Juliett 484 News
A collection of news items and articles of interest can be found here [Select this link].
20 April 2007 - Russian Submarine Juliett 484 sinks in major storm:
A collection of photos, courtesy of Ken Johnson and Oakham Graphics, documenting the state of the submarine from 17-18 February, can be found here [Select this link].
Our former Soviet cruise missile submarine K-77, popularly known as Juliett 484, was swamped by the stern on Monday afternoon, April 17 at the height of a storm. Approximately 30 hours later, the sub sank at its Collier Point Park mooring.
Although the actual cause of the sinking will have to await a formal investigation, we believe that the combination of astronomically high tides, the wind pounding in from an unusual direction (east), the heavy rain and the storm surge (perhaps exacerbated by the closing of the hurricane barrier just upstream) caused the sub to ride high on its mooring lines and shift in its normal berth.
When the sub was first moored in this location, we placed four mooring camels amidships to keep the hull slightly away from the piers and in deeper water. The tide, surge and winds were so strong they pushed the forward potion of the sub into shallower water and capsized the camels against the pilings.
When the water receded the bow rested high on a shoal area and the stern sank deeper.
When the hurricane barrier is closed, large pumps discharge the river flow directly at the stern of the submarine. One of our duty officers, a former US Navy submarine officer, observed: "I have been there at times they were running the monthly test of these pumps and the turbulence around the stern of the sub is significant. I know from personal observation that considerable flow from these pumps is 'trapped' inboard between the sub and the shore and tends to push the stern out from the pier when the pumps are operating."
We theorize that the flow from the pumps helped caused the stern to swing outboard (at high tide the mooring lines would have been quite slack and would not have prevented this). With the strong winds pushing the higher-profile bow into shallow water, the stern would have dropped as the tide went out with the bow aground.
The sub had been modified in Finland. Tourist access openings were cut, allowing access to the pressure hull via the forward and aft torpedo compartments. These hatches were weather-tight but not waterproof--the oval surface ship type that could be dogged shut.
Under the conditions described above, the access hatch to the aft torpedo room eventually started to slowly flood.
The continual pounding of wind and water from the nor'easter for more than 24 hours proved too much for the crippled vessel, and the bow settled into the water as high tide approached on Tuesday night, April 17. The entire hull of the sub now rests on the bottom of the Providence River. Due to the bottom slope she has about a 50 degree list to port with only the periscope masts still above water.
The experts (including a salvage master) who viewed the sub on Tuesday did not expect this. We attached additional mooring lines late Tuesday afternoon in an effort to stabilize the list to port, which was the first step in our plan to raise the stern which had been flooded on Monday evening.
Consultations with marine surveyors, salvage professionals and the Coast Guard on a plan to pump out the water and refloat the submarine are ongoing.
The good news: five of the sub's mooring lines (two of which were added at the height of the storm) and two chains are still attached and holding, and there is small risk of pollution. It was carrying minimal fuel--little more than your family automobile. Special thanks go to the crews of the Providence Police and Fire Department boats; through their efforts the sub's pollution boom, which had been broken in two by the fury of the storm, was reattached and secured in place on Tuesday.
As emotionally wrenching as this experience has been, I believe the final judgment will be based on how well we respond to adversity and a crisis situation. We are, after all, a storm victim. This nor'easter has been referred to in any number of headlines as "worse than some hurricanes", and "the 25-year storm".
We have a $1 million marine liability insurance policy, $500,000 of which is available for salvage. We are working with all appropriate agencies and contractors to raise the sub as soon as possible.
We rescued this sub from a potential watery grave once before, and we hope to do it again.
Although we made a herculean effort to upgrade the sub's condition since taking it over, we have been hampered since day one by not having any builders' plans that would have enabled us to do even more. According to Russian officials the plans are still classified, and we have not been allowed to even look at them. We have visited Russia more than once on this unsuccessful quest.
What little knowledge we have comes from reverse engineering the data developed when the sub was drydocked in preparation for the filming of "K-19: The Widowmaker". We have remained in contact with the marine surveyor who did that work; he visited the sub here in Rhode Island as recently as 8 weeks ago.
In closing, we believe in total transparency here. As the local media will probably tell you, I have been totally accessible and as frank and open as possible. We seek their help to get our message out when there is good news to report, so I will not duck for cover when bad news is involved.
Frank Lennon
Russian Sub Museum
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Last Updated:
4/20/07