Komsomolet submarine: From Soviet pride to radioactive leak tragedy

The Komsomolets submarine carried Soviet expectations to break all records, but it was this that pushed it over the limit, and then tragedy struck.

For a long time, the depths of the ocean below 600m were mostly the destination of marine biology research submersibles and a few small technical vessels.

However, during the Cold War, with the ambition to build the deepest diving military submarine in the world, the Soviet Union launched the Komsomolets K-278 submarine , with the ability to reach a depth of 1,000m.

The world's deepest diving titanium super submarine

The design phase of the ship began in 1966 and was completed in 1974.

K-278 Komsomolets is the only Russian military submarine of project 685 Plavnik, also known as "Mike" according to a NATO report.

Project 685 was created by the Rubin Design studio in response to a requirement for a state-of-the-art submarine capable of carrying six torpedoes and guided missiles with conventional or nuclear warheads.

The design phase of the ship began in 1966 and was completed in 1974. The ship was built at Sevmash's plant in Severodvinsk, launched in 1983 and entered service with the Russian Navy at the end of December of the same year.

In terms of size, the Komsomolets ship is 117.5m long, 9m wide, stuns from 4400 to 5750 tons when floating and 6400 to 8000 tons when submerged.

The ship is equipped with an OK-650 b-3 reactor with a capacity of 190 MW.

Inside the ship there are 7 reinforced compartments, the 2nd and 3rd compartments are protected by stronger front and rear bulkheads thereby creating a safe zone in case of emergencies and even the crew. It is possible to abandon the ship thanks to an escape chamber located in the ship's tower.

The ship is equipped with an OK-650 b-3 reactor with a capacity of 190 MW, 2 steam turbines with 45000 horsepower, and many modern technologies, allowing the ability to dive to a depth of more than 1 km, surpassing all types. submarines at that time.

True to the design goal, K-278 Komsomolets has 6 533 mm torpedo tubes, which can launch Type 53-65, VA-111 Shkval torpedoes and SS-N-15 Starfish anti-submarine missiles. Although the K-278 was originally built to test the technology, it was eventually armed and ready for action in 1988.

Being lightweight and durable, titanium offers many advantages to a submarine over standard steel construction, most notably speed, as it can travel at 14 knots (26 km/h). h) on the surface and 26 to 30 knots (48 - 56 km/h) when diving.

In addition, the metal is also resistant to corrosion and is non-magnetic, making submarines difficult to detect with magnetic anomalous detectors (MADs), used on naval ships.

Komsomolets is considered a breakthrough because it is almost "invulnerable" at a depth of 1,000m, because most torpedoes, such as the US Mark 48, only have a maximum operating depth of 800m.

The tragedy left 42 sailors dead

On April 7, 1989, while operating at a depth of 386m, the Komsomolets crashed in the middle of the Norwegian Sea.

According to records, a fire broke out in the seventh chamber, located near the stern of the ship.

The cause of the problem is considered a technical error. Coincidentally, the crew on board were the second group to be trained to operate the ship. Furthermore, since the ship was originally a test ship, it lacked some damage control components.

The fire damaged the air supply valve, causing all attempts to extinguish the fire to fail. As a result, the reactor on the ship was shut down, but the floating system was activated to bring the submarine to the surface.

The photo shows the escape capsule of the K-278 Komsomolets being used as needed. (Photo: Hisutton)

At that time, the captain Evgeny Vanin sent a distress signal to the Soviet Navy, but due to the incomplete signal, the people on the shore did not know the dangerous state of the ship.

Meanwhile, the fire was so intense that the anti-resonant rubber layer on the outer shell peeled off due to the heat.

After several hours of fighting the flames, the Komsomolets floated to the surface. The sailors happily climbed onto the deck, and waited for the rescue plane to arrive. However, due to the water temperature in the Norwegian Sea at this time near freezing (~ 2 degrees Celsius), most sailors died of cold.

At that time, Captain Vanin and four other sailors were returning inside the Komsomolets to search for other survivors. However, the fierce fire prevented Vanin and the rescue teams from going deeper.

As they were trying to find their way back out, the ship suddenly lowered its bow and sank to the bottom of the sea. Those inside the ship who could not get out in time were killed.

After about an hour, the lifeboats arrived, and saved a total of 30 people. However, among those who were saved, a few later died on the way to the hospital. Thus, out of a total of 69 sailors initially on the submarine when the disaster occurred, 42 died, including the captain Vanin.

Radioactivity still leaks to this day

The wreck of the ship sank to a depth of 1,600m. (Photo: Hisutton)

The fate of the Komsomolets ship - the "monster" once considered the pride of the Soviet Union, was not much better, when it sank to a depth of 1,600m with a nuclear reactor and 2 Shkval torpedoes mounted on the head. nuclear bullets.

Between 1989 and 1998, Russia conducted seven voyages to check the condition of the ship, and concluded that it was severely damaged, but that the torpedoes and nuclear reactors on board did not cause damage. significant harm to the environment. Even so, nuclear disaster can still occur if the hull is corroded.

As of 2009, Russian authorities have surveyed and inspected the Komsomolets ship more than 70 times, in order to prevent radioactive leaks and to weld torpedo tubes. They also repeatedly tried to salvage the Komsomolets, but failed.

In the end, Russia had to give up this idea when surveys showed that it was too great to salvage the ship with the risk of nuclear disaster.

They forced to use special measures to enclose the ship, turning it into a giant titanium "grave" lying 1,600m below the Norwegian sea floor with the crew members killed in the tragedy.