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Kursk Was to Launch Cruise Missile, Torpedo in Exercise: DM
Russian Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev said Monday evening that the nuclear submarine Kursk, sinking in the Barents Sea on August 12, was ordered to launch a cruise missile and a torpedo to destroy a target during a naval exercise.
"The submarine commander reported the fulfillment of the first order and was supposed to report the fulfillment of the second oneby 6 p.m. (1400 GMT) on August 12, when the command lost contact with it, " Sergeyev told an interview with the Russian ORT television.
"Northern Fleet Commander Vyacheslav Popov ordered the submarine to report its position and actions. Regulations give the submarine four hours to respond. But it never did. This is why, starting from 6 p.m., the fleet commander took measures to increase the readiness of the search and rescue forces," said the minister.
The rescue operation began immediately after 6 p.m. on August 12, and the location of the submarine was established on August 13,he said.
"There was an object near the submarine which we did not identify. At 6:40 p.m. Moscow time (1440 GMT) the Kursk was located and identified, but the object had disappeared," Sergeyev said.
He said that the most likely cause of the accident was a collision with an underwater object, most probably a large underwater object commensurable with the Russian submarine. "The other scenarios are less likely," he said.
A third explosion was registered on the day of accident in that area of the Barents Sea at 11:44 a.m. Moscow time (0744 GMT), in addition to the first two explosions, he said, adding that furtheranalysis is needed.
He confirmed that there is no more hope for rescuing the crew of the Kursk submarine.
"All of the submarine compartments have been flooded," he said.
Emergency buoys, which are not used by Russian submarines, had been observed in the area of accident, Sergeyev said.
"The buoys were seen by duty crews on the Pyotr Veliky ship and a trawler. But a boat, sent to the place where they had been seen,failed to locate them because of high waves," he said.
He noted, however, that the search operation will be continued to establish what underwater object the Russian submarine had collided with. "Or this version will be rejected," he said.
Russia, through its military representative in NATO headquarters, has requested information on whether a Western submarine may have been in the area of accident, Sergeyev said."The answer was negative," he said.
The Russian representative in Brussels was told that even if a NATO cruiser had been in the area at that time, this fact would not have been officially recognized, he added.
Sergeyev said that he received a report on the accident at 12:30 a.m. (0830 GMT) on August 13. "At 7:00 a.m.(0300 GMT) I informed the president that the submarine had not made contact at the appointed time. Since then, the president contacted the naval commander and me several times. I informed the president of the developments at least twice a day. We thought at that time no additional instructions were necessary," Sergeyev said.
"The president asked me if there was any need for his arrival. I said that the rescue forces had been deployed and the situation was under control, and that there was no need in his presence," said the minister.
The duty of Kursk-type submarines has been suspended, he said. "Not a single submarine of this class will be put out before the causes of the accident have been established," he said.
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