TAKE 4 OF 6- - RETIRED ADMIRAL ANALYZES KURSK, OTHER SUBMARINE ACCIDENTS (PART 2)

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06630266
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2022
• Document Release Date: March 28, 2017
• Case Number: F-2017-00105
• Publication Date: September 19, 2000

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.CLAS UNCLAS
WARN WARNING, TOPICI MILITARY
SERI SERIAL: HAX20001919000430
COUN COUNTRY: RUSSIA
SUBJ SUBJ: TAKE 4 OF 6--RETIRED ADMIRAL ANALYZES KURSK, OTHER
M SUBMARINE ACCIDENTS (PART 2)
REF REF' 1. CEP20000913000150 MOSCOW NEZAVISIMAYA GAZETA IN RUSSIAN
13 SEP 00 ///HOWEVER, IN APRIL
SOUR SOURCEI MOSCOW NEZAVISIMAYA GAZETA IN RUSSIAN 13 SEP 00
TEXT TEXT'
1989, THE UNIQUE APL KOMSOMOLETS AND 42 MEMBERS OF ITS CREW WERE
LOST IN THE NORWEGIAN SEA AS A RESULT OF A FIRE. THE BASIC REASONS
WFOR THE LOSS OF THE SUBMARINE. AS ESTABLISHED BY A COMMISSION AFTER
A YEAR OF INVESTIGATIVE SCIENTIFIC-TECHNICAL EXPERIMENTATION WERE:
-- INSUFFICIENTLY HIGH-QUALITY SHIP DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION;
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-- INSUFFICIENT STANDARDIZATION AND RELIABILITY OF ARKS AND
EQUIPMENT INSTALLED ON THE SHIP;
-- INADEQUATE PERSONNEL TRAINING IN SURVIVAL TECHNIQUES AND USE
OF RESCUE EQUIPMENT;
-- INADEQUATE ORGANIZATION OF THE COUNTRY'S SEARCH AND RESCUE
SERVICE; INADEQUATE EQUIPMENT FOR PROTECTING AND RESCUING
SUBMARINERS.
BUT THE SYSTEMIC CRISIS WHICH HAS STRUCK OUR COUNTRY IN THE
LAST 10-15 YEARS HAS NOT MADE IT POSSIBLE TO INTRODUCE MEASURES FOR
ELIMINATING THE CAUSES OF ACCIDENTS ESTABLISHED BY THE COMMISSION
WHICH HAD CONDUCTED THE MOST OBJECTIVE AND EFFECTIVE INVESTIGATION
INTO SHIP CATASTROPHES IN THE ENTIRE 300-YEAR HISTORY OF THE
RUSSIAN NAVY.
A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF NAVAL ACCIDENTS BASED ON DATA FROM
THE NEUTRAL INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION GREENPEACE RATHER
PERSUASIVELY SHOWS THAT THE PROBLEM OF ACCIDENTS, INCLUDING
*RELIABILITY IN THE USE OF NUCLEAR SUBMARINES, IS A GENERAL PROBLEM
THAT EQUALLY CONCERNS THE NAVIES OF ALL COUNTRIES WHICH HAVE SUCH
SHIPS IN THEIR FLEETS.
THUS, ACCORDING TO GREENPEACE'S INFORMATION, MORE THAN 30
*SUBMARINES HAVE BEEN LOST IN THE POST-WAR PERIOD IN THE WORLD,
INCLUDING 11 SOVIET (OF WHICH FOUR WERE NUCLEAR INCLUDING THE
KURSK), 4 AMERICAN (2 NUCLEAR), 3 ENGLISH AND 4 FRENCH. IN 1968
*ALONE FOUR SUBMARINES WERE LOST: THE FRENCH MINERVA WITH 52 CREW
MEMBERS IN JANUARY IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA AND THE ISRAELI DAKAR
WITH THE SAME NUMBER OF CREW; THE SOVIET K-129 WITH 98 CREW MEMBERS
IN MARCH IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN; AND THE AMERICAN SCORPION WITH A
CREW OF 99 IN MAY IN THE ATLANTIC.
ACCIDENTS IN NATO NAVIES
OVER FIVE YEARS (1983-1987), 56 COLLISIONS, 113 FIRES, 12 CASES
*OF RUNNING AGROUND, 85 EXPLOSIONS, AND 48 INCIDENTS OF FLOODING OF
INTERNAL COMPARTMENTS AND PREMISES TOOK PLACE IN U.S. NAVY
*SUBMARINES. IN 1989 ALONE 71 EMERGENCY INCIDENTS TOOK PLACE ON U.S.
*NAVY SHIPS; THIS INCLUDED 34 INVOLVING NUCLEAR SUBMARINES, OF WHICH
8 INVOLVED SSBN'S AND 26 WITH SSN TORPEDOES; AMONG THESE WERE 12
FIRES, 2 GEU [MAIN POWER UNIT] ACCIDENTS, THREE CASES OF RUNNING
*AGROUND, AND 9 COLLISIONS. WE HAVE NEVER HAD SUCH A THING IN THE
COURSE OF A SINGLE YEAR.
IN 1995 THE GREAT BRITAIN'S NAVY RECORDED 97 FIRES AND CASES OF
INSTANTANEOUS COMBUSTION AND 17 CASES OF FLOODING OF SHIP PREMISES.
ABOUT FIFTY PERCENT OF THE INCIDENTS OCCURRED WHILE THE SHIPS AND
VESSELS WERE AT SEA. SOME 75 CASES OF INSTANTANEOUS COMBUSTION
*OCCURRED ON SURFACE SHIPS, 10 ON SUBMARINES, AND 12 ON FLEET
SUPPORT SHIPS. THESE ARE ONLY INDIVIDUAL EXAMPLES.
AS A WHOLE, OVER THE LAST 5-10 YEARS, THE ACCIDENT RATE ON THE
*SUBMARINES OF THE U.S. NAVY AND A NUMBER OF OTHER NATO COUNTRIES
CONTINUES TO REMAIN HIGH, IN THE OPINION OF THEIR LEADERS. THIS
CONCLUSION IS CONFIRMED BY A SUFFICIENT NUMBER OF FACTS. ACCORDING
TO AMERICAN SPECIALISTS, DESPITE THE ADOPTION OF VARIOUS TYPES OF
ORGANIZATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC-TECHNICAL, AND PRACTICAL MEASURES, AND
THE CREATION OF SUPPLEMENTARY SPECIAL ORGANS DESIGNATED MAINLY FOR
SOLVING PREVENTION PROBLEMS AND REDUCING ACCIDENT RATES, THESE
RATES HAVE NOT YET NOTICEABLY DECLINED IN THE U.S. NAVY AND THE
NAVIES OF A NUMBER OF OTHER NATO COUNTRIES.
MILITARY CONFRONTATION ON THE SEAS CONTINUES
AN ANALYSIS OF THE STATE AND PROSPECTS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF
THE NAVIES OF THE NATO COUNTRIES FOR THE NEXT 25-30 YEARS SHOWS
THAT THEY ALL ARE CONTINUING TO GROW STRONGER AND TO IMPROVE THEIR
NAVIES. CONSTRUCTION OF MODERN SHIPS CONTINUES IN ACCORDANCE WITH
*PROGRAMS ADOPTED EARLIER, INCLUDING SUBMARINES, AND AMONG THESE --
IN THE UNITED STATES, FRANCE, GREAT BRITAIN, AND CHINA -- NUCLEAR
*STRIKE SUBMARINES AS WELL AS SUBMARINES ARMED WITH BALLISTIC
MISSILES WITH A RANGE OF 8500 TO 11000 KILOMETERS; AND ALSO NUCLEAR
AIRCRAFT CARRIERS IN THE UNITED STATES AND FRANCE, WHICH WILL
SIGNIFICANTLY STRENGTHEN THE COMBAT POTENTIAL OF THESE COUNTRIES'
*NAVIES AS WELL AS THE NAVIES OF GERMANY, SWEDEN, TURKEY, ITALY AND
JAPAN IN THE BEGINNING OF THE 21ST CENTURY.
* COLLISIONS OF SUBMARINES OF VARIOUS COUNTRIES WHILE SUBMERGED
REPRESENTS A SPECIAL DANGER IN THIS DIRECTION, PERSUASIVE EXAMPLES
FOR WHICH WERE PRESENTED IN THE BEGINNING OF THIS ARTICLE.
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A SYSTEM OF RULES ESTABLISHING PROCEDURES FOR SHIP PILOTS TO
PREVENT COLLISIONS UNDER VARIOUS CONDITIONS IN THE WORLD'S SURFACE
NAVIGATION ROUTES EXIST FOR COMBAT, TRADE, AND FISHING SHIPS OF ALL
THE COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD. THESE ARE LAID OUT IN THE INTERNATIONAL
RULES FOR PREVENTING SHIP COLLISIONS AT SEA, 1972 (NPPSS-72),
ADOPTED BY THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL MARITIME CONSULTATIVE ORGANIZATION
UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE UN.
WITH THE ENTRY IN THE MID 1960S OF SOVIET NAVY COMBAT VESSELS
IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA, WHERE THE U.S. NAVY'S 6TH FLEET
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