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Underwater assessments continue.
Monday, May 7, 2007: The underwater survey of the Russian submarine which sank during the mid-April nor'easter continues.
Last week commercial divers from Newport-based Northeast Diving Services, Inc. attached additional mooring lines to the sub so that other mooring lines, still under tension from the sinking, could be slacked or cut. It was important to do that so that other divers could safely explore the hull and surrounding area.
When we slacked those lines the sub did not move at all--but the piers moved back several inches into their original position.
As it happens, the lines were not holding up the sub. The opposite was happening; the strain from the weight of the sub was pressuring the piers. Releasing the tension on those lines served to prevent further damage to the piers.
Other divers with specialized training then completed a survey of the river bottom and the pier area, prior to conducting a thorough examination of the outside of the hull. Examination of the port side revealed a mud bank created when sub sank. That bank is holding the sub up, with a 48 degree list to port (away from the piers). She is stable in that position, firmly planted in the mud. The water is about 30 feet deep in that area.
The dive survey is expected to continue into the middle of this week, as divers carefully assess the sub compartment by compartment in order to gather the data and video needed to formulate the best possible salvage plan.
As previously mentioned, we have been hampered by a lack of engineering drawings or builders’ plans, which we have been unable to obtain from Russia. However, submarine veterans from the Soviet Navy with an intimate knowledge of the workings of this boat are working with us to develop the additional information we need. We are also reverse engineering the data developed when the sub was drydocked in preparation for the filming of "K-19: The Widowmaker".
These actions are part of the careful assessment being made by marine experts, in cooperation with the US Coast Guard, to gather the information needed to raise the sub expeditiously and safely.
We still have no estimate as to when actual efforts to raise the sub might commence.
Frank Lennon
USS Saratoga Museum Foundation, Inc.
401-831-8696
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Last Updated:
5/8/07