Submarine incident off Kildin island
Encyclopedia
The Submarine Incident off Kildin Island
was a collision between the US Navy
nuclear submarine
and the Russia
n nuclear submarine K-276 Kostroma
near the Russian naval base of Severomorsk
, on 11 February 1992. The incident took place when the US unit was engaged in a covert mission, apparently aimed at intercepting Russian military communications. It's believed that neither the Kostroma nor the Baton Rouge were able to locate each other before the collision.
, this kind of submarine surveillance was known as ‘’Operation Holy Stone’’. Submariners nicknamed this program "Operation Pinnacle" or "Bollard". This intelligence gathering included the tapping of Soviet submarine communication cables, the recording of the pattern of 'noises' from Soviet submarines and the observation of Soviet fleet maneuvers which may involve nuclear ballistic
tests.
and by Russia as five miles inside Russian territorial sea (due to the Russian use of a straight baseline.) The mission of Baton Rouge off Severomorsk was reportedly the recovery or delivery of intelligence-monitoring devices on the seabed. The American press of the time claimed that the submarine was checking wireless traffic between Russian bases, but the Russian counterpart asserted that the two boats were engaged in a ‘cat-and-mouse game’. According to naval analyst Eugene Miasnikov, the amount of antisubmarine surveillance deployed by the Russians along their shores makes the first possibility implausible. The second argument also seems to be weak, he asserts, given the circumstances, and the collision itself seems to have happened by chance. The breaking waves and the shallow waters of that area of the Barents sea
prevented early detection from both submarines, which at the time of the incident were using only their passive sonars, by creating too much ‘noise’ around. Miasnikov maintains that the submarines of the Los Angeles class are unable to detect acoustic signals from targets located within a cone of 60º astern, thus the most probable scenario was that Kostroma approached Baton Rouge from behind. Indeed, the collision took place when the Kostroma was surfacing, hitting the US submarine underneath on her aft section. The Sierra class sonar is also ‘deaf’ to the aft direction; her usual pattern of acoustic search is moving along a loop course. The incident, however, implied that Russian attack submarines are capable of avoiding passive acoustic detection, at least under certain conditions, such as the environment.
Both submarines sustained damage, but there were no casualties reported. Russian reports and American aerial surveillance agree that the Kostromas sail
was dented on its front section. Russian navy sources said to have found pieces of composite material
from Baton Rouges anti-sonar tiles. The US Navy claimed that besides some scratches, dents, and two minor cuts on her port ballast tank, the Baton Rouge didn’t suffer major damage, but it was necessarily serious in any case, as any rupture on the single hull of Baton Rouge would have compromised her pressure resistance. The deactivation of Baton Rouge was announced on 17 September 1993. According to Gregory Stitz, curator of Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum
, and some European sources the costs of repairing the damaged pressure hull, along with a programmed refueling, were well beyond the planned budget; therefore the US Navy chose to decommission the submarine. Russian naval officers alleged that the US submarine became a constructive total loss right after the collision. As for Kostroma, it was laid up on 28 March 1992, and by 29 June was fully repaired at Nerpa shipyards in Snezhnogorsk
. The Russian submarine was renamed Krab, before recovering its original name on November 1996. After a huge overhauling again at Nerpa, she returned to service in 2005.
James Baker
and Russian president Boris Yeltsin
was arranged immediately. The Russian navy accused the United States of continuing intelligence operations around Russia's home waters, despite the end of the cold war. All this flurry of reactions prompted the US Navy to stop some specific submarine activities off Russian bases, such as tapping underwater cables or intercepting wireless communications. This measure, however, didn’t prevent a later incident in March 1993, when rammed Delta class submarine
K-407 Novomoskovsk
.
Kildin Island
Kildin is a small Russian island in the Barents Sea, off the Russian shore and about 120 km from Norway. Administratively, Kildin belongs to the Murmansk Oblast of the Russian Federation....
was a collision between the US Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
nuclear submarine
Nuclear submarine
A nuclear submarine is a submarine powered by a nuclear reactor . The performance advantages of nuclear submarines over "conventional" submarines are considerable: nuclear propulsion, being completely independent of air, frees the submarine from the need to surface frequently, as is necessary for...
and the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n nuclear submarine K-276 Kostroma
Soviet submarine K-276
B-276 Kostroma is a Russian Sierra class submarine. She was launched in 1986, commissioned in 1987, and named K-276 Crab until 1992. The Kostroma was built at Gorky and later towed to Severodvinsk for completion...
near the Russian naval base of Severomorsk
Severomorsk
Severomorsk is a closed town in Murmansk Oblast, Russia, located about north of Murmansk along the Kola Bay. Population: This is the main administrative base of the Russian Northern Fleet. Severomorsk has the largest drydock on the Kola Peninsula....
, on 11 February 1992. The incident took place when the US unit was engaged in a covert mission, apparently aimed at intercepting Russian military communications. It's believed that neither the Kostroma nor the Baton Rouge were able to locate each other before the collision.
Background
Right after the 1991 fall of the Soviet Union, uncertainty prevailed among the US intelligence community about the attitude of the former Soviet forces, especially those strategic assets which remained under Russian command. From the US Navy point of view, the decision was to keep a close watch on the main bases of Russian nuclear submarines in order to know who was in control of them. During the cold warCold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, this kind of submarine surveillance was known as ‘’Operation Holy Stone’’. Submariners nicknamed this program "Operation Pinnacle" or "Bollard". This intelligence gathering included the tapping of Soviet submarine communication cables, the recording of the pattern of 'noises' from Soviet submarines and the observation of Soviet fleet maneuvers which may involve nuclear ballistic
Submarine-launched ballistic missile
A submarine-launched ballistic missile is a ballistic missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead that can be launched from submarines. Modern variants usually deliver multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles each of which carries a warhead and allows a single launched missile to...
tests.
Blind encounter
The ramming occurred slightly over 12 miles from the shoreline, in waters regarded by the United States as internationalInternational waters
The terms international waters or trans-boundary waters apply where any of the following types of bodies of water transcend international boundaries: oceans, large marine ecosystems, enclosed or semi-enclosed regional seas and estuaries, rivers, lakes, groundwater systems , and wetlands.Oceans,...
and by Russia as five miles inside Russian territorial sea (due to the Russian use of a straight baseline.) The mission of Baton Rouge off Severomorsk was reportedly the recovery or delivery of intelligence-monitoring devices on the seabed. The American press of the time claimed that the submarine was checking wireless traffic between Russian bases, but the Russian counterpart asserted that the two boats were engaged in a ‘cat-and-mouse game’. According to naval analyst Eugene Miasnikov, the amount of antisubmarine surveillance deployed by the Russians along their shores makes the first possibility implausible. The second argument also seems to be weak, he asserts, given the circumstances, and the collision itself seems to have happened by chance. The breaking waves and the shallow waters of that area of the Barents sea
Barents Sea
The Barents Sea is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located north of Norway and Russia. Known in the Middle Ages as the Murman Sea, the sea takes its current name from the Dutch navigator Willem Barents...
prevented early detection from both submarines, which at the time of the incident were using only their passive sonars, by creating too much ‘noise’ around. Miasnikov maintains that the submarines of the Los Angeles class are unable to detect acoustic signals from targets located within a cone of 60º astern, thus the most probable scenario was that Kostroma approached Baton Rouge from behind. Indeed, the collision took place when the Kostroma was surfacing, hitting the US submarine underneath on her aft section. The Sierra class sonar is also ‘deaf’ to the aft direction; her usual pattern of acoustic search is moving along a loop course. The incident, however, implied that Russian attack submarines are capable of avoiding passive acoustic detection, at least under certain conditions, such as the environment.
Damage
Sail (submarine)
In naval parlance, the sail or fin of a submarine is the tower-like structure found on the dorsal surface of submarines...
was dented on its front section. Russian navy sources said to have found pieces of composite material
Composite material
Composite materials, often shortened to composites or called composition materials, are engineered or naturally occurring materials made from two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties which remain separate and distinct at the macroscopic or...
from Baton Rouges anti-sonar tiles. The US Navy claimed that besides some scratches, dents, and two minor cuts on her port ballast tank, the Baton Rouge didn’t suffer major damage, but it was necessarily serious in any case, as any rupture on the single hull of Baton Rouge would have compromised her pressure resistance. The deactivation of Baton Rouge was announced on 17 September 1993. According to Gregory Stitz, curator of Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum
Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum
The Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum is a maritime museum located at 120 Riverfront Park Drive, North Little Rock, Arkansas which opened on May 15, 2005. Its primary exhibit is the , a World War Two which later served in the Korean, Vietnam and Cold Wars. The submarine was later transitioned to...
, and some European sources the costs of repairing the damaged pressure hull, along with a programmed refueling, were well beyond the planned budget; therefore the US Navy chose to decommission the submarine. Russian naval officers alleged that the US submarine became a constructive total loss right after the collision. As for Kostroma, it was laid up on 28 March 1992, and by 29 June was fully repaired at Nerpa shipyards in Snezhnogorsk
Snezhnogorsk, Murmansk Oblast
Snezhnogorsk is a closed town in Murmansk Oblast, Russia. Population: It was founded in 1970 and was granted town status in 1980. It was previously known as Murmansk-60 and Vyuzhny. The town's main employer is the Nerpa shipyard which is responsible for servicing and repairing the nuclear...
. The Russian submarine was renamed Krab, before recovering its original name on November 1996. After a huge overhauling again at Nerpa, she returned to service in 2005.
Political consequences
The incident produced intense embarrassment in Washington. Russian diplomacy complained, and the Pentagon quickly acknowledged that a collision had happened, contrary to the official policy until then. A meeting between Secretary of StateUnited States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
James Baker
James Baker
James Addison Baker, III is an American attorney, politician and political advisor.Baker served as the Chief of Staff in President Ronald Reagan's first administration and in the final year of the administration of President George H. W. Bush...
and Russian president Boris Yeltsin
Boris Yeltsin
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin was the first President of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999.Originally a supporter of Mikhail Gorbachev, Yeltsin emerged under the perestroika reforms as one of Gorbachev's most powerful political opponents. On 29 May 1990 he was elected the chairman of...
was arranged immediately. The Russian navy accused the United States of continuing intelligence operations around Russia's home waters, despite the end of the cold war. All this flurry of reactions prompted the US Navy to stop some specific submarine activities off Russian bases, such as tapping underwater cables or intercepting wireless communications. This measure, however, didn’t prevent a later incident in March 1993, when rammed Delta class submarine
Delta class submarine
The Delta class is a class of submarines which formed the backbone of the Soviet and Russian strategic submarine fleet since its introduction in 1973...
K-407 Novomoskovsk
Russian submarine K-407 Novomoskovsk
Novomoskovsk is a Project 667BDRM Delfin-class ballistic missile submarine of the Russian Navy's Northern Fleet.-Background:...
.
See also
- HMS Vanguard and Triomphant submarine collisionHMS Vanguard and Triomphant submarine collisionThe submarines HMS Vanguard and Le Triomphant collided in the Atlantic Ocean in the night between 3–4 February 2009. Both are nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines. The Royal Navy's HMS Vanguard and the French Navy's Le Triomphant both sustained damage, but no injuries or radiation...