The Russian nuclear submarine “Orjol” lost propulsion while transiting through Danish waters. Although the technical problem was resolved, many questions remain unanswered.
The incident occurred on July 30 in Danish territorial waters near the city of Aarhus. According to the Norwegian online magazine Barents Observer a problem with the propulsion system of the nuclear submarine K-266 “Orjol” (Russian for eagle) occurred when the vessel had left the narrowest part of the Danish strait about three nautical miles from Sejerø. At the time, the submarine was on its way from St. Petersburg towards the Kola Peninsula together with the naval tug “Altay” and the destroyer “Vizeadmiral Kulakow”. The ships had previously taken part in the naval parade on July 25 to mark the 325th anniversary of the navy founded under Tsar Peter I in 1696.
The Danish navy described the exact course of the incident on its Facebook page. The crew of the Danish patrol vessel HDMS “Diana” realized that something was wrong when they spotted sailors from the Russian submarine in life jackets on the foredeck. A few moments later, the Russian tug “Altay” approached the submarine with ropes to prepare it for towing. According to reports from the Danish navy, the crew of the Danish ship offered to help, but the Russians refused. Eventually, the crew of the “Orjol” managed to start the engine and resume the journey. Escorted by the Danish patrol ship, “Orjol” then sailed towards the Skagerak, the part of the North Sea between Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
Project 949AM
“Oryol” is part of the Russian project 949AM “Antey” for nuclear-powered submarines equipped with tactical missiles. NATO’s designation for the class of submarines is Oscar-II. The Oscar II class submarines have a length of 155 meters and a mass of 24,000 tons. They reach a diving depth of 600 meters and a speed of 32 knots under water. The submarines have two steam turbines and are powered by two nuclear reactors. The home port of the “Orjol” is Saosjorsk in the Murmansk Oblast. According to the submarine expert HI Sutton (see report), the Oscar II class can now be equipped with up to 72 P-800 Oniks, 3M14K Kalibr and 3M22 Zircon cruise missiles instead of 24. The Oniks is a supersonic missile and can attack both warships and land targets. The 3M14K Kalibr can be used against land targets and is comparable to the US Navy’s Tomahawks. A series of defects and accidents
It remains unclear why the submarine “Orjol” lost propulsion in Danish waters. The “Oryol” has also experienced technical problems in the past; in 2015, a fire broke out in the repair dock of the shipyard in the city of Severodvinsk on the White Sea during repair work on the submarine. The Russian Ministry of Defense has not yet commented on the incident on 30 July, which leaves room for speculation. One question that arises in this context is whether radioactivity escaped during the incident. In view of the fact that the Russian submarine fleet has repeatedly experienced technical problems and accidents, the question arises as to how safe its boats are. The Arctic states in particular are alarmed that radioactive radiation could be released in the event of an accident involving a nuclear submarine from the Russian Northern Fleet. The lack of transparency in the clarification of the background to the incidents on the part of the Russian leadership and the veiled nature of the submarine exercises are further fueling their concerns.
The most recent accident occurred two years ago on board the AS-31 nuclear submarine, known as “Loscharik”, in which 14 crew members died from smoke inhalation. The final report of the Russian Ministry of Defense lists a fire in the battery room as the cause of the accident. The fire is said to have been triggered by a short circuit in the control center and set fire to cables or oil. The smoke is said to have spread to other areas of the submarine through the ventilation system. However, the background to the mission the submarine was on at the time remains a mystery to this day. The fact that high-ranking Russian military officers were on board is seen by experts as an indication that this was not a routine exercise. According to experts, “Loscharik” is intended to be used for top-secret missions, such as gathering information about the underground infrastructure of other countries, disrupting undersea cables or installing infrastructure such as listening sensors. Another example of a fatal accident is the one that occurred in 2008 on board the nuclear-powered hunting submarine “Nerpa” (Russian for seal) of the Russian Pacific Fleet in the Sea of Japan. According to official information, the cause was the fire extinguishing system, which started on its own for unexplained reasons and released the deadly gas Freon, which deprives the air of oxygen in a fire. 20 sailors died of gas poisoning and 22 others were injured. The biggest disaster of the Russian submarine fleet to date occurred on August 12, 2000 in the Barents Sea, in which all 118 crew members died. A torpedo exploded in the bow of the ultra-modern nuclear submarine K-141 “Kursk”, which, like the “Orjol”, belongs to the Oscar II class. The fire caused the warheads to explode, tearing a hole in the hull of the submarine and causing the “Kursk” to sink to the bottom of the Barents Sea. The 2018 film “Kursk” traces the dramatic scenes that may have taken place in the submarine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Na9KTucJ4BQ
