FullCircle
Well-Known Member
Just seen this, lets all hope that it turns out OK.
Fears grow for air supply to Russia mini-sub crew
Fri Aug 5, 2005 2:43 PM BST
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Race On To Save Russian Divers
By Oleg Shchedrov
MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Russian military raced against time on Friday to rescue seven sailors trapped on a stranded mini-submarine 190 metres (623 feet) down in Russia's Pacific waters with enough air to last less than 24 hours.
The AS-28 mini-submarine, itself a rescue vessel, ran into trouble on Thursday when its propeller got entangled in fishing nets during a military exercise off the Kamchatka peninsula.
More than 30 hours after the mini-submarine snagged on the Pacific sea floor, two Russian ships were sweeping the sea bed in an effort to cut through a cable from a fishing net that had ensnared the propeller.
"The sailors have enough air to keep them running for around 22 hours," chief naval spokesman Alexander Dygalo was quoted as saying by Itar-Tass news agency. "I hope there will be enough time for the rescue operation to succeed."
Though much smaller in scale, the accident had uncomfortable echoes of the disaster involving the Kursk nuclear submarine almost exactly five years ago.
All 118 seamen on the Kursk died in the accident in August 2000 in the Arctic Barents Sea that occurred after explosions on board.
Earlier, Dygalo had said there was a five-day supply of air and an adequate amount of food and water on board while, in a conflicting report, the Pacific Fleet commander, Admiral Viktor Dmitriyev, said there was only enough air for two days.
INTERNATIONAL HELP COMING
Russia, which said it had 10 ships engaged in the rescue effort, asked the United States, Japan and Britain for help.
A spokesman for Japan's Defence Agency said four military vessels had been sent to join the rescue operation. But he said it would take three to four days for them to reach the site of the accident.
Dygalo said in televised comments that Britain would airlift emergency equipment, but its plane was unlikely to reach the site before Saturday.
A U.S. navy plane had been sent to San Diego naval base to pick up a Scorpio, an unmanned underwater rescue vehicle, and deliver it to the site of the rescue operation, he said. He added later that it would take at least 13 hours for the Scorpio to be delivered to the site.
After the Kursk disaster, Russian navy command faced strong public criticism for being too slow to appeal for foreign help.
"Pending the arrival of reinforcements, a plan is being drafted relying on our own resources," Dygalo told NTV television. "This plan can be put into action within next five hours."
Dygalo said the crew of the submarine was safe and was told to switch to minimal energy consumption pending the release.
At 190 metres (623 feet), the AS-28, a 13-metre-long (43 feet) vessel capable of diving to depths of 1,000 metres (3,281 feet), was too far down to allow the crew to evacuate.
"The operation will continue non-stop until a result is reached," Dygalo said.
Fears grow for air supply to Russia mini-sub crew
Fri Aug 5, 2005 2:43 PM BST
Printer Friendly | Email Article | RSS
Race On To Save Russian Divers
By Oleg Shchedrov
MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Russian military raced against time on Friday to rescue seven sailors trapped on a stranded mini-submarine 190 metres (623 feet) down in Russia's Pacific waters with enough air to last less than 24 hours.
The AS-28 mini-submarine, itself a rescue vessel, ran into trouble on Thursday when its propeller got entangled in fishing nets during a military exercise off the Kamchatka peninsula.
More than 30 hours after the mini-submarine snagged on the Pacific sea floor, two Russian ships were sweeping the sea bed in an effort to cut through a cable from a fishing net that had ensnared the propeller.
"The sailors have enough air to keep them running for around 22 hours," chief naval spokesman Alexander Dygalo was quoted as saying by Itar-Tass news agency. "I hope there will be enough time for the rescue operation to succeed."
Though much smaller in scale, the accident had uncomfortable echoes of the disaster involving the Kursk nuclear submarine almost exactly five years ago.
All 118 seamen on the Kursk died in the accident in August 2000 in the Arctic Barents Sea that occurred after explosions on board.
Earlier, Dygalo had said there was a five-day supply of air and an adequate amount of food and water on board while, in a conflicting report, the Pacific Fleet commander, Admiral Viktor Dmitriyev, said there was only enough air for two days.
INTERNATIONAL HELP COMING
Russia, which said it had 10 ships engaged in the rescue effort, asked the United States, Japan and Britain for help.
A spokesman for Japan's Defence Agency said four military vessels had been sent to join the rescue operation. But he said it would take three to four days for them to reach the site of the accident.
Dygalo said in televised comments that Britain would airlift emergency equipment, but its plane was unlikely to reach the site before Saturday.
A U.S. navy plane had been sent to San Diego naval base to pick up a Scorpio, an unmanned underwater rescue vehicle, and deliver it to the site of the rescue operation, he said. He added later that it would take at least 13 hours for the Scorpio to be delivered to the site.
After the Kursk disaster, Russian navy command faced strong public criticism for being too slow to appeal for foreign help.
"Pending the arrival of reinforcements, a plan is being drafted relying on our own resources," Dygalo told NTV television. "This plan can be put into action within next five hours."
Dygalo said the crew of the submarine was safe and was told to switch to minimal energy consumption pending the release.
At 190 metres (623 feet), the AS-28, a 13-metre-long (43 feet) vessel capable of diving to depths of 1,000 metres (3,281 feet), was too far down to allow the crew to evacuate.
"The operation will continue non-stop until a result is reached," Dygalo said.
