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U.S. Says not Involved in Russian Submarine Accident
The United States said on Monday that no signs showed that any U.S. naval vessels were involved in the accident of a Russian submarine in the Barents Sea.
Russian officials said Submarine Kursk, with a crew of more than 100, was apparently involved in a major collision in the Barents sea, and sustained serious damage.
The Pentagon said that there was a U.S. Navy electronic surveillance ship operating in the Barents sea, but would not said whether a U.S. submarine was in the area.
"We have no indication that a U.S. vessel was involved in this accident," Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. Craig Quigley said.
He would not comment on whether any U.S. submarines were in the vicinity of the Kursk at the time of the accident, only saying that the U.S. Navy electronic surveillance ship was in the general area "a long way away" from the Kursk.
U.S. submarines normally monitor the movement of Russian submarines. It was even more likely in this case because of the size of the Russian naval exercise, which Pentagon officials described as the largest of the year.
Quigley said the U.S. military had not been asked to assist in a potential rescue of the Russian crew.
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