|
Sat 24th Sep 2005 07:30 pm AS IT HAPPENED - KURSK A SUBMARINE IN TROUBLED WATERS This documentary from French filmmaker Jean-Michel Carré follows a three-year investigation into the Russian nuclear submarine, the Kursk, which sank with its crew in the Barents Sea in August 2000. According to the documentary, shortly after Vladimir Putin was crowned President of Russia, he initiated big manoeuvres in the Barents Sea, with the dual purpose to restore the Russian Federation's military prestige, and to impress the high level Chinese military brass invited discretely to attend this show of force. The highlight of these manoeuvres was going to be the launch by the Kursk of an ultramodern torpedo, the Schkval, said to be able to travel underwater at speeds of up to 500 km per hour, more than eight times faster than western torpedoes. This torpedo, also fitted with a depleted uranium head, helped the Kursk to earn its nickname of ‘aircraft carrier killer'. The United States, understandably worried by the prospect of the Chinese purchasing such a weapon, kept a close watch on the manoeuvres, with two US submarines, another British one, and two spy ships (one from NATO and one from Norway). On the morning of 12 August 2000, the Kursk radioed that it was rising to a depth of 18m, and initiating the launch of the Schkval. The subsequent radio silence was broken only by the sound of two explosions. (From France, in English, Russian and French, English subtitles) CC SMS Alert Code: 0483 [ Last edited by horseanddragon on 2005-9-22 at 05:55 PM ] |
