The sunken nuclear submarines of the USSR and Russia are the subject of ongoing discussions. During the Soviet and post-Soviet years, four nuclear submarines (K-8, K-219, K-278, Kursk) died. The sunken submarine K-27 was sunk on its own in 1982 in the Kara Sea after a radiation accident. This was done because the nuclear submarine was not recoverable, and dismantling was too expensive. All these submarines were assigned to the Northern Fleet.
NPS K-8
This sunken submarine is considered the first officially recognized loss in the nuclear fleet of the Union. The cause of the death of the ship on April 12, 1970 was a fire that occurred during its stay in the Bay of Biscay (Atlantic). The crew fought for the survivability of the submarine for a long time. The sailors were able to shut down the reactors. Part of the crew was evacuated aboard a Bulgarian civilian ship that arrived on time, but 52 people died. This sunken submarine was one of the first Soviet nuclear-powered ships.
Submarine K-219
This project 667A nuclear-powered ship was once one of the most modern and tenacious shipssubmarine fleet. It sank on October 6, 1986 due to a powerful ballistic missile explosion in the mine. The accident killed 8 people. In addition to two reactors, the sunken submarine had at least fifteen ballistic missiles and 45 thermonuclear warheads on board. The ship was severely crippled, but showed amazing survivability. It was able to surface from a depth of 350 meters with terrible damage to the hull and a flooded compartment. The nuclear-powered ship sank only three days later.
Komsomolets (K-278)
This Project 685 sunken submarine was lost on April 7, 1989 as a result of a fire that broke out during a combat mission. The ship was located near Bear Island (Norwegian Sea) in neutral waters. The crew fought for the survivability of the submarine for six hours, but after several explosions in the compartments, the submarine sank. There were 69 crew members on board. Of these, 42 people died. "Komsomolets" was the most modern submarine of that time. His death caused a great international outcry. Before that, the sunken submarines of the USSR did not attract so much attention (partly because of the secrecy).
Kursk
This tragedy is probably the most famous disaster associated with the death of a submarine. The Carrier Killer, a formidable and modern nuclear-powered cruiser, sank in a 107-meter depth, 90 km from the coast. At the bottom were locked 132submariner. Rescue measures for the crew were unsuccessful. According to the official version, the nuclear submarine sank due to the explosion of an experimental torpedo that occurred in the mine. However, much remains unclear about the death of the Kursk. According to other versions (unofficial), the nuclear-powered ship sank due to a collision with the American submarine Toledo, which was nearby, or due to a torpedo fired from it. The unsuccessful rescue operation to evacuate the crew from the sunken ship was a shock to the whole of Russia. 132 people died on board the nuclear-powered ship.
