K-159
 Project 627A
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The K-159 was a nuclear submarine of the Soviet and later the Russian Navy . It belonged to the November class . In 2003, the decommissioned boat with nine crew members sank while being towed for dismantling.
history
The K-159 was laid down in 1962 and launched in 1963. The submarine was officially put into service in October 1963.
First nuclear accident
On March 2, 1965, radioactive material on board the K-159 got into the actually radiation-free secondary circuit of the pressurized water reactor and thus into the entire drive train. The boat was not overhauled until 1967, with large parts of the drive being replaced.
Decommissioning
The K-159 was decommissioned on May 30, 1989. Without further action, the submarine was anchored in the Gremicha naval base , and even the nuclear fuel was not removed (there is far more radioactive material in the boat than in the ailing Asse mine ). In 2003, the Navy finally received money from the international fund for the environmentally friendly disposal of the K-159 and other boats. Since the K-159 was in poor condition, four large empty tanks had been moored to its hull as pontoons to keep the boat afloat. When the boat was towed to a shipyard in Polyarny , these tanks were not dismantled, but left on the boat with the corroded steel cables.
Downfall
On August 28, 2003, the towing of the submarine should begin. There were ten seamen on board. On August 30th, the boat suddenly became stern-heavy due to water penetrating through the rotten stuffing boxes. Later the sea tore away one of the pontoons from the Second World War, whereupon the boat sank into the 238 meters deep water a few hours later. Seven of the crew went down with her, two more were found dead, and one sailor survived.
Condemnation of the commander
In May 2004, the then commander of the Northern Fleet , Gennady Suchkov , was sentenced by a military court to four years in prison for negligent homicide, with a probation period of two years. Nevertheless, in April 2005, he was appointed advisor to Defense Minister Ivanov on matters relating to the naval navy.
Salvage
In July 2007, the Russian Navy announced that it would salvage the sunken boat. This has not happened so far (as of April 2020) - however, the Russian Navy had the area around the wreck examined for radioactive contamination in 2014. No increased radioactivity was found, although there are still 800 kg of nuclear fuel on board.
A salvage concept was presented in December 2019. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development then indicated its willingness to contribute to the estimated costs of 300 million euros.
See also
Web links
- Report Mainz from September 25, 2012: Secretly sunk nuclear submarine threatens to radioactively contaminate the Arctic
- НА ДНЕ. ПОСЛЕ ГИБЕЛИ ЛОДКИ И ЭКИПАЖА КОМАНДУЮЩЕГО СЕВЕРНЫМ ФЛОТОМ СТАЛИ ТОПИТЬ (detailed report on the accident at novayagazeta.ru, Russian, viewed November 21, 2008)
- Olaf Pestow: Nuclear alarm in the sea - "K-159" is not an isolated case (technical and tactical data from K-159, reconstruction of the accident sequence)
Individual evidence
- ↑ nuclear cemetery Arctic ( Memento of 30 June 2013 Internet Archive ) retrieved June 25, 2013
- ↑ Ex-Commander of the Northern Fleet used as an advisor to the Minister of Defense. RIA Novosti, June 6, 2005, accessed December 29, 2014 (Russian).
- ↑ https://www.korabel.ru/news/comments/rossiyskie_i_norvezhskie_uchenye_osmotreli_k-159_na_dne_barenceva_morya.html
- ^ Charles Digges: Major European bank could help Russia lift its sunken nuclear submarines. Bellona Foundation , March 18, 2020, accessed April 9, 2020 .