SOS: Russian Sub Caught 190m Deep - Can ALVIN Help?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the rescue of a Russian submarine that is trapped at a depth of 190 meters, entangled in fishing nets and cables. Participants explore the potential for rescue operations, the capabilities of various submersibles, and the geopolitical implications of the situation.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express concern about the limited air supply for the crew, estimating they may have only two days left.
  • There are suggestions that rescue vehicles like ALVIN could potentially assist in cutting the submarine free.
  • Others raise the possibility that the Russian government may prioritize secrecy over the crew's safety, questioning whether they would accept international assistance.
  • Some participants mention the capabilities of onboard rescue suits and chambers, noting their depth limits and the potential for U.S. rescue vehicles to operate at greater depths.
  • A participant references past incidents where Russia was slow to accept foreign assistance, suggesting a pattern of reluctance in crisis situations.
  • There are discussions about the involvement of multiple countries, including Japan and the UK, in the rescue efforts, with some participants noting the historical context of international submarine rescues.
  • Some participants speculate on the design of future rescue submersibles that could facilitate crew transfer from a stranded submarine.
  • Concerns are raised about the safety and reliability of Russian submarines, with comparisons made to other nations' submarine capabilities.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of views on the feasibility of rescue operations and the implications of international involvement. There is no consensus on the motivations of the Russian government regarding foreign assistance, and opinions vary on the technical capabilities of existing rescue vehicles.

Contextual Notes

Some discussions reference historical incidents, such as the Kursk disaster, which may influence perceptions of the current situation. There are also mentions of the limitations of existing rescue technologies and the challenges posed by international politics.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to those following submarine rescue operations, international relations regarding military assistance, and the technical aspects of deep-sea rescue vehicles.

hypatia
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A Russian sub is stuck on the bottom of the ocean, prop cought up in fishing net and cable. 190 meters deep, food and water for 5 days..but air? Maybe only as little as 2 days.
doesn't someone have some kind of rescue-bot..like a ALVIN that could cut them free? Like the ones they used to film and collect stuff from the Titanic? :bugeye:
 
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hypatia said:
A Russian sub is stuck on the bottom of the ocean, prop cought up in fishing net and cable. 190 meters deep, food and water for 5 days..but air? Maybe only as little as 2 days.
doesn't someone have some kind of rescue-bot..like a ALVIN that could cut them free? Like the ones they used to film and collect stuff from the Titanic? :bugeye:

But what if the Russians don't want the rest of the world to know what is on that sub? Top secret usually trumps human life...
 
hypatia said:
A Russian sub is stuck on the bottom of the ocean, prop cought up in fishing net and cable. 190 meters deep, food and water for 5 days..but air? Maybe only as little as 2 days.
doesn't someone have some kind of rescue-bot..like a ALVIN that could cut them free? Like the ones they used to film and collect stuff from the Titanic? :bugeye:

Not sure, but onboard rescue suits are good for 5-600ft, rescue chambers
about 800ft and i think the US has a vehicle good for 2000 ft may be more.
 
oh geez, didnt think of the top secret code of death thingie. There is 5 men on board, maybe they could rescure only the non-spies?
 
wolram said:
Not sure, but onboard rescue suits are good for 5-600ft, rescue chambers
about 800ft and i think the US has a vehicle good for 2000 ft may be more.
thats what I was thinking too..190 meters is about 650 ft of water? They must be practised in decompression ascensions?
 
I think we (the british) have two submarines that can be used for deepsea rescue. We offered to help the last time they lost a sub but they took to long in saying yes. I believe they have already asked us for help (my mate watched the news) in this matter.


from another news source:
Altogether, nine Russian ships and one from Japan were taking part in the operation to raise the stricken vessel.

Japan's Kyodo news agency quoted the Defence Agency as saying Japan would send four vessels.

Interfax said naval authorities were also in contact with U.S. naval forces in the Pacific to see if they could help.

After the Kursk disaster, Russian navy command faced strong public criticism for being too slow in requesting foreign assistance.
 
Last edited:
Daminc said:
I think we (the british) have two submarines that can be used for deepsea rescue. We offered to help the last time they lost a sub but they took to long in saying yes. I believe they have already asked us for help (my mate watched the news) in this matter.


from another news source:
Slow in requesting foreign assistance? They outright refused it when offered from several countries! I don't know what was on that last sub, but apparently it was worth sacrificing a crew to keep it out of view of international rescuers.

Good to know that this time they are accepting assistance.
 
The UK and the USA have sent aid. Interesting side note... this is the first time sense WW2 that the USA has been allowed to fly a military plan over the area.
I hope they reach them in time. A blurb I heard on the news said ships were dragging the area with large nets? in hopes of snagging it? Thats a mighty big net.
 
Didn't they slice part of it off and just raise that? as i understand the russian
subs are death traps.
 
  • #10
yes the us has one called a dsrv "deep submergance rescue vehicle" it can go down to 2500 meters but just like the kursk the russians don't want help until its to late
 
  • #12
Hypatia said:
Submarine Down
So... When was it up?
 
  • #13
Didn't these people see K-19? They should know the procedure...

O wait, that sub didn't survive...um...yeah...

Hmm...Why don't they start putting the men into the torpedo chambers and launching them to the surface?
 
  • #14
wolram said:
Didn't they slice part of it off and just raise that? as i understand the russian
subs are death traps.
I don't want to be rude, but British subs are even worse. Canada bought 4 preety new diesel submarines from Royal Navy for 700 million $, and one almost sunk on Atlantic Ocean and the rest of them are in dry docks in Canada requiring extensive repair.
Canada could have get excellent German, French or Dutch subs for that amount of cash, but being in fact collony of Britain, Canadian government had to listen to their masters.
 
  • #15
It panned out Ok, a rescue submersible cut the cables of the fishing net, and the sailors are unharmed :smile:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4128614.stm

It would be horrible to be trapped in a small space and seeing that the oxygen supplies dwindle progressively. I possibly would be on the edge of madness, specially if I had I mind what happened to submarine Kursk a few years ago
 
  • #16
We can all be thankful they are safe this morning and that so many stepped into help.

Many things to consider.

S
 
  • #17
meteor said:
It panned out Ok, a rescue submersible cut the cables of the fishing net, and the sailors are unharmed :smile:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4128614.stm

It would be horrible to be trapped in a small space and seeing that the oxygen supplies dwindle progressively. I possibly would be on the edge of madness, specially if I had I mind what happened to submarine Kursk a few years ago

I was thrilled to hear they are safe :smile: I'm sure if it were me in there, I would of seen the brink of madness as well. Of course on being rescued, I would of had to make them all swear a pact of silence.
 
  • #18
hypatia said:
I was thrilled to hear they are safe :smile: I'm sure if it were me in there, I would of seen the brink of madness as well. Of course on being rescued, I would of had to make them all swear a pact of silence.

Getting countries to TALK has always been THE PROBMEM...

Swearing them to "silence" should be nothing!
The British pulled them out ...they don't talk...Much.
And the USA sent SCORPIO's...They dont' talk at ALL!
 
  • #19
Shoshana said:
Getting countries to TALK has always been THE PROBMEM...

Swearing them to "silence" should be nothing!
The British pulled them out ...they don't talk...Much.
And the USA sent SCORPIO's...They dont' talk at ALL!

From what I read yesterday, the U.S. didn't even get out of dock with their equipment, yet gets mentioned in every article as sending help. Some help. :rolleyes:

Sounds like heads are going to roll in Russia that nothing has improved since the Kursk.

It seems there needs to be some sort of a rescue sub with a hatch that can lock onto and form a passage to a hatch on a stranded sub. It just seems to me that if we can build space shuttles that can dock onto a space station to transfer supplies and personnel, why can't such a thing be built onto subs? It seems it would be even easier to build onto a rescue sub, one that can be smaller and doesn't need to be super quiet in the water or as streamlined, maybe it would even be transported to the scene on another vessel rather than under it's own power if it's too slow with the added hatch that I would envision would be on the bottom in addition to the usual topside hatches, but that can latch onto a sub that's stranded and shuttle people off. I don't know what size a sub's batteries are, but if they could also bring down fully charged batteries to swap out ones that are running down, that could enable them to maintain life support while more slowly shuttling crew off. Sure, every navy is going to want to have their own and a unique hatch size so in time of conflict they can't be boarded with one of these things, but if the hatch it connected to had to be manned from the inside, it might prevent that issue, and if it's not too big and a little slow and cumbersome so a fully-powered sub could easily out-maneuver it, it's not going to do much good as anything other than a rescue vessel anyway.

Or do other navies already have such vessels and it's just the Russians that are behind the times?
 
  • #20
Shoshana said:
Getting countries to TALK has always been THE PROBMEM...

Swearing them to "silence" should be nothing!
The British pulled them out ...they don't talk...Much.
And the USA sent SCORPIO's...They dont' talk at ALL!

I wonder what would happen if this incident had occurred during the Cold War. Would the USA have sent subs? Umm...
(though now the enemy seems to be the Muslim world instead of the Soviet Union)

Nice that differences between countries seem smoother now than in the past
I think that John Lennon would be happy
 
  • #21
meteor said:
I wonder what would happen if this incident had occurred during the Cold War. Would the USA have sent subs? Umm...
(though now the enemy seems to be the Muslim world instead of the Soviet Union)

Nice that differences between countries seem smoother now than in the past
I think that John Lennon would be happy

oh the usa difinatly would have sent resources to recover sub and crew because they would see how the sub works and ask the crew a few questions before handing the whole bunch back to the russians.