[Virginia Ridgerunner]

And the Russians think that they can successfully challeneg the U.S. Navy on the high seas again with this kind of shoddy construction and quality control of their submarine fleet?

[roaddog727]

Sad thing for the Russians.

They’re lucky it did not occur at depth, or they would have lost another boat the King Neptune.

[NavVet]

Never heard of “Freon” being used in a fire suppression system. “Halon” I'm familiar with, but it doesn't poison you, it just displaces all of the oxygen and you keel over.
Very bad idea to even install such a system in any area other than an ammunition magazine, or paint storage locker etc.

[Covenantor]

Actually this one was scheduled to be leased to the Indian navy. [ Wonder how that leasing works out]

“The Indian Navy has signed an agreement with Russia to lease a new Akula II submarine, SSN Nerpa, for ten years. The vessel is being completed at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur shipyard and is scheduled for delivery in late 2008.”

http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/akula/

Note that the Nerpa was commissioned in December 2000

More forward torpedo room problems like the Kursk?

[mlocher]

Is this the Interntional Crisis Biden was talking about?

[backhoe]

Uhh, Freon isn’t poison- it’s an oxygen displacer. May not be much to choose from, but those poor guys suffocated.

[MuttTheHoople]

I’ve always said that Russians are only a good, competent military when you’re inside their borders....the exception being World War II (mainly because they wanted revenge against the Germans). Now, if they designed a Nuclear sub to roam the Black Sea, they could make it perfectly stealthy.

[Gay State Conservative]

Too bad the USSR didn’t send their *navy* in to invade democratic,harmless,tiny Georgia last summer.Maybe the death count would have including fewer innocents and more aggressors.

[VaBthang4]

Prolly mean 40 are dead.

[mylife]

New? its am Akula II

[RetiredArmy]

WORLDS MOST DANGEROUS JOBS: Fishing boats in the Bering Sea from Alaska. Nuke sub crewman on Soviet subs.

[Roses0508]

Terrible for the sailors/submariners and their families.

I’ve been in a computer room when the Halon 1301 balls opened and let loose. I’m not sure I would have made it out of the room in time, but for a co-worker with really long legs who assisted me.

It would be a very frightening way to die.

[Enterprise]

Is it true that the fire extinguishing system was made in China?

[csvset]

It wasn't immediately clear why personnel affected failed to activate the individual breathing kits they were supposed to have, he said.

They didn't have them would be my guess.

[tet68]

Good men died, let us pray for their families.

[jer33 3]

Prayers for the families. My father adopted four boys whose father had died on the USS Oriskany and I caught a glimpse of how hard a tragedy like this affects children and wives. I pray God provides for these families and comforts them.

[Calpernia]

ping

[TomGuy]

I just recently watched an episode of the BBC series Spooks. The Season 7 Episode 2 was about a Russian sub attempting to tap into a transaltantic cable in an attempt to disrupt British communications.

It caused me to recall the previous Russian sub "accident". Now there is another "accident"?

It makes one go "hmmmmmmmm".

Oh, yeh, in Spooks, that Russian sub experienced an "accident" too.

[Strategy]

The Akula class carry up to 12 Granat submarine launched cruise missiles.

Granat has a range of about 3000 km and delivers a 200 kiloton warhead .

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

I’m guessing that it was Halon, not Freon. When Freon is heated to a high temperature (the cherry end of a cigarette is hot enough to do it), it breaks down into phosgene, which is a nerve gas. Not a good feature for a fire-suppression system.

[mad_as_he$$]

http://www.maritimesales.com/PI12.htm