Kursk Submarine Disaster

On the morning of August 12, 2000, during the Russian Navy’s Summer-X naval exercise in the Barents Sea, the so-called unsinkable Oscar II-class Kursk submarine vanished while carrying out a practice torpedo launch. With an experienced crew of 118 professional sailors on board, Kursk was given clearance to launch two dummy torpedoes at the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier, but at 11:29 am, an explosion was detected, and within two minutes, a second rippled across the globe. The international community was quick to offer help, but the proud Russian authorities initially declined it. And although it would probably have been impossible to rescue any survivors, the negligence of an unorganized Navy, coupled with a declining government, contributed to settling the fate of the Kursk and her crew. It wouldn’t be until years later that the truth behind the events of that fatidic morning was revealed…