Many readers would be aware that on
July 1, 2019, 14 of Losharik’s estimated
19 crew were killed in a fire (burns, blast, smoke inhalation) as Losharik was in the process of docking
in Orenburg’s belly (“moon well” floodable chamber). Some of the following links are in French or Russian - which may translate to English automatically after 15 seconds or right-click mouse, then "Translate to English".
Few may be aware that it has been reported that Orenburg’s crew intentionally “flooded” Losharik to prevent the fire/explosions spreading to Orenburg. So some of Losharik’s crew may have been sacrificed to save Orenburg's crew.
The details below mainly drawing from excellent articles by:
Losharik (bottom) and above it Orenburg "mother sub" (a "Delta III Stretch BS-136). (Diagram courtesy TechnologyNewsWorld July 2, 2019).
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Few may be aware that it has been reported that Orenburg’s crew intentionally “flooded” Losharik to prevent the fire/explosions spreading to Orenburg. So some of Losharik’s crew may have been sacrificed to save Orenburg's crew.
The details below mainly drawing from excellent articles by:
Igor DelanoĆ« (working in Moscow) “Losharik:
drama in the depths” July 10, 2019,
and also
Pavel Felgenhauer (also in Moscow) "‘Losharik’ Submersible Disaster Handicaps
Russian Naval Operations” July 11, 2019, Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 16
Issue: 99, The Jamestown Foundation. https://jamestown.org/program/losharik-submersible-disaster-handicaps-russian-naval-operations/ in square [...] bracket’s :
Losharik (bottom) and above it Orenburg "mother sub" (a "Delta III Stretch BS-136). (Diagram courtesy TechnologyNewsWorld July 2, 2019).
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First described as nuclear
submarine “AS-12” Losharik turned out to be the AS-31, deep diving special operations submarine which operates from the belly
of the much larger “mother sub”
BS-136 Orenburg (modified from Delta III class SSBN K-129 in 1994).
BS-136 Orenburg (modified from Delta III class SSBN K-129 in 1994).
What is Losharik used for?
Using her underwater mechanical
hands/manipulators and floodlights, Losharik is designed to
carry out many sensitive, often risky missions:
Seizing and destroying
submarine cables and tapping the cables with listening devices are 2 of the
functions of Losharik. For example...in March 2016, the French press
reported the presence of a Russian SSBN sitting on the bottom of the Bay of
Biscay. In fact of SSBN could well have been the Losharik-Orenburg combination spotted in an area
where many vulnerable submarine cables are on the seafloor.
[Losharik can
reportedly sabotage the US’ SOSUS [seafloor listening
device arrays] in the Atlantic [Pete addition: Pacific, Arctic and Indian]
Oceans. Atlantic sabotages would allow Russian submarines to break out of their
Severomorsk base into the open Atlantic undetected (RBC,
July 9).] [Just before the fire Losharik’s][...crew may
have been searching for intelligence-gathering equipment
potentially planted by the US military on the seafloor to monitor activities in
the North Sea.]
Losharik also recovers Russian warheads, other
weapons systems and sensors lost (or broken) at sea. For example, if new
torpedo or UAV trials fail they need to be retrieved by Losharik before
they fall into the hands of a foreign power [Pete addition: probably US, UK or
China]. [Just before Losharik’s fire][...the
Russian navy itself had lost something during exercises. Another possibility is
that this was a mission to test some new equipment, which may explain the
presence of a defense industry civilian specialist on board Losharik (RBC, July
9, 2019).]
Losharik can also recover
the remains of foreign warheads and other weapons systems lost
at sea [[Possible
targets for Losharik or other Russian retrieval
submersibles could be the] US
RQ-4 Global Hawk drone...shot down by the Iranians in the Strait of Hormuz
in June 2019. The Iranians gathered some floating debris, but there is surely a
treasure trove left scattered on the seabed. In April 2019, a Japanese
US-made F-35A crashed in the Pacific. Again, some floating debris was
recovered, but more valuable technology could still be found underneath (Interfax, April 15).
Losharik's many mechanical hands/manipulators, floodlights and additional helper submersibles are evident. (Artwork courtesy TechnologyNewsWorld July 2, 2019)
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Technical Details for Losharik
include:
Displacement: 1600 tonnes (surfaced), 2100 tonnes
(submerged)
Length: 60 m or 70 m (unconfirmed)
Propulsion: 1 nuclear reactor E-17 [details
eg. kW or MW, unknown]
Complement: 19 to 25
Estimates Diving Depth: 6,000 metres.
See Submarine Matters' earlier Losharik reporting here.
Pete (with thanks to Starshiy for spotting some references).
www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/23/russia-submersible-fire-faulty-battery-may-be-cause-reports
ReplyDeleteThis might not persuade the RAN to try LIB in the Attack-class FSP.