From Wickipedia
On the morning of 12 August 2000, as part of a naval exercise,
Kursk was to fire two
dummy torpedoes at
Kirov-class battlecruiser Pyotr Velikiy, the
flagship of the
Northern Fleet. At 11:29 local time (07:29:50
UTC),
[SIZE=3][1][/SIZE] a
65-76 "Kit" torpedo was loaded into Kursk's number 4
torpedo tube. Due to a leaking weld in the torpedo's fuel system,
high test peroxide, a form of highly concentrated
hydrogen peroxide used as an
oxidiser for the torpedo's
engine, escaped into the torpedo casing where it
catalytically decomposed on the metals and oxides present there, yielding
steam and
oxygen[SIZE=3][
verification needed][/SIZE]. The resulting
overpressure ruptured the
kerosene fuel tank, causing an
explosion that registered as a weak
seismic signature on detectors hundreds of kilometers away.
[SIZE=3][4][/SIZE] A similar incident was responsible for the loss of
HMS Sidon in 1955.
Recovered remains of the torpedo later allowed the first explosion to be pinpointed to the middle part of the torpedo. According to maintenance records the dummy torpedoes, manufactured in the 1990s, had never had their welds checked; such checks were considered unnecessary as the torpedoes did not carry warheads.
The explosive reaction of 1.5 tons of concentrated hydrogen peroxide and 500 kg of kerosene blew off the external torpedo tube cover and the internal tube door. (The torpedo tube cover was later found on the
seabed and its position relative to the rest of the submarine served as evidence of this version of events.) The tube door, which should have been capable of withstanding such an explosion, was not properly closed; the
electrical connectors between the torpedoes and the tube doors were unreliable and often required repeated reclosing of the door before a contact was established, so it is likely that at the moment of explosion the door was not fully closed. The blast entered the front compartment, probably killing all seven men there. The
bulkhead should have arrested the
blast wave, but it was penetrated by a light
air conditioning channel which allowed passage of the
blast wave,
fire and toxic
smoke into the second and perhaps third and fourth compartments, injuring or disorienting the 36 men in the command post located in the second compartment and preventing the initiation of an emergency
ballast tank blow to resurface the submarine. Additionally, an automatic emergency
buoy, designed to release itself on detection of conditions such as fire or rapid pressure changes and intended to help rescuers locate the stricken vessel, did not deploy. The previous summer, in a
Mediterranean mission, fears that the buoy might accidentally deploy and reveal a submarine's position to the U.S. fleet had led to it being disabled.
Two minutes and fifteen seconds after the initial eruption, a much larger explosion ripped through the submarine.
Seismic data from stations across Northern Europe show that the explosion occurred at the same depth as the sea bed, suggesting that the submarine's collision with the sea floor, combined with rising temperatures due to the initial explosion, had caused other torpedoes to explode. The second explosion was equivalent to 2-3
tons of TNT, or about 5-7 torpedo warheads, and measured 4.2 on the
Richter scale. Acoustic data from
Pyotr Velikiy indicated an explosion of about 7 torpedo warheads in rapid succession.
[SIZE=3][1][/SIZE]
The second explosion ripped a 2-square-metre (22 sq ft) hole in the hull of the craft, which was designed to withstand depths of 1,000 metres (3,300 ft), and also ripped open the third and fourth compartments. Water poured into these compartments at 90,000 litres (3,200 cu ft) per second killing all those in the compartments, including five officers from 7th
SSGN Division Headquarters. The fifth compartment contained the ship's two
nuclear reactors, encased in 13 centimetres (5.1 in) of steel and resiliently mounted to absorb shocks in excess of 50
g. The
bulkheads of the fifth compartment withstood the explosion, allowing the two reactors to shut down automatically and preventing
nuclear meltdown or contamination.
[SIZE=3][1][/SIZE]
Later
forensic examination of two of the reactor
control room casualties showed extensive skeletal injuries which indicated that they had sustained shocks of just over 50g during the explosions. These shocks would have temporarily disoriented the operators and possibly other sailors further aft.
[SIZE=3][1][/SIZE]
BTW one of my cousins was on board one of the US subs and he said they NEVER fired on it NOR rammed it. He says to stop blaming US and look into YOUR OWN Naval Command for blunders.
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Since I have a witness to this I think I can say for sure The US never fired on your tinboat. Russian STUPIDITY did that for them!! I know as usual you will belive what your indoctrinated mind will believe I know WHAT is the truth!!
