Top Russian Official Points at Faulty Torpedo in Kursk Sinking

Voice of America ^ | June 19, 2002

[gcruse]

 
Top Russian Official Points at Faulty Torpedo in Kursk Sinking

19 Jun 2002 23:37 UTC

A top Russian official has confirmed that a flawed torpedo sank the Kursk nuclear submarine, not a Western submarine or a World War Two mine as Moscow initially theorized.

Russian Minister Ilya Klebanov, who heads the Kursk investigation, says the focus now is solely on the explosion of a practice torpedo and says the other two theories have been formally rejected.

The formal findings of the government commission headed by Mr. Klebanov are expected to be released on June 29.

Earlier this year, a top Russian admiral blamed a faulty torpedo for the August, 2000 disaster, saying the model used on the Kursk has been withdrawn from service. The submarine was lost during military exercises in the Barents Sea that killed all 118 men on board.

Meanwhile, Russian and NATO officials have signed a protocol to set up an international sea-rescue service as a direct result of the Kursk disaster. Officials say the cooperative program will be ready by the end of the year.

Russia at first rejected western offers of assistance to try to help rescue the doomed submariners.

An international salvage operation raised the vessel from the bottom of the sea late last year and towed it to a dry dock in the northern port of Murmansk.

But the Kursk front section, mangled by explosions, was sawed off and remains on the sea floor.

The Russian navy lifted several fragments of the sub's nose section during a salvage mission earlier this month. Mr. Klebanov says the navy has recovered all the parts necessary and indicated the salvage mission will soon end.
 
 
 

[xJones]

Nobody tell Michael Rivero.

[gcruse]

LOL! I'm sure he thinks this is a communist plot to undermine him.

[John H K]

What was Rivero's theory? Just the basic collision with a US sub? I must have missed that one. I try to catch as many as I can because his idiocy is so entertaining.

Was hilarious how he ran from FR with his tail between his legs after the first few attacks, after the initial fawning worship.

[Kermit]

Wow, the Russian Government is more honest about it's disasters than the American Government, say about TWA 800, Waco, Ruby Ridge, Clinton, etc. The Russian Government now has a better tax system than the US. I'm sure glad we defeated communism in Russia, now we need to defeat it here.

[KirklandJunction]

I'm not sure he ran with his tail between his legs. I have no hard evidence, but I've seen email that rumored he departed with much of his tail kicked so far up his aft end from a Fresno boot that he lacked uh credentials to post here.

Just a rumor.

[gcruse]

. I'm sure glad we defeated communism in Russia, now we need to defeat it here.

Remember how the Chinese came outdoors and
walked around amazed at their freedom immediately
following Tianenmen Square?  That has to be how
America felt in 1777.  We'll never know honest
government and liberty again which is why
is so amazing to see it pop up elsewhere.

[sneakypete]

"Was hilarious how he ran from FR with his tail between his legs "

I may be wrong,but I think he was banned.

[sneakypete]

" I'm sure glad we defeated communism in Russia, now we need
to defeat it here."

IMHO,one of tv's funniest and most ironic moments came from a
old woman who is a Russian Jew "refugee" who was settled in
Brighton Beach in NYC. She came here before the USSR collapsed
as one of the "persecuted religious minority" from Russia. This
means she not only got expedited visa and green card,but the US
taxpayer even paid for her airline trip from Russia,her apartment
rent,food stamps,and Social Security payments. Anyhow,she was
being interviewed on tv about what she thought about life now,and
her response was "This is proof that communism works. I was told
all my life that these things would be provided for me in my old age,
and here is proof they weren't lying to me!" The really funny part is
that she was serious.

[lavaroise]

I'm sure glad we defeated communism in Russia, now we need to defeat it here.

Although I would not jump with two feet into your conclusions, you do have a point. The counterpoint being of course that the West has been blamed with fanfare in this incident and no appology for is forthcoming.

[JZoback]

What Really Happened

I belieive this is Rivero's site.

[Voronin]

Just finished reading Sherry Sontag and co's "Blind Man's Bluff". A US submarine (can't remember which) that sank with all hands also most probably went down when a torpedo ran 'hot'. Apparently certain torpedoes were prone to activate themselves and the only way to stop the things going of was to turn the sub 180 degrees as the torpedoes had a built in fail safe where if a such a change of course was detected, the torpedo would disarm itself. In the case of the sub that sank, that batch of torpedoes had sub-standard/faulty batteries and one of these exploding is believe to be the cause (also happened in the lab).

VRN

[gcruse]

If it is the USS Scorpion is the submarine
referred to...

"After careful weighing of all resulting evidence the Court finds that
there is still no incontrovertible proof of the exact cause or causes for
SCORPION's loss. "
 
 
 
 

[Voronin]

Yup, that's the one!

VRN