-defense gun like a Phalanx is it?
10
posted on
10/25/2001 5:14:45 AM PDT
by
Cvengr
To: paul544
Seeing out these windows would be difficult. First is the problem of free flood area, so no one can be there to look out when submerged. Secondly, in the North Atlantic, visibility is limited to a few inches underwater. The best visibility underwater is in the Carribean, where you can see about 100 feet during daylight hours.
To: PogySailor
I thought that was probably what they were for. I can imagine sitting exposed to Arctic air at 20+ knots is, as you say, not a pleasant experience! Much cosier to be behind some windows.
To: Cvengr
It does look rather odd.. perhaps it's something to do with periscopes or a sensor of some kind. Could be a defence thing, though. I'm not sure, but I think I remember reading somewhere that the proposed Seawolf class SSNs were going to have stingers situated in their masts to shoot down buoy-dipping ASW helos... which sounds a bit improbable, but you never know!
To: green team 1999
October 2003
When the players are deadly serious you can't play games for ever. From now on all the cards are on the table
Russia has warned IN THE MEDIA about the new parts of the "pipeline" (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Georgia, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kirghizia) :
step back or face nuclear war
14
posted on
11/03/2003 1:39:18 PM PST
by
Truth666
To: green team 1999
A display I photographed at the VMF museum in Sevastopol a few years ago. Several crewmembers were from that city.
To: Brytani
A book I bought awhile back had these illustrations. I don't vouch for their accuracy, however.
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