1. Kursk Submarine Disaster:
The Kursk submarine disaster, the sinking of the nuclear-powered Oscar-class submarine Kursk, took place during the first major Russian naval exercise in more than ten years, in the Barents Sea on 12 August 2000, killing all 118 personnel on board. Nearby ships registered the initial explosion and a second, much larger, explosion which registered 4.2 on the Richter scale on seismographs as far away as Alaska, yet the Russian Navy did not realise that the sub had sunk and did not initiate a search for more than six hours. By the time it declared an emergency 11 hours later, the crew were—unknown to anyone—all dead. Because the sub's emergency rescue buoy had been intentionally disabled, it took more than 16 hours to locate the sunken boat. More details
2. USS Scorpion Submarine Disaster:
USS Scorpion (SSN-589) was a Skipjack-class nuclear submarine of the United States Navy and the sixth vessel of the U.S. Navy to carry that name. Scorpion was lost on 22 May 1968, with 99 crewmen dying in the incident. USS Scorpion is one of two nuclear submarines the U.S. Navy has lost, the other being USS Thresher. It was one of four mysterious submarine disappearances in 1968, the others being the Israeli submarine INS Dakar, the French submarine Minerve and the Soviet submarine K-129. Scorpion's keel was laid down 20 August 1958 by General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton, Connecticut. More details
3. USS Thresher Submarine Disaster:
The second USS Thresher (SSN-593) was the lead boat of her class of nuclear-powered attack submarines in the United States Navy. She was the U.S. Navy's second submarine to be named after the thresher shark. On 10 April 1963, Thresher sank during deep-diving tests about 220 miles (350 km) east of Boston, Massachusetts, killing all 129 crew and shipyard personnel aboard in the deadliest submarine disaster ever. Her loss was a watershed for the U.S. Navy, leading to the implementation of a rigorous submarine safety program known as SUBSAFE. More details
4. K-129 Submarine Disaster:
K-129 was a Project 629A diesel-electric powered submarine of the Soviet Pacific Fleet, one of six Project 629 strategic ballistic missile submarines attached to the 15th Submarine Squadron based at Rybachiy Naval Base, Kamchatka, commanded by Rear Admiral Rudolf A. Golosov. In January 1968, the 15th Submarine Squadron was part of the 29th Ballistic Missile Division at Rybachiy, commanded by Admiral Viktor A. Dygalo. K-129's commander was Captain First Rank V.I. Kobzar. K-129 carried hull number 722 on her final deployment during which she sank on 8 March 1968. More details
5. USS Cochino Submarine Disaster:
USS Cochino (SS-345), a Balao-class submarine, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for the cochino, a triggerfish found in the Atlantic. Her keel was laid down by Electric Boat Company of Groton, Connecticut. She was launched on April 20, 1945 sponsored by Mrs. M.E. Serat, and commissioned on August 25, 1945 with Commander W.A. Stevenson in command. USS Cochino joined the U.S Atlantic Fleet, cruising East Coast and Caribbean Sea waters from her home port of Key West, Florida. In the late 1940s she received a GUPPY II conversion which streamlined her hull and increased her engine power. More details
6. HMS Thetis Submarine Disaster:
HMS Thetis (N25) was a Group 1 T-class submarine of the Royal Navy which served under two names. Under her first identity, HMS Thetis, she commenced sea trials on 4 March 1939. She sank during trials on 1 June 1939 with the loss of 99 lives. She was salvaged, repaired and recommissioned as HMS Thunderbolt serving in the Atlantic and Mediterranean theatres until she was lost with all hands on 14 March 1943. This makes Thetis one of the few military vessels that have been lost twice with their crews in their service history. More details
7. Sch-311 Kumzha Submarine Disaster:
The Sch-311 Kumzha is laid on 06.11.1933 at Krasnoe Sormovo shipyard in Gorkyi (Nizhniy Novgorod). The ship is officially named as Sch-311 in 15th September 1934. It is launched 10th April 1935 and moved to Leningrad for armament. The ship is finally commissioned 21st August 1936. Sch-311 is the most successful Soviet submarine during the Winter War. Commander Fedor Vershinin makes one combat mission, sinking two merchant ships and damaging one. Vershinin receives the Hero of the Soviet Union award, the highest distinction of the time. Kumzha is awarded the Order of the Red Banner. It is the highest recognition available for a military unit. More details
8. U-869 Submarine Disaster:
German submarine U-869 was a Type IXC/40 U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II, whose wreck was discovered off the coast of New Jersey in 1991. Its keel was laid down 5 April 1943 by Deutsche Schiff- und Maschinenbau AG Weser of Bremen. It was commissioned on 26 January 1944 with Kapitänleutnant Helmuth Neuerburg in command. Neuerburg went down with his boat. U-869 had a displacement of 1,144 tonnes (1,126 long tons) when at the surface and 1,257 tonnes (1,237 long tons) while submerged. The U-boat had a total length of 76.76 m, a pressure hull length of 58.75 m, a beam of 6.86 m, a height of 9.60 m, and a draught of 4.67 m. More details
9. Sunken Nazi Submarines:
The collapsing Nazi government ordered all U-boats in German ports to make their way to their bases in Norway on May 2, 1945. Two days later, the recently commissioned U-3523 joined the mission as one of the most advanced boats in the fleet. But to reach their destination, the submarines had to pass through the bottleneck of the Skagerrak – the strait between Norway and Denmark – and the UK’s Royal Air Force was waiting for them. Several U-boats were sunk and U-3523 was destroyed in an air attack by a Liberator bomber. U-3523 lay undiscovered on the seabed for over 70 years until it was recently located by surveyors from the Sea War Museum in Denmark. More details
