Russia submerges nuclear submarine to douse blaze

[Lars77]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/29/us-russia-submarine-fire-idUSTRE7BS0MJ20111229

(Reuters) - Russia said it had won the battle with a raging blaze aboard a nuclear submarine on Friday by submerging the stricken vessel at a navy shipyard after hours of dousing the flames with water from helicopters and tug boats.

There was no radiation leak, authorities said.

Television pictures showed a giant plume of smoke above the yard in the Murmansk region of northern Russia as over 100 firemen struggled to douse flames which witnesses said rose 10 metres (30 feet) above the Yekaterinburg submarine.


_____________________________
Just a few miles from Norway. Great.

[lindysalsagal]

1. I'm totally sure those authorities know what they're talking about and I trust

them when they say there was no radiation.

Don't you?

[cstanleytech]

2. But of course. In other news the moon was found to really be made of green cheese and

tomorrow everyone is getting a pony!!!!

[truthisfreedom]

3. WTF burns on a nuclear submarine? I mean, sure, there's probably a LITTLE fuel, but shit, there's

huge amounts of electricity available for everything you need aboard. OBVIOUSLY it was a nuclear meltdown of some kind.

[Posteritatis]

4. Strangely enough many things which aren't fuel burn. (nt)

[Lars77]

6. It was in drydock undergoing repairs

Anything that can burn is a fuel. And i´m no Robert Oppenheimer, but you can´t stop a meltdown by suberging a reactor.

So HOPEFULLY this was something else and that the reactor was not damaged.

Can´t trust the Russians though. Especially not when it comes to military shortcomings. I still remember when the Kursk went down. They refused aid from the Norwegian military, who were at the scene first. They sacrificed the crew.

[MicaelS]

8. Fire is one of the worst dangers aboard any ship

Surface or submarine. Nuclear or conventional powered. Military or civilian. That's why crew constantly train to fight them.

As to what burns? Paint, oil and other lubricants, plastics, rubber, paper, cloth.

[muriel_volestrangler]

10. The rubber-coated outer hull

See the BBC link in reply #7. That is to give it a small sonar signature. And that's why they were dumping water on it from above. Think of it like a tire dump fire.

[lonestarnot]

5. Wow, ready to eat crab.

[dipsydoodle]

7. Russian nuclear submarine fire put out

The huge fire that engulfed a Russian nuclear submarine undergoing repairs in the northern Murmansk region has been put out, the emergency minister says.

Sergei Shoigu said radiation monitoring would also now go back to normal after being stepped up when the blaze started on wood decking near the Yekaterinburg.

Officials said there was no risk as its two reactors had been shut down. Nine people were hurt fighting the fire.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16361825

[MicaelS]

9. Wonder if the Russian Admirals will try to blame

The US Navy for this like they did the sinking of the Kursk?