Russian Experts Say US Sub
May Have Hit, Destroyed Kursk -
US Denies Inspection Request
http://www.russiatoday.com/news.php3?id=200140
9-17-00
MOSCOW (Agence France Presse) - The Russian
defence ministry said Saturday that the theory of a U.S.
submarine clashing with the fated Kursk was
strengthened by Washington's refusal to allow a Russian
inspection of two U.S. submarines.
U.S. Defence Secretary William Cohen's rejection of the
request from his Russian counterpart Igor Sergeyev"only
strengthened the case that the Kursk clashed with another
underwater vessel," the defence ministry told Interfax.
An investigation by Russian military experts into the
cause of the August 12 explosion on the Kursk nuclear
submarine, which killed 118 crew members, resulted in
several possible explanations, including one that the
Kursk had collided with a U.S. or British submarine.
The U.S. Toledo and Memphis and the British Splendid
submarines were located in the Barents Sea at the time of
the accident but have ruled out any collisions with their
vessels.
The U.S. military, which believes the explosion originated
inside the submarine, admitted that they had monitored
the explosion and later provided Russia with a sonic
report of the accident.
However, Cohen refused the inspection request
explaining that"he did not think it was important or
appropriate for the inspection to take place," a Pentagon
official told ITAR-TASS on condition of q1relations
between the two defence agencies led us to hope that
Washington might have met us halfway," an official told
Interfax. ((c) 2000 Agence France Presse)
Possible Collision Kursk And US Sub Showing How All Kursk Escape Routes Were Damaged
Damage To Kursk
Substantiates Major Collision
http://www.aeronautics.ru/nws002/kursk001.htm
In the interview to the"Trud" newspaper (9-12-00),
Gen. Valery Manilov confirmed the reports of the signs
of a collision found by Russian divers on the hull of the
Kursk. In particular, Gen. Manilov said:"...our
submarine was surfacing. The other submarine was
traveling in the opposite direction at the depth of about
18 meters. It could have hit the"K-141" [Kursk] with
its reinforced keel, which ripped through the light
external hull and punctured the hard hull of our
submarine. This theory is not a speculation. It is based
on facts. On the right side of the Kursk's external hull
we found characteristic marks formed during a
dynamic collision of two objects. And another fact: the
edges of the internal hull near the point of impact are
bent inward. It is clear that there was an impact from
the outside. Further, the elements of the superstructure
atop the fin of the Kursk have been shaved off and the
release mechanism of the detachable rescue vehicle has
been jammed. On the seabed we found what looks like
the fence from the fin of another submarine. This
object was not yet raised to the surface because of its
size: the submersible vehicles we have right now at the
scene cannot lift this object. The suspicious object will
be raised once more powerful underwater systems
arrive to the area. It is quite possible that this object
will tell us a lot." (Trud, Sept. 12, 2000)
Once again Gen. Manilov rejected the friendly fire
theory as being utterly ridiculous. He also said that
Russian specialists investigating the Kursk accident
believe that the foreign submarine involved in the
collision might have easily survived the accident,
although it probably did sustain considerable damage.
Diagram of Kursk Showing Escape Systems...All Damaged
As of Sept. 11, 2000, Russian investigators believe that
Kursk collided with the USS Memphis of the US Navy.
This submarine is an experimental platform used by the
US Navy to test new weapons and other systems. It was
manufactured in 1977 and modified for special-purpose
operation in 1989 and again in 1994. There are clear signs
of a collision on the damaged part of the Kursk's hull.
This information was formally confirmed by the top
Russian military officials.
The collision was registered by Norwegian and Russian
seismologists as a weak"seismic event," which was
followed by a powerful explosion 2 minutes 15 seconds
later. There is a number of scientifically-valid
explanations as to how a collision could have caused an
explosion aboard Kursk 135 seconds later. The exact
mechanism of such a process is now being studied. One
possible explanation is the explosion of the air-hydrogen
mix produced as the result of seawater flooding the
electrical battery compartment located near the torpedo
section. Such an explosion could have sank Kursk or it
could have detonated the torpedoes.
The USS Memphis was detected by the Russian nuclear
cruiser Peter the Great at the bottom of the sea not far
from Kursk. The American submarine released a
communications buoy and transmitted a coded emergency
radio signal on NATO frequencies, requesting an
emergency entry to a Norwegian naval base. The USS
Memphis was able to recover from the collision (it was
not as heavily damaged as Kursk, because the collision
did not result in any explosions aboard the American
submarine) and, after pulling down the rescue buoy, left
the scene of the accident. The submarine's departure was
also registered by the Russian cruiser.
The USS Memphis was initially tracked by a Kamov
antisubmarine helicopter based aboard Peter the Great.
Later, two Il-38 antisubmarine aircraft, piloted by Lt. Col.
Dergunov and Lt. Col. Dovzhenko, deployed
hydro-acoustic buoys and detected the USS Memphis
traveling at only 5 knots. The submarine was
continuously tracked by Russian vessels, aircraft and
satellites until it reached the Norwegian port in Bergen.
During the last reconnaissance flight of an Il-38 on August
18, the aircraft's pilot - Lt. Col. Dergunov - was unable to
detect the submarine due to strong EM and
hydro-acoustic interference from NATO defenses. Later
that day the USS Memphis docked in Bergen.
The Russian Military Prosecutor General's office
announced that they are prepared to charge the senior
crew members of an unnamed vessel that collided with
Kursk in accordance with the Article 263 of the Russian
Criminal Code. The name of the vessel is know to the
investigators but has not been made public. It was
mentioned that the Pentagon has denied the official
request by the Russian government to inspect the outer
hull of the USS Memphis. After staying in Bergen in a
dock for a short period of time the USS Memphis left for
a British naval base. Again, the American submarine was
tracked by the Russian Navy and by satellites.
Even the most furious opponents of the collision theory
are bewildered by the Pentagon's refusal to allow an
external visual inspection of the USS Memphis. This old
submarine has been seen at public events, photographed,
videotaped and at least its external features ceased to be a
secret many years ago. Clearly, if the USS Memphis did
not collide with Kursk, even a brief inspection of its hull
would be quite enough to lift any suspicions. Such an
inspection could have been carried out quickly and easily,
because the USS Memphis was sitting in a dock in
Bergen. The Americans refused a simple and reasonable
request from Russia. This is viewed by many as a de
facto admission of guilt. The situation is aggravated by
the fact, that the Pentagon officials lied about the number
of American submarines observing the Russian Navy
exercise in the Barents Sea: the US military officials
stated that there were two submarines, while there were
three submarines.
Many Russians, who support the collision theory, are
now concerned that the Russian government may try to
avoid an open confrontation with the US by not naming
the vessel responsible for the collision. A similar situation
had place in 1986, when on October 8 a Soviet K-219
(Type 667AU) submarine collided with the American
USS Augusta. The collision led to an explosion in one of
the missile launchers. The crew could not put out the fire
and the submarine sank to a depth of around 5 kilometers
near Bermuda islands, taking the lives of 4 crewmembers.
At the time the Soviet government had its hands full with
Chernobyl. In addition to that, Gorbachev did not want to
put any additional strain on the improving relations
between the USSR and the United States. The entire
matter was suppressed and the official explanation for the
accident was an unexplained explosion of a missile aboard
the K-219.
At this moment, Russian prosecutors base their
conclusions on four major facts:
1.The is a history of collision between American and
Russian submarines in the Barents Sea. 2.Three US Navy
submarines were present in the area of the Northern
Fleet's exercise at the time of the Kursk accident.
3.Immediately after the sinking of Kursk, one of the
American submarines left the Barents Sea to dock in
Norway for repairs. The submarine was followed by
Russian reconnaissance planes and made an attempt to
elude them. 4.NATO officials refused an official request
from the Russian government for an objective inspection
of the external hull of USS Memphis.
For more extensive coverage of the Kursk tragedy, go to:
http://www.aeronautics.ru/nws002/kursk001.htm
MainPage
http://www.rense.com/
This Site Served by TheHostPros
<center>
<HR>
</center> |
Thread-Ansicht
Mix-Ansicht
Reihenfolge
Thread gesperrt
