r/engineering • u/Soreknees38529 • 3d ago
[MECHANICAL] K-141 Kursk Sinking
This story has been reposted every few years on CatastropicFailure but doesn’t hurt to share here. The nuclear submarine K-141 Kursk exploded during a naval exercise in the Barents Sea, sinking in 107 meters of water. All 118 crew died.
A practice torpedo powered by high-test peroxide (HTP), a concentrated hydrogen peroxide oxidizer most Western navies abandoned as too dangerous, leaked through a faulty weld. At 11:28 local time, the catalytic reaction detonated the torpedo tube (~100-250 kg TNT equivalent), killing the forward crew and starting a fire. 135 seconds later, the remaining warheads cooked off simultaneously with 3-7 tons TNT equivalent, obliterating the bow.
At least 23 sailors survived in the aft compartments for hours, using chemical oxygen cartridges. Captain-Lieutenant Kolesnikov's recovered note read: *"It's dark here to write, but I'll try by feel. It seems like there are no chances, 10-20%. Let's hope that at least someone will read this."*
*Root causes:*
- *HTP torpedoes* — known unstable. Britain abandoned them after HMS *Sidon* exploded in 1955. Russia kept them because they were cheap and already in inventory.
- *Maintenance culture* — the failed torpedo had been in service since 1990, flagged for propellant leaks, and returned to service anyway. The 133-volume investigation described "stunning breaches of discipline, shoddy, obsolete and poorly maintained equipment."
- *Rescue decay* — Russia's submarine rescue infrastructure was non-functional post-Soviet collapse.
- *Pride over lives* — delayed acceptance of foreign help while sailors were still alive on the seabed.
Photos and additional detail here. https://www.eugeneleeslover.com/ENGINEERING/Russian_Kursk_Sub.php
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u/Fearless_Climate_688 23h ago
The front contained the torpedoes compartment, and was cut by the salvage company before raising the rest of the sub. It was deemed that after the explosion and with more torpedoes probably damaged inside that part of the submarine was to dangerous to move.