[FlipWilson]

I had no idea that the Toledo may have caused the Kursk to sink. If so, no wonder Putin was peeved.

[Lower Deck]

I had no idea that the Toledo may have caused the Kursk to sink.

It didn't. It was an excuse the Russians floated to place blame elsewhere.

[hanamizu]

“I had no idea that the Toledo may have caused the Kursk to sink.”

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A former student was aboard USS Toledo when Kursk sank. He had absolutely nothing to say, hint, imply or even a raised eyebrow about what happened. USS Toledo was nearby—that’s their job—and I have no doubt the crew heard whatever happened to Kursk. It’s called the Silent Service for a reason.

Russians wanted to blame Toledo and even cooked up rumors that she had to visit Scotland for repairs. Later evidence showed Kursk somehow destroyed himself (Russian ships use masculine pronouns).

But to put things into perspective, Kursk’s hull was longer than the depth to which it sank, meaning if it had sunk straight down, its stern would have been above water. But it was still too deep to have a chance to rescue any of its crew.