Kursk Anniversary

[Alex McLean]

Today marks the second anniversary when the Russian Nuclear Sub Kursk exploded and plunged to the bottom of the sea. Please take a moment today to rememebr the 118 brave men who went down with her.

 

[Iain Stuart Yardley]

I think there is a programme on BBC this Wednesday that features a reconstruction of events. Can anyone confirm this?

Cheers,

Boz

 

[Martin Owen Cahill]

Our local paper published a 2 page article with regard to new book "A TIME TO DIE" just published on the disaster.
It made very sobering reading... R.I.P

martin

 

[Erik Wood]

There was a program on the Discovery this last week on the Kursk. It was very sobering. I hope that the whole story comes out one day.

 

[Alex McLean]

Martin,
I think I know of the book you are talking about, I saw it when I went in to buy Willful Murder: The Sinking of the Lusitania. I always flick through shipping books and the likes, and was particularly touched by this one. Although it will never have the everlasting interest of Titanic or the contraversy of the Lusitania (atleast not as much as), it will always be something we remember.

 

[Steve Smith]

Iain -
I can't see any mention of a documentary on the beeb on Wednesday - but there is one tonight (Monday) at 8pm BST on the History channel.

 

[Michael H. Standart]

I saw something on the History Channel a few months ago on this and one of the conclusions offered was that it was one, possibly two of the Kursk's torpedos that exploded. Apparently, the things are fueled by hydrogen peroxide, (Lovely stuff!) and the things had a tendency to leak!

 

[Steve Smith]

Michael -

I think the Russians themselves have now officially accepted this as the cause too... after all the earlier accusations about American/British/just-about-any-other-western submarines colliding with her!

Apparently some time in the 1950's (I think) a British Submarine using experimental torpedoes also fuelled by hydrogen peroxide was lost in very similar circumstances. As you say - it's hellishly unstable stuff.

From the Kursk right back to the Hunley who knows how many men have died horribly in submarines. As Alex says - this is a good day to remember them.

 

[Michael H. Standart]

As I recall, the Germans tried using hydrogen peroxide for submarine propulsion during World War II. Not hard to see why as making a success of the system would mean that submarines wouldn't have to surface where they would be vulnerable to attack. One little problem though, these Walther boats had an unfortunate tendency to explode, so they never got past the experimental stage.

Unfortunately, when a few examples were taken intact at war's end, the Royal Navy thought they were looking at a mature design, so they had a go at it too, and with the same results. The boat equipped with this system wasn't called "The Exploder" for nothing.

 

[Martin Owen Cahill]

I saw the "Raising of the Kursk" on our version of Discovery Channel which mainly focuse on the salvage and how the disaster initially occured.
Excellent graphics work.

Alex, Where do you shop?

Martin

 

[Erik Wood]

Martin,

I was actually suprised at the quality of the Discovery channel show on the Kursk. It was a good one.

 

[Alex McLean]

It's a retail shop, just a simple one, Bendigo Books, but they have an amazing selection of shipping books.