A ‘Faulty Torpedo’ Sunk a Nuclear Russian Submarine

A ‘Faulty Torpedo’ Sunk a Nuclear Russian Submarine

Key Points and Summary – The 2000 sinking of the Russian nuclear submarine Kursk was a national tragedy that claimed the lives of all 118 sailors aboard. The disaster began when a faulty practice torpedo exploded, triggering a catastrophic secondary detonation of the submarine’s main arsenal. This second, massive blast sent the vessel to the bottom of the Barents Sea. Russia’s subsequent rescue effort was fatally slow and marred by a stubborn re…