Time, Air Is Running Out: Russian Sub Rescue Continues
Russia's navy said on Wednesday it had launched a new attempt to rescue 116 sailors trapped in a powerless nuclear submarine grounded on the bed of the Barents Sea since the weekend. Itar-Tass news agency quoted the navy press office as saying the operation started at 8 a.m. A spokesman said the last time rescue vessels in the area monitored SOS signals tapped by the submarine crew was on Tuesday afternoon. The vessels monitor tapping using electronic equipment. Navy commander Admiral Vladimir Kuroyedov said on Tuesday that if attempts to dock with the submarine fail, the whole vessel could be lifted using pontoons. Officials say the Kursk's oxygen supply could last until Friday.
First Attempts To Rescue Russian Sailors Fail
Rescuers mounted a desperate undersea mission on Tuesday to evacuate 116 sailors trapped in a stricken nuclear submarine on the sea floor before the oxygen ran out. Reuters reports said a first attempt to dock a rescue capsule to the sunken submarine had failed due to heavy storms and a second had been launched. Dwindling oxygen supplies on the vessel were pushing rescuers to speed up their efforts. The crew of the Kursk, one of Russia's most modern submarines, have been able to communicate with the outside world only by tapping on the hull since an accident at the weekend forced them to shut down the reactor and let the craft sink to the bottom. But a Navy spokesman said the tapping was growing fainter. "The signal is getting weaker.
Kuroyedov Urges Need Of Sub Upgrades
Russia's naval commander-in-chief Vladimir Kuroyedov warned the country's submarine fleet needed an urgent technological upgrade. Kuroyedov, reflecting on the Kursk submarine disaster in August which killed 118 sailors, said the technical level of his vessels was below standard, adding lessons still had to be learnt from the disaster. "We need to find out if everything is okay with the survivability of our submarine fleet, is it not time to introduce new technology?" asked Kuroyedov, whose offer to resign in the wake of the Kursk disaster was rejected by President Vladimir Putin. "We should dictate the rules of the game, not industry," he said. "We need to get closer to the vessels and their crews.
