Key Points and Summary: The Soviet K-278 Komsomolets was a technological marvel, capable of diving deeper than any other submarine thanks to its titanium hull. But on April 7, 1989, disaster struck when a fire broke out onboard, ultimately causing the sub to sink in the Barents Sea, taking 42 crew members with it.
-The K-278 carried two nuclear warheads, and to this day, radiation levels near the wreck are alarmingly high.
-Attempts to seal the site have been made, but concerns over nuclear contamination remain. The Komsomolets tragedy stands as a haunting reminder of Cold War-era naval risks and nuclear dangers.
Soviet Submarine Tragedy: The Sinking of K-278 Komsomolets
The launch of the Soviet submarine K-278 Komsomolets in 1983 was a first in submarine technology. The sub was the first of any Navy to be constructed with a titanium hull, which allowed her to go deeper and faster than any American submarine.
NATO dubbed the K-278 a “Mike Class” submarine, but her service life was brief. In 1989, she caught fire and sank in the Barents Sea with two nuclear-tipped torpedoes.
The only sub of the Mike Class “was a marvel,” according to Dr. Brent M. Eastwood. “It had an inner hull made of titanium, an innovation at the time that created the ability to dive deeper and run faster and more quietly. It could withstand higher pressure due to the titanium and reached depths of over 3,350 feet and speeds up to 30 knots.”
The Sinking Of K-278
Shortly after 1100 hrs, on April 7, 1989, a fire broke out in Compartment 7, the steering section in the aftmost part of the boat. It was a combination of a high-pressure air line to the ballast tanks breaking and making contact with oil.
Chief Engineer Valentin Babenko and Commanding Officer Captain First Rank Yevgeniy Vanin urgently discussed damage control in the control room. Babenko recommended that Vanin smother the apparent fire with freon, a nonflammable gas. Vanin hesitated, knowing the gas would smother the seaman and the fire, but soon, he reluctantly ordered the system to be activated. The high-pressure air line fed the fire in Compartment 7 like a blast furnace.
Pressure aft forced oil into Compartment 6, and the fire, now out of control, spread through the cableways despite the sealed-off hatches. Fearing meltdown, the reactor was shut down.
The captain was forced to blow his ballast tanks to allow the crippled boat to surface at 1113 hrs. Aft temperatures reached 2,000 degrees F. The captain sent an urgent SOS to Fleet HQs. The anechoic tiles that minimize the ship from sonar began to melt, sliding off the boat in strips.
Once on the surface, the captain ordered all the ship’s crew, except the ones fighting the fire, to get on deck. The crew below deck was overcome by carbon monoxide gas and fighting the flames and heat.
Akula-Class Submarine. Image Credit: Computer Generated Image, Screenshot.
By 1219 hrs, the captain had sent his SOS message in the clear. The Defense Ministry alerted three ships within 70 miles of K-278 to attempt a rescue and ordered a rescue request to Norway. Aircraft were dispatched, but not the M-12 amphibians. No one alerted Norway, which had heard the message in the clear but assumed it was just a drill.
The aircraft arrived on the scene at about 1440 hrs. On the weather deck, the sailors saw the aircraft and believed that help would soon be there, so don’t wear wet suits.
By 1630 hrs, the Captain had been trying to right his boat. Although it initially listed to port, counterflooding only forced it to list to starboard. The captain then ordered the blowing of ballast to right the foundering ship. This failed, and the K-278 began taking on more water. At 1642 hrs, the Captain orders the crew to abandon ship.
The captain tried to get everyone out, but the Komsomolets were doomed. She sinks to a depth of 5,000 feet. The crew who didn’t wear wet suits were freezing in the 36-degree water. A fishing boat arrived shortly after 1800 hours and picked up 30 crewmen.
Two of those died from exposure. The rest of the crew of 69 officers and sailors go down with the K-278.
Nuclear Contamination Fears
The K-278 was carrying two plutonium warheads on her torpedoes when she was lost on April 7, 1989. Plutonium is one of the most toxic elements on earth.
Her nuclear reactor, with fuel rods, remains at the bottom of the sea. A joint Russian and Norwegian team of researchers has found that the sea around the wreck is 100,000 times more radioactive than uncontaminated water.
K-322 Cachalot, Akula class submarine underway. A port quarter aerial view of the Russian Northern Fleet AKULA class nuclear-powered attack submarine underway on the surface.
This means that either the plutonium warheads or the reactor is leaking in the deep water a mile below the surface.
A Reuters wire release from Moscow on July 12, 1994, stated Russia had sealed a sunken nuclear submarine off Norway to prevent radioactive leaks. The Komsomolets is now embedded in mud in international waters.
Komsomolets lies broken a mile deep in a quiet part of the Norwegian Sea. Natural sediment drifts down slowly, burying the wreck, debris, and most of its crew. Few artifacts have been raised.
One of them, the ship’s clock, was sent to the Central Naval Museum in Leningrad. It stopped at 5:43 p.m. on April 7, 1989.
About the Author
Steve Balestrieri is a 19FortyFive National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing for 19FortyFive, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications.
