Accident on Akula II K-152 Nerpa?

So far reports of 20 dead:

Moscow, 08 November - RIA Novosti. More than 20 people dead as a result of an incident on a nuclear submarine in the Pacific Fleet according to the Navy Public Affairs officer, K1R Igor' Dygalo.

A malfunction of the automatic fire supression system during sea trials on one of the Pacific Fleet submarines killed more than 20 people today. Among the dead were shipyard workers and servicemen.

The boat wasn't damaged. THe reactor compartment is normal. Background radiation on the boat is within standards.

The Commander in Chief of the Navy has ordered a halt to testing. The decision to return the boat to its temporary base has been made.

Comment: The commenters at Live Journal user U-96's blog seem to think that the boat was Akula II K-152 Nerpa based on the fact that it was 1) during sea trials, and 2) shipyard workers were among the dead.

I'm sure we'll hear more about it later.

Update from U-96:

The incident which killed 20 people on board a Russian Pacific Fleet nuclear submarine occured in the bow of the boat. There is no threat to the reactor, which is located in the stern section of the boat a source in the Pacific Ocean Fleet Headquarters told RIA Novosti.

There were 208 people on board the submarine, 81 of them military. The BPK Admiral Tributs and the salvage tug Sayany are escorting the boat. Twenty one injured have been evacuated to the Tributs in various states of health.

U-96 comments: Two hundred and eight on board instead of the 73 normally assigned. Of course there weren't enough EBAs to go around. "In the bow section" must mean compartment one. Torpedo room.

Update 2: Novosti reports on the types of fire suppression systems found on Russian submarines:

Now there are two fire suppression systems on board nuclear submarines: air-foam and chemical.

The air-foam system is designed to extinguish local fires and consists of two stations located at either end of the boat. The foam reserve supports six foam stations. Each station can produce one cubic meter of foam which can be applied by means of a 10 meter long hose. The stations are placed such that they can deliver foam to any corner of the compartment.

The chemical system is designed to extinguish any type of fire in a space except for fuel and ammunition fires and consists of a fire supression station located in all compartments except the reactor compartment. The reactor compartment is covered by stations located in the 5th and 7th compartments.

The extinguishing agent is Halon 114B2. The system can deliver three shots of extinguishing agent to each space. The system can be activated remotely from the central command post or from a local control panel as well as manually from the station in the compartment.

(...)

Update 3: The traditional Russian reflex to find and punish the guilty kicks in as a criminal investigation is launched into the tragedy under Article 352 of the Criminal Codex - hazarding a military vessel leading to death.

Lots of cool shots of of Akulas underway in this video clip along with word that it was an accidental Freon discharge:



Update 4: Looking at the casualty list, except for two unidentified, it doesn't look like there were any Indian specialists on board.

Update 5: Footage purporting to be K-152 returning to port. The audio recaps what is known about the incident so far, adding that there will be a special commission to investigate the incident and that the President Dmitriy Medvedev is on top of making sure that families get help and compensation.

USS Mount Whitney in Ukraine: Pindostanis at the Gate

Gist:

The American flagship in Sevastopol'. The sailors are not expecting a warm welcome.

The American command ship USS Mount Whitney sailed into Sevastopol'. The Americans are due to make a two day port visit to Crimea. For now these plans are under review. Their visit was almost canceled today. The Mount Whitney spent almost three hours at the outer roadstead waiting and then unexpectedly went back out to sea. Only after a few hours was the ship able to enter harbor. Meanwhile the sailors are not expected to receive a joyous welcome. Hundreds of people are demonstrating against the American ship in Sevastopol'. Interview with Yevgeniy Dubovik, Sevastopol' City Councilman:

We know that according to Article 95 of the Ukrainian Constitution, only the Supreme Rada can approve a port visits to the Hero City of Sevastopol'. We all know very well that the Supreme Rada is dysfunctional, so there is no permission. So today an American ship has invaded Sevastopol' without an invitation, which means that we will meet the ship with either peaceful picketing or combat grenades. For now, it is peaceful picketing.

Comment: What a dick.

I suspect that the Coast Guard Cutter may actually be someone spoofing the Mount Whitney, but here is a clip (with photos) of what is allegedly the conversation between the port pilot and the Ukrainian Customs Cutter on VHF maritime band:



Gist:

Pilot: Can you tell us exactly what is the basis upon which we must leave your territorial waters?
Ukrainian Customs Service: You are leaving our territorial waters because you do not have permission to enter Sevastopol'. Therefore we ask that you leave our territorial waters.
Pilot: We do not have permission.
UCS: Yes, yes, you don't have permission to enter our territorial waters.
Pilot: Understood…(2-3 missed) that we do not have permission to enter the territorial waters of Ukraine.
UCS: I don't understand, repeat please.
Pilot: There is some confusion, we think we DO have permission to enter territorial waters.
UCS: The information I have says that you do not have permission to enter our territorial waters.
Pilot: Can you give us your full name and position?
UCS: We are the Border Service, you do not have permission to enter the territorial waters.
Pilot: Can you confirm your full name and position?
UCS: One minute...We have just talked with Sevastopol' and you do not have permission to enter territorial waters. You need to leave territorial waters and wait for permission to come.
Pilot: We await permission and we are leaving territorial waters and we will wait at the 12 mile limit.
UCS: You have understood correctly, at the 12 mile limit.

It does fit with some of the behavior observed by the denizens of the message boards at flot.sevastopol.info though. Speaking of which, for those of you planning to show up, the demonstration starts at 1000.

Tomorrow the demonstration will be at Nakhimov at 1000 to mark the 07 Nov holiday. After that we go to the Pindoses in port.

UPDATE:



Gist: The American command ship unexpectedly departed Sevastopol' today (07 Nov). The Mount Whitney suddenly got underway and so far local officials have not explained the hasty departure. Originally the NATO sailors were supposed to stay in Sevastopol' for three days, but some reports suggest that problems arose when the Americans improperly filled out customs and border paperwork.

Also, a Mount Whitney crew member was gracious enough to post a comment thanking the Ukrainians for a pleasant port visit. With the exception of Souda Bay, Crete, I have rarely been on a port call where the locals allegedly "didn't like us" and I wasn't treated nicely by the vast majority of people. I genuinely think that, even in places like Sevastopol', the locals like Americans and America and that the US Navy almost always makes a good impression. It only takes the work of a few loud, bad apples on both sides (like the distinguished city councilman above) to spoil things. I am kind of shocked that the offical Russian media arm of the Russian military chose to highlight a violence-threatening thug/clown like the distinguished city councilman and not the thousands of friendly residents, Russian, Ukrainian, Tatar and other nationalities alike who welcome, like and profit from their visit. And profit not just from sailors spending their money, but also from the spirit of friendship that most of the Americans bring with them.

SRF News

I know this isn't the "Strategic Rocket Forces Blog" but I like nuclear missiles too.



Gist: In connection with American plans to place elements of its anti-missile defense system in Europe, Russia has decided to keep a division of the Strategic Rocket Forces on duty in Kozel'sk, Kaluga Oblast'. Part of the division is equipped with the the RS-18 intercontinental ballistic missile (SS-19 Stiletto) with a range of 10,000km. Earlier it was planned to remove three regiments from service and then deactivate the division by 2010. Dismantlement of a regiment began in September under the direction of the Ministry of Defense.



Gist: As Dmitriy Medvedyev announced, Navy will provide radio-electronic jamming of the new American anti-missile sites from Kaliningrad in support of Russian national security. Also the Iskander (SS-26) missile will be stationed in Kaliningrad. It is a new generation system superior to all previously contructed missiles of its type. It is a deterrance weapon designed for precision strikes against high value land targets. Beside the system itself, there will be a communications center and a command center as well. The Iskander incorporates stealth technology, making it virtually invisible to radars. It is also guided and manueverable along all points of its trajectory. It can destroy even mobile targets in all weather conditions with a CEP of 2 meters (sic). There isn't any other mobile tactical missile system like it in the world.

Pat Lang: Hammer Meets Nail

Yup.

The following groups will be disappointed in the first Obama administration and in this order:

1- The far Left. (Maddow, etc.)

2- Many Black Americans

3- Arabs and Muslims

4- Characters like Chris Matthews.

Starting in five, four, three...

I wouldn't count on the likes of Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart and Glenn Greenwald (three of the Bush administration's sharpest critics) to seem as "liberal" as they were for the past couple of years either.

Election Results a Day Early

Obama: 338 - all the Kerry states plus OH, FL, VA, IA, CO, NM, NV
McCain: 200

Senate: 58 Senators will caucus with the Democrats.

House: Democrats gain 40 seats.

Gonna suck to be a Republican for a long, long time. But maybe a generation in the wilderness will convince the Republicans that calling people Democommieislamofascist traitors who will teach five year olds how to have sex is not a substitute for a message or policies popular with the electorate.

The Last Word on The Battle of the Black Sea, I Promise

Note: Not to be construed as a REAL promise.

More Questions Than Answers

Mysteries of the August Battle

The Black Sea Fleet "alert force" set sail for Abkhaz shore the night of 7 August. Included in the task force were the Project 775 large landing ship (BDK) Tsezar' Kunikov with a reinforced marine company embarked, the small antisubmarine ship (MPK) Muromets and the small missile ship (MRK) Mirazh. The BDK Saratov joined them, having set sail from Novorossiysk.

The first sea battle in history between the Russian and Georgian Navies quickly ensued. It was described by one of the hosts of the program "Special Correspondent", Arkadiy Mamontov. It was up to him to describe the unknown details of the battle.

Below is an excerpt from the broadcast (See Russian Navy Blog post, Russian Navy Blog: Vesti Gives More Details on The Battle of the Black Sea):

More and more details have come out over the past week concerning the Georgian intrusion into South Ossetia. The author of the program "Special Correspondent" Arkady Mamontov has discovered more detail about the battle that took place on the Black Sea between Russian and Georgian forces.

It happened the night of August 10th. The first sea battle between Russian and Georgian forces has already taken place. It was on the third day after the beginning of the bombardment of a sleeping Tskhinvali ordered by Saakashvili. Not everyone knows the details of this clash.

Early in the morning on that day, a group of Black Sea Fleet ships departed from Novorossiysk port and set course for Sukhumi, Abkhazia. On board two large landing ships (BDKs) were 500 peacekeepers with their equipment. They were being transported to Abkhazia to ensure the security of the local population and deter an attack by the Georgian Army. They were escorted by two ships, including the small missile boat (MRK) "Mirazh".

At the same time five high-speed Georgian boats departed Poti on an intercepting course. Their task - attack and sink our ships. The tactics for this attack were worked out by American specialists: fast-moving small boats, armed with powerful anti-ship missiles suddenly strike the BDKs and depart. Upon a successful attack the result would be shock and awe. Hundreds of dead marines, burning ships and a victorious communique for Saakashvili: "We cut off the intervention" and "The Russian Navy isn't good for anything." But it turned out the other way. "Vesti" has succeeded in getting more information from participants in the clash.

18:39 - Russian radar detected a couple of high-speed surface targets heading on an attack course toward our line of ships.

18:40 - An enemy boat approached at a critical distance. Then the flagship issued a command to the BDK "Tsezar' Kunikov" to open fire with a warning shot. One of the ships launched an anti-aircraft missile which landed between the Georgian ships. But they didn't stop, instead gaining speed and tried to reach the so-called "dead zone", where missiles are useless. And then the MRK "Mirazh" recieved the command to destroy the enemy. The distance to the target was 35km. Preparation to fire, calculations, all of that was done in literally a few minutes. Sea battles always go quickly.

18:41 - The commander of the "Mirazh" gave the command to fire. The Georgian sailors had the advantage of speed while ours had the advantage of reaction time. The first missile was launched at the target. A few seconds later and the second was on its way. The flight time to the Georgian ship "Tbilisi" - a minute and 20 seconds. Range to the enemy - 25km.

The first missile hit the machinery spaces on the "Tbilisi". A second later and the bridge was hit. There was a bright blotch on the radar screen of our ship for 30 seconds which meant complete destruction of the target, accompanied by a large burst of heat energy.

18:50 - The commander of the "Mirazh" gave the command to change position. The ship changed course and made for shore at high speed, completing a turn and again turning on an attack course. The radar showed only four targets. One of them was a Georgian boat, gaining speed and closing our ships. The "Mirazh" opened fire with a salvo from the "Osa" (SA-N-4).

At that time the range was down to 15km. The first missile hit the Georgian boat, which immediately began to smoke, slowed and attempted to exit the line of fire. The rest of the Georgian ships disengaged, sharply turning about. As our sailors noted, this maneuver was executed competently. The "Mirazh" did not pursue the beaten enemy as there was no order to finish them off.

At 19:28 after sweeping the area, the "Mirazh" got back into line and continued to Sukhumi. From the commodore's report: "One target was destroyed out of five, one was damaged and three fled. Missile expendature: two anti-surface missiles, one anti-air missile, no loss of personnel. No damage to friendly ships."

There was no official commentary about Arkadiy Mamontov's report. Many questions came up in internet forums about the report.

Why didn't Georgian missile boats open fire upon detection of the enemy? The enemy could have launched up to 16 cruise missiles and sank all the ships in the task force. Why didn't the Georgians open fire on the MRK Mirazh at a range of 13km (the range of the Osa-MA SAM (SA-N-4)) when the Mirazh's intentions were clearly hostile? Why didn't the Mirazh use her AK-176 gun, which has a range similar to the Osa and fires 90 rounds a minute?

The author of this article has attempted to reconstruct the August Battle of the Black Sea using information gleaned from the internet and from a few independent sources in the fleet.

Our ships proceeded to the Abkhaz littoral, to the 12 mile territorial waters or its limits when they detected four or six Georgian boats. The mission of the Georgians wasn't clear at this point. It's possible that they wanted to launch a cruise missile attack on the Russian ships, but it is more likely that the enemy was planning to land troops or fire at Abkhaz coastal targets and didn't suspect that a Black Sea Fleet task force was approaching.

The Tsezar' Kunikov fired a warning shot at a range of 38km with the A-215 122mm extended range MRLS maritime variant. Naturally, it missed. (The system is designed to fire against coastal targets). The Georgian boats were not deterred and continued to sail on an intercepting course. It was completely possible that they still didn't detect the Russian ships and decided that the salvo was fired by the Abkhaz from shore or from some fishing boat (both the Georgians and Abkhaz equipped merchant shipping with Grad launchers in 1992).

After about 10 or 15 minutes, the MRK Mirazh launched two P-120 Malakhit (SS-N-9) missiles at the Georgians. By that time range had closed to between 20 and 24km, while the minimum-maximum range of a Malakhit is 20-120km.

Why the Malakhits weren't fired immediately instead of the Grad, which was designed for completely different targets, isn't clear to me.

One of the Malakhits supposedly hit a Georgian boat, but probably not. The second missed entirely. The P-120 has two guidence systems - a radar homer and an IR homer. Targeting data is loaded into the system, that is the systems are turned on immediately or with a delay, depending on the firing range. I suggest that the Mirazh entered the wrong delay and the warheads simply failed to lock on to the Georgian boat (maybe one missile failed to lock, maybe both).

One or both of the missiles turned on the "free hunt" mode. And toward the end of their run they obtained a target. This turned out to be the Moldovan ship Lotos 1 loaded with 1475 tons of wheat, bound for Poti from Yeysk. At that moment, the ship was located 30 miles northwest of the Georgian port of Poti about 25 miles from shore.

One of the missiles overshot the freighter. Then fragments from the second missile, exploding 50-100m off the port side at an altitude of about 20-30m, inflicted minor damage to the superstructure. All memebers of the crew survived. The ship didn't lose speed and, after spending some time in the danger zone, tankfully made it to Kerch'. Missile fragments were photographed on the deck of the ship. It must be noted that Moldova has neither a Navy nor a merchant fleet since Moldova doesn't have access to the sea. The republic serves as a "flag of convenience" and 215 ships of various nationalities fly the Moldovan flag.

Why didn't the Malakhit, with its powerful warhead, sink the Lotos? If you believe the internet, the radar homer acquired the freighter at a range of 30km, but the solid rocket engine was spent and the missile couldn't maneuver. In the end, it exploded or self-destructed.

After the Malakhit launch, the ships opened fire on the Georgian boats with the Osa-MA SAM systems. Up to ten missiles were fired. It should be noted that the Osa-MA has been constantly updated over the last quarter century for use as a sea-skimming anti-ship missile. It is curious to note that even back in 1973 during the Mediterranean Sea standoff that Soviet ships would have had to destroy American ships with the Volna (SA-N-1) and Osa missiles. While the warheads are smaller than on an anti-ship cruise missile, the target ship reaction time is 5-10 times less.

Between one and three Georgian boats were sank by Osa missiles. The rest of the boats retreated to the south-east, back to Poti it seems.

By the way, according to the internet, the Mirazh came under fire from a Georgian coastal artillery battery and suffered at least one hit. I think the fire could have come from the Georgians or from Abkhazians mistaking the Mirazh for a Georgian vessel. That, and other, artillery batteries are equipped with the 100mm coastal artillery system KS-19 with the SON-4 radar guidence system. The range of this system is about 19km.

After the battle, the Mirazh went to Novorossiysk and then Sevastopol'. There it was observed that the superstructure on one side had been freshly painted.

In any case, the commander of the MRK Mirazh K3R Ivan Dubik was awarded the Order of Valour.

"There were five Georgian ships: two missile boats and three patrol boats", Ivan Dubik told a reporter for a Moscow newspaper by telephone. "They tried to attack us at high speed. We warned the Georgians, but they pressed the attack. All 60 crew members on board Mirazh worked as one unit and we answered them with a salvo. One of the Georgian boats went to the bottom in a moment. I am not allowed to say at what range we opened fire. The other four boats immediately turned away after the salvo."

But this testimony from participants in the first sea battle by the Russian Navy in the 21st Century does nothing to answer the many questions posed by the professionals and amateur-experts.

Burning the OPTAR, Pt 2

The Navy's presence in the world ocean will grow before the end of the year according to the Navy PAO, Igor' Dygalo.

According to Dygalo, the presence of the Navy will be in the interests of stability and security around the world.

In November, a Pacific Fleet task group will set off from Vladivostok for the Arabian Sea and make a series of port calls in the Indian Ocean as well as perform joint exercises with a detachment from the Northern Fleet.

The Baltic Fleet escort ship Neustrashimyy will continue to maintain the security of Russian flagged shipping around the Horn of Africa, Dygalo added.

Meanwhile, at the end of this Zvezda TV report on the upcoming deployment, the reporter announces that the Baltic Fleet tanker Yel'na has arrived in the Gulf of Aden. You may remember that she is carrying a detachment of marines with orders to not allow pirates to get within rifle shot.

Now we are up to four task forces at sea plus a forward deployed combatant on Horn of Africa station simultaneously.

- Peter the Great and Admiral Chabanenko
- Moskva plus accompanying ships (I'll guess the Ladnyy)
- Admiral Kuznetsov plus accompanying ships (I'll guess the BPK Severomorsk and maybe the EM Bespokoynyy from the Baltic Fleet or maybe the RKR Marshal Ustinov)
- I'll guess the Pacific Fleet flagship RKR Varyag and...who?

Any bets on if all active Russian Navy cruisers will be forward deployed at the same time?

New Frigate in the Water by 2011

Is this a model of the new Gorshkov frigate? Source: The Sea is Everything

The Fleet Admiral Sergey Gorshkov, the lead ship in a new class of frigates should be in the water in 2011 according to RIA Novosti. This was announced by Vice Premier Sergey Ivanov at the Severnaya Verf' shipyard during a military-industrial conference in St. Petersburg on 30 October, where the frigate is being constructed.

Construction began in 2006. The Gorshkov is the first large surgace combatant laid down in a Russian yard in 15 years, therefore she is tied to a revival of Russian naval ship construction. The initial construction of the frigate should be done in 2009, however the target for the completion of construction has been pushed back for an unknown reason.

The exact combat characteristics of the Gorshkov have not been revealed. For now it is known that the displacement in 4,500 tons. The frigate will carry armament consisting of eight anti-ship missiles, a 130mm gun, an ASW missile system and a medium range SAM. There will also be a helo.

The approximate cost will be around 400 million dollars. It is planned that 20 of these frigates will be built in the next 15-20 years.

It's ALIVE, Pt 2

The heavy nuclear missile cruiser Admiral Nakhimov, which is undergoing overhaul in Severodvinsk at Sevmash will return to sea and the Russian Navy order of battle in 2012. K1R Igor' Golovchenko, the commander of surface forces at the Belomorskiy Navy Base, said that the overhaul has dragged on for 10 years because of a lack of funding. "Just this year the financial issue has stabilized and we have been able to start on operation number one - the de-fueling of the nuclear reactors", Golovchenko added. He said that the spent nuclear fuel has already been unloaded from one of the two reactors.

(...)

The USSR built four Project 1144.2 ships - the Admiral Ushakov, the Admiral Lazarev, the Admiral Nakhimov and the Peter the Great. Only the last two remain. The Admiral Ushakov entered Severodvinsk in 1999 for modernization, which began in 2003. Meanwhile, in 2008 it was decided to scrap her. The Admiral Lazarev was put in conservation status in Strelok Bay in 2005. However, at the same time, the Peter the Great remains not only the most powerful cruiser in the Russian Navy, but in the whole world.

Comment: I guess they actually accomplished what they set out to do back in May. Good for them.

It's ALIVE!

Or, more properly, back from the dead:


BPK Kerch

From the official mil.ru:

The large anti-submarine ship Kerch left port on the eve of Surface Sailor's Day for sea trials. The main task before the crew was testing the engines and maneuverability of the ship.

For now the ship has undergone a significant crew turnover: long-serving seamen have been transfered to the reserves and young sailors have replaced them. The conscripts from the spring 2008 intake have already been assigned and are standing duties and watches on board. Their first trial at sea will show how well prepared they are and how well they have mastered their specialties. Therefore the most important task will be adapting the young crew to life at sea which is the first time at sea for many of them.

Blogger U-96 wonders if the increased op-tempo has led to the "reanimation" of the Kerch, while some of his commenters wonder why the Kerch was restored while the Azov, with the better area defense system (SA-N-6), was cut into razor blades.

That's a good question.

Do the Russians Have OPTAR to Burn or What?

Northern and Black Sea Fleet ships will carry out joint exercises in the Med.

A Northern Fleet strike group led by the Admiral Kuznetsov will leave Severomorsk and head for the Mediterranean Sea for exercises with ships of the Black Sea fleet led by the missile cruiser Moskva.

The ships will conduct a month long exercise simulating battle between two strike groups.

"The main goal of the deployment - resolution of operational-strategic tasks and showing the St. Andrew's flag in foreign ports", RIA Novosti quoted sources in the Navy Headquarters.

The Northern Fleet strike group will be on deployment for three months.

Comment: This is pretty big if it happens - when was the last time the Russians had THREE battle groups at sea at once? Plus they're establishing what looks like an East Africa station. Plus they are talking with the Libyans about building a base in Tripoli.

Have the Russians forgotten that oil is closer to $60/bbl and not $120/bbl?

Because if 10kt is good...

50+mt must be GREAT!



It is the 47th anniversary of Sergey Khrushchev announcing to the world that he has a really tiny penis. Happy Birthday, Tsar Bomba, the bomb that went to 11.

And in related news:

Deep Thought

In the spirit of Reagan's assertion that there isn't a Russian word for "freedom", линия повествования and публичность aren't Russian words or concepts either.

Scuttlebutt: Mount Whitney to Make Sevastopol' Port Call

Who the hell makes these schedules? If they are trying to poke the Russkies in the eye, mission accomplished.

Brilliant!

Expect a warm welcome on the anniversary of the October Revolution:

Иэх... Вот бы заиметь большое полотнище для таких встреч с двумя словами: "FUCK OFF".

No translation needed, I hope.

Sixth Fleet Flagship Will Make a Sevastopol' Port Call on the October Revolution Anniversary

Kiev, 29 Oct (Novyy Region, Victor Orlov) - The American command ship Mount Whitney will re-enter the Black Sea on the 30th of October. Her activity is aimed at executing the plan of the American leadership to restore the Georgian armed forces, showing that all the financial support and the inordinate amount of offensive and other weaponry provided to the Georgians that it just isn't enough.

So first the Mount Whitney will head to Georgian shores to unload so called "humanitarian" aid for the "needy" Georgians. Observers have already noted interesting details of similar visits. Immediately after American port visits there are incidents on the Abkhaz and South Ossetian borders. Similar information confirms that when Americans make their port call in Poti on the 4th, the Americans will carry out a series of events to train the Georgian power stucture to create a new incident after the failure of Saakashvili's Napoleaonic plans....

Meanwhile, this time the activity of the American command ship will not be limited to cooperation with the Georgian regime. The USA will also not leave Ukraine alone. Mount Whitney plans to visit Sevastopol' on the 6th and 7th. The Ukrainian authorities have approved NATO port visits to Sevastopol' despite the fact that the 7th of November continues to be a holiday for many.

Its expected that two dozen Ukrainian officers will accompany the Mount Whitney to sea to rub up with the notorious NATO ensigns.

Besides that, the command ship Mount Whitney hopes to accomplish a lot during the Black Sea voyage. The US plans on visiting Romania, supporting the NATO member in is battle with Ukraine over Zmeinyy Island, as well as Bulgaria, which has gone off the reservation and is trying to establish its own policy vis a vis Russia. Turkey is in the cards, putting pressure on her to change the Montreaux Convention and since she is sick of the existing documents, it's time to change it because of US "vital interests". Similarly, the United States wants to demonstrate to the world that they can't ever be chased out of the Black Sea.

Comment: Raving, paranoid, right-wing Russian language press? A translation challenge, but I love it.

Peter the Great Update: Smash Sandwiches and The Gut

Smash sandwiches are what my shipmates called paninis from the local street vendors and The Gut is the red light district in Toulon, France.




Gist: The task force led by the heavy nuclear guided missile cruiser Peter the Great is setting course for Toulon, France. The time spent on the way to Toulon is not idle. On the way the crew prepares the aviation assets for day and night flying. Our correspondent watched the training:

The Russian K-27 helicopter over the Med. It has two tasks - to patrol the waters around the task forces and to maintain the skills of the pilots and navigators. They have to fly dozens of hours.

The training proceeds from easy to hard, from flying in daylight conditions to flying in full darkness, landing at night on a moving ship, that is the best form of training.

The helos on the TRKR Peter the Great and the BPK Admiral Chabanenko are modernized with the newest Russian control systems and the newest Russian satellite navigation systems (GLONASS) on board.

Most of all its important to train with the instruments on board so as not to use outside sources, so mainly we fly around on instruments.

The flights are pre-planned and the routes are planned a day ahead of time. The pilots and navigators use the charts to find the nearest airports and the places they can land on dry land. The aviators admit that the conditions in the Med are great for flying and the the high temperatures in the Med do not bother the Severomorsk dwellers.

The temperature isn't a problem, there's air conditioning on the helo. If it's a little warm, you can add some cool air and if it's a little cool, you can add some warm air. In general it doesn't interfere.

The Black Sea Fleet tug Shakhter delivered spare parts, equipment and stores. This will allow the cruiser to spend an extra month at sea since the local stores aren't big enough to carry that much. While the Peter the Great just stands there because of her great size the Shakhter pitches up and down two or three meters. In these conditions the stores load it done with jeweller's precision.

These meetings are planned for the whole route the task force takes. One or two times a week they will meet a tanker or tug, which will deliver stores like fuel, drinking water and food. In the future is the transit through Gibraltar and then exercises in Venezuela. For now we are at anchor in the Med, preparing for the joint exercises between the two countries.

"Analysis": Why Do I Sense a "Climax" Coming?

Like I said, its just "a sense". There is the kind of breathless quality to the introduction in the video clip, "Alarming news from Somalia...", the repetition in the press about how the Russians have gotten permission from the Somali authorities (for what that's worth) for entering Somali waters, how whatever actions the Russians will take are in accordance with UN resolutions (whatever they are), the repeated assertions in the Russian press dating back to earlier this spring about how the Russians are going to do "something" about piracy and finally the arrival of the Neustrashimyy with the orders to use deadly force if necessary. To me, it seems like they have blustered so much that to arrive off the Horn of Africa and do nothing would be very anti-climactic.

This is a critical period for the Russian Navy - their surface fleet is aging with no replacements in sight. The Commander of the Pacific Fleet promised that the next carrier will go to the Pacific, yet there is no keel laid, the only shipyard in the former Soviet Union with experience building a large deck carrier is in Ukraine and Sevmash seems to be making a botch of the Gorshkov refurbishment (or, depending on your point of view, milking it for all its worth). The newest SSN looks like its going to India and the new Boreys are coming out without a proper weapon, properly tested (the Bulava). It seems to me that the Navy needs a "win" to compete for rubles right about now so that they can build the carriers, the surface fleet and submarines they want.

Like I said - its a good narrative and good publicity for the Navy to take care of business.

Doesn't mean I'm right about it. We'll find out before it snows here in Northern Virginia.

Somali Folly: I Feel a Climax Building

Alarming news from Somalia. The pirates that have captured the Faina have delivered an ultimatum to the ship owners. According to local radio, the pirates have promised to kill the crew within 24 hours if they don't receive a ransom. The sum mentioned is $1,700,000. The captain of the Faina described the conditions aboard the ship that the crew had to endure in the latest telephone call: "The crew has had to crowd into one small room because the pirates can't organize a watch over several rooms at once."

(...)

The Indians Should Have Checked Carrierfax Before Buying

The Sevmash Public Affairs Officer Mikhail Starozhilov announced that the Indian Navy aircraft carrier, which is being overhauled in the Severodvinsk shipyard, will be launched in December.
The former Russian heavy aircraft carrying cruiser Admiral Gorshkov has been in the floodable basin used as a dry dock since the end of 2005. The 45,000 ton, 283m long, 51m wide hull was repaired in that dock. "The launch of a ship of that displacement is the first in the history of the new Russia", Starozhilov said. The process of filling the basin and the removal of the cruiser will take around 10 days. After that the ship will be moved to the Sevmash construction wharf.

According to the intergovernmental memorandum of understanding signed in New Dehli in 2004, the hull of the Admiral Gorshkov was transfered to India for free with the condition that it would be modernized at Sevmash and equipped with a Russian air group. Russia would also train the Indian crew of around 1,500 sailors and would create the infrastructure for basing the ship and the airgroup in the Indian Ocean. The original contract was valued at about 1.5 billion dollars. About half of that was intended to convert the ship into a full aircraft carrier and that work was planned to be completed in 2008. However the contract was extended and the Russian side insisted on increasing the cost of the work on modernizing the ship significantly. According to experts, an additional billion dollars is needed. The Indian and Russian governments are holding negotiations on this issue.

Hey Admiral Sidenko! Puff Puff Pass, Dude!

There Will Be a New Aircraft Carrier in the Pacific Fleet in the Next Ten Years

The Commander of the Pacific Fleet Vice Admiral Konstantin Sidenko made this announcement during the traditional yearly meeting with young officers. "The Russian Government and the President have approved a conceptual program for a new class of aircraft carrier for the Pacific Fleet. In the next ten years it is possible that we will receive (an aircraft carrier)", Sidenko announced. According to Sidenko, the Pacific Fleet will also receive two Type 955 Borey SSBNs armed with the new Bulava missile. Besides that, the new Sovershennyy class corvette was laid down in the Komsomol'sk na Amur shipyard for the Pacific Fleet in July 2006.

Meanwhile, Sidenko noted, the fleet has shrunk considerably during reforms carried out in the Russian Armed Forces. "The Russian Fleet has shrunk by 50 percent since 1995. For the most part this reduction has happened as ships have ended their service lives." As of today, there are five SSBNs, 18 multirole submarines (10 nuclear), 13 ocean-going surface combatants and 43 littoral combatants in the Pacific Fleet order of battle.

I'll believe it when I see it.

Pic of the Day

Klakring arrives in Tallin



KVDM: "No word yet if she's bringing Pampers."

Somali Folly: Condition Red, Weapons Tight

The Baltic Fleet guard ship Neustrashimyy is ready to battle pirates. She has arrived in the perilous Gulf of Aden and now stands watch. The Navy ship will guard the civilian vessels in the Somali littoral. The Russian Navy Headquarters has already announced that the Neustashimyy is "weapons tight". The pirates have seized dozens of ships for ransom in the last few months, holding more than 180 people.

The Caspian Sea Monster

I for one welcome our weird, supersonic missile-armed, aircraft-hydroplane hybrid overlords.

Submarine Disaster of the Day: The Chaotic Rescue of S-178

Memorial to Project 613B SS-178. Photo: primamedia.ru

The Pacific Fleet Project 613B medium diesel submarine S-178 was lost on 21 October, 1981 as a result of a collision with the refrigerated cargo ship Refrigerator-13. The boat was returning after two days at sea with K3R V.A. Marago at the helm.

S-178 received permission to enter Zolotoy Rog harbor at 1930. RFS-13 didn't notice S-178's running lights against the backdrop of the city of Vladivostok and other ships in the roadstead until too late. The commander managed to give the order, "On the starboard side! Signalman, illuminate the oncoming vessel!", but it was already too late.

Refrigerator-13 struck S-178 on the port side around compartment number six at 1945. The compartment was flooded in about 15 to 20 seconds. The boat developed a severe list and people standing in the sail flew into the water. About 40 seconds after the collision, S-178, having taken on about 130 tons of water, lost seaworthiness and sank in 31 meters of water.

The memorial to the crew of S-178 was established in the Mariner's cemetery by submariners. It was opened in 1982, a year to the day of the loss of the boat...The monument conssists of the metallic structure of a type S submarine, set into a granite block. The front part of the sail is directed north. On the face of the memorial is a granite tablet, upon which is engraved, "Pacific Fleet sailors of SS S-178, lost at sea 21 October in the Sea of Japan"...There are 16 submariners buried in the cemetery, 10 more buried in their home regions and the bodies of six were never found.

There are more details about the sinking, including the rescue efforts which seem to have a lot in common with the chaos involved with the Kursk rescue a generation later:

At 2015, the Pacific Fleet duty officer declared an emergency rescue situation and called upon the search and rescue detachment based in Vladivostok. Submarine S-179, base minesweeper BT-284 and the salvage vessel Zhiguli departed the range where they had been conducting training seven minutes later and proceded to the scene of the accident. The salvage vessel Mashuk, a few small boats and the Project 940 (Lenok class) rescue submarine BS-486 Komsomolets Uzbekistan, which was preparing to enter the yards, arrived from Vladivostok. (Note: BS-486 also played a key role two years later in the recovery of the "black box" from the shot down KAL-007).


Caption: India-class rescue submarine BS-486, Golden Horn Bay, Vladivostok, 1999. Source: podlodka.su

At 2100, RFS-13 found a rescue buoy. The rescuers arrived in the following order:
- 2150 the Mashuk and the Project 365 fire-fighting boat PZhK-43,
- 2239 Zhiguli got underway from Preobrazheniya Bay,
- 0120 22 Oct BS-486 and the Project 522 dive tender VM-110


22 October

From 1055 on 22 Oct the floating cranes Bogatyr'-2 and Chernomorets-13 arrived on the scene to place roadstead equipment to assist the rescue ships. The chief of staff of the Pacific Fleet Vice Admiral R.A.Golosov was on board the Mashuk to direct the rescue effort.

At 0030 on 22 October, comms were established with the sunken submarine through the rescue buoy. The XO reported the situation about the condition of the crew, the loss of comms with the stern and the lack of individual escape gear. On the basis of this report, HQ calculated the time the crew had left.

There was no food, water or warm clothing. The temperature in the compartment fell to 12 degrees celcius. There were no instruments to measure the amount of toxic gases or oxygen in the air. The level of CO2 was 2.7 percent, despite the fact that two compartments were burning five O2 candles apiece. The reserve of 60 regeneration banks were enough to support life for 60 hours. A person can live 72 hours at an atmospheric pressure of 2.7kg/cm2. An independent ascent would be accompanied by the bends and a longer stay would surely be fatal.

There are tablets hanging in the compartments with instructions for swimming to the surface. There aren't any instructions for how to save oneself after a long stay in a compartment under high pressure. Meanwhile, the submariners know that the longer that they remain under pressure, the less chance there is to save their lives.

Because bad weather was expected in the next two days, headquarters decided not to save the submariners by raising the aft end of the boat and they decided instead to use the rescue submarine, without a glance at the current weather conditions.

(...)

On 22 October at 0845, BS-486, in a peacetime first, began rescuing people from the sunken sub.

At 0906, she let out her underwater anchor 15 meters from where S-178 sank so that divers could search the area. But it took three hours for the divers to find S-178(!!!!!!!?????). They inspected the stern for an hour and rapped on the hull to try to establish comms with compartment seven. There was no return signal. They attached a buoy to mark the stern section and departed.

At 1300, the rescue sub began to maneuver to a distance not more than 30 meters from the bow of the sunken boat. (...)

At the same time, conditions in the area deteriorated greatly: a 30 knot north-west wind whipped up and the sea state grew to four. Some of the equipment was not functional and there was a complete lack of search and rescue gear to find an unknown object on the sea floor. The shallow depth in rough seas limited the ability for rescuers to maneuver. BS-486 tried to surface and dive three times. The worst part was losing the radio bouy attached to S-178, which cut off comms at 1410 on 22 October.

It turned out that valuable time was wasted. There was a lack of equipment and the rescue boat spent several hours maneuvering without finding the bow of the sunken boat. There was no real assistance offered.

Kapitan-Lieutenant S.M.Kubynin decided to take a group up to the surface because of the worsening situation. They prepared escape trunk number three. When the pressure was equalized, K2R B.Ya.Karavekov gave the signal. Exiting the lock, the communications officer Kapitan-Lieutenant S.N.Ivanov released the beacon buoy, but he got the buoy lines mixed up and the buoy did not go to the surface.

At 1545 Kap-Lt Ivanov and Sr. Seaman Mal’tsev made a free ascent to the surface. The submariners were found and were put into a decompression chamber 12 minutes later to compensate for the effects of breathing pressurized air for so long.

BS-486 continued to maneuver in the area around the bow of the sunken submarine, but she just couldn’t find it.

The submariners trapped without comms with the surface continued there efforts to save themselves. At 1830, Kap-Lts Kubynin and Zybin sent a second group through escape trunk number four.

Sr. Seaman Anan’yev, Seaman Pashpev and Seaman Khafizov disappeared without a trace: they weren’t found on the surface because it was dark and there was no organized search of the area around the lost submarine. It is possible that a key role in their fate was played by the maneuvering rescue submarine

At 2015, divers from the rescue submarine found the sunken submarine and established comms by tapping back and forth on the hull with the submariners.

BS-486 anchored using her bow anchor and began to reposition using the maneuvering motor to take up the necessary position. After each maneuver, divers corrected her position. Finally the seventh trio of divers to work secured an exit tube to a diving platform to the upper starboard rescue hatch (hatch number three). There they found the failed marker buoy, freed it and checked the connection to the hull and floated it to the surface.

BS-486 used around 17 hours to maneuver into position to offer practical help to the trapped sailors.

23 October

Divers from the rescue submarine began to work at 0303. They loaded six IDA-59 rescue re-breathers into hatch number three, two diving suits and 10 ISP-60 diving tanks, rescue lamps, food and after that the rescue divers exited into the rescue submarine.



By 0400 the gear was taken into the first compartment. Despite the instructions received from the rescuers, Kap-Lt. S.M.Kubynin decided with the Brigade Chief of Staff to send a third group through the air lock.

It seems that the decision was correct: V.Ya.Karavekov was demoralized, the diver’s skills weren’t what they should be and there was no medical help.

At 0554, the third group began its ascent from escape trunk three. Right at that moment, a diver was approaching to deliver gear and saw the opening hatch. The CHENG Yamalov emerged. The diver assisted him in leaving the apparatus and tried to guide him to the entry on the rescue submarine, but the submariner wouldn’t let the diver hook him up to the submarine, tearing off the harness and swimming to the surface. The diver detached from the hull. While he fell a meter or two to the bottom, Seaman Mikushin emerged from the hatch. There was nothing else for the diver to except to report the exit of the sailors to the rescue submarine. K2R B.Ya.Karavekov remained in the escape trunk.

Divers inspected escape trunk number three, found nothing in the eight meter long tube and left more gear and instructions for its use.

While all this was going on, communication between the trapped crew and the divers was poor. There was no standardized set of signals for submarine rescue – they were made up on the spot. A lot of time was wasted in the escape trunks. Additionally, the divers were working a long time in the depths and were freezing. They had to work in 60 to 90 minute shifts. New divers received a pass down on board the rescue submarine, planned their dives and had to establish comms with the sunken boat. There were intervals of time when there were no rescue divers outside the escape trunk.

During underwater operations the divers had their first practical use of much of their equipment in a real live rescue situation. For example, the device built to transfer equipment in to the stricken submarine turned out to be cumbersome and inconvenient.

Around 1000, the submariners closed the forward escape trunk and drained it. The body of a dead officer was inside.

Deciding not to no longer test fate, Kap-Lts S.Kubynin and V.Zybin organized preparations to exit to the surface through a flooded compartment. The submariners took all their gear into compartment two, including the oxygen candles. They unblocked the hatch to escape trunk three. They donned the ISP-60s. There weren’t enough diving suits so they gave them to the crewmembers who would exit last. Eighteen men prepared to exit.

At 1515 they signaled the divers, “Wait for us by the exit of the escape trunk. We are ready to exit.” The compartment began to flood. There was a danger that the flooding could affect the list and trim, causing torpedoes to shift off their skids. Because of this danger, the flooding was deliberate and slow through the forward port upper hatch. The excess air pressure generated was bled off through the sea cock on the depth gauge.

At 1915 they began their exit. The first to exit collided with a foreign object in the escape trunk and had to return to the compartment. The way remained blocked.

After removing the body of V.Ya.Karavekov, the escape trunk still wasn’t cleared of the equipment left there by the rescue divers. Divers placed loaded dive suits and IDAs in escape trunk four.

The weapons officer Kap-Lt V.Zybin entered this complicated situation in escape trunk three. He succeeded in clearing the escape trunk of unnecessary gear. Then, signaling to his comrades about the clear path, he got the attention of the divers and made his way through the rescue apparatus to the rescue submarine.

By 2030 the last one left on the boat was the XO Kap-Lt. S.Kubynin. He exited the escape trunk and, failing to meet the divers, he ended up on the sail of the submarine and lost consciousness. A minute later, he was brought to the surface and was brought aboard a rescue cutter.

Sixteen of the eighteen men exiting the boat through the flooded apartment survived. Seaman P.Kireyev lost consciousness and died in the compartment. Seaman Len’shin wasn’t found by the rescue cutters on the surface or the divers, who searched the escape trunk and the bottom around the sunken boat.

Six men transferred to the rescue submarine. They were transferred to a pressure chamber on board BS-486. They were diagnosed with oxygen poisoning and hypothermia as a result of a long time in the water. Their condition was generally better than their comrades.

The sailors exiting the stricken submarine by means of free ascent were placed in a pressure chamber on the salvage vessel Mashuk. They all suffered from severe decompression sickness. They developed single and double pneumonia and four of them suffered pressure related damage to their lungs. One of them required surgical intervention.

Doctors worked for more than two days in the pressure chamber. All the pressure chambers had to be linked into one system in order to allow enough doctors and specialists to work. After decompression, the stricken sailors were transported to the hospital. All twenty people who exited the sunken submarine under their own power survived and healed. Only one seaman was pronounced as unfit for further submarine service.

Postscipt

Work on raising S-178 began on 24 October. Pontoons were affixed to the deck at a depth of 15 meters and she was transferred to Patrokl Bay, which was shielded from the wind, and placed on the bottom at a depth of 18 meters.

There, divers recovered the bodies of the victims through hatches and the hole in the sixth compartment.

After that, the boat was surfaced with the help of pontoon and a floating crane. The compartments were dried, except for the damaged compartments and the diesels.

On 15 November, the sunken submarine was made seaworthy again.

After offloading the torpedoes in the first compartment, S-178 was carried to the Dal’zavod Shipyard and put into dry dock at 2000, 17 November. Refurbishing the boat was found to be pointless.

The commander of S-178, K3R V.A.Marango and the XO of RFS-13 V.F.Kurdyukov were sentenced to ten years in prison.

After the loss of the S-178, a joint decision between the Navy and industry was made to place bright orange running lights on the submarines, warning all ships that a submarine was running on the surface.

Cold War Stories: Baykonur, Two Generations Ago

Gist: The victims of two accidents are being comemmorated in Baykonur. An R-16 ICBM (SS-7 Saddler) blew up during final preparations for launch 41 years ago, killing almost the entire development team headed by Mikhail Yangel'. By a tragic coincidence, exactly three years later a launch failure killed eight more.

This day is always a cold day in Baykonur, almost winter like, but everyone in the Baykonur space city comes to the memorial, which is a grave for 70 people killed during missile testing. The two tragedies took place on the same day, three years apart, in 1960 and 1963 and killed 132 people. It was the first test of the R-16 ICBM, called the "new nuclear shield against the potential enemy". At 1845, after failing to take off, the missile exploded. The second stage spontaneously activated. Seventy six people died in the fire immediately, among them the Commander of the Strategic Rocket Forces, Marshal Mitrofan Nedelin. The main designer Mikhail Yangel' miraculously survived. Information about the failures were kept secret for years. The dead were said to have simply died in the course of their official duties. Now at the cosmodrome there is evidence of the tragedy. There is now a memorial at launch site 41. Until the 90s, it simply wasn't possible to visit. The tragedy was only acknowledged at the cosmodrome 35 years after the fact. Since recognition in 1995, relatives of the victims have come to pay their respects. There is an eternal flame at the launch site. The wind blows so hard that the flame is almost extinguished and people have trouble standing. All missile and space activities stop on this day to remember.

Our Long National Nightmare is Almost Over

Heh.



Indeed.

What a shameful fucking joke the Republicans have become, and Palin is just the shit flavored icing on the cake.

What a Piss Poor Paint Job

You think they'd do better, what with the President of the whole fricken' country coming.

Just sayin'....

Flashpoint Sevastopol'.

A Russian sailor died of his injuries after being beaten by "hooligans". After an interview with the widow, the announcer reported that the Ukrainian police arrested three construction workers from Western Ukraine, the Western Ukraine being the source of all the ills in Ukraine because of alleged extreme Ukrainian nationalism, as evidenced by this map of what Ukraine should look like from a Russian perspective:



The title of the blog post I pulled this from is "a poisonous territory".


And these are the types of incidents that have the potential to grow out of control. I was immediately reminded, for some reason, of an incident in the mid-80s when a Serb man was beaten to death by his Albanian neighbor in a dispute in Kosovo. Word circulated in the Serb community that the man was horribly mutilated and abused, including having a broken beer bottle stuffed into his rectum. The rest is history...

The next step to look out for: ethnic Russians receiving Russian Federation passports. Start to worry if you see that...

Gulf of Aden Update

Gist: Russia has asked Somalia for a free hand in dealing with piracy. The Baltic Fleet guard ship Neustrashimyy is approaching Somali shores. Meanwhile the situation on the captured Ukrainian ship Faina is approaching catastrophe. Fuel and food have almost run out. After long negotiations, the pirates have refused to hand over the body of the Russian captain. Besides the crew, already held for a month, there are 33 Ukrainian tanks, anti-air missile systems and ammunition stores on board. And today it was learned that the French captured 10 pirates, although they didn't have anything to do with the Faina. They will be delivered to Somalia where they face life in jail.

The whole world is asking, who are these 21st century pirates? Why does piracy flourish in the Gulf of Aden? One of our correspondents went to one of the hottest spots in Somalia with exclusive footage from the French ship on the freeing of a vessel. Why is hijacking ships so profitable? Watch this big story on the 30th of October.

A Unique Operation in Gremikha

(Russian Navy Blog note: Make sure you click the link below and watch the video. The film is astounding if you are into glimpses of the Apocalypse or a real life "World Without Us").

Preparations are being made for a complicated operation to unload fuel from a submarine reactor. It was a unique Alfa class boat with a titanium hull. There were only a few boats with this kind of hull in the whole world and they all served in our Northern Fleet. Unfortunately, these boats have turned out to be dangerous, not only for the enemy, but to themselves also. Two of the boats have suffered accidents. In order to remove the fuel, the nuclear workers are ready for some hard work. Natal'ya Solov'yeva talks about this unique submarine base and about this sad legacy of the cold war.

(Start Video Here)

One hundred seventy nautical miles - this harbor is reachable only by water. The closed city (ZATO) Ostrovnoy is divided into two areas, separated by two kilometers - Gremikha and Ostovnaya.

Almost 30,000 people lived here in the 70s and now there are barely 3,000. The first Soviet submarines were based here back in the day. The who West called it "the hornet's nest" with fear and envy. The first nuclear submarine, the Leninskiy Komsomol and the legendary K-19 tied up to the piers here. By the middle of the 90s, the Russian leadership began to pare the numbers of boats. Now there are no boats, or even piers here. The last nuclear submarine was towed to the Nerpa Shipyard a week ago. The reminders of the fleet that was stationed here in Gremikha 30 years ago are now rusting ships and nuclear waste thrown out into the open air. Eight years ago the Ministry of Defense transfered responsiblity for the dangerous legacy to FGUP SevRAO. In 2001 this consisted of 800 radioactive moderator rods and six nuclear reactors from Alfa class boats. All the rods are stored here today, two reactors have been unloaded and a third is on the way.

Valeriy Pantaleyev, Director of SevRAO: There was a reactor accident on the boat here about 30 years ago, and now the background radiation inside the compartment where they are going to have to work is pretty high.

The operation, which is being carried out by Murmansk Oblast' nuclear workers, is unique and dangerous. The equipment for this operation is only found in Gremikha and the greatest scientific institutes are consulting. Twenty two seperate organizations are involved. Only the Nuclear Inspection Directorate of the Ministry of Defense can give to okay to proceed.

VP: Never and noone. Nobody can do anything representitives from there. We need a lot of money in order to rebuild the facilities to handle this material and prepare personnel for the job.

Personnel is a touchy question for SevRAO. People are leaving the settlement. Out of 68 specialists working on the project, 40 got apartments back "ashore". And by law they should leave. But the mission will be completed in a few years, despite the difficulty, and then the rest of the people can leave Gremikha. There is the problem that personnel working on the site have very narrow specialties. Larisa Poyarkova - the crane lady, has been working on site for eight years (Russian Navy Blogger note: in my experience, its always a "crane lady". Strange). When the transfer of the containers to the ship begins, a great deal of responsibility will land on her shoulders. And what happens to her after this waste heap is cleaned up, Larisa doesn't know.

Larisa Poyarkova, crane lady: I can't even imagine. I've thought about this and I don't know how to do anything else. This is my job.

A school, stores and a community center all operate in Ostrovnyy. Windows are lit up in the homes. Gremikha is a town whose buildings have black eyes for windows. It's not worth saving the town. The main thing in the opinion of the scientists, nuclear workers and politicians is to make sure that the land is clean.

But it is very probable that in a few dozen years, everything will be have to be rebuilt from scratch. More to the point, rebuilt from the pier, since you can only reach Gremikha by water.

Awesomely Bad Defense Trinkets

Danger Room is running an "Awesomely Bad Defense Trinkets" contest and I thought I would share my entry, a lamp with a missile on top that I got from a missile factory in Ukraine. It came in a Styrofoam case shaped like a re-entry vehicle. It is truly one of my most treasured possessions.

Russia Starts Here

(View of Avachinskaya Bay from Vilyuchinsk. Source: vilyu4insk.ru)

An article about by far the most beautiful place in Russia that the Russian Navy Blogger has visited (no snark). There is absolutely nothing like cutting through a fog bank on an August morning on Avachinskaya Bay with the volcanoes looming in the background and an Akula DIW, waiting for pier space a few hundred yards away. Unforgettable.

The Vilyuchinsk Submarine Base Waits For Borey

Until recently, the existence of the submarine base at Vilyuchinsk was known to a narrow circle of people - our sailors and their colleagues in the NATO Alliance. On NATO charts it was labeled "hornet's nest" - the place where Pacific Fleet submarines were based. In order to understand the combat potential of the Pacific Fleet SSBNs based there, we will note that a single salvo from just one Project 667BDR SSBN (Delta III class) will deliver 48 200kt warheads to the probable enemy. The damage to such a country, such as the USA, would be unacceptable.

Night Flight

The possibility to visit the Pacific Fleet base on Kamchatka, see the nuclear submarines and talk to the submariners came about due to the personal invitation of the Russian Minister of Defense Anatoliy Serdyukov. It's a nine hour flight from Moscow to Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy. There is time to forget pressing problems and the daily grind. You can physically feel the enormous size of our country while crossing time zones in the salon of the Il-62M.

Russia was created by the labor of dozens of generations of Russian people, by the exploits of our Army and Navy, by the political power of Russian Tsars. The country has known times glorious and dark. And as always, a weak government has invited chaos, evident in the thousand year Russian history. There are examples of this during the 300 year reign of the Romanovs, during Soviet rule as well as in recent times.

(Cut out: a three paragraph rumination on the power of Russian rulers, from the Tsars through Stalin and the future legacy of Vladimir Putin.)

"Hornet's Nest"

Vice Admiral Konstantin Sedenko, Commander of the Pacific Fleet and Vice Admiral Aleksandr Vitko, Commander, Russian North-East Forces met us at the airfield at Yelizovo. We set off for Vilyuchinsk. The city is considered a closed city (ZATO) and entry is restricted to local citizens with passes. All cars are inspected at the entry control point. Outsiders haven't yet set foot here. Along the way there are a lot of sites with fences decorated with signs that read "Military Site. Trespassers will be shot without warning". Such is the exotic local sights. The Commander of the Pacific Fleet commented along the way, from time to time admonishing, "Photography in that direction is not permitted". What can you do?

The goal of our visit - the SSBN Saint George the Victorious (K1R Sergey Yesyunin, commanding) and the Project 949A SSGN Omsk (K1R Valeriy Savon, commanding). The guests from Moscow meet the Commander of the 16th Submarine Squadron, Rear Admiral Konstantin Maklakov and the Commander of the 25th Submarine Division, Rear Admiral Sergey Rekish at the piers, where the boats are moored. There's a briefing and an invitation to board the submarine follows. By the way, the President of Russia Dmitriy Medvedyev was on board the Saint George very recently and we literally were following in his steps.

The commander of Saint George the Victorious, K1R Sergey Yesyunin, is young - he just turned 38 on the 12th of August. He's got the Pacific Fleet Makarov School and the Officer's Advanced Course at the Maritime Acadamy under his belt. The officer makes a very good impression, just like the rest of the crew, by the way. The concentration on their Russian faces projects steady professionalism. Service on a nuclear submarine entails risk and much depends on each member of the crew. The main task of an SSBN - to carry out the orders of the Commander in Chief. Readiness for nuclear war - it isn't just words here, its an everyday reality. If it were to become necessary, the sailors must carry out their duty clearly and without wavering. The nuclear deterrent, maintaining strategic parity with the United States is on the shoulders of these people.

K1R Sergey Yesyunin reports on the use of missile weapons after receiving the corresponding command to do so and the time necessary to fire a missile salvo. It's impressive, indeed! Even in the event of a first strike on Russia, the aggressor will receive a guaranteed return strike - retaliation will be unavoidable. The actual targets are not named - they are simply "land targets". We will note that the RSM-50 (SS-N-18) SLBM has a range of around 6500km. Project 667BDR submarines have the ability to fire from a submerged or surfaced position and while deployed or while at the pier.

The construction of the Kal'mar class (another name for Delta III) at the Rubin Shipyard under the guidance of S.N.Kovalev began in 1975. The navy received 14 of these boats. Their main battery consists of 16 RSM-50 with three independently targetable warheads.

The Pacific Fleet had 8 Project 667BDR submarines at the start of the 21st century which carried 128 missiles (384 warheads). Four submarines have been stricken and sent to the Far Eastern Zvezda shipyard for scrapping: K-449, K-455, K-490 and K-180. Now there are five Project 667BDR SSBNs in the Pacific Fleet order of battle: K-44 Ryazan' (recently arrived from the Northern Fleet), K-506 Zelenograd, K-211 Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, K-223 Podol'sk and K-443 Saint George the Victorious. This is 80 missiles with 240 warheads.

Taking into account the almost three decades of service, they need to be replaced soon. And their replacement is being readied - this is the Project 955 Borey class SSBN with the solid fueled Bulava-30 SLBM. Right now, OAO Sevmash is building three of this class and five more hulls will be laid down in the coming years.

There has been a complete overhaul of the piers in anticipation of the arrival of the Boreys in Vilyuchinsk as well as an organization of technical services for the new systems, the installation of modern communications systems, the modernization of the training center and introduction of new training simulators.

Task for the Special Construction Units

The capital improvements of the infrastructure at Vilyuchinsk is undoubtedly the work of Vladimir Putin. The first time he visited was in 2004 during the Mobility-2004 strategic exercises. What Putin saw then left a bad impression. The infrastructure was in poor condition. Many buildings were constructed 30 or 40 years ago and were simply dilapidated. The sailors simply didn't have normal conditions in which to serve, relax or live. A resolution was adopted during Putin's visit on the necessity to rebuild the base for the submarine squadron and the living conditions at the village of Rybachiy.

Rebuilding the special support structures, the domiciles, the utility network and the shore infrastructure of ZATO Vilyuchinsk and the 16th Squadron was organized according to the 24 June, 2004, order of the President of the Russian Federation.

Despite the distance to the construction site from the Special Construction base, a whole range of structures were put into service thanks to the delivery of men and materials by airplanes and ships of FGUP GUSS and Far East Special Construction. Among the buildings to come on line between 2005 and 2007 were the Officer's Club, the Sailor's Club, Middle School No.3, the 16th Submarine Squadron HQ, the Ocean Fitness Complex and the garrison hospital and clinic.

One of the peculiarities of the buildings is that they were equipped with the most modern engineering equipment and systems to withstand a force 9 or 10 earthquake.

Additionally, in 2007, Special Construction with the cooperation of the Pacific Fleet and the leadership of ZATO Vilyuchinsk performed renovations of four apartment buildings. Fifteen ruined multi-story apartment buildings were raised and a car park and a children's playground were put in their place.

Vladimir Putin visited Vilyuchinsk again on 05 September, 2007, to personally oversee his writ. The Commander of the Pacific Fleet reported on the completion of the master reconstruction plan for the Squadron base and the progress of the preparations to receive the new Project 995 SSBNs to the President. The Commander in Chief visited one of the piers where the Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy and the Magadan were moored.

As Vladimir Putin noted back then, much had been done over the previous three years to improve the lives of service members and their families, but 1800 officers still lived in unsatisfactory conditions. "Russian officers should live well", the President said. Putin ordered the Ministry of Defense to prepare a program to improve the living conditions of service members in Primorskiy Kray.

Specialists from Special Construction began to make preparations to work on new apartment buildings and recreation centers for the inhabitants of Vilyuchinsk - three improved apartment buildings and two kindergartens for 400 kids. The first of these, the kindergarten "Fairy Tale", was opened in a ceremony on 27 June, 2008.

The first sixty family improved apartment building will be opened at the end of October, 2008. Residents of Moscow and St. Petersburg will envy these apartments. Spacious halls and kitchens, large, light rooms. The area of a typical three room (two bedroom by our standards) apartment is 100 square meters (1070 square feet). The director of Special Construction, General of the Army Nikolay Abros'kin proudly showed off not only the apartments built by Far East Special Construction, but other buildings also. These include the magnificent Officer's Club, the Officer's dorm, the "Fairy Tale" kindergarten, the military hospital and other buildings. All the materials and equipment had to arrive from the mainland. The progress achieved in four years is evident. But a lot of work lays ahead. Russian President Dmitriy Medvedyev promised the submariners an indoor hockey rink during his recent visit to Vilyuchinsk.

We surveyed Avachinskaya Bay from a boat with the Commander of the Pacific Fleet at the conclusion of our visit. The bay is huge - second largest on the planet and capable of holding all the ships in all the fleets in the world. It cuts 24km deep into the land. Its width at the entrance is three km and it is up to 26 meters deep. The area of this watery mirror is around 215 square km. Nature has given Russia a unique place, ideal for basing ships and submarines. Immediately after exiting the bay, the depth drops off to five km - there our nuclear submarines "dissolve", avoiding the numerous American hunters, like the Los Angeles and Seawolf classes which hang out nearby, trying to "sit on the tail" of Russian submarines departing on combat duty.

"Positive changes ongoing in the Russian Armed Forces testify to the attention that the army and the fleet are receiving from the state", emphasized the assistant Defense Minister Nikolay Pankov. Construction at these garrisons, like at Vilyuchinsk, will become more common. At our departure, the Pacific Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Konstantin Sedenko said that he would be happy if Vilyuchinsk was protected from air attack by the newest S-400 air defense system. He hopes that this desire finds a foothold in the State Armament Program. What's more, as was said during Medvedyev's recent visit, we will restore any and all presence in the region, including our military presence. The national interests of Russia demands it.

Igor' KOROTCHENKO
Editor in Chief, "VPK", Member of the Ministry of Defense Advisory Council
Vilyuchinsk - Moscow

Do Svidanya, Komrad!

Severodvinsk, 19 October. The Zvezdochka Shipyard of Serverodvinsk will dismantle the multipurpose Project 971 SSN K-480 Bars, the last in a series of third generation submarines.

According to open sources, K-480 Bars was constructed at Sevmash in Severodvinsk in 1978 and stricken from service in 1988. The Project 971 Shchuka-B boats (NATO: Akula 2) was developed in Saint Petersburg at the Malakhit design bureau. Fourteen of these boats were contructed in Severodvinsk and Komsomolsk-na-Amur. The last boat, the Gepard, was delivered by Sevmash in 2001. Since then the fleet has not recieved any new nuclear submarines.

According to submarines.narod.ru, linked to in the text, the timeline for the boat's service was a little different. According to this source, the boat was laid down in 1985, accepted into service in 1989 and stricken in 2002.

Any way you slice it, something was wrong with this boat as its service life was way too short.

But as an American, I have to say that I look forward to shaving with it.

Peter the Great Update: Port Call, Turkey

I wonder what happened to Latakia/Tartus? Debkafile said the whole Russian fleet was there already.



The Chabanenko and the Peter the Great prepare for a four day port call at an unspecified naval base in Turkey. The honor guard practices for the reception and the crew is apparently forced to write letters home. The letters will be sent via diplomatic pouch back to Russia. After four days anchored out in Turkey, the task force will finally head to Venezuela.